Bibliography Background About KRIS
KRIS Mattole Info Links
This document contains supplemental information for contents of the KRIS Mattole database. Each section below is linked to from relevant topics in the database.
Mattole River Flow and Regional Rainfall Data
Flow data in KRIS Mattole comes from U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) records for the gage near Petrolia. Records of average daily flow are in cubic feet per second. Water years begin on October 1 of the prior calendar year. For example, the 1998 water year started on October 1, 1997. Rainfall is available in KRIS Mattole from many different sites with different periods of records. Data origin is the National Weather Service CDEC database and James Goodridge, former state climatologist and now consultant to the California Department of Water Resources.See the Stream Flow KRIS Background pages for more information.
Historical photos in the KRIS Mattole were scanned with the permission of the Mattole Valley Historical Society. The images are for viewing in this project only and further use of these photos requires the express and written permission of the Historical Society.
Other photos in KRIS were contributed by the Mattole Restoration Council. Special thanks to Drew Barber who shared his educational slide show. Also, Thomas Dunklin provided many images from his extensive archives including some creative panoramic shots. Contact the photographer in Arcata, California if interested in obtaining high-resolution prints.
Road Densities in KRIS Mattole
Roads are a major source of sediment to streams. Surface erosion from roads can produce chronic sources of fine sediment which can diminish salmon and steelhead spawning success. Failure of roads during major storm events can lead to large landslides which can overwhelm streams with sediment, thus filling pools and diminishing habitat diversity. Road densities since 1996 are projected in some cases from Timber Harvest Permits (THPs) filed with CDF and may not yet have been constructed. Road densities were also taken from the PALCO HCP where available for watersheds in the Northern Mattole Sub-basin. The PALCO data reports miles of road per square mile of landscape. Studies in Washington State (Cedarholm, 1981) found that fine sediment in salmon redds increased as road densities exceeded 3 miles of road per square mile of landscape. KRIS shows thresholds for roads of 3 miles per square miles based on National Marine Fisheries Service guidelines (NMFS, 1996).See Roads page in KRIS Background pages for more information.
Mattole Basin Amphibian Data From Redwood Sciences Lab
Data on amphibians in KRIS Coho was supplied by Dr. Hartwell Welsh and the U.S. Forest Service Redwood Sciences Lab in Arcata. The information in KRIS Mattole comes from work in progress in the Mattole River basin on the relationship between the diversity of amphibian species and the seral stage of the stream canopy. Survey techniques have been standardized with trained observers and fixed sampling times in each area. Because the survey results are part of work that has not been published, only data on percent presence and absence by seral stage type was available for use in KRIS Mattole. Extensive temperature data was collected in conjunction with Mattole Basin amphibian surveys and that data is also available in KRIS Mattole.For more information on sensitive amphibians see the Amphibian Background page.
Stream Temperature Data for in KRIS Mattole
The Forest Science Project (FSP) has provided a service of verifying the location and accuracy of temperature data sets taken in the Mattole basin during the years 1996-1998. These data were taken using automated temperature recorders by the Mattole Salmon Group (MSG), the USFS Redwood Sciences Laboratory or private landowners. In addition, the NCRWQCB recorded water temperature from seventeen locations in 2001.
Floating weekly average (FWA) temperature refers to the moving average of seven daily values around each date, and the maximum FWA is also known as the Maximum Weekly Average Temperature (MWAT). FWA is plotted for each site according to the years available, and for groups of sites that show changes in water temperature moving along a stream course. In addition, MWAT by site is charted as an overall summary. Other temperature charts in KRIS include daily minimum, maximum, and average temperature
The mainstem Mattole and eight tributaries were surveyed for surface water temperature using a helicopter-mounted thermal infrared (TIR) sensor. Charts in KRIS Mattole show the longitudinal temperature profile of these streams on the flight date of July 19, 2001. The spatial data on temperature from this survey is available in the KRIS Mattole Maps project and images are included on the Picture tab of the TIR topics. For more information see the report by Watershed Sciences for the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (2002).
The U.S. Forest Service Redwood Sciences Laboratory in Arcata has performed herpetofauna surveys for much of the Mattole River basin. As part of their project they have monitored stream temperatures and air temperatures in riparian zones. Water temperatures were monitored using automated temperature sensors placed in flowing water and in the shade. The key to sites and file names for the various study sites is in an attached Location Table. For more information on stresssful and lethal temperature levels for tailed frogs and southern Olympic salamanders, see Amphibians Background page.
