ASSESSING FUNCTIONS AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE WETLANDS RESERVE PROGRAM IN OKLAHOMA

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: TERMINATED
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0223154
• Project No.: OKL02798
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2010
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2015

Project Director
Davis, C.

Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078

Performing Department
Natural Resource Ecology & Management

Non Technical Summary
Wetlands improve water quality, provide habitat for many fish and wildlife species, decrease soil erosion and flooding impacts, provide recreational opportunities and, in some instances, recharge groundwater aquifers. More than 50 percent of the original wetlands in the contiguous U.S. have been lost to agricultural conversion and urban development. Because of the ecological and economic benefits provided by wetlands, many state and federal agencies along with public and private organizations throughout the U.S. have worked together to reverse the decline in wetland acreage. One program that has played an important role in reversing the loss of wetlands in the U.S. and providing important benefits to private landowners is the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), which was established by the 1990 Farm Bill. WRP is a voluntary program administered through U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that encourages private landowners to protect, restore, and enhance wetland ecosystems through enrolling eligible lands in permanent easements, 30-year easements, and wetland restoration cost-share agreements. Specific goals of WRP are to protect, restore, and enhance the original hydrology, native vegetation, and natural topography of current and former wetlands; restore and protect the functions and values of wetlands imbedded in agricultural landscapes; and assist the country with achieving the national goal of no net loss of wetlands. Since implementation of WRP in 1990, more than 7,800 WRP projects have been developed on more than 600,000 ha in the U.S. In Oklahoma, 205 projects and approximately 25,000 ha of wetland habitat have been enrolled in WRP since 1996. Many of these projects involve restoration of wetlands on agricultural lands deemed marginally productive. Although WRP has contributed significantly to increasing the overall wetland acreage in U.S., it is not clear how effective WRP has been at restoring fully functional wetlands that provide ecosystem goods services and comparable to reference wetlands. Given the extensive nature of WRP as well as the cost of the program (e.g., Oklahoma was allocated $10 million for WRP in 2010), it is imperative that wetland restorations established under WRP increase and sustain wetland functions on the landscape. Currently, few efforts have been made to evaluate the effectiveness of WRP at restoring wetland functions and services that are necessary to maintain sustainable wetland ecosystems.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
135	0330	1070	50%
136	0330	1070	50%

Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife; 136 - Conservation of Biological Diversity;

Subject Of Investigation
0330 - Wetland and riparian systems;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;

Keywords

wetlands

wetlands reserve program

ecosystem services

wetlands restoration

wetlands creation

wetlands evaluation

wetlands habitat

Goals / Objectives
The general objective of this project is to improve our understanding of the effectiveness of WRP wetlands to provide wetland functions and services. This project will be focused on WRP wetlands throughout Oklahoma. Because restored and created wetlands may take up to 7-10 years before they begin to provide functions and services similar to natural wetlands (Mitsch and Gosselink 2007), this project will be a long-term study. Specific objectives will be to 1) use HGM to classify WRP wetlands throughout Oklahoma, 2) assess functional attributes of WRP wetlands and compare those attributes to natural wetlands, 3) develop functional models of WRP wetlands, and 4) create a long-term data set of biological and abiotic attributes of WRP wetlands that can be used to track development of WRP wetlands.

