MONITORING OBJECTIVES: ISSUES

Performance Indicators (fish, temperatures, aquatic insects, benthic invertebrates, other)

• Opportunity to measure success of larger projects by setting quantitative and qualitative goals, and implementing pre and post data collection and measurement
• Opportunity to continue data collection and monitoring for a period of time to ensure sustained success
• Opportunity to measure success of cumulative impact of smaller projects by setting quantitative and qualitative goals, and implementing long-term data collection and monitoring to measure effectiveness of rehabilitation and stewardship efforts
• Opportunity to identify key “score-card” measures for the creek

MONITORING OBJECTIVES: GENERAL STRATEGY

Project specific measures of success and relevant monitoring are an integral, not separate, component of every major rehabilitation project. Such measures and monitoring should be a continuation of the data collection and monitoring measures defined at the assessment stage of each major rehabilitation project, and should continue as long as deemed necessary to be confident of sustained success.

Smaller projects (e.g., riparian planting, maintaining in-stream structures, etc.) that are expected to have a cumulative positive impact on the creek, are best measured by a comprehensive long-term data collection and monitoring strategy. Such long-term data collection and monitoring may be by sub-reach, reach, or entire creek.

Friends of Mill Creek can measure its success by implementing these monitoring programmes and preparing a regular “score card”.