For more in-depth information on water temperature thresholds in KRIS Mattole, see the Temperature Background page.
Mattole Lagoon Studies: Juvenile Salmonids, Dissolved Oxygen, and Water Temperature
Busby et al., (1988) conducted a study in which they inventoried the physical and biological characteristics of the on the Mattole River estuary. The study included beach seine sampling of juvenile salmonids in the Mattole lagoon. The study included measurement of dissolved oxygen profiles at four montioring stations. Summer surface water temperatures in the Mattole River lagoon were measured with a thermograph as part of an inventory of the Mattole River Estuary by Busby et. al (1988).
Chinook and Coho Salmon Spawner Estimates for the Mattole River
The Mattole Salmon Support Group conducts extensive redd and carcass counts annually in various reaches of the Mattole River and its tributaries. Counting effort may vary with availability of volunteers in different years so not all reaches are surveyed with the same frequency. High flows can reduce visibility or make access to streams impossible which also causes variability in sampling effort between years. As a consequence, annual spawner escapement estimates of fall chinook and coho salmon are not statistically robust.See the Mattole Salmon Group's report on the 1996/97 run (MSG, 1997) from the Mattole section of the KRIS Bibliography.
Downstream Migrant Trapping Data
Downstream migrant traps can yield uniquely valuable information on the productivity and health of watersheds by measuring the number of juvenile fish leaving a stream and providing an opportunity to measure the size of those downstream migrants. Coho and steelhead juveniles must reach at least one year of age, and attain sufficient size, in order to survive the smolt and early ocean life stages. Large numbers of coho or steelhead yearlings (1+) indicate a potentially productive salmonid stream, while large numbers of emigrating young of the year fish (0+) can indicate habitat conditions too poor to support rearing fish. Maintaining traps and generating reliable estimates of total out migrant populations is extremely difficult.
The Mattole Salmon Group has operated intermittently operated fyke-net traps on the mainstem Mattole River and in Bear Creek since 1994. In addition, Kathy Day (M.S. candidate at Humboldt State University) operated a pipe trap in Conklin and Mill Creeks in 1992. When made possible by the source data provided, KRIS charts represent downstream migrant trapping results in two forms, one to illustrate the various types of vertebrates captured at the trap sites, and the other to illustrate the timing and magnitude of migration for the two age classes of coho and steelhead. Size of emigrating fish is also of interest but these data were not available from Mattole trapping efforts.
For more in-depth information see also the Background page on Fish Populations.
Electrofishing Data for the Mattole River
The earliest quantitative fish surveys in the Mattole River watershed were conducted in 1972 when the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) performed a fisheries study for the California Department of Water Resources to measure fish densities in 24 stream sites above a proposed dam site near Whitethorn (Nooning Creek dam site). See the Brown (1973) report. In addition, CDFG has contributed subsequent electrofishing data, but none as part of any systematic or long-term project.
Weldon Jones of CDFG staff sampled six southern Mattole streams in 1986. Data came to IFR as part of the CDFG biosample database. Specific techniques used by CDFG staff, such as the use of blocking nets, and single versus multiple pass varied. Information on sampling technique is limited to fields in the Source Table and these indicate that only single-pass efforts were made during these Mattole surveys. Presentation of the data in KRIS is intended to characterize the fish community structure for a variety of sites and years. Although the biosample database lists virtually all species of aquatic vertebrates that may occur, sample data indicates that amphibians and possibly some non game fishes were not recorded until the most recent years.
CDFG staff sampled fish density by electrofishing in three streams of the Upper North Fork Mattole as part of a sediment monitoring program that culminated in Inland Fisheries Admin. Report 97-6 by Hopelain, Flosi, and Downie. Quantitative electrofishing (multiple passes and blocking nets) was conducted from 1992 to 1995 but then stopped. Larry Preston of CDFG has also conducted several electrofishing surveys of Mattole streams.
CDFG stream habitat survey crews used electrofishing for the biological inventory section of their work. These surveys were conducted between 1994-1999 and involved crews staffed by California Conservation Corp. and Americorp technicians. Surveyor experience varied but all were trained according to methods described in the California Salmonid Restoration Manual (CDFG, 1998). For biological inventory, these methods include electrofishing of representative habitats, but no use block nets, or any multiple pass procedure to allow quantitative calculations. Non detection of a species, such as coho salmon, cannot be taken as total absence. Furthermore, these inventories are highly variable with respect to documenting non game fishes and amphibians. Because of such limitations, these data are not highlighted in KRIS, but can be found in the stream inventory reports contained within the KRIS Bibliography.
