Base flow monitoring for stream temperature and intermittency at Baca National Wildlife Refuge

The Baca National Wildlife Refuge is located in the San Luis Valley of South-central Colorado on the western flank of the Sangre de Cristo massif, northwest of the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Wildlife managers at the refuge are tasked with protecting two fish species of special concern, the Rio Grande Chub (Gila pandora) and the Rio Grande Sucker (Catostomus plebeius). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected surface water data with Stream Temperature, Intermittency, and Conductivity (STIC) instruments deployed at the Baca NWR from 2016–2019. STIC instruments are unique for this type of investigation for the purpose of simultaneously collecting temperature data and an electrical resistance signal to determine the presence or [...]