The rapid expansion of natural gas development in Southwest Wyoming has raised concerns about how that development affects key wildlife species and habitats. The overall goal of this project is to determine how the presence and intensity of oil and natural gas development are affecting habitat and water quality, and how they, in turn, can influence the presence and abundance of native fish species. The project addresses the WLCI management needs to identify the condition and distribution of key wildlife species and habitats, and species habitat requirements, and to evaluate wildlife and livestock responses to development. Our approach is a comparative study examining subwatersheds affected by different levels of oil and gas development. We are collecting data on aquatic habitat quality, water quality, and fish community structure. The water-quality component of the project is being conducted in collaboration with water-quality scientists at the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center.
In FY2014, we continued to collect field data (led by Richard Walker, a new Ph.D. student) and began analyzing data collected in previous years (led by Carlin Girard, a finishing M.S. student). Compared to subwatersheds with lower levels of development, we found that surface-water quality was reduced in subwatersheds with higher levels of development, as indicated by elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dissolved salts, increased suspended sediment loads, higher temperatures, and lack of sensitive macroinvertebrate families. We also found that fish species’ distributions were related to habitat characteristics, with cover and substrate being important factors for the more sensitive species. As a result, one important mechanism by which oil and natural gas development appears to be affecting aquatic habitats and communities is through development-associated surface disturbance leading to increased sedimentation in surface water and decreased riparian cover. This knowledge can help land managers target their conservation efforts toward reducing sediment loads and maintaining stream cover.
Products Completed in FY2014
- Girard, C.E., and Walters, Annika, 2014, The Dry Piney stud -- Energy development effects to native fish communities along the Wyoming Range: presented at the February 2014 meeting of the Colorado and Wyoming American Fisheries Society, Laramie, Wyo., and the April 2014 meeting of the Western American Fisheries Society meeting, Mazatlan, Mexico (invited).
- Walters, Annika, and Girard, C.E., 2014, Differential vulnerability of fish to energy development: presented at the May 2014 meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science, Portland, Ore.
- Walters, Annika, 2014, Exploring the effects of oil and gas development for aquatic habits and native fish communities in the Wyoming Range: public presented at the National Park Service Research Center, Jackson, Wyo., August 2014 (invited).
- Girard, C.E., The effects of oil and gas development on water quality, aquatic habitat, and native fish in streams along the Wyoming Range: Laramie, Wyo., University of Wyoming, Department of Zoology and Physiology, M.S. thesis (draft).
Products Completed in 2013
- Database of fish presence and abundance at 90 sites and associated habitat characteristics (percent shrub cover, maximum pool depth, stream incision, stream width, substrate classification, temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, and the presence of beaver dams).
- Continuous water temperature, discharge, and conductivity data for summer months.
- Walters, A., 2013, Energy development, habitat quality, and native fish communities in southwestern Wyoming, presented (invited) at American Fisheries Society annual meeting, September 8-12, 2013, Little Rock, Ark.
- Walters, A., 2013, The effects of energy development on habitat quality and fish communities in southwestern Wyoming, presented (invited) at Society of Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, May 19-23, 2013, Jacksonville, Fla.
- Walters, A., 2013, What are the effects of energy development for native fish communities?, presented at University of Nebraska, March 2013, Lincoln, Neb.
- Girard, C., 2013, The Wyoming Range fish project -- the influence of energy development on native fish, poster presented at Colorado-Wyoming American