Project Methods
I will monitor & evaluate the biological, chemical, and physical conditions of 30 WRP wetlands &10 natural wetlands located throughout Oklahoma. Selection of natural sites will be based on wetland condition, level of degradation, & characterization of HGM subclass. Some of the natural wetlands will be considered reference wetlands (i.e., minimal degradation & pristine condition). I will focus on depressional, lacustrine, & riverine wetlands. I will use GIS to assess potential land-use & landscape influences. Initial assessment will involve using HGM to classify each wetland based on water source, hydrodynamics, & geomorphic location, delineating wetland habitats & plant communities on a cover map, & collecting preliminary data (e.g., water source, general condition, surrounding landscape & land-use attributes, soil characteristics, hydrologic condition, altered condition of wetland, type of restoration) to develop an initial list of potential functions & services. Following preliminary data collection, more intensive assessment & monitoring will be conducted. I will record water-quality parameters from sampling points. At each point, I will measure water depth & record water quality data such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, & conductivity. These parameters will be measured at multiple depths to more accurately capture water chemistry parameters. I will collect water samples for analysis of nitrate, orthophosphate, ammonia, & turbidity. I will use a point transect method to survey the plant community of each wetland. Plant survey data will provide important information on development stage of restored and created wetlands and allow for a comparison to natural wetlands. Plant survey data will be used to assess wetland functions. I will record the occurrence of avian species, amphibians, & aquatic invertebrates. I will record all birds seen or heard. Avian surveys will be conducted 3 times during the summer. Occurrence of amphibians will be determined by visual & aural detections. I will use a sweep-net to collect aquatic invertebrates. I will identify invertebrate taxa to the family-level. I will record the occurrence of other biota such as crayfish, aquatic & semi-aquatic mammals, fish, & flying insects such as dragonflies. Wetland functions will be assessed using HGM models. No models exist Oklahoma; HGM subclass models developed for other regions will be used if applicable. Each wetland will be assessed once during the growing season. Functional capacity indices will be determined for each wetland & compared among respective wetland classes & subclasses of reference wetlands as well as WRP wetlands. The FCIs generated by each model will generally equate to vegetation, hydrology, wildlife, & biogeochemical functions. Hence, a comprehensive evaluation of overall wetland function for each wetland will be developed. The FCIs & biological & abiotic data will be used to assess ecosystem services. Long-term assessment using HGM models will provide insight into how the functional capacity of WRP wetlands changes as the wetland matures.

Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:State and federal natural resource agencies and private landowners are the target audiences for this project. Results from this project will allow government agencies such as Natural Resource Conservation Service, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Water Resource Board, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to better manage and conserve wetland resources in Oklahoma. Specifically, this work will provide guidance to these agencies as the state begins implementing its Wetland Conservation Program. Finally, information from this work will provide guidance to private landowners about the important functions of wetlands and the guidance on how to better protect these valuable resources. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through the 5 years of this project, we have trained several student technicians in how to monitor wetland condition, collect and identify wetland invertebrates, classify wetlands remotely using GIS, and how to use various field equipment (e.g., GPS units, water quality meters). Student who participated in this training have become more proficient at collecting data. Additionally, graduate students affiliated with the project have presented finding to several international, national, and regional meetings that allowed them to improve their communication skills and disseminate information about the project to a much wider audience. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our primary means of disseminating information has been through our involvement with Oklahoma Wetland Working Group. Through this group, we have been able to disseminate information to a much larger community that includes farming interests, gas and oil interests, conservation NGO's and federal and state resource agencies. Additionally, we had regular meetings with scientists from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, and Natural Resource Conservation Service to discuss our results and the applicability of the results for their respective agencies. We also disseminated information through presenting our results at national and state-level meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project terminated 9/30/15, but we will continue to assist the state with developing strategies to improve conditions of wetlands and provide guidance for future efforts to restore and rehabilitate wetlands. Additionally, we plan to continue disseminating information from this project to national and state meetings as well as publish in peer-reviewed journals.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During the 5 years of the project, we have completed Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) classification for all the major ecosystems of Oklahoma as well as develop a rapid assessment methodology (OKRAM) for depressional wetland in Oklahoma. HGM classification was selected as it allows for reducing variation among wetland types based on a characterization of landscape position, water source, and hydrodynamics, which facilitates effective functional assessments of wetlands. Results from these projects are currently being used by the state classify and assess condition of wetlands throughout Oklahoma. We also completed mapping of wetlands in the Cimarron Terrace of Oklahoma, which will assist the state with developing conservation strategies for these systems. Throughout the duration of this project, we presented our results at numerous meetings with Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, Army Corps of Engineers, and Natural Resource Conservation Service to better assist these agencies with managing wetlands in Oklahoma. We also participated in the Oklahoma Wetlands Working Group to discuss development of water quality standards for wetlands in Oklahoma.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Bried, J., A. Dzialowski, S. Jog, N. McIntyre, and C. Davis. 2015. Resident-immigrant dichotomy matters in quantitative classification of sites and metacommunities. Society of Wetland Scientists Meeting, Providence, Rhode Island.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Meyer, Micah, D., C. A. Davis, and D. Dvorett. 2015. Response of wetland invertebrate communities to local and landscape factors in north central Oklahoma. Wetlands 35:533-546.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Bried, J. T., N. E. McIntyre, A. R. Dzialowski, and C. A. Davis. 2015. Resident-immigrant dichotomy matters for classifying wetland site groups and metacommunities. Freshwater Biology 60:2248-2260.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Bried, J. 2015. Effects of multistate species occurrence on community-based inference and applications. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 103 pp.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Walters, M.A., C.A. Davis, J.R. Bidwell, A. Dzialowski, D. Dvorett. 2015. Classification of Wetland Habitats in Oklahoma's Eastern Ecoregions. Final Report. FY 2010 104(b)(3) Wetland Program Development Grant, CA CD-00F29901 Project 2.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Dvorett, D., C. Davis, B. Tramell. 2015. The what and why of wetland mapping and assessment in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Clean Lakes and Watershed Association, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Dvorett, D., and C. Davis. 2015. Three-dimensional mapping of temporary wetlands using LiDAR and recurrent satellite imagery. Society of Wetland Scientists Meeting, Providence, Rhode Island.

