Appalachian Highlands I&M Network Newsletter August 2024

Park staff, APHN staff and local experts from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, clear freshwater mussels from horse trail river crossings to prevent accidental loss of these rare animals on July 12 at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

NPS photo / APHN staff

August 2024 in the APHN

Monitoring Activities in July

• The APHN Water Quality team serviced all five data sondes and sampled 10 discrete sites at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River during the month of July.
• The APHN staff assisted park staff with clearing freshwater mussels from the horse trail river crossings at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area on July 11-12.
• Vegetation intern, Garrett Billings, assisted the Southeast Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) with a week of terrestrial vegetation monitoring at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area from July 8-12.
• Three time-lapse cameras were redeployed on cobble bars at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in early July. They will take photos of hydrologic conditions for the next few months.
• The APHN staff conducted a small pilot of new field methods to monitor ginseng at Blue Ridge Parkway.

Monitoring Activities Planned for August

• Emma, Briley and Rhea will be collecting discrete water samples and servicing sondes at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River for the entire month.

Publications, Presentations and Other Notable Activities

• APHN biologist, Evan Raskin, completed a detail as GIS Specialist on the Falls Fire in Oregon.

Staff Updates

The Appalachian Highlands Network recently hired two “new” NPS seasonal hydrology technicians. Briley Bledsoe graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Soil Science. He's been working with the network since graduation in late spring 2023, assisting with the program's discrete and continuous water quality protocols. Briley's goal is to help create a better natural environment, both for humans and nature alike, by assessing and dealing with human-made problems, which pairs well with the National Park Service's goals. Rhea Hester has been working with the NPS for about four years. She started as a SCA historic preservation intern after getting a Bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and then began seasonal botany positions for three seasons in Maryland and Tennessee. She now joins the hydrology team testing water quality conditions in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Obed Wild and Scenic River, and Blue Ridge Parkway. Congratulate Briley and Rhea on their new positions!

For more about the APHN, check out Appalachian Highlands Inventory & Monitoring Network (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)