Poster Details
IMPACTS OF THE BRIAN HEAD FIRE ON THE FRESHWATER MACRINVERTEBRATES OF THE MARKAGUNT PLATEAU (2016-2019)
In the summer of 2017, a fire started near Brian Head in Iron County, Utah burned more than 70,000 acres of coniferous forest on the Markagunt Plateau. We measured the effects of this fire on the macroinvertebrate fauna in three streams that run through and adjacent to the burn area. Samples were taken from Mammoth, Castle and Lowder Creeks during the fall and winter of 2018/2019. We were able to compare these data with a pre-fire study done in the same streams in the fall of 2016. We found a decrease in diversity for most taxa sampled. Future sampling will continue to monitor the recovery of these streams.
Makayla Oborn (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern Utah University, makaylaoborn@suumail.net;
Irania Hernandez (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern Utah University, irania_02@yahoo.com;
Courtney Webb (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern Utah University, webbcourt13@gmail.com;
Michael Contente (Primary Presenter/Author), Southern Utah University, contentemichael@gmail.com;
Samuel Wells (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern Utah University, samuelwells@suu.edu;
Fredric Govedich (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern Utah University, govedich@suu.edu;