SECN Newsletter April 2024

SECN Biological Technician Mallorie Davis attended the NPS Fundamentals Training at Grand Canyon National Park last month.

NPS photo / Mallorie Davis

Learning the NPS Fundamentals

Mallorie Davis, SECN Biological Technician, attended the residential portion of NPS Fundamentals Training February 28 to March 6, at Grand Canyon National Park. Mallorie and 40 other NPS employees were emersed in hands-on learning throughout the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

From Mallorie:

"Each day, we learned about what it meant to be part of the National Park Service, our mission, how the Park Service functions, the roles within the Service, where our funding comes from, how partnerships and concessions came to be, and so much more. After learning about these topics, we were challenged to take it into the park with our groups and critically think about how those topics apply to our own home park units. The course sparked discussion amongst us all and we learned about the individual struggles some people and some parks are currently facing within NPS. Together we brainstormed ideas to improve inclusion, diversity, and efficiency across the agency.

"Day five was one of the most memorable days spent at the Canyon. The overall topic was Career Development. The National Park Service culture aims to support individual advancement for all employees, and it does so through providing online resources such as the Leadership Development Program (L-REV), Supervisory Leadership Development, scholarships and grants, the Albright-Wirth Grant Program, and more. We were also taught to include SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) goals while creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP). Within the career development lessons, we were taught that there is a multitude of opportunities within this agency you can be involved in and a plethora of opportunities for individual growth.

"One topic that stuck with me throughout the entirety of the week was the R.I.S.E. (Respectful, Inclusive, Safe, and Engaged) concept. There are no words to describe how grateful I am to be part of a team that exercises this core value; knowingly or not. It's part of our "micro-culture" here within SECN and the culture the NPS is trying to maintain.

"The biggest take away from this training for me, however, is the chance to network with people from all over the United States. Hearing stories of how the National Park Service found people and what they plan and hope to do as their careers progress. It was an experience of a lifetime full of inciteful and meaningful connections. Looking over the canyon after the week progressed gave a whole new perspective on what the National Park Service stands for and I couldn't imagine a better team."

Left, Mallorie at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Right, checking out one of the blowholes in Wupatki National Monument.

NPS photos / Mallorie Davis

From left, Abigail Hobbs (Strike Team), Elika Bozorgi (SECN), Stephen Cooper (SECN), Michael Parrish (SECN), Forbes Boyle (SECN), Eric Starkey (SECN), and James Brown (Strike Team). Not pictured: Wendy Wright (SECN), and Strike Team members Issac Quevedo, Alexa Ron, and leader Judd Patterson.

NPS photo / Wendy Wright

Data Rangers Assemble!

The Southeast Coast Network hosted the Central Support Office Data Strike Team February 27-29. The team includes Student Conservation Association (SCA) interns James Brown, Abigail Hobbs, and Alexa Ron, and is led by SCA Project Manager Issac Quevedo and overseen by IMD National Data Scientist Judd Patterson. The team was assembled as part of an IRA-funded effort to assist IMD networks with data publication needs.

Their to-do list was a result of SECN Data Manager Wendy Wright’s detail to the IMD Central Support Office last summer, which consisted of an IMD programmatic data-publication needs assessment and meetings with all 32 network data and program managers. Data preparation was done by SECN/CESU Data Intern Elika Bozorgi and insight for terrestrial data was provided by Wildlife Biologist Michael Parrish. Acting Program Manager Forbes Boyle made the trip from Saint Marys, Georgia, to contribute as both Program Manager and Botanist / Protocol Lead.

The Southeast Coast Network was the first stop of the Strike Team’s whirlwind IMD tour, which will include visits to multiple I&M networks to provide data publication assistance through August 2024. The recent visit to the Classic City will result in open-data package publication for three years of legacy herpetological data, two years of legacy landbird data, two years of legacy vegetation data, and five years of recently collected vegetation data for SECN parks. The week included lots of hard work by everyone, a visit to iconic Athens restaurant Cali n’ Titos, and a pizza party hosted by canine data ambassadors Delilah and Frodo which included a surprise guest, Elizabeth Rico, a former SECN biological technician and Veg Squad member.

Well done team!

At the pizza party. Top left, Delilah greets Judd, Issac, and Abigail; top middle, Frodo and Forbes check out some pizza; bottom left, Forbes and Elizabeth together again; and bottom middle, Alexa, Issac, Judd, Abigail and James. Far right at Cali-n-Titos, from left, Issac, Judd, Wendy, Abigail, Alexa, and James.

NPS photos / Wendy Wright and Issac Quevedo

Speaking of Data...First Wadeable Stream Package goes Live

The first Wadeable Stream Habitat Monitoring data package for the Southeast Coast Network has been published! The data package includes all 2023 monitoring data. Older data from this monitoring effort is currently being entered into the new Wadeable Streams database, and a data package with the full period of record will be published over the summer. Check it out at DataStore - Wadeable Stream Habitat Assessments in the Southeastern United States, 2023 Data Package (nps.gov)

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Left, Ilka Feller (Smithsonian Institute), Ches Vervaeke (SECN) and Scott Jones (University of North Florida) standing in front of the northern most mangrove, a red mangrove, on the east coast. Right, a black mangrove found on Cumberland Island north of Beach Creek.

NPS photos / Ches Vervaeke

Mangrove Discovered on Cumberland Island!

A black mangrove was recently found on Cumberland Island National Seashore. The discovery was made during a collaboration between partners from the Smithsonian Institute and the University of North Florida who are tracking how mangroves migrate and establish at their northern limit. This is likely the first time that mangroves have been recorded on Cumberland Island. It is important to continue tracking and monitoring these plants, especially in NPS units including Fort Matanzas National Monument, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and Cumberland Island, because knowing where mangroves are currently able to grow will inform models of tropicalization and ecotonal shifts and help parks plan for potentially altered landscapes.

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Coastal Ecologist Ches Vervaeke talks about the Southeast Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network at the recent Southeastern Estuarine Research Society in Savannah, Georgia.

NPS photo

Ches Presents at SEERS

Coastal Ecologist Ches Vervaeke recently presented at a meeting of the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society in Savannah March 21-23. Ches presented a talk highlighting the efforts of the Southeast Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network. He also presented as the lead author on "A Hop, a Skip, and a Jump: Mangrove Distribution on the US Atlantic Coast," as well as a co-author on a poster titled, "Developing an Updated Shoreline Monitoring Protocol through Comparative Data Collection and Analysis."

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Mallorie Davis (Biological technician, SECN), Oliver Wallace (Archeological Technician, TIMU), Alyssa Sanderson (SIP Intern with SECN and TIMU), and Nick Barbieri (Archeological Technician, TIMU) out deploying ARDs at Cumberland Island NS at the end of March.

NPS photo

FY2024 Monitoring Updates

The FY2024 monitoring season continues for the Southeast Coast Network. Data collected during the FY2023 field season continues to be processed along with FY2022 data so reports and data packages are coming soon. A mandated pause in report processing at the IMD Central Support Office will be in effect until April 16 while the team transitions to a new report processing system.

Landbird and Anuran Communities

The automated recording devices (ARDs) deployed at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Cumberland Island National Seashore and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park went into action last month. Recordings will be collected until June. Data sets from the ARDs deployed in FY 2023 and FY2022 for both landbird and vocal anuran monitoring continue to be processed for publication. A few lingering vocalization data sets collected in FY 2015 and 2016 have been processed and data sets from these monitoring events will be published in the coming weeks with reports for all four recently monitored parks to follow later this year.

Water Quality

Water-quality data collection was conducted in late February at Congaree National Park, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Monthly visits to parks will continue in FY2024 with assistance from park staff and partners at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore. A park-wide water-quality assessment is planned for July 2024 at Canaveral National Seashore. Data collected during last summer's park-wide water-quality assessments at Cumberland Island National Seashore and Fort Matanzas National Monument will be reported later this year.

Wadeable Streams

Thirteen sites at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area are scheduled to be surveyed in May, weather and stream flow conditions permitting. Data processing and analysis continues for FY2023 parks including Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park and Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. Processing continues for data collected from wadeable stream monitoring surveys conducