Training, Field QA, and Collection Permit
Quick Links
College of Bioassessment
The College of Bioassessment (COB) was developed by CDFW and the State Board’s Training Academy to provide students with a background on stream ecology, sampling design and data analysis based on SWAMP Bioassessment Procedure. Water resource professionals involved with the implementation and/or administration of bioassessment projects as well as citizen scientists will benefit from the four courses offered through the COB.
Course 1 is an introduction to all aspects of bioassessment and although some students gain enough knowledge in the first course to make them more confident at writing permits, managing contracts and dealing with environmental review, for a complete understanding of bioassessment, all four courses should be completed. Besides attending all four courses, any participant wanting to conduct bioassessment should participate in annual inter-calibration exercises and field audits (described in the sections below). Graduates of the COB can keep up with projects and techniques involving bioassessment by attending the annual CABW meeting
Established bioassessment field and laboratory professionals are encouraged to attend COB courses to insure that they are up to date with procedures and data analysis but they will have the opportunity to petition to certify completion of a COB course based on their work experience.
Annual Pre-season Calibration and Training Registration for Calibration Exercises
During this one day exercise, multiple bioassessment crews assemble at one location to discuss invertebrate and algae sampling and processing procedures and to perform several PHAB exercises on a shortened stream reach. After a brief pre-exercise discussion of event activities, the crews are encouraged to present questions or concerns from the previous year’s sampling for group discussion. Invertebrate and algae sampling methods are discussed and demonstrated and then the crews perform the PHAB exercises separately with minimal interaction recording the data on hand written forms specially designed for the exercise. After the crews complete the exercise the groups get together to discuss the results and present any questions or concerns that came up while performing the exercise.
Field Audits
Field audits are conducted in the field setting at actual sites being surveyed by experienced bioassessment crews. This activity is time intensive since it requires one CDFW auditor to work with one crew at a time and would require travel and a full day to complete. At least one and possibly two audits; one in the beginning of the field season and one mid-season, will be conducted for each crew. Audits are a requirement for any SWAMP bioassessment project but could also be requested by an corporate field crew for internal QA/QC, or could be a requirement for a permit or project that include bioassessments.
- Request for Field Audit (email)
California Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup (CABW)
The annual CABW meeting educates those unfamiliar with bioassessment on current and planned activities in bioassessment. It is also an opportunity for those active in bioassessment to be updated on current activities and to stay in touch with other people in the bioassessment community. The annual meeting of the California Chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science (CalSFS, or SFS) is included at the end of the CABW meeting.
CABW/SFS Meeting Quick Links: October 23-24, 2018 | October 24-25, 2017 | October 18-19, 2016 | October 20-21, 2015 | November 18-19, 2014 | Previous Years
October 23rd-24th, 2018 CABW
October 24-25, 2017
- Meeting Agenda with Presentations Only
- Video of Speakers and their Presentations
- October 24th Videos
- Overview of the SWAMP Bioassessment Program and Resources – Calvin Yang, State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
- What is the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) and How it is Used in Bioassessment – Sarah Pearce, San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI)
