Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Assessment and Inventory of Springs and Seeps

In May 2007, the Montana Natural Heritage Program, with funding through the Western National Parks Association, conducted an inventory of aquatic macroinvertebrates in spring ecosystems at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Using standard protocols, macroinvertebrates were collected and aquatic habitats were described for 20 different springs. Multimetric indices were used to assess spring aquatic habitat condition. Multimetric indices are applied to aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and are patterned after the index of biological integrity used for fish communities. Results are expected to show that undisturbed springs have high biological integrity, species richness, high abundance of species indicative of pristine conditions, and document new species for the area. The final report on this project will soon be available.