Research

Investigator(s):
[email] Kimberly Gortz-Reaves, University of Colorado - Denver
[email] Charlie Chase, University of Colorado - Denver

Abstract: Bear Creek Watershed is an extensive watershed covering 4 counties and more than 8 cities and towns. There are numerous land use and watershed managers, civic and educational groups, stewardship and volunteer groups, and other associations involved in various aspects of the Bear Creek Watershed. The extent of public and private land use managing agencies or organizations contained in Bear Creek watershed with "on-the-ground" projects through which young people and community groups can participate, for example, habitat restoration, stream bank stabilization or other watershed conservation projects, is not known. Furthermore, there is no existing system to provide coordination for watershed-wide projects.

The purpose of this research project is to identify stakeholders and potential partners operating in the Bear Creek watershed and their needs, resources and capacities. The research project will be facilitated by the Bear Creek Watershed Partnership (BCWP) which is a partnership aimed at connecting youth-based stewardship and leadership programs to opportunities offered by Bear Creek watershed stakeholders. To date, facilitating partners include City of Denver Parks and Recreation, University of Colorado at Denver, National Park Service RTCA, AmeriCorps, FrontRange Earth Force, and Groundwork Denver,. Research objectives

As of yet, there has been limited program coordination among municipalities and other public and private agencies within the Bear Creek watershed. The objective is to contact agencies and associations, build a database of information based on conversations with contacts, create a stronger partnership effort, then develop a GIS-web based interactive map with the gathered information.

Investigator(s):
[email] Scott Hoyer, Colorado State University
[email] Christopher Myrick, Colorado State University

Abstract: New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) are an invasive aquatic species that are expanding their range in the western United States through both passive and active modes of dispersal. The presence of New Zealand mudsnails threaten the biodiversity of stream benthic communities and have resulted in stream closures in Colorado and California that have reduced recreational opportunities. Additionally, aquaculture facilities that discharge effluent directly into mudsnail positive waters are at risk of invasion by this organism. To date, aquaculture facilities in Colorado, Montana, and Utah have been temporary closed or quarantined and restrictions have been set on where fish from these facilities can be stocked.

There is currently a need for effective methods to limit the spread of mudsnails. In 2007 and 2008 our research team conducted tests on the potential of copper-based substrate treatments to serve as barriers to the movement of New Zealand mudsnails. We found that several copper-based materials reduced, but did not altogether eliminate, the movement of New Zealand mudsnails under static (non-flowing) conditions. These results suggested that copper might serve as an effective barrier to the upstream movement of the mudsnails; however, results from pilot field trials in Utah, Colorado, and Idaho have shown conflicting results. In some locations the New Zealand mudsnails move over the copper barriers and in others they do not. It is likely that the variation in barrier efficiency results from differences in water chemistry and/or physical parameters such as water temperature and velocity. Therefore it is critical to determine the conditions under which copper and copper-based compounds do serve as effective barriers to the upstream movement of New Zealand mudsnails.

My research objective in 2009-10 is to compare the behavioral responses of New Zealand mudsnails to four copper-based materials: copper-sheeting, copper- mesh, and two types of copper-based anti-fouling paints (ablative and non-ablative). Mudsnail response to each of these materials will be tested across a range of water temperatures, pH levels, water hardness levels, and water velocities. These experiments will be conducted at the Colorado State University Foothills Fisheries Laboratory (Fort Collins, CO) on the Colorado State University Foothills Research Campus. I will also conduct a field study at South Boulder Creek (Boulder, CO) throughout the summer of 2009. The objective of this field study will be to determine how long these materials remain effective in the presence of organic fouling substances.

It is important to act swiftly to develop methods to limit the spread of New Zealand mudsnails. It will become increasingly more difficult to control this species as its range continues to spread across the United States. If the tested materials are shown to be effective, I will disseminate the results quickly through articles in high profile journals and through presentations at professional meetings in an effort to begin to control this problem

Investigator(s):
[email] Chengmin Hsu, University of Colorado - Denver
[email] Lynn E. Johnson, University of Colorado - Denver

Abstract: Soil moisture is a critical hydrosphere state variable for a wide variety of applications. Passive microwave remote sensing has been demonstrated to capture the high temporal variability of the near surface soil moisture over continental surfaces. However, the use of these data is limited by the low spatial resolution obtained with the current and near-future generation of space-borne radiometers. An operational global soil moisture data product is currently generated from the observations of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite using the retrieval procedure described in Njoku and Chan [2006]. However, the AMSR-E surface soil moisture product is 25-km resolution data and hasn't been fully validated.

