Proper Functioning Condition Assessment of the Little Bighorn River: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Montana.

摘要

The National Park Service is preparing a Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. To inform this assessment, the NPS Water Resources Division was asked to evaluate the functional condition or ecological health of the Little Bighorn River riparian area within and adjacent to the park boundary. We used the method described in A User Guide to Assessing the Proper Functioning Condition and the Supporting Science for Lotic Areas (U.S. Department of the Interior 1998) to perform this evaluation. We found the entire assessment area to be in Proper Functioning Condition as defined by this method, but we identified some specific sites where management actions could further improve riparian area function and health. This report documents our findings and provides some management recommendations for this historically important and culturally significant riparian ecosystem.