Assessing stream integrity based on interpretations of map-based riparian and subbasin properties

Ecosystems have become a primary focus for conservation efforts seeking to maintain native freshwater biodiversity. Inherent in lotic ecosystem studies is consideration of the influences that multiscale environmental properties have on the state of biological communities and ecological processes, herein referred to more generally as stream integrity. The Watershed Habitat Evaluation and Biotic Integrity Protocol (WHEBIP) was developed to provide rapid assessment of stream integrity for stream segments throughout watersheds based on riparian and subbasin features interpreted principally from aerial imagery and topographic maps. Protocol calibration was based on relationships between WHEBIP scores and aquatic community and aquatic habitat field data collected in the French Creek watershed, Chautauqua County, NY, USA. A test of the protocol in the Cussewago Creek watershed, Crawford and Erie Counties, PA, USA, indicated that the WHEBIP can be used as a generalized-stream integrity rapid-assessment tool, especially related to fish communities. However, the protocol’s ability to predict stream macroinvertebrate biological integrity measures was limited, emphasizing that it should be used primarily as a stratification tool to guide the classification of stream integrity within watersheds.