SURVEY METHODS FOR SHALLOW WATER HABITAT MAPPING IN NORTHEAST NATIONAL PARKS, WILDLIFE REFUGES, AND ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVES

Workshop Proceedings

Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR—2010/145

TRACY HART
Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative
PO Box 6063
Falmouth, ME 04105

CHARLES ROMAN
National Park Service
Graduate School of Oceanography
University of Rhode Island
Narragansett, RI 02882

MEGAN TYRRELL
National Park Service
Cape Cod National Seashore
99 Marconi Site Rd
Wellfleet, MA 02667

January 2010

U.S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Northeast Region
Phildelphia, PA

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Introduction

On September 30, 2009, thirty-six participants convened at the University of New Hampshire Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (UNH CCOM) for a workshop focusing on Survey Methods for Shallow Water Habitat Mapping In Northeast National Parks, Wildlife Refuges & National Estuarine Research Reserve. The aim of this workshop was to provide federal natural resource managers with an opportunity for collaborative training on methods to increase understanding of nearshore natural and cultural resources in the Northeast region. The focus of the workshop was related to a primary data need to develop seamless geologic framework and habitat maps extending from land and offshore extents of Park, Refuge, and Reserve holdings in this region. A series of prior multi-agency efforts (see Section III) have identified the need for benthic nearshore data as a top priority need.

The specific objectives of the workshop were to provide regional scientists and managers from the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERRS) with:
- An overview of shallow water habitat mapping techniques, including their capabilities, limitations, and costs specific to the environmental conditions represented in this region;
-An opportunity to assess the regional resource management, monitoring, research, outreach, and education applications of shallow water benthic data;
- A technical foundation enabling informed interactions with collaborators; and
- An opportunity to interact with technical experts and initiate agency and multi-agency collaboration.

The event was supported by the National Park Service North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) and coordinated by the Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative (GOMMI), in cooperation with a multi-agency steering committee. UNH CCOM hosted the workshop and coordinated additional learning opportunities including a tour of the Center’s visualization lab¹ and a GeoWall demonstration.

Workshop presentations were divided into two sections (See Agenda, Appendix A). Park, Reserve, and Refuge representatives provided an initial overview of the needs, objectives, capacity and specific challenges for shallow water mapping within the Northeast (Section II and III). These presentations provided context for a set of technical presentations on the capabilities, advantages, and disadvantages of the suite of technologies available for shallow water seabed mapping. Speakers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), academia (UNH CCOM, Coastal Carolina University, the University of Rhode Island, and Rutgers University), NPS, and NERRS used case-study examples to review the latest techniques for mapping shallow subtidal areas just beyond mean low water to 10 meter depths. These presentations outlined the cost-effectiveness of various technologies and their suitability for use in conditions and water depths specific to this region.

Presentations were followed by a discussion focusing on the agencies’ potential next steps to address benthic mapping priorities.

The following is a summary of information conveyed during this workshop. These proceedings outline:
- the need for shallow water mapping (Section II);
- the specific shallow water inventory and mapping interests of the Parks, Refuges, and Reserves in this region (Section II & III);
- a comparative review of the technologies (Section IV); recommendations (Section V);
- additional resources including speaker abstracts, a sampling of presentations, references, and a list of participants (Appendices).

¹ See also http://www.ccom.unh.edu/index.php?page=research/data_visualization.php

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