- Validating the California Rapid Assessment method for Depressional, Slope, and Vernal Pool Wetlands – Cara Clark, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
- The Use of CRAM in California Water Quality Regulatory Programs – Cliff Harvey, SWRCB
- Update on the Combined Statewide Biointegrity-Biostimulatory Policy for Streams – Jessie Maxfield, SWRCB
- A Scientific Approach for a Biointegrity-Biostimulatory Policy – Martha Sutula, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), Costa Mesa, CA
- Tools to Support a Biointegrity-Biostimulatory Policy – Rafi Mazor, SCCWRP
- San Diego's Approach to Biological Objectives in Streams – Chad Loflen, San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board
- Developing an Index of Physical Habitat Integrity and How it Might be Used in Water Resource Programs - Andrew Rehn, ABL
Session on the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM)
Session on Incorporating Bioassessment in Statewide and Regional Policies
Discussion on Session
- Society for Freshwater Science California Chapter Session
- Introduction to CalSFS, the Workshop and Student Presentations on General Ecology - Jeanette Howard, The Nature Conservancy and John Olson, California State University Monterey Bay
- Effects of Flow Variability on River Metacommunities in a Changing Climate - Parsa Saffarinia, UC Riverside
- The Impact of Sacramento River Winter-Run Chinook Temperature Management on ESA-listed Green Sturgeon - Liam Zarri UC Santa Cruz
- Small Streams and Riparian Zones in California's Sacramento Valley: Ecological Function and Management Opportunities - Alex Webster, Joanna P. Sollins, and Mary L. Cadenasso, UC Davis
- Riverine Canopy and Water Temperature: How Aquatic Plants are Ecosystem Engineers for Water Temperature - Ann Willis, UC Davis
- October 25th Videos
- Modeling Seasonal Evolution of Longitudinal Benthic Algae Distributions in the Klamath River in Response to Chemical Gradients - Mike Deas, Watercourse Engineering, Davis
- Fish Behavior and Food Web Phenology - Implications for Management - Gabe Rossi, UC Berkeley
- 2017: the Year the California Tiger Salamander Lost its Unicorn Status - Jaymee Marty, Marty Ecological Consulting, Inc., Sacramento
- Using Genomics to Assess the Impact of River Regulation in a River Breeding Frog (Rana boylii)- Ryan Peek, UC Davis
- Predator Adaptation Exacerbates Ecological Responses to Warming - David Fryxell, UC Santa Cruz
- Development of Biological Indicators for the Dry Phase of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams - Matt Robinson, Cal State Monterey Bay
- A Comparison of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Perennial and Intermittent Headwater Streams of the Mattole River in Northern California, USA - Mason London, Humboldt State University (HSU), Arcata, CA
- Two-Way Trap and Haul as a Conservation Strategy for Anadromous Salmonids - Rob Lusardi,UC Davis
- Integration of Western Science and Indigenous Science to Inform Management of the Upper Eel River - Lara Jansen and Leke Hutchins, HSU
- The Development and Enhancement of an Invasive Crayfish Control Strategy for the Malibu Creek Watershed, Los Angeles County, USA - Angela D. Dow, Mountains Restoration Trust in Calabasas, CA
- October 24th Videos
October 18-19, 2016
- Meeting Agenda with Presentations Only
- Video of Speakers and their Presentations
- October 18th Videos
- Expanding the Universe of Ecological Indicators in California: a Vision for the Next Decade - Peter Ode, ABL
- Overview of the SWAMP Bioassessment Program and Resources - Calvin Yang, SWRCB
- Use of RIVPACS-type Multiaxon Distribution Models to Assess Alterations in Regional Biodiversity - Charles Hawkins, Utah State University
- Overview of USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment and Plans for California RSQA in 2017 - Pete Van Metre, United States Geological Survey (USGS), Austin TX
- Aquatic Ecology and Bioassessment at the California Water Science Center - Larry Brown, USGS, Sacramento, CA
- Ecosystem Health in a Mining-impacted River - USGS Investigations of the Clark Fork River, MT Superfund Site - Terry Short USGS, Menlo Park, CA
