Science in Practice Portal

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) developed the National Aquatic Monitoring Framework (NAMF) (Miller et al. 2015) to monitor the condition and trend of aquatic systems as part of the Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy (Toevs et al. 2011). Following the AIM principles, the NAMF standardized aquatic core indicators, field sampling methodologies, electronic data capture, and the use of statistically valid sample designs for wadeable streams and rivers (i.e., lotic systems). The protocol in this technical reference outlines the field methodologies for the collection of the core and contingent indicators for lotic systems, as well as suggested covariates.