Table 1. Objectives, project leaders, participants, institution, and related existing projects.

Objective 1
Subobjective a): A regional inventory of riparian environmental conditions with a Gap analysis using geographic information systems.
Project leader: Bruce Menzel-Department of Animal Ecology, Iowa State University
Participants: Bruce Vondracek, Melinda Knutson, Charles Nilon, Doug Austen

Ongoing projects: Geographic information system coverages already exist for most states and Gap researchers in several Midwestern states are already networked and are cooperating with each other on standardization. Several other participants are currently working on geographic information system projects. Knutson-riparian buffers and amphibians and USGS geographic information system databases, Vondracek stream fish distribution and habitat in relation to land use, geology, and geomorphology in southeastern Minnesota, Richards and Johnson, Cannon River Watershed analysis of macroinvertebrates in relation to land use geology and geomorphology, Austen-Pilot Watershed Program, Nilon-a floodplain analysis of agroforestry's physical, biological, ecological, economic, and social benefits, Johnson collaborates with the Fisheries and Wildlife Department at South Dakota State University which has a Gap Analysis Program project headquarters,

Subobjective b): Collect consistent, integrated data across several areas to examine regional patterns in riparian function.
Project leaders: Tom Isenhart and Karl Williard
Participants: Michael Burkart, Michael Dosskey, Carter Johnson, Catherine Johnson, Lucinda Johnson, Richard Lowrance*, Brian Palik, Jim Perry, Carl Richards William Richardson, Peter Schaffer , Michelle Schoeneberger, Sandy Verry

Ongoing projects: Isenhart and others-Bear Creek Watershed Project, Williard and others-Pilot Watershed Project, Perry, Verry and others-Minnesota Integrated Riparian Management Project and Minnesota River Initiative, Johnson-Restoring riparian woodland in agroecosystems of the northern Great Plains and Influence of water development on ecohydrological processes in Great Plains rivers, Lowrance-Riparian Ecosystem Management Model, Burkhart-Loess Hills First Order Steams Riparian Project

Subobjective c): Integrate available geographic information system data for a subset of watersheds to address landscape-scale questions (i.e., what proportion of a watershed needs to be under best management practices to achieve water quality and other wildlife benefits?).
Project leaders: Melinda Knutson and Christine Ribic
Participants: Lucinda Johnson, Catherine Johnson. Carl Richards
Ongoing projects: Knutson and Ribic-bird communities along large river systems to manage large floodplain habitats and amphibian populations in relation to wetlands

Objective 2
Subobjective a): Evaluate alternative riparian management systems in terms of cost effectiveness and benefits.
Project leader: Edna Loehman
Participants: Doug Austen, Joe Colletti, Jean Mangun

Ongoing projects: Loehman-adoption of buffers near Ft. Wayne and Wildcat Creek, Colletti- Bear Creek Watershed Project, Austen and Mangun-Pilot Watershed Project

Subobjective b): Identify programs to enhance adoption of riparian management systems. Project leader: Edna Loehman
Participants: Doug Austen, Joe Colletti, Jean Mangun

Ongoing projects: Loehman-adoption of buffers near Ft. Wayne and Wildcat Creek, Colletti-Bear Creek Watershed Project, Austen and Mangun-Pilot Watershed Project

Subobjective c): Identify barriers to land owner adoption of appropriate practices (best management practices) and determine whether they can be overcome.
Project leaders: Doug Austen, Jean Mangun, and Karl Williard
Participants: Joe Colletti, Lucinda Johnson, Edna Loehman, Charles Nilon and 2 faculty from SIU
Ongoing projects: A collaborative effort with the Pilot Watersheds within the Big Creek and Sugar Creek Watersheds in Southern Illinois and potentially extended to other sites. Regional workshops will be jointly planned and coordinated by state agencies (eg., Illinois DNR, Wisconsin DNR, Missouri Department of Conservation) and the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry.

Objective 3
Develop integrated tools needed for land management and policy development, to select and enhance adoption of preferred riparian management systems.
Project leaders: Jim Perry, Edna Loehman; and Jean Mangun
Participants: all members

Table 3. Expanded list of current research in the Midwest

* Evaluating riparian area dynamics, management alternatives and impacts of harvest practices - Minnesota
The Minnesota Integrated Riparian Management Project (Perry et al. 1998) is one of the only projects nationally that is testing the efficacy of riparian management guidelines in a forest setting. The central objective of this research is to develop and communicate quantitative relationships between riparian condition, riparian management action and in-stream as well as adjacent terrestrial ecosystem properties. The objective is achieved through harvesting forest landscapes with commonly applied and non-traditional practices, to create different post-harvest riparian conditions (e.g., basal area remaining), then assessing terrestrial and aquatic responses. This project examines a wide range of riparian properties, including: plant, bird, fish, and stream invertebrate communities; water quality parameters; impacts to residual trees and soils within the riparian management area; regeneration of timber species; and harvesting efficiency using different logging methods. Additionally, this project is unique in that it includes timber management manipulations within the riparian management area itself, as opposed to simply examining the success of unmanaged buffers at protecting riparian functions. The ongoing efforts of the project are the shared responsibility of the North Central Research Station, USDA Forest Service, and the University of Minnesota, Department of Forest Resources.

