This Level II field guide describes a national protocol to supply data used in project identification and planning. Data collected through this field guide serve as the basis for the assessment of project and activity effects on, and the identification of project-level design and mitigation measures for, a specific set of groundwater-dependent ecosystem (GDE) types. The Level II field guide will enable the user to describe the major physical and biological characteristics of GDEs in a consistent manner. That consistency will enable the user to describe a site�s general condition, monitor major change over time, and make comparisons among sites of a certain type or within a certain region.