american samoa - University of Hawaii at Manoa Botany Department

Vehicular and pedestrian access to selected monitoring stations is largely dependent upon thecooperation and authorization of local residents and the Nuuuli Village Council. Assuming thatresidents cooperatively permit periodic access for long-term resource monitoring, fieldmonitoring should begin at the station 1+00 and extend 500 feet upstream (Figure 8-4). Futuremeasurements of changes in the stream channel trapezoid will require the continued use of thesame stream cross section stations used for the present study.Recommended monitoring stations or sites should be used consistently unless unanticipatedevents, new land uses, or access issues prevent continued use. When necessary, changes in thelocation of monitoring stations should be documented and spatially located within theAmerican Samoa GIS. PPC has provided digital files for the Wetland and Stream Restorationand Enhancement Plan that provide a departure point for locating future resource monitoringstations along lower Sauino Stream.Photographs made during field monitoring should be incorporated into the digital photo albumdeveloped by PPC in conjunction with the Wetland/Stream Restoration and Enhancement Plan.This will enable a long-term comparison of resource information.More specific monitoring of stream fauna should be made along Sauino Stream in the vicinityof the station 1+00. Such monitoring should include the collection of driftnet samples ofoutgoing larvae, at least two times per month, for 3-4 hour evening periods. The driftnets (150-200 ųm mesh) should be attached to rebar pounded into the stream substrata, or simplysuspended from trees or bridges to that the net is at the surface of the water. The sampleswould subsequently be preserved in ethanol. The type and number of fish and crustaceansshould be enumerated using a dissecting microscope. Use of the dissecting microscope willlikely require a 2-3 day training class and the necessary equipment for field monitoringpersonnel.Molluscs should be monitored by mark-recapture methodology, or quadrant counts at nightsince most are primarily nocturnal. Some training in these techniques is recommended for fieldmonitoring personnel.Site MaintenancePeriodic site maintenance should take place along the 600-foot stream segment approximatelyfour times per year. Household wastes along the 600-foot segment of Sauino Stream areexpected to represent the primary focus of long-term site maintenance.A crew of four persons will be necessary to periodically collect and remove discarded solidwaste material from the 600-foot segment of Sauino Stream. Periodic cleanups would occurshortly after significant rainfall and stormwater events. Machetes and weed-eaters will berequired to periodically trim vegetation along selected portions of the stream channel.American Samoa Wetlands/Streams Restoration and Enhancement PlanFebruary 2001, Sauino Stream, Page 8-17