For more in-depth information see also the Background page on Fish Populations.
The Department of Fish and Game conducted salmonid habitat surveys in 50 tributary streams of the Mattole watershed in the period 1991-1999 following methods described in the California Salmonid Restoration Manual (CDFG, 1998). CDFG reports available from these surveys are contained in the KRIS Bibliography. Of the stream attributes measured, those deemed most useful for assessing conditions for supporting anadromous fish are canopy cover, embeddedness, percent pools, and pool depth. The NCWAP Ecological Management Decision Support system model for stream reach condition uses these attributes with the addition of pool shelter. Charts in KRIS illustrate the values for all five of these habitat attributes by subbasin. In addition, percent pool type and percent scour pools by length are charted following assessment methods used for the Ten Mile River in CRWQCB (2001).
Habitat charts summarize data for each stream where surveys were conducted, combining data where more than one reach was surveyed. Of the 50 Mattole streams surveyed, 12 had two reaches surveyed, three had three reaches surveyed, two had four reaches surveyed, and one had five reaches surveyed. Four streams where surveys covered less than 1000’ feet were not included in the bar charts due to concerns about low sample size. Summary data was generated from raw habitat data files using a custom query tool built by Dr. Jan Derksen in cooperation with CDFG staff. Summaries by reach were also produced and can be accessed at the Source Table tab of the topic "Habitat: Survey Length and Stream Order."
Both the quantity and quality of pool habitat is important for productive rearing of coho salmon and yearling or older steelhead. Percent pools by length reflects habitat quantity and results from classifying unit lengths of stream as pool, flatwater, or riffle habitat. Maximum pool depth measurements are among the least subjective of any data collected in habitat surveys. Pool depth is a useful indicator of habitat quality because juvenile coho prefer pools deeper than three feet, and may require them for protection from predators. Cobble embeddedness is a visual assessment of spawning habitat quality with respect to fine sediment levels. At each pool tail where fish may spawn, an embeddedness level is assigned as category 1-4. Pool tails deemed unsuitable for spawning due to substrate size, bedrock, or other consideration are assigned a category 5. Embeddedness is a subjective method, but can be useful for assessment of spawning conditions over extensive stream networks. However, embeddedness data may be not be reliable for comparison of spawning habitat quality among streams surveyed by different observers. Canopy is measured at each habitat unit and summarized in KRIS using a weighted (unit length) average, thus illustrating the proportions of stream length covered by deciduous canopy, coniferous canopy or no canopy (open). Canopy charts provide information on potential stream warming as indicated by percent open canopy and long term prospects for large wood recruitment as indicated by percent deciduous canopy. Larger streams generally have more open canopy and deeper pools than small streams. Habitat charts thus list streams on the vertical axis by stream order, albeit imprecise and providing few categories for size ranking. Drainage area would provide a more accurate index of stream size, but this was not available.
To learn more about using fish habitat data, check the Habitat Typing Background page.
The removal of wood from streams or "stream cleaning" began in coastal rivers of California in the late 1950s and was a misguided attempt to improve fish habitat that had been degraded by logging activities. The idea was to re-establish fish passage around large wood jams and allow for faster flushing of sediment. Large wood removal in the Mattole River watershed is documented for the years 1980-1984 by CDFG and California Conservation Corp (CCC) work reports and memos. For those available records for which an estimated volume of wood removed (cords) was made, John Wooster formerly of the USFS Redwood Sciences Laboratory, prepared a database and summarizing document. See Wooster (2000) report. Gary Flossi of CDFG has also provided a summary of wood removed from Mattole streams. That table was provided in the Mattole Synthesis Report.
To learn more about removal of wood from streams see the Background page on Stream Clearance.