- Unimpaired Streamflows as a Baseline for Assessment of Climate Change and Anthropogenic Modification - Jason May, USGS, Sacramento, CA
- Data Analysis as Part of USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessments - Ian Waite, USGS, Portland, OR
- Introduction to Statewide Efforts to Develop Biologically-relevant Instream Flow Recommendations - Eric Stein, SCCWRP
- Setting Regional Targets Based on Flow-ecology Relationships to Support Biological Integrity - Raphael Mazor, SCCWRP
- Managing Functional Environmental Flows in Regulated River Systems - Sarah Yarnell, Center for Watershed Sciences, UC Davis
- Assessing Hydrologic Change in the Nation's Rivers - Ted Grantham, UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension
- Developing a Coordinated Instream Flow Strategy for California - Julie Zimmerman, The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
- Discussion
Session on Aquatic Ecology and Bioassessment Conducted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
Session on Ecohydrology
- October 19th Videos
- Overview of Permitting Process for Scientific Take of Wildlife - Ona Alminas and Leslie Alber, CDFW
- California Statewide Algae Plan: Past, Present, and Future - Susanna Theroux, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), Costa Mesa
- Garcia River Monitoring Program - Watershed Overview, Status and Trends - Jonathan Warmerdam, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and Jennifer Carah, TNC, San Francisco, CA
- A Rapid Screening Tool for Determining Causes of Biological Impairment in California Streams -Jerry Diamond, Tetra Tech, Owings Mills, MD
- Reach-scale Riffle and Pool Habitat Vary with Stream Flow, Altering Benthic Community Structure in Reachwide Benthos Samples - David Herbst, Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL), Mammoth Lakes CA
- The effects of Drought on Total Dissolved Solids/Conductivity in Streams and Rivers - John Olson, Desert Research Institute, NV/California State University Monterey Bay
- Society for Freshwater Science California Chapter Session
- Riparian restoration scale and stream benefits in California rangelands - Bronwen Stanford, U.C. Santa Cruz
- It's time for time: aquatic-terrestrial linkages in California vernal pools - Jamie Kneitel, C.S.U. Sacramento
- Evolution and ecology of partial migration in a salmonid fish (Oncorhynchus mykiss) - Suzanne Kelson, U.C. Berkeley
- Critical role of seasonal tributaries for native aquatic biota in the Sacramento River - Michael Marchetti, St. Mary’s College
- Communicating science, creating trust: can you take a message? - Kat Kerlin, U.C. Davis
- Piecing it together: Building a story about caddisfly case-building with KQED Science's Deep Look - Patina Mendez, U.C. Berkeley
- Science communication and outreach: a view from the mountains - Brittany Covich, Sierra Nevada Conservancy
- Panel discussion and Q+A on science communication
- October 18th Videos
October 20-21, 2015
- Meeting Agenda with Presentation Only
- Videos of Speakers and their Presentations
- October 20th Videos
- Welcome and Objectives of the Meeting (5:02) - Jim Harrington, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratory (ABL)
- Update on Statewide Implementation Plan for Assessing Biological Integrity in Surface Waters’ (16:49) - Jessie Maxfield, SWRCB
- SWAMP Bioassessment Program Update (22:05) - Lori Webber, State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
- Introduction to SWAMP’s Information Management and Quality Assurance Program (28:25) - Melissa Morris, SWRCB
- Overview of the SWAMP Bioassessment Webpage and an Interactive CSCI Score Map (19:41) - Calvin Yang and Michelle Tang, SWRCB
- Background on the Restoration Effort in the Battle Creek Watershed (16:37) – Mary Marshall, US Bureau of Reclamation, Red Bluff
- Biological and Physical Habitat Monitoring of the Battle Creek Watershed with Emphasis on the Columbia Habitat Monitoring Program (CHaMP) (32.17) – Steve Fortney, Terraqua Inc. Tonasket, WA
