Timothy Mihuc
Better informed ecosystem management decisions will be the final topic of the popular summer seminar series Thursday, July 31, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.
Researcher Timothy Mihuc, of the Lake Champlain Research Institute, will discuss "Fish, Flies and Forests: Ecosystem Integrity in Adirondack Upland Watersheds" at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue will be held at 5:30 p.m. with a $5 per person fee; reservations are not required. For more information, call the UW-NPS Center at (307) 543-2463.
Mihuc and his colleagues tested a new method to assess integrity on data from forested headwater stream basins in the Adirondacks. They developed a new process that proved to be relatively simple and useful.
The researchers found that the integrity of water chemistry parameters was impaired in managed (logged) versus reference catchment basins, while physical ecosystem integrity was relatively intact.
The integrity method used by Mihuc's team is potentially applicable to assess any ecosystem type, including those in the Greater Yellowstone region.
"The use of a multidimensional approach to define and assess integrity facilitates our understanding of system complexity and will lead to better informed ecosystem management decisions," he says.
The UW-NPS Research Center provides a base for university faculty members and governmental scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Area.