Fine Sediment in the Mattole River and Tributaries
Excessive fine sediment negatively affects salmon and steelhead by reducing the survival of eggs to emerging fry and degrading rearing habitat. Sediment can plug interstitial spaces in stream gravels, increase the frequency of scour, and fill pools. The Mattole River has been declared as sediment impaired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board as part of the Clean Water Act Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) allocation. TMDL is aimed at abating water quality problems in impaired water bodies.The Mattole TMDL was not completed before KRIS Mattole v.1. Targets for various indices of sediment are expected to be similar to those established for other coastal watersheds of the region. These are presented as reference values on KRIS Mattole charts. The Ten Mile River TMDL for Sediment (EPA, 2000) set the target for fine sediment <0.85 mm at 14% or less, as did the TMDLs for the Garcia, Noyo, and Big Rivers. The Garcia TMDL report (US EPA, 1999) recommends a maximum 30% for fines < 6.4 mm. This second category of fine sediment includes large sand and fine gravels which may intrude into the stream bed inhibit the emergence of fry (Chapman 1988).
Sediment and Fish Density Monitoring in the Upper North Fork Mattole by CDFG
The California Department of Fish and Game sampled bulk gravel (McNeil samplers), and fish density by electrofishing, in three streams of the Upper North Fork Mattole as part of a monitoring program that culminated in Inland Fisheries Admin. Report 97-6 by Hopelain, Flosi, and Downie. The project sought "to compare fish habitat quality parameters between watersheds that had substantially different road network densities and different degrees of timber harvest activities" (Hopelain et al. 1997). Gravel samples were taken from 1991 to 1995, and electrofishing from 1992 to 1995. Although the report notes that participants (including Pacific Lumber Company) "informally agreed to a minimum period of ten years" for the monitoring project, no sampling has occurred since 1995.
A short reach was selected from each of the three streams: Oil Creek (high road density and active timber harvest), Green Ridge Creek (severe fire in 1990 and subsequent salvage logging), and Rattlesnake Creek (relatively low road density and little activity). Gravel samples were processed using the volumetric/dry method after running through the following seives: 25.4 mm, 12.5 mm, 4.7 mm, 2.4 mm, and 0.85 mm. Unfortunately neither reach selection nor sampling of McNeil locations within a reach followed a random sampling method. More unfortunate, however, was the abandonment of the project. The monitoring of watershed and fisheries linkages requires a long period of record due to hydrologic variability, lag times, and confounding factors. Fish populations, in particular, are subject to many confounding factors which may effect summer abundance.
Fine Sediment Data from CDFG in 1990
Fine sediment was measured by Larry Preston of the California Department of Fish and Game for Lost Man Creek and seven mainstem Mattole River sites in 1990. Mr. Preston used a 12" McNeil core sampler and the volumetric/dry method of processing. He reported fines less than 0.85 mm and 4.7 mm. The later underestimates sand-sized particles associated with fines < 6.4 mm index used in TMDLs for other streams in the region. This report (Preston, 1991) is available in the KRIS Bibliography.
Fine Sediment Data from the PALCO HCP
Some data on fine sediment levels measured in Mattole and adjacent Bear River locations were reported in the Pacific Lumber Company Draft Habitat Conservation Plan (1998). PALCO collected fine sediment data from bulk gravel using either a shovel or core sampler (McNeil). Gravel samples were run through sieves with the smallest fraction run through a filter paper. The PALCO HCP does not specifiy whether shovel samples or McNeil samples were used for the various samples in different years. PALCO reported fines less than 0.85 mm and 4.7 mm. The later underestimates sand-sized particles associated with fines < 6.4 mm index used in TMDLs for other streams in the region.
Sediment in Pools; V*
Various indices for measuring sediment impairment of stream channels were tested by Knopp (1993) at 60 northwestern California sites. The proportion of a pool's residual volume that is filled by fine sediment is termed "V-star" (Hilton and Lisle, 1993). V* values from the Mattole basin are presented in KRIS Mattole. Data from Knopp's testing of other indices are available in the KRIS source table, Knopp.dbf. V* has also been used to by the Mattole Salmon Group. Completed TMDLs for the Garcia, Noyo, Ten Mile, and Big Rivers (EPA 2000, EPA 2001) have set the target for fine sediment in pools at a V* value of 0.21.
For more information on how sediment effects fish, methods of sampling and justification for thresholds used in KRIS Mattole charts, see the Sediment Background page.