- Ongoing and Future Assessment of the Biota and Instream Habitat in Battle Creek (17:56) - Steve Tussing, Battle Creek Watershed Conservancy
- Background Information on the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds and Summary of Results from the First Two Experiments (18:07) – Pete Cafferata, Cal-Fire
- Plans for the Third Experiment in the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds (12:07) – Salli Dymond, Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station
- Linking Habitat Variables to Salmonid Growth, Survival, and Abundance in Two Coastal Northern California Intensively Monitored Watersheds (19:13) – Sean Gallagher, CDFW, Fort Brag
- Using Biological Integrity to Structure Water Quality Criteria: California and Beyond (29:55) – Michael J. Paul, Jeroen Gerritsen, Lei Zheng, Jerry Diamond, and Clint Boschen
- A Quantitative Approach for Selecting Environmentally Similar Comparator Sites for Use in Causal Assessments (17:42) – Raphael Mazor and David Gillett, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), Costa Mesa
- Characterizing and Mapping Modified Channels in Southern California (17:42) – Jerry Diamond and Clint Boschen, Tetra Tech Inc., Owings Mills, Maryland
- Causal Assessment of TDS/Conductivity as a Potential Cause of Poor Benthic Invertebrate Condition in the San Diego River Watershed (17:53) – Jerry Diamond and Clint Boschen, Tetra Tech Inc., Owings Mills, Maryland
Session on Battle Creek Resoration and Monitoring
Session on Experimental Designs and Bioassessment in Timber Lands
Session on Causal Assessment in SoCal
- October 21st Videos
- Investigation of Natural Levels of Total Dissolved Solids Impact on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in the South Coast Region (31:48) – John D. Rudolph, Amec Foster Wheeler
- Status on Sampling and Interpreting Biotic Scores for Intermittent Streams in the San Diego Region (22:24) – Chad L Loflen - Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region, Rafael Mazor - SCCWRP and Andy Rehn - CDFW
- The Effects of Drought on Fish and Water Quality (23:30) – Peter Moyle, UC Davis
- Freshwater Science to Inform State Water Policy (29:35) – Steve Moore, Board Member, State Water Resources Control Board
- The California Freshwater Conservation Blueprint (14:20) - Jeanette Howard, The Nature Conservancy
- The A.R.M. of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act: Putting Science into Action (15:04) - Julie Zimmerman, USFWS
- Developing SMART Biological Objectives for the Stanislaus River: Injecting Science into our Discussions (15:09) - John Shelton, CDFW
- Biodiversity and Vulnerability of Aquatic Insects in California Streams (12:55) - Joan Damerow, WRA Inc.
- Genetic Variation in Baetis tricaudatis in the Russian River Watershed (15:10) - Natalie Stauffer-Olsen, UC Berkeley
- Forests and Water in the Sierra Nevada: Kings River Experimental Watershed and Ecosystem Monitoring Project (13:40) - Mohammad Safeeq, UC Merced
- Montane Meadow Restoration: Reconciling Research and Implementation (25:30)- Karen Pope, USFS, and Sarah Yarnell, UC Davis
- Yuba Headwaters Meadow Restoration (11:00) - Rachel Hutchinson, South Yuba River Citizens League
- Green Acres: A collaborative vision for meadow recovery in California (14:54) - Rene Henery, Trout Unlimited
- Trout Unlimited Researching and Repairing Legacy Grazing Impacts in Sierra Nevada Wetlands (13:45) - Evan Wolf, UC Davis
- Collaborative Research Into Balancing Salmonid and Human Water Use in Intermittent Streams: A Case Study from Salmon Creek, Sonoma County (14:33) - Cleo Woelfle-Erskine, UC Berkeley
- Dry Season Survival of Juvenile Salmonids in an Intermittent Stream (13:27) - Jason Hwan, UC Berkeley
- Collaborative Agreements for Flow Augmentation to Benefit Salmonids (11:58) - David Hines, NOAA
- How Does Your Stream Go Dry? Monthly Wet-Dry Mapping During the Summer 2015 Drought (11:58) - Derek Acomb, CDFW
- Impacts of Drought on Juvenile Salmonids Rearing in Russian River Tributaries (13:44) - Mariska Obedzinski, UC Cooperative Extension
Society for Freshwater Science California Chapter
Session on Freshwater Biodiversity: A vision for Recovery
