UTAH WETLAND FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION AND LANDSCAPE PROFILE GENERATION WITHIN BEAR RIVER BAY, GREAT SALT LAKE, UTAH
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Resource ID
8401
Resource Type
Document
UGS Program
Wetlands
Title
UTAH WETLAND FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION AND LANDSCAPE PROFILE GENERATION WITHIN BEAR RIVER BAY, GREAT SALT LAKE, UTAH
Author
Richard Emerson and Toby Hooker
Date
-
Country
USA
Keywords
wetland, functional, classification, bear river bay, UGS, Utah Geological Survey, EPA, NWI, fringe, inventory, methodology
Document Type
Report
Original Filename
WTLND0083.pdf
Geotechnical Database
Not Included
Abstract / Description
Abstract
The most comprehensive wetland classification system for the Great Salt Lake (GSL) ecosystem
is the National Wetland Inventory (NWI). While the NWI is the most complete and accessible
classification system, the 210 unique classes for GSL wetlands are often difficult to interpret and have
little functional relevance to natural resource managers, and consequently, they restrict opportunities for
interagency cooperation. Many agencies would benefit from a simplification and functional
reclassification of NWI data, for example, to help inform regulatory decisions concerning compensatory
mitigation strategies. To address these concerns, we reclassified GSL wetlands within Bear River Bay
in order to provide wetland practitioners with a universal dataset for consistent use. The reclassification
scheme was based on the hydrogeomorphic (HGM) approach, modified from recent work in adjacent
GSL watersheds, and focused largely on geomorphic, hydrodynamic, and vegetation characteristics. Of
special concern within the GSL ecosystem are impounded wetlands, which occupy 12.5% of GSL
wetlands and have unique functional and management criteria as critical habitat for migratory
shorebirds and waterfowl. A key aspect of this work was to refine the previous interpretation of
impounded wetlands through the consideration of attributes more closely related to wetland function.
The following modified-HGM wetland classes were generated for the study area: (1) Open Water, (2)
High Fringe, (3) Low Fringe (4) Emergent, (5) Playa, (6) Riverine, and (7) Forest/Shrub. Over half of
the study area was dominated by lacustrine fringe, with emergent slope and open water depressional
(littoral and limnetic) wetlands accounting for most of the remainder. Following reclassification,
wetland landscape profiles were developed to assist in prioritizing conservation areas and integrating
wetlands into watershed planning efforts. We found that reclassification from existing NWI data
accurately reclassified the wetlands to a functional classification approximately 76% of the time. The
primary cause of the erroneously classified areas was outdated NWI maps, which were created in the
1980s.
Marker lat / long: 41.433298, -112.269733 (WGS84)