Vegetation and Timber Types of Cal Water Watersheds
The vegetation and timber type information in KRIS Mattole was derived from Landsat multi-spectral images taken in 1994. The U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region Remote Sensing Lab, in cooperation with the California Department of Forestry, analyzed the Landsat images to formulate a California wide electronic map layer of vegetation as part of the Northwest Forest Plan (Warbington et al., 1998). These data are accurate at the one hectare scale.Data were quarried for tree size or community type in ArcView. These categories allow for quantitative assessment of vegetation for geographic areas such as CalWater planning watersheds. Vegetation classifications used in KRIS are as follows:
Very Large Trees = 40" in diameter or greater
Large Trees = 30-39.9" in diameter
Medium/Large Trees = 20-29.9" in diameter
Small/Medium Trees = 12-19.9" in diameter
Small Trees = 5-11.9" in diameter
Saplings = 1-4.9" in diameter
Non Forest = Non tree species such as shrubs, grasses or bare soil
This simpler classification provides an easy to understand index of watershed disturbance for use in coastal watersheds. Large components of early seral stage conditions (Saplings, Non Forest) are often associated with recent logging disturbance. The vegetation patterns in interior basins, such as the Eel River and Klamath River watersheds, are much more complicated than in coastal ecosystems and more difficult to use to analyze changes in vegetation brought about by watershed management activities. The KRIS vegetation classification scheme can also be used for a quick analysis of riparian conditions. Ninety meter (297 ft.) zones of riparian influence are assigned to the 1:24000 stream layer in ArcView and only the vegetation within this zone is displayed and analyzed.
See Vegetation Types background page for more information.
Aquatic Insect Samples from the Mattole
Aquatic insects are very abundant and inhabit every type of water body. Most species spend the majority of their life as nymphs or larvae in the water, then a brief period as adults. Consequently, aquatic insect communities make excellent indicators of the health of aquatic ecosystems and are widely used as an index of water quality (Plafkin et al., 1989). The California RAPID Bioassessment protocols (CDFG, 1999) are provide additional information. KRIS Mattole contains information from aquatic insect sampling reported in the Pacific Lumber Company HCP. Aquatic insects were also sampled by consultants to the Bureau of Land Management and these data will be included in subsequent versions of KRIS.
Aquatic insect data in the by PALCO and agency personnel working on the HCP was not available in raw form. In addition, the HCP did not provide EPT or Percent Dominant Taxa. Samples were collected using a kick net and preserved in alcohol then identified to species or the lowest possible taxonomic order by an aquatic entomologist, John Lee. If more than one sample was available for a given site, the values were averaged.
The aquatic insect indexes typically presented in KRIS are Richness, EPT (Emphermeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera), and Percent Dominant Taxa. These indexes are based on ratios using the number of taxa or individuals found in a sample. The EPT Index is the number of taxa present in the sample from three orders which all have very low tolerance to pollution: Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Plecoptera (stoneflies) and Trichoptera (caddisflies). The latter metric proved the most useful in analysis, showing the most consistent relationships to changing habitat conditions. Richness is the total number of taxa found in a sample (Plafkin et al., 1989). The Percent Dominant Taxa Index is calculated by dividing the number animals in the most abundant taxa by the total number of organisms in the entire sample. The table below shows the relative values of these metrics which indicate water quality in three categories low, moderate and high impacts (Lee, 1998). These thresholds were derived from empirical observations of hundreds of northwestern California samples by Lee (1998). These values would only apply to samples keyed to the species level.
| Index | Low Impact | Moderate Impact | High Impact |
| Richness | > or = 40 | 25-39 | <25 |
| EPT | > or = 25 | 15-24 | <15 |
| Percent Dominance | <20% | 20-39% | >40% |
To find out more about aquatic invertebrates, see the Background Page on Aquatic Insects.
Timber Harvest Data in KRIS Mattole
Spatial data from the California Department of Forestry is available in the KRIS Mattole Map project which allows queries on timber harvest type, acres, year, ownership and other parameters. These data were compiled from records of Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) approved by the California Department of Forestry, but the plans were not necessarily implemented. To quantify timber harvest two kinds of charts were created in KRIS Mattole: Acreage and percent area harvested. For both charts, areas were summed without subtracting for overlapping THPs, and do not include harvest from plans approved in 1977-1982 yet delayed for up to five years. The percent area charts show a reference value of 25% harvest from Reeves et al. (1993). These researchers found that the diversity of salmonids in Oregon coastal streams diminished when basins were harvested above that level.
For more information see the Cumulative Impacts Background page.
KRIS Map Project
The map images you are seeing in the KRIS database are from a companion ArcView project called KRIS Mattole Maps. The map data is available on a separate CD and requires the program ArcView. Some themes are now also captured as ArcExplorer projects so that people without the more advanced software can at least review spatial data. Data in KRIS Map projects are an assimilation of information from many different sources.
Note about documents in KRIS
