american samoa - University of Hawaii at Manoa Botany Department

• begin at the Tapua Stream mouth and continue 300 feet upstream of the stream mouth;• begin on the south side of the Puna Stream culvert, which is located underneath theshoreline vehicular trail connecting the east and west sides of Aoa Village, and continue200 feet upstream of the Puna Stream culvert.These monitoring areas should be used consistently unless unanticipated events, new land uses,or access issues prevent continued use. When necessary, changes in the location of monitoringstations should be documented and spatially located within the American Samoa GIS. PPC hasprovided digital files for the Wetland and Stream Restoration and Enhancement Plan thatprovide a departure point for locating the stream segments recommended for future resourcemonitoring.Digital photos should be dated and subsequently be incorporated into the digital photo albumfor the Aoa wetland. This will enable a long-term comparison of resource information by ASGstaff and/or consultants that may be used to perform long-term resource monitoring.More specific monitoring of stream fauna should be made at the lower end of the Tapua Streamestuary. The estuary generally extends between the Tapua Stream/Puna Stream confluence androughly 250 upstream of this confluence. Such monitoring should include the collection ofdriftnet samples of outgoing 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 simply suspended from trees or bridges to that the net is at the surface of the water. Thesamples would subsequently be preserved in ethanol. The type and number of fish andcrustaceans should be enumerated using a dissecting microscope. Use of the dissectingmicroscope will likely require a 2-3 day training class and the necessary equipment.Molluscs should be monitored in the lower part of the estuary by mark-recapture methodology,or quadrant counts at night since most are primarily nocturnal. Some training in thesetechniques is recommended.Site MaintenancePeriodic site maintenance should take place within the project area approximately four timesper year. Human disposal of solid wastes within the estuary and lower reaches of TapuaStream and Puna Stream is expected to represent the primary focus of long-term sitemaintenance. The periodic long-term maintenance of the Tapua Stream and Puna Streamculverts is necessary to ensure adequate tidal exchange and the maintenance of brackish waterquality.A crew of three to four persons will be necessary to periodically walk the length of the lowerchannels of Puna Stream and Tapua Stream, as well as related culverts immediately upstreamof the stream mouths. Such inspections would occur shortly after significant rainfall andstormwater events. Machetes and weed-eaters will be required to periodically trim vegetationalong selected portions of the stream channel. The manual collection of solid wastes will alsobe necessary to minimize obstructions to stream discharge and effective tidal exchange.American Samoa Wetland/Stream Restoration and Enhancement PlanFebruary 2001, Aoa Wetland, Page 4-20