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: State and federal natural resource agencies and private landowners are the target audiences for this project. Results from these projects will allow government agencies such as Natural Resource Conservation Service, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Water Resource Board, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to better manage and conserve natural resources and develop sound conservation and management strategies. Specifically, this work will provide guidance to these agencies as the state begins implementing its Wetland Conservation Program. Finally, information from this work will provide guidance to private landowners about the important functions of wetlands and the guidance on how to better protect these valuable resources. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Through this project, we have trained several student technicians in how to monitor wetland condition, collect and identify wetland invertebrates, classify wetlands remotely using GIS, and how to use various field equipment (e.g., GPS units, water quality meters). Student who participated in this training have become more proficient at collecting data. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? ?: Our primary means of disseminating information has been through our involvement with Oklahoma Wetland Working Group. Through this group, we have been able to disseminate information to a much larger community that includes farming interests, gas and oil interests, conservation NGO’s and federal and state resource agencies. Additionally, we have regular meetings with scientists from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, and Natural Resource Conservation Service to discuss our results and the applicability of the results for their respective agencies. We have also disseminated information through presenting our results at national and state-level meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We plan to continue collecting data to calibrate and validate OKRAM. We plan to disseminate information from this project to national and state meetings as well as publish in peer-reviewed journals.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We completed the final reports for the HGM Classification of Wetlands in the Central Irregular Plains, Arkansas Valley, and South Central Plains Ecoregions in Oklahoma Project and the Oxbow System Assessment and Protocol Development Project. Results from these projects will further assist the state in classifying and assessing condition of wetlands throughout Oklahoma. We completed mapping of wetlands in the Cimarron Terrace of Oklahoma, which will assist the state with developing conservation strategies for these systems. We initiated a new component of the project focused on developing and validating our OKRAM for riverine and lacustrine wetlands in the Central Great Plains and Cross Timbers Ecoregions. As we continue to further refine OKRAM and apply it to other wetland systems, state and federal agencies will be able to use this methodology to assess wetland condition and determine which wetlands in the state may require rehabilitation. We presented results at 5 meetings and participated in several meetings with Oklahoma Conservation Commission and Natural Resource Conservation Commission about applying results from this project to wetland conservation and restoration efforts. We also participated in the Oklahoma Wetlands Working Group to discuss development of water quality standards for wetlands in Oklahoma.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Dvorett, D., C. A. Davis, E. Sherrod, P. Koenig, and B. Tramell. 2014. Development of the Oklahoma Rapid Assessment Method for wetlands. Oklahoma Clean Lakes and Watershed Association Meeting, Stillwater, OK 2-3 April.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Walters, M., D. Dvorett, C. A. Davis, J. R. Bidwell, and A. Dzialowski. 2014. Update on the HGM classification for Oklahoma wetlands. Oklahoma Clean Lakes and Watershed Association Meeting, Stillwater, OK 2-3 April.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Bried, J., S. Jog, A. Dzialowski, and C. Davis. 2014. Potential vegetation criteria for reference quality wetlands in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Clean Lakes and Watershed Association Meeting, Stillwater, OK 2-3 April.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Dzialowski, A., M. Papes, and C. Davis. 2014. Development of landscape models for the prediction of wetland condition. Oklahoma Clean Lakes and Watershed Association Meeting, Stillwater, OK 2-3 April.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Bried, J.T., S. K. Jog, A. R. Dzialowski, and C. Davis. 2014. Analytical framework to estimate benchmark biocriteria for aquatic and wetland sites. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting, May 18-23, Portland, Oregon.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Bried, J. T., S. K. Jog, A. R. Dzialowski, and C. A. Davis. 2014. Potential vegetation criteria for identifying reference-quality wetlands in the south-central United States. Wetlands 34:1159-1169.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: State and federal natural resource agencies and private landowners are the target audiences for this project. Results from these projects will allow government agencies such as Natural Resource Conservation Service, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Water Resource Board, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to better manage and conserve natural resources and develop sound conservation and management strategies. Specifically, this work will provide guidance to these agencies as the state begins implementing its Wetland Conservation Program. Finally, information from this work will provide guidance to private landowners about the important functions of wetlands and the guidance on how to better protect these valuable resources. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Through this project, we have trained several student technicians in how to monitor wetland condition, collect and identify wetland invertebrates, classify wetlands remotely using GIS, and how to use various field equipment (e.g., GPS units, water quality meters). Student who participated in this training have become more proficient at collecting data. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Our primary means of disseminating information has been through our involvement with Oklahoma Wetland Working Group. Through this group, we have been able to disseminate information to a much larger community that includes farming interests, gas and oil interests, conservation NGO’s and federal and state resource agencies. Additionally, we have regular meetings with scientists from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and Natural Resource Conservation Service to discuss our results and the applicability of the results for their respective agencies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We plan to continue monitoring WRP wetlands and other wetlands in the state. Data collected from this work will be used to further refine our rapid assessment protocols. I will be hiring a graduate student to assist with this work.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We completed HGM classification of wetlands in the Central Irregular Plains, Arkansas Valley, and South Central Plains Ecoregions in Oklahoma. Classification of wetlands in these ecoregions will further assist the WRP program with determining the types of wetlands to restore. We also completed development of the Oklahoma Rapid Assessment Method (OKRAM) for determining wetland condition for oxbow wetlands. As further refinement of OKRAM continues and becomes more applicable to other wetland systems, state and federal agencies will be able to use this methodology to assess wetland condition and determine which wetlands in the state may require rehabilitation. We presented results at one meeting and participated in several meetings with Oklahoma Conservation Commission and Natural Resource Conservation Commission about applying results from this project to wetland conservation and restoration efforts.

