Acadia National Park

Visitor Impact Protocol Development and
Mitigation Experiments to
Support Carrying Capacity Planning

The current phase of this visitor carrying capacity research evaluates visitor-related impacts to the park's natural resources. It includes (1) development and application of trail condition assessment and monitoring protocols for 120 miles of designated trails on Mount Desert Island, (2) development of monitoring protocols for a GPS-based inventory of visitor-created trails, (3) development of monitoring protocols for trampling impacts and evaluation of the success of area closures at the summit of Cadillac Mountain, and (4) the experimental application and evaluation of education and site management actions to reduce selected high-priority trail-related visitor impact problems.

For more information, contact Charlie Jacobi at 207-288-8727.

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Estimate the Rate of Nitrogen Removal by Wetlands
of Acadia National Park

This study will quantify denitrification potential in Acadia's estuarine wetlands. The results will enable Acadia's resource managers to develop scientifically based strategies for limiting nutrient inputs to these critical wetlands.

For more information, contact David Manski at 207-288-8720.

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Cape Cod National Seashore

Evaluate the Status of Spawning Horseshoe Crabs, Limulus
polyphemus, within Cape Cod NS

As of 2001, all harvest of horseshoe crabs was banned in Cape Cod NS waters. However, this extremely controversial decision is currently being appealed. This is a precedent-setting case as the classification of the horseshoe crab as wildlife gave it a protected status apart from shellfish and finfish, which are currently harvested in the park. Surveys of spawning horseshoe crabs were conducted from 2000 to 2002 in an effort to collect baseline data on spawning populations within the Seashore. This project will re-survey the same spawning locations five and six years after the initial harvest ban was implemented in order to evaluate the success of this management decision.

For more information, contact Carrie Phillips at 508-487-3262, ext. 109.

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Cape Cod NS Shoreline Change and Resource Protection

This study will examine current and past measurements of outer Cape Cod coastal features and identify trends affecting these landforms. Historical coastal profile measurements will be analyzed along with newly acquired data for quantitative comparisons.

For more information, contact Mark Adams at 508-487-3262 x113.

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Comparison of Mercury in Atmospheric Deposition and Fish

At Cape Cod NS and two sites on the Pacific coast, levels of mercury are being monitored in soil cores (to determine depositon rate) and in fish, to determine whether there is a difference in depositon rate "upwind" on the west coast and "downwind" on the east coast. A preliminary conclusion is that long-residence-time, global-pool atmospheric mercury is responsible for a substantial amount of the mercury that accumulates in fish.

For more information, contact Carrie Phillips at 508-487-3262, ext. 10.

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Fire Island National Seashore

Characterize Submarine Groundwater as a Component of
Managing Estuarine Eutrophication at Fire Island NS

A U.S. Geological Survey-National Park Service marine study will
determine the nature of groundwater/surface-water interactions and associated nutrient fluxes in Great South Bay along the Fire Island shoreline, the Long Island shoreline, and representative transects across the bay.

For more information, contact Patricia Rafferty at 631-687-4767.

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Impacts of Beach Scraping and Artificial Dune Creation on the Natural Resources of Fire Island NS

The purpose of beach scraping is to provide storm protection to privatehomes and community infrastructure, although little research exists that demonstrates the success of this technique. This practice may have a negative impact on natural resources in park lands including (1) loss of the ecological benefits of natural dunes, (2) burial of habitat during the creationof the artificial foredune or destruction of habitat directly from scraping, and (3) increase in regional erosion and decrease in natural storm protection by decreasing beach width and elevation, and (4)overall disruption of natural processes of dune evolution. This project is studying long- and short-term impacts of beach scraping and artificial dune formation by comparing aerial photography prior to beach scraping with photos taken early in the history of beach scraping to see how the system responds to this practice.

For more information, contact Michael Bilecki at 631-687-4760.