* Other Minnesota Initiatives- Minnesota
Two projects 1) Examine water quality, fish and macroinvertebrate responses to land use in the agricultural Southwest and Southeast and the forested region in the Northeast. 2) Using hydrogeomorphic processes to delineate riparian areas in an old-growth forest watershed. The objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the hydrogeomorphic processes mediating riparian extent and ecological function, particularly large woody debris recruitment and dissolved organic carbon inputs to streams.

* Bear Creek National Restoration Showcase Watershed - Iowa
This project has merged university R&D with landowner cooperation in developing a stream restoration approach that has broad scale applicability to agricultural watersheds in the Midwest. Major components include a multi-species riparian buffer, soil bioengineering and grade control technologies for streambank stabilization, constructed wetlands to intercept and process nonpoint source pollutants in agricultural drainage tile water, and rotational grazing systems that limit livestock access to the stream channel. The watershed has been designated a National Restoration Showcase Watershed through the Clean Water Action Plan and as the Bear Creek Riparian Buffer National Research and Demonstration Area by the USDA.

* Iowa Buffer Initiative - Iowa
This five-year initiative is establishing 100 demonstration sites throughout the state of Iowa that showcase flexible approaches to establishing and maintaining stream side buffers. It will also develop a network of buffer specialists and provide recognition of those farmers who use streamside buffers. The Initiative is a public-private partnership which includes Trees Forever, Novartis Crop Protection, Iowa Farm Bureau, USEPA, Iowa Department of Natural Resources USDA-NRCS, and Iowa State University.

* Middle Raccoon River Watershed Stream Protection Initiative - Iowa
Mission is to increase awareness of watershed issues and help watershed residents develop environmental enhancements - while recognizing the associated economic impacts - that will ultimately improve water quality. To date, the partnership's educational effort has helped watershed residents establish 65 demonstration sites and conduct 42 field days extending information to the over 1,500 people in attendance. These efforts showcase pollution prevention technologies such as nitrogen management, grazing systems, constructed wetlands, manure management, natural area management and landscape buffer systems.

* Iowa River Corridor Project - Iowa
The project includes 50,000 acres along the Iowa River and was created by a cooperative effort between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The project broadens the land use choices available to rural landowners and farmers to four options: federal wetland reserve program enrollment, buy out of flood-prone land, technical assistance to restore wetlands, and continuation of row crop production. Through the first two options, more than 11,600 acres of wetland easements have been enrolled by NRCS, and the FWS has purchased 7,500 acres for Iowa's newest national wildlife refuge.

* Hydrologic Modeling and Engineering for Enhancement of Vegetative Riparian Buffers - Nebraska
The overall goal of this project is to improve the water quality enhancement by vegetative riparian buffers through better design and management. Specific objectives are: A. To adapt and validate mathematical models and computer modeling techniques for simulation of the surface and vadose zone hydrology of riparian ecosystems and the hydrologic linkage with agricultural watersheds. B. To develop measurement techniques and sampling strategies for quantifying the fate of surface runoff and sediment within riparian buffers. C. To quantify the spatial distribution of surface flow and infiltration in riparian buffers. And D. To test design alternatives and management practices that enhance the water quality function of riparian buffers using the models developed in Objective A. The scope of this project is limited to the surface and vadose zone hydrology and the flow and deposition of sediment within riparian buffers. Experimental studies will be conducted at the Rogers Memorial Farm owned by the University of Nebraska and the Clear Creek Watershed. Land use at the Rogers Farm is mainly rain-fed row-crop agriculture. It is located in Southeast, Nebraska. The Clear Creek Watershed is located in east-central Nebraska. Land use is dominated by groundwater irrigated row crops. Testing and modification of the Riparian Ecosystem Management Model is expected at both of these sites.

* Impact of Vegetative Buffer Strips on Pesticide, Nitrogen and Sediment Loading to Clear Creek and Adjacent Groundwater - Nebraska
The overall goal of this project is to demonstrate the efficacy of vegetated filter strips in reducing pesticides (with special emphasis on atrazine and metolachlor nitrogen, and sediment in runoff to Clear Creek, Nebraska. The following objectives are included: A. To determine the impact of vegetative strips on the flux of atrazine and metolachlor their degradates, nitrate, ammonia, sediment, and organic N to Clear Creek. B. To compare the chemical loading in runoff below bare, newly grassed, and established grassed strips during the life of the project. C. To monitor the impact of the buffer strips on shallow ground water by temporally measuring concentrations of parent pesticide, degradates and nitrate. And D. To monitor the fate of nitrate beneath the different strips. The Clear Creek project was initiated because of local water quality concerns.