Publications

• Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, C. A., D. Dvorett, J. R. Bidwell, and M. M. Brinson. 2013. Hydrogeomorphic classification and functional assessment. Pages 29-68 in J.T. Anderson and C. A. Davis (eds.) Wetland Techniques: Volume 3: Applications and Management. Springer, New York, NY.
• Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Anderson, J.T., and C.A. Davis (eds.). 2013. Wetland Techniques: Volume 1: Foundations. Springer, New York, NY. 459 pp.
• Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Anderson, J.T., and C.A. Davis (eds.). 2013. Wetland Techniques: Volume 2: Organisms. Springer, New York, NY. 332 pp.
• Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Anderson, J.T., and C.A. Davis (eds.). 2013. Wetland Techniques: Volume 3: Applications and Management. Springer, New York, NY. 270 pp.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Dvorett, D., C.A. Davis, J. R. Bidwell, D. Marin, P. Koenig, B. Tramell. 2013. Developing a statewide monitoring assessment strategy for oxbows in Oklahoma, Oklahoma Clean Lakes and Watershed Association, Oklahoma City, OK (invited presentation).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Meyer, M.D., and C. A. Davis. 2013. Factors Influencing Invertebrate Communities of Depressional Wetlands Embedded in Croplands. Society of Wetland Scientists Annual Meeting, Duluth, MN. (presentation)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Dvorett, D., J.R. Bidwell, C.A. Davis, and C. DuBois. 2013. Assessing Natural and Anthropogenic Variability in Wetland Structure for Two Hydrogeomorphic Riverine Wetland Subclasses. Environmental Management 52:1009-1022.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Meyer, M.D., C. A. Davis, and J.R. Bidwell. 2013. Assessment of Two Methods for Sampling Invertebrates in Shallow Vegetated Wetlands. Wetlands 33:10631073.

Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: We completed 1 M.S. thesis associated with this project. Micah Meyer successfully defended his thesis entitled "Wetland Invertebrate Community Response to Land-use and Other Local and Landscape Factors" in May 2012. We completed field work monitoring 10 WRP wetlands in Oklahoma and submitted an annual report entitled "Monitoring Wetlands Reserve Program Wetlands, Agreement No: 68-7335-9-21" to NRCS during the reporting period. We initiated field work on classification and development of functional assessment of wetlands in eastern Oklahoma ecoregions. We completed field work for HGM classification and development of functional assessment tools for wetlands in the Ouachita Ecoregion and submitted a final report entitled "Hydrogeomorphic Classification and Initial Functional Assessment of Wetlands in the Ouachita Mountains Ecoregion of Oklahoma" to Office of the Secretary of Environment and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Two posters were presented at the Society of Wetlands Scientists Annual meeting in Orlando, Florida in June 2012. The presentations were entitled "Response of Wetland Invertebrate Communities to Local and Landscape Factors in Oklahoma" and "A Review of Anthropogenic Landscape Disturbance Effects on Wetland Function with Respect to Integrating Landscape Metrics into Assessments of Wetland Condition." PARTICIPANTS: Dan Dvorett (Ph.D. Student), Dr. Joe Bidwell (Collaborator on several of the wetland projects), Matt Walters (Ph.D. Student), Brooks Trammel (Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Collaborator on several of the wetland projects), Roseanne Kuzmic (Research Associate involved with several of the wetland projects), and Melanie Oliver, Steve Barner and Dick Zutterberg (NRCS). TARGET AUDIENCES: State and federal natural resource agencies and private landowners are the target audiences for this project. Results from these projects will allow government agencies such as Natural Resource Conservation Service, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Water Resource Board, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to better manage and conserve natural resources and develop sound conservation and management strategies. Specifically, this work will provide guidance to these agencies as the state begins implementing its Wetland Conservation Program. Finally, information from this work will provide guidance to private landowners about the important functions of wetlands and the guidance on how to better protect these valuable resources. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
This project continues to provide important information to Region 6 of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, and Oklahoma Water Resource Board on how to better assess wetland conditions in Oklahoma. This work has provided guidelines for the state on how to better inventory wetlands through classifying wetlands using HGM. As the State follows recommendations stated in the Oklahoma Wetland Conservation Plan, results from these projects will provide critical components in development of future monitoring and assessment protocols developed for the State as well as provide the state with appropriate tools to inventory the state's wetlands more effectively. The WRP continues to be an important instrument to meet the federal government's mandate of "no net loss" of wetlands nationally. We have now completed six years of monitoring WRP wetlands and these projects continue to be an important resource for NRCS and private landowners.

Publications

• Meyer, M. 2012. Wetland Invertebrate Community Response to Land-use and Other Local and Landscape Factors. M.S. Thesis, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.
• Davis, C. A. 2012. Monitoring Wetlands Reserve Program Wetlands, Agreement No. 68-7335-9-21, Annual Report. Oklahoma State University,
• Davis, C. A., J. R. Bidwell, and J. Tibbits. 2012. Hydrogeomorphic Classification and Initial Functional Assessment of Wetlands in the Ouachita Mountains Ecoregion of Oklahoma. Final Report. FY 2008 104(b)(3) Wetlands Grant, Stillwater.
• Dvorett, D., J. Bidwell, C. Davis, and C. DuBois. 2012. Developing a hydrogeomorphic wetland inventory: reclassifying national wetlands inventory polygons in geomorphic information systems. Wetlands 32:83-93.

Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: We completed 3 M.S. theses associated with this project. Ele Nugent successfully defended her thesis entitled "Assessing Important Biological Functions Provided by the Wetlands Reserve Program in Oklahoma, USA" in May 2011, Matt Hough successfully defended his thesis entitled "Comparing Soil and Hydrological Conditions of Wetlands Reserve Program Restorations and Natural Wetlands along the Deep Fork River, Oklahoma (USA)" in December 2010, and Dan Dvorett successfully defended his thesis entitled "An HGM Approach for Assessing Wetland Functions in Central Oklahoma: Hydrogeomorphic Classification and Functional Attributes" in December 2010. We completed field work monitoring 28 WRP wetlands in Oklahoma and submitted an annual report entitled "Monitoring Wetlands Reserve Program Wetlands, Agreement No: 68-7335-9-21" to NRCS during the reporting period. HGM classification and development of functional assessment tools for wetlands in the Ouachita Ecoregion continued during this reporting period. A presentation entitled "Assessing Variability among Hydrogeomorphic Riverine Wetland Subclasses" was presented at the Great Plains Bioassessment Symposium in Lawrence, KS in August 2011. PARTICIPANTS: Ele Nugent (M.S. Student), Matt Hough (M.S. Student), Dan Dvorett (M.S. Student), Dr. Joe Bidwell (Collaborator on several of the wetland projects), Dr. Brian Carter (Collaborator on one of the wetland projects), Brooks Trammel (Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Collaborator on several of the wetland projects), Jeff Tibbitts (M.S. Student), Roseanne Kuzmic (Research Associate involved with several of the wetland projects), Matt Walters (Ph.D. Student), and Melanie Oliver, Steve Barner and Steve Tully (NRCS). TARGET AUDIENCES: State and federal natural resource agencies and private landowners are the target audiences for this project. Results from these projects will allow government agencies such as Natural Resource Conservation Service, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma Water Resource Board, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to better manage and conserve natural resources and develop sound conservation and management strategies. Specifically, this work will provide guidance to these agencies as the state begins implementing its Wetland Conservation Program. Finally, information from this work will provide guidance to private landowners about the important functions of wetlands and the guidance on how to better protect these valuable resources. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
This project continues to provide important information to the Region 6 of USEPA, Oklahoma Conservation Commission and Oklahoma Water Resource Board on how to better assess wetland conditions in Oklahoma. Dan Dvorett's work provides guidelines for the state on how to better inventory wetlands through classifying wetlands using HGM. As the State follows recommendations stated in the Oklahoma Wetland Conservation Plan, results from these projects will provide critical components in development of future monitoring and assessment protocols developed for the State as well as provide the state with appropriate tools to inventory the state's wetlands more effectively. The WRP continues to be an important instrument to meet the federal government's mandate of "no net loss" of wetlands nationally. We have now completed five years of monitoring WRP wetlands and these projects continue to be an important resource for NRCS and private landowners. Ele Nugent's and Matt Hough's work will assist NRCS in determining if WRP is meeting the goals of providing and enhancing important wetland functions in agricultural landscapes. Moreover, landowners have used our recommendations to better manage their wetlands.

Publications

• Nugent, E. 2011. Assessing Important Biological Functions Provided by the Wetlands Reserve Program in Oklahoma, USA. M.S. Thesis, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.
• Hough, M. 2010. Comparing Soil and Hydrological Conditions of Wetlands Reserve Program Restorations and Natural Wetlands along the Deep Fork River, Oklahoma (USA). M.S. Thesis, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.
• Dvorett, D. 2010. An HGM Approach for Assessing Wetland Functions in Central Oklahoma: Hydrogeomorphic Classification and Functional Attributes. M.S. Thesis, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.
• Davis, C. A., and J. R. Bidwell. 2011. Monitoring Wetlands Reserve Program Wetlands, Agreement No. 68-7335-9-21, Annual Report. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.