2008 Annual Monitoring Report (pdf 10.9MB) - Bolsa Chica ...

Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Monitoring
2008 Annual Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary................................................................................................................................ 1
Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 11
I. Ecological Monitoring Program ..................................................................................................... 17
1.1. Vegetation/Habitat Monitoring .................................................................................................................................. 17
1.2. Soils/Sediment Monitoring......................................................................................................................................... 33
1.3. Fish Community Monitoring...................................................................................................................................... 37
1.4. Benthic Monitoring .................................................................................................................................................... 55
1.5. Water Quality Monitoring .......................................................................................................................................... 66
1.6. Avian Monitoring....................................................................................................................................................... 72
General Avian Monitoring ............................................................................................................................................. 72
Light-footed Clapper Rail Monitoring ........................................................................................................................... 87
Belding’s Savannah Sparrow Monitoring ...................................................................................................................... 87
California Least Tern and Western Snowy Plover Monitoring ...................................................................................... 91
1.7. Non-native Invasive Species ....................................................................................................................................... 96
II. Physical Monitoring Program ....................................................................................................... 99
2.1. Inlet Flood Shoal ......................................................................................................................................................... 99
2.2. Tidal Monitoring ....................................................................................................................................................... 107
2.3. Beach Monitoring...................................................................................................................................................... 114
III. Maintenance Dredging Program ................................................................................................ 135
3.1 Dredging Triggers ...................................................................................................................................................... 136
3.2 Trigger Analysis......................................................................................................................................................... 137
3.3 Dredge Triggers - Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................................................. 140
3.4 Maintenance Dredging Plan ....................................................................................................................................... 141
References............................................................................................................................................ 143
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 0-1. Site locator and vicinity map .............................................................................................. 15
Figure 0-2. Schedule of Bolsa Chica monitoring activities................................................................... 16
Figure 1-1. Monitoring stations ............................................................................................................. 18
Figure 1-2. Vegetation and soil monitoring locations ........................................................................... 20
Figure 1-3. Habitat map (May 2008)..................................................................................................... 22
Figure 1-4. Full Tidal Basin cordgrass distribution............................................................................... 24
Figure 1-5. Full Tidal Basin eelgrass distribution ................................................................................. 26
Figure 1-6. Mean percent cover of native and non-native vegetation by survey area (2008) ............... 29
Figure 1-7. Fisheries sampling locations............................................................................................... 39
Figure 1-8. Mean fish density by quarter for large beach seine, otter trawl, and purse seine at Stations
1 and 2 in the Full Tidal Basin......................................................................................................... 45
Figure 1-9. Mean fish biomass by quarter for large beach seine, otter trawl, and purse seine at Stations
1 and 2 in the Full Tidal Basin......................................................................................................... 47
Figure 1-10. Size class distribution of topsmelt, slough anchovy, kelp bass, and California killifish in
the Full Tidal Basin in 2008............................................................................................................. 53
Figure 1-11. Benthic sampling stations ................................................................................................. 56
Figure 1-12. Mean infauna density and biomass in January and July 2008 by station and tidal elevation
.......................................................................................................................................................... 61
Figure 1-13. Full Tidal Basin water quality data - January 2008 .......................................................... 68
Figure 1-14. Full Tidal Basin water quality data - April 2008 .............................................................. 69
Figure 1-15. Full Tidal Basin water quality data - July 2008................................................................ 70
Merkel & Associates, Inc.
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