* The multi-agency project is supported by the Nebraska Research Initiative, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, and the Central Platte Natural District. Two sub-watersheds have been instrumented for water quality monitoring; one as an untreated check and the other as a buffered watershed.
National Agroforestry Center Tree-based Buffer Technologies for Sustainable Land-Use in the Central U.S. - Nebraska and others
Project's goals are to understand functions and processes of riparian and terrestrial tree-based buffer systems and their ability to restore ecological functions (i.e. mitigation of non-point source pollution) and provide economic opportunities in people-dominated landscapes, and to develop tools and guidelines that will assist private landowners to apply tree-based practices that balance productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship.

* A Floodplain Analysis of Agroforestry's Physical, Biological, Ecological, Economic, and Social Benefits - Missouri and Iowa
Aspects of this project are designed to assess the environmental benefits of agroforestry buffers and to educate the general public on these benefits. The project is designed around nine objectives ranging in scope from providing recommendations for plant materials to be used in designing floodplain-related buffers to enhancing our understanding of the requirements for broad scale adoption of buffer technology.

* Riparian Ecosystem Assessment and Management Project - Missouri
The goal of the Riparian Ecosystem Assessment and Management (REAM) study is to develop and improve Best Management Practices for maintaining or enhancing wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and forest and aquatic resources in riparian forests along streams in north Missouri. The Department is conducting this project in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, University of Missouri-Columbia, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Forest Service. The pre-harvest condition of the riparian forest, wildlife, and aquatic resources are being monitored to document current conditions. A variety of harvest methods will be evaluated. Management recommendations will benefit both state land resource managers and private landowners.

* Pilot Watershed Program - Illinois
The Illinois Pilot Watershed Program is an interagency effort to develop, assess, and promote improved watershed management within the state. Utilizing a before-after, control-impact, paired watershed design, a wide variety of local, state and federal agencies have focused intensive restoration and monitoring efforts on four watershed located throughout the state. Intensive monitoring includes hydrology, biology, social, and agro-economic responses to development of watershed restoration plans and implementation of best management practices. Partner agencies include the state Natural Resource, Agricultural, and Environmental Protection Agencies, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Services Agency, four state universities and associated groups such as the Illinois Farm Bureau, and the Cooperative Extension Program.

* Enhancement of Water Quality and Farm Income: Decision Support for Riparian Management Systems - Illinois
Researchers in the Departments of Forestry and Plant and Soil Science at Southern Illinois University are developing a geographic information system-based decision support toolbox to assist farmers and landowners in optimizing the siting, design, and maintenance of riparian management areas in southern Illinois and the surrounding region.

* Riparian Ecosystem Management Model - USDA Agricultural Research Service, Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory
The Riparian Ecosystem Management Model (REMM) has been developed for natural resource agencies and researchers as a tool that can help quantify the water quality benefits of riparian butters. The Riparian Ecosystem Management Model is based on buffer system specifications recommended by the U.S. Forest Service and the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Riparian Ecosystem Management Model simulates (a) the movement of surface and subsurface water; (b) sediment transport and deposition; (c) transport, sequestration and cycling of nutrients; and (d) vegetative growth. While the Riparian Ecosystem Management Model model has not yet been released for distribution, it has been extensively tested and validated within the Southeastern Coastal Plain (Altier et al. 1994) and thus may provide an opportunity to evaluate its effectiveness in the Midwest.

* Agricultural Ecosystems Research Project - a consortium: University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin DNR - examine broad water quality and ecological issues in agricultural settings.

* U.S. Geological Survey is studying nitrogen cycling in large river systems, especially the Mississippi River, to better manage backwater habitats as nutrient sinks.

* U.S. Geological Survey is studying bird communities along large river systems to manage large floodplain habitats.

* Gap Analysis Program - All States
The mission of the Gap Analysis Program is to provide regional assessments of the conservation status of native vertebrate species and natural land cover types and to facilitate the application of this information to land management activities. The Gap Analysis Program is conducted as state-level projects and is coordinated by the USGS Biological Resources Division (BRD). It is a cooperative effort among regional, state, and federal agencies, and private groups as well as the BRD functions of inventory, monitoring, research, and information transfer. Though in a few cases Gap Analysis Program projects cover more than one state, state-level implementation is the primary level of Gap Analysis Program organization and each state project is supported by the mutual cooperation of natural resources institutions (state, federal, private) from within each state.

* The Role of In-Stream Processes in the Cycling of Dissolved Nitrogen - Illinois
The project will quantify the role of in-stream processes in the modification of N inputs from agricultural systems. Biological nitrate uptake, denitrification, and ammonification rates will be estimated in the laboratory and in in-situ measurements. Field research will be focused at the Big Ditch Site in central Illinois and Big Creek in southern Illinois.