Elizabeth Bergey
Oklahoma Biological Survey
University of Oklahoma
Richard Broughton
Oklahoma Biological Survey
University of Oklahoma
Abstract: One of the main landscape features of Washita
Battlefield NHS is the Washita River itself, which is important
both historically and biologically. Biologically, the river
directly supports fish, macroinvertebrate, algal and meiofaunal
communities. Indirectly, it supports a riparian zone, and a
large number of animals that live in or use the riparian zone or
river. The fish and invertebrate communities of the historic
site are poorly known; indeed, there have been few studies of
the aquatic fauna in that portion of Oklahoma. The overall
objective of the proposed study is to survey the fish and
macroinvertebrate faunas within the park. The specific
objectives of this study are to: 1) characterize the physical
habitat of the river; 2) inventory the aquatic invertebrate and
fish communities; 3) describe the macroinvertebrate and fish
communities using standard metrics, and; 4) compare fish and
macroinvertebrate inventories from the WBNHS to other sites
along the Washita River.
Funding Agency:
National Park Service
Modification # GP-CESU H6000A100K, Mod/0001 No Cost
$15,000
Effective Dates: 4/02 – 10/02. Extended to October 30,
2003.
