This is reference sheet 10.3 in the Farm Water Quality Planning series.

This document is organized into an introduction and 13 sections. Section 1 is based on a nationwide survey of reservoir habitats completed by the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership (RFHP). The RFHP canvassed agency professionals about various aspects of reservoir fish habitat degradation, and identified 12 comprehensive factors that captured most degradation. The sections developed in this document parallel these 12 factors to identify management practices that address the perceived degradation. Most sections are organized similarly: background information about the degradation factor is followed by a listing of alternative management practices. Deciding on appropriate management action can be complex because there are often several options for addressing degradation problems. Different options may have different cost, effectiveness, and consequences. A simplified decision model to choose among management options is suggested in section 12. Habitat management often goes far beyond the manpower available to agencies involved in reservoir habitat management, so suggestions on working with stakeholders are included in section 13. Ballpark costs of reservoir fish habitat management practices are given in the Appendix.

Abstract: Habitat is now the basis of most impact assessments and resource inventories, and it is the basis of many species management plans, mitigation planning, and environmental regulation. Habitats are relatively stable through time, easily defined in intuitive physical terms, and provide a tangible resource for negotiations and decision making. Numerous and varied methods of analyzing and reporting habitat conditions have been developed by federal, state, provincial, and private agencies. Habitat assessment approaches vary greatly among regions of the continent. The great variability in methods and an unusually wide range of practices have impeded the ability of agencies to share and synthesize information. A diversity of methods is desirable in the initial stages of a rapidly developing field, but enough time has passed to assess the state-of-knowledge and identify the best of the currently used methods and techniques. This manual is intended to provide fisheries biologists with a limited set of techniques for obtaining aquatic habitat data. The manual also describes the range of information collected and used in agency habitat analyses. Agencies planning habitat programs should review the synthesis of established and documented methods being used in North America (Appendix 1) and the planning recommendations in Chapter 2. Then, the remaining chapters should be reviewed to determine what types of habitat data should be included in the agency's program.

This classroom resource provides clear, concise scientific information in an understandable and enjoyable way about water and aquatic life. Spanning the hydrologic cycle from rain to watersheds, aquifers to springs, rivers to estuaries, ample illustrations promote understanding of important concepts and clarify major ideas. Aquatic science is covered comprehensively, with relevant principles of chemistry, physics, geology, geography, ecology, and biology included throughout the text. Emphasizing water sustainability and conservation, the book tells us what we can do personally to conserve for the future and presents job and volunteer opportunities in the hope that some students will pursue careers in aquatic science. Texas Aquatic Science, originally developed as part of a multi-faceted education project for middle and high school students, can also be used at the college level for non-science majors, in the home-school environment, and by anyone who educates kids about nature and water. To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.