OTHER CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS ON PIONEER FOREST

Effects of Lead Contamination History on Ozark Stream Fishes

Paul Brunkow, Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, is investigating whether there is a correlation between lead contamination in Ozark streams and apparent physical differences which develop in native fish populations. Streams being sampled are Big River, Courtois Creek, and Current River.

Biologic Criteria for Missouri Water Quality Standards

Randy Sarver, Missouri Department of Natural Resources is the principal researcher. This project samples the benthic macroinvertebrate community of streams which are considered the best available conditions in each ecological region of the state. Three sample sites are located on Pioneer Forest, two on Big Creek while another is located along Blair Creek.

Cave Research Foundation

Scott House of the Cave Research Foundation (CRF) is the principal researcher. Through the efforts of CRF, Pioneer Forest cave data is organized using the same software system as that being used by other feredal and state land management agencies in Missouri. That system includes more than 90 known caves on Pioneer Forest lands. In addition, CRF continues specific field work to locate and map caves within our ownership and we continue to work with volunteer staff from CRF to update our overall information on caves as well as consult from time to time regarding their management.

Center for Plant Conservation Program, Chicago Botanic Garden

Kayri Havens, PhD. at Chicago Botanic Garden is the principal researcher. Involves seed collection and monitoring of Aster furcatus populations in the Ozarks.

Ecological Classification of the Riparian Areas along the Jack’s Fork and Current rivers
United States Geological Survey and Missouri Department of Conservation are the principal investigators. Permanent transects near the Current River in T31N R5W to gather information on soils and vegetation of fluvial landforms.

Leaf Litter Arthropod Community Structure of an Ozark Forest

Nick San Diego, a graduate student at Saint Louis University, is the principal researcher. Sampling transects are located on three different forested sites, including one located within Current River Natural Area as an uncut sample, another located on a managed single-tree selection site on Pioneer Forest, and a third on a clearcut site outside of Pioneer Forest.

Assessment of High Quality Natural Communities Along Horse Trails: Exotic Species Invasion and Community Composition

Esther Stroh and Cindy Buck, US Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Center are the principal investigators. Assessment of the relative sensitivity to damage in a variety of community types, including glades, fens, upland waterways, high floodplains and terraces to horse-associated exotic species invasion and community changes.

Assessing the Effects of Forest Land Management Practices on Aquatic Resources

Charles Rabeni, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri-Columbia, and Robert Jacobson, Columbia Environmental Research Center, USGS, are the principal researchers. This project will provide an improved scientific basis for managing land use effects on streams and rivers. Results will document how instream substrate and sediment conditions affect fish and invertebrate communities, and whether those instream conditions are related to riparian and/or upland management practices. There are six sampling sites located on Pioneer Forest.

Modeling Change in Glade Ecosystems

The principal researcher is Aaron Smith, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.  This research is tracking changes in both size and quality of previously researched Ozark glades (Ver Hoeff 1991) using high resolution multi-spectral imagery.  The result will be a historical quantitative data-base.  Research is reconstructing 14 original glade plots along the Current and Jacks Fork rivers in GIS format to establish a predictive GIS model showing where potential glades occur and how known glades change.  Data is being collected from several Pioneer Forest glades and the majority of the work is being conducted along National Park Service, Ozark National Scenic Riverways lands.