We propose to: (1) improve and update the AMSR-E soil moisture products by assimilating the AMSR-E products into NOAH land surface model, (2) downscale the coarse resolution soil moisture outcome to a higher resolution product (eg. 240-m resolution), and (3) validate the final product with the joint soil moisture observations obtained from NRCS Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) and from soil moisture monitoring stations in Nebraska by the High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPRCC). The work proposed here constitutes a first attempt to understand the spatial structure of brightness temperature and soil moisture images when applied at higher resolution.

Investigator(s):
[email] Jason F. Smith, Colorado State University
[email] James E. Klett, Colorado State University

Abstract: Municipalities encourage water conservation and reductions in the amount of water used for landscapes. Although shrubs are important components of landscapes, little is known about the water needs of the shrub species distributed throughout nurseries and garden centers in the Rocky Mountain region. In 2005, a study was initiated to evaluate the response of seven shrub species to four irrigation regimes. Irrigation treatments were based on the evapotranspiration of Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass), and the treatment plots consisted of 100% ET, 50% ET, 25% ET, and 0% ET. The shrub species evaluated included Amelanchier alnifolia (serviceberry), Caryopteris incana (blue mist spirea), Chamaebatiaria millefolium (fernbush), Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage), Rhus trilobata (three leaf sumac), Syringa meyeri (Meyer lilac), and Syringa vulgaris (common lilac). The shrubs were exposed to the irrigation treatments during the spring and summer of 2006. During that time, soil moisture was monitored, heights and widths measured for all shrubs, and predawn leaf water potentials collected from three leaf sumac and common lilac. By late August, none of the species showed visible signs of water stress in any of the treatment plots. Water potential data indicated that treatments had little impact on three leaf sumac. Although treatments did affect predawn leaf water potential for common lilac, none of the plants exhibited visible signs associated with water stress. In an adjacent lysimeter study, three leaf sumac and common lilac were grown pot-in-pot. Three leaf sumac expressed physiological signs of water stress after eleven days without water; common lilac wilted by the fourth day of the dry down. Both species recovered after rehydration of the soil. Treatments were applied again during 2007 and 2008, during which soil and plant data were collected. Findings from the 2005-2008 study suggest that all seven shrub species are suitable for planting in landscapes with limited water availability.

Investigator(s):
[email] Julie Kray, Colorado State University
[email] David J. Cooper, Colorado State University

Abstract: Throughout western North America, arid regions are likely to experience changes in the timing and amount of precipitation (IPCC 2007, CWCB 2008). In addition, warming temperatures will increase evapotranspiration (ET) by native plant communities and agricultural crops (IPCC 2007). Altered rainfall and runoff patterns and rising ET will exacerbate current stresses on water resources from increasing human demands, and could produce long-term changes in water availability for ecosystems, agriculture, and municipalities. These changes may affect the water acquisition patterns of native plants, and further alter basin-scale ET. Understanding how native plant communities currently use groundwater and how they may adjust to future climate changes is critical for water management in arid regions, because changes in groundwater use by plants could alter the amount of water available for human use.

Investigator(s):
[email] James Duncan Sydney Cullis, University of Colorado - Boulder
[email] Diane McKnight, University of Colorado - Boulder

Abstract: Didymosphenia geminata, or "rock-snot", is a nuisance diatom species that can form large amounts of stalk material that covers the streambed (Larnard et al. 2006). These blooms impact the aesthetic value and biodiversity of mountain streams across many parts of North America particularly the Rocky Mountain states, and in recent years there has been an increase in nuisance blooms, as well as spreading to new watersheds (Spaulding and Elwell 2007). While some studies have considered the habitat preferences of D. geminata (Kilroy et al. 2005), none have looked in detail at the impact of flood events and bed disturbance, which are likely to be the primary controls on growth (Kirkwood et al. 2007). The aim of this study is to investigate the hydrologic factors controlling the growth of periphyton in mountain streams and in particular the role of flood events and bed disturbance on controlling the growth of D. geminata. The specific objective is to compare the factors affecting growth in the unregulated and as yet unimpacted rivers of the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) with those in the more regulated and impacted Boulder Creek to determine whether the natural disturbance regime of the unregulated streams in the RMNP is sufficient to reduce the threat of invasion by D. geminata and whether restoring some of the natural disturbance regime through managed flood releases in Boulder Creek could control the future growth of D. geminata.