Session on Montane Meadow Restoration
Session on Juvenile Salmonids in Intermittent Streams
- October 20th Videos
November 18-19, 2014
- Meeting Agenda with Presentation Only
- Videos of Speakers and their Presentations
- November 18, 2014
- SWAMP Bioassessment Program Update (33:56) - Greg Gearheart and Lori Webber, State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
- Every Day is an Adventure: Nevada's 2014 Bioassessment Program (29:27) - Marianne Denton, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Quality Planning
- Introduction and Objectives of the Session (7:10) - Eric Stein, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP)
- Developing Multi-Indicator Assessments (23:16) - Lilian Busse, San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board and Brock Bernstein, Independent Consultant
- Pitfalls and Opportunities with Integrating Dissimilar Indicators to Assess Condition (31:59) - Fraser Shilling, UC Davis, Department of Environmental Science and Policy
- Application of EPA's Healthy Watersheds Initiative Concepts Enhances Protection of California's Streams and Wetlands (22:10) - Peter R. Ode, CDFW; Eric Stein - SCCRWP; Lori Webber, SWRCB and Terrence Fleming - US EPA Region IX
- Regional Integrated Assessments: The Healthy Coast Healthy Watersheds Report Card (27:03) - Karen Worcester, Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
- Development of an Integrated Riparian Edge and Stream Condition Index for Central Coast Watersheds, Presenters: Kevin O'Connor & Ross Clark, Central Coast Wetlands Workgroup at Moss Landing Marine Labs (24:19)
- Challenges and Opportunities of Multi-Indicator Assessments: San Diego River Watershed Example (9:23) - Chad Loflen, San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board
- Relating Multiple Indicators to Beneficial Uses: Are We Making the Connections? (24:37) - Chris Solek and Betty Fetscher, SCCWRP
Special Session on Multi-Indicator Integration
- Wednesday, November 19, 2014
- Assessing Aquatic Habitat Connectivity and Low-flow Ecological Thresholds (28:03) - Robert Holmes, CDFW Water Branch
- Where Are Our Wetlands and How are they Doing? (9:20) - Jon B. Marshack, California Water Quality Monitoring Council
- California Results from the National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA) (20:23) - Cara Clark, Moss Landing Marine Laboratory
- The California Freshwater Species Database (22:47) - Jeanette Howard, The Nature Conservancy
- Update on Recent Work on the Aquatic & Environmental Toxicity of Cyanotoxins (22:51) - Kim Ward, SWRCB
- Benthic Cyanotoxin Production in California Streams (18:53) - Betty Fetscher, SCCWRP
- Cyanotoxin Production in Northern California's Eel River (25:27) - Keith Bouma-Gregson, University of California, Berkeley
- Cyanotoxin Laboratory Analysis Update from the WPCL (19:48) - Dan Orr, CDFW Water Pollution Control Laboratory
- Integrating Physical Habitat Data into Bioassessment: a Case Study (22:50) - Rachel Durben and Jeff Lauder, Sierra Streams Institute, Nevada City
- Results from Twelve Years Assessing the Condition of the Malibu Creek Watershed (25:44) - Katherine Pease, Heal the Bay
- New Tools and Videos from the SWRCB Clean Water Team (18:39) - Erick Burres, SWRCB
- Bioassessment of Stream Health in the Santa Ana Watershed using Geographic Weighted Regression (17:26) - Ian Nelson, CSU Long Beach
- Trophic Subsidy from the Mainstem to Tributaries by Migratory Mayflies is Strengthened by Mainstem Thermal Variations (22:40) - Hiromi Uno, UC Berkeley
- Effects of River-Flow Regulation on Anuran Occupancy and Abundance in Riparian Zones (19:37) - Evan Eskew, UC Davis
Special Student Presentation Session
- November 18, 2014
CABW Files and Presentations from Previous Years
Collection Permit
A Scientific Collecting Permit is required to collect invertebrates for scientific, education, and non-commercial propagation purposes. Information on how to apply for a Scientific Collecting Permit is on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website (access using Internet Explorer 9 currently not supported).