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Gateway National Recreation Area

Bathymetric Survey of Jamaica Bay and Other Bays Parkwide:
Closing a Gap in the Saltmarsh Loss Model

Considering the importance of accurate and current bathymetric
information to understanding saltmarsh loss, and the results of an earlier trial, this project will conduct a more complete high-resolution bathymetric survey for all of Jamaica Bay and selected areas of Sandy Hook and Great Kills Park, using the SIMRAD EM3000 multibeam bathymetric system for waters over 6 feet in depth. The survey will show the dimensions and features of the channels as well as the edges of the shallow banks, with a data density of approximately one square meter. Acquisition of bathymetry in shallower areas will use a small boat, single-beam echo sounding time.

For more information, contact Kathryn Mellander at 718-354-4525.

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Gettysburg National Military Park

Methods of Estimating Deer Abundance:
Testing Model Assumptions and Logistical Feasibility

This project will test whether the proportion of the deer population
sighted during surveys has changed since the sighting probabilities were estimated in 1987, test the assumption that roads can serve as transects using distance sampling methods, and investigate the accuracy, precision, and logistical feasibility of population estimators using deer population reduction data.

For more information, contact Michelle Batcheller at 814-863-9414.

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Richmond National Battlefield Park

Conduct Biological Inventories at Newly Acquired Park Sites

The park has acquired approximately 600 acres of new park land in the past year. This project will accomplish a suite of baseline inventories usingsimilar protocols as those used during previous park inventories, including birds, reptiles and amphibians, and mammals.

For more information, contact Kristen Gounaris Allen at 804-795-5019.

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Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

Real-time Monitoring of Sodium and Chloride Loads
within the Saugus River

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation the with National Park Service, operates a continuous streamflow monitoring station at the Saugus River Iron Works National Historic Site in Saugus, Massachusetts. A probe for monitoring specific conductance is located in a section of the river downstream from the gage pool that is influenced by tidal inflows. This project will relocate the probe to more accurately monitor specific conductance. A real-time interpretive display of this Saugus River gage site data will be installed at the park Visitor Center and data will be posted at an internet site.

For more information, contact Curtis White at (781) 231-7342.

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Shenandoah National Park

Characterize Threatened and Impaired Headwater
Streams and Springs

Among the important water resources at Shenandoah National Park are the "source waters" (headwaters and springs) that are potentially the most sensitive to impairment, yet the least well-understood. This project expands the water resource inventory and thereby improves the basis for monitoring programs for the lower stream reaches of the park.

For more information, contact Gordon Olson at 540-999-3497.

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Develop a Long-Term Monitoring Protocol
for the Endangered Shenandoah Salamander

The goal of the study is to design a long-term monitoring program to detect future change within the three populations of Plethodon shenandoah identified at the park and explore natural and human-related factors that may be responsible for population change.

For more information, contact Jim Atkinson at 540-999-3433.

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Remove Non-native Plants From A Globally Rare Community--
Monitor Rare and Non-native Species Extent

At Shenandoah National Park, rapid action is needed to document the status and extent of rare plant populations within Big Meadows, and to implement non-native species control activities to preserve the community's virtually pristine character.

For more information, contact Wendy Cass at 540-999-3432.

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Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

Define Existing Water Quality in Park Streams
for Development of Special Protection Waters Standards

This project is utilizing a nested sampling approach to establish benchmark loads for water-quality parameters reflecting the Special Protection Waters Standards for the Delaware River at five U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations on the main-stem river and tributaries of the Upper Delaware River.

For more information contact Don Hamilton at 570-729-7842.

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Identify Threatened Bald Eagle Habitat and
Develop Management Plan

Habitats along the Upper Delaware River important to threatened bald eagles are being identified using satellite and radio transmitters and GIS mapping during three seasons of data collection. This is a joint effort with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Eagle Institute, and the National Park Service.

For more information, contact Don Hamilton at 570-729-7842.

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Determine Ecological Flow Needs of the Federally
Endangered Dwarf Wedgemussel

The National Park Service is involved in a multi-agency effort to
determine the quantity of water required to maintain the health of aquatic communities in the Upper Delaware River. This project will determine the biological response of adult federally endangered Dwarf Wedgemussel to changes in flow parameters (velocity, temperature, oxygen) and habitat needs of juvenile life stages. This information is essential to making informed recommendations to the Delaware River Basin Commission on ecological flow needs of the park.

For more information, contact Don Hamilton at 570-729-7842