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STREAM SURVEY CREWS MONITOR
KANSAS WATERS
KDWP staff collect data on aquatic
wildlife; info available to public
June 1, 2006 - PRATT -- One of the lesser-known
activities of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP)
is the work of its stream survey crews. The crews, part of KDWP's
Environmental Services Section (ESS), were created in the mid-1990s
to monitor aquatic life in streams throughout the state. In the
ensuing 11 years, more than one million fish have been surveyed
or collected. The crews have also created an extensive data base
on the quality of habitat and density of insects, fish, mussels,
and basic water chemistry in Kansas streams.
Under federal law, any publicly-funded development
project or project needing another state or federal permit that
will impact a threatened or endangered (T&E) species or its
critical habitat requires a KDWP T&E Action Permit. When
issued, such permits may, on rare occasion, include special conditions
requiring mitigation or other corrective measures to reduce or
eliminate adverse impacts to threatened or endangered species.
The information gleaned from stream surveys aids
the ESS in this permitting process. ESS reviews between 1,500
and 2,000 projects each year, and of these, fewer than 30 may
require Action Permits because of impacts to critical habitats.
To date, no project in Kansas has been stopped by this review
process although a few have been delayed.
"Actually, I like to measure success in this
job as moving species off the T&E list," says Mark Van
Scoyoc, KDWP Stream Program coordinator. "If we're doing
our job well, species at risk may recover, and we also learn
the places these species don't inhabit. This helps landowners
and construction companies as well as the environment."
This summer, two stream survey crews will work
the rivers and streams in Kansas. A statewide crew, led by stream
biologist Ryan Waters of Pratt, will survey various locations
throughout the state. Another crew, led by Ron Kegerries from
the Clinton Wildlife Area office, will survey in the eastern
quarter of the state, primarily the Marais des Cygnes and Missouri
river basins. In addition to the leaders, each team will comprise
four temporary fisheries technicians, college students working
toward degrees in biology or environmental sciences.
Although the crews will be looking for rare or
endangered species, common species will also be recorded to provide
timeline data that may be used to compare population trends.
The surveys will run from the beginning of June through the end
of August.
Information gleaned from stream monitoring is available
to anyone, not just KDWP's ESS. Private consulting firms, other
state agencies, landowners, and federal agencies such as the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service use this information. The information
is also an invaluable student research tool.
"My main goal is to increase public awareness
of what we do and the information we have available," Van
Scoyoc explains. "Eventually, I'd like to have our database
on the agency's website."
For more information on KDWP's stream survey crews
or the data they collect, contact Van Scoyoc at 620-672-5911.
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