Wetland quality status and trends monitoring
The MPCA employs a probabilistic, or random, monitoring approach to track the overall status and trends of wetland quality in Minnesota. Probabilistic monitoring simply refers to the process of randomly selecting sites to monitor; from which, an unbiased estimate of the resource can be made. Changes (or stability) of wetland quality (i.e., trends) is then determined by repeating probabilistic surveys over time. The process is similar to that of an opinion or political poll where the results of an overall population can be estimated and tracked over time by randomly surveying a limited number of individuals over several iterations.
The MPCA is a leader in developing and implementing wetland probabilistic monitoring. It is the primary wetland monitoring activity at the MPCA, and several efforts have been completed or are currently in progress. A pilot project was completed in 2006 that describes the overall condition of depressional wetlands using IBIs in the Redwood River watershed.
Building on this success and moving forward on recommendations from the state wetland monitoring strategy, the MPCA is currently engaged in two ongoing projects to monitor wetland quality status and trends on a statewide basis.
Depressional wetland assessment
From 2007-09, over 150 randomly selected depressional wetlands were sampled to provide the first status estimate of wetland quality for each of Minnesota's major ecoregions and statewide. Invertebrate and plant IBIs biological assessment methods and sampling protocols are the primary assessment indicators used in the survey. The depressional wetland baseline status report is currently being finalized and a second iteration of monitoring is being planned for 2012.
Minnesota wetland condition assessment
In 2011, the MPCA began the Minnesota Wetland Condition Assessment (MWCA), which is a statewide survey that will include all wetland types (not just depressional wetlands). MWCA will primarily focus on describing plant community conditions utilizing the Floristic quality assessment for Minnesota wetlands as the assessment approach. The MWCA is being done in conjunction with EPA's National Wetland Condition Assessment, which is one of EPA's National Aquatic Resource Surveys designed to assess the overall condition of the Nation's waters. MWCA sampling will be completed in 2012 with reporting expected to be completed in 2013.
Future monitoring cycles
Subsequent rounds of the MWCA and depressional wetland monitoring will be synchronized with EPA's NWCA 5-year rotating National Aquatic Resource Survey schedule, with the next iteration scheduled for 2016. This will provide the MPCA with a sustained ability to monitor wetland quality status and trends to compliment DNR's ongoing quantity survey and, ultimately, help determine whether Minnesota is meeting the no net loss wetland policy.
Reports
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Survey Design of Minnesota's Depressional Wetland Quality Assessment (wq-bwm6-05) - Assessing the Quantity and Quality of Depressional Wetlands in the Redwood River Watershed Utilizing a Probabilistic Sampling Design (wq-bwm6-02)
For more information
For more information about wetland monitoring and assessment at the MPCA, contact Michael Bourdaghs at 651 757-2239
