Decota Consulting Company, Inc. HOME ABOUT SERVICES BASE DATA CONTACT Monitoring In addition to water quality monitoring and treatment, Decota performs a variety of important assessments associated with biological monitoring. Biological monitoring is an effective way to determine the health of a water resource by identifying the presence or absence of environmental stressors on the local aquatic habitat. Because aquatic species respond differently to various types of stressors, a biological assessment can accurately identify what type of stressor is present within a community. Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assessment Benthic macroinvertebrates are small animals living among the sediments and stones on the bottom of streams, rivers, and lakes. Insects comprise the largest diversity of these organisms and include mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, beetles, midges, crane flies, dragonflies, and others. Other members of the benthic macroinvertebrate community are snails, clams, aquatic worms, and crayfish. These organisms are extremely important in the food chain of aquatic environments as they are important players in the processing and cycling of nutrient and are major food sources for fish and other aquatic animals. Benthic macroinvertebrates have been used for many years to assess water quality. Currently, they are utilized throughout the world in water quality assessments, as environmental indicators of biological integrity, to describe water quality conditions or health of aquatic ecosystems, and to identify causes of impairment. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities are known to respond to a wide array of environmental stressors, and in different ways. This response will often make it possible to determine the type of stress that has affected the community. Many macroinvertebrate taxa have relatively long life cycles. Thus, community structure is a function of past water quality conditions. Crayfish Surveys Crayfish are keystone species within their ecosystem and they fulfill many roles including forage for a plethora of higher-order species and as habitat creators for many others. The ecological importance of crayfish diversity is increasingly being recognized by state and federal regulatory agencies. Due to the high rate of endemism of crayfish, combined with their sensitivity to anthropogenic habitat alteration and exotic invasives, many species are now imperiled. Decota staff is trained and permitted to carry out field surveys to determine crayfish presence/absence in the Coalfields region of West Virginia for species including the Guyandotte Crayfish (Cambarus veteranus) and the Big Sandy Crayfish (Cambarus callainus). More Information Lacey Parsons lacey@decotaconsulting.com James Stanton james@decotaconsulting.com Fisheries Assessment Utilizing a backpack electrofishing unit is one of the most effective methods of collecting stream fishes. Decota's fisheries assessments are completed using an electrofishing unit in accordance with the U.S. EPA's Rapid Bioassessment Protocols and the WV Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), Scientific Collection Permit Procedures. Decota's trained biologists are proficient in fish identification and skilled in handling and processing these important biological indicators of aquatic integrity. Society for Freshwater Science Decota Consulting staff have completed the Taxonomic Certification Program from the Society for Freshwater Science. Our staff is certified to identify all aquatic insects to the family level. Additionally, our staff is also certified to identify ephemeroptera (mayflies), plecoptera (stoneflies), and trichoptera (caddisflies) to the genus level. Continuing Education In addition to a formal Biology or Wildlife Sciences education, Decota biologists have continued their education by participating in various training programs. Our biologists have completed the course certification for Freshwater Biomonitoring Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates presented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center and the WV Division of Natural Resources Environmental Assessments on Wadeable Streams workshops. Methods Our biologists are skilled in benthic collection using both single habitat and multihabitat techniques detailed in the U.S. EPA's Rapid Bioassessment Protocols along with training in laboratory skills and techniques detailed in the WV DNR Scientific Collection Permit procedures. Decota Resources mail.decotaconsulting.com site map Related Resources dep.wv.gov usace.army.mil Data Resources wvgis.wvu.edu datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov About Us As consultants, we provide the knowledge and technical support to help your organization achieve its goals more efficiently. We will stand as a professional liaison between our clients and various federal, state or local regulatory agencies. © 2020 Decota Consulting Company, Inc. | Privacy