The Pacific Streamkeepers Federation
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MODULE 02
Advanced Stream Habitat Survey
Download Module 2 here (Updated Dec. 7, 2023)

This module provides instructions for establishing a permanent reference site and conducting a detailed habitat assessment. You will establish a benchmark, do cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, and measure water discharge of the stream. You will examine or measure individual parts of the stream channel and bank that comprise the habitat. These include streambed material, embeddedness of the substrate, instream cover, percent pool habitat, off-channel habitat, bank stability, streambank vegetation, overhead canopy, and riparian zone. The final step will be to combine these obeservations into an assessment that ranks the habitat at that location as good, acceptable, marginal, or poor.

These reference sites are used for the habitat assessments and surveys described in other modules. The sites also may be used for long-term monitoring programs.

Project Approval Required Training Time Commitment (per year) Number of People Time of Year
no recommended 1/2 day per site 2 or more late summer
early fall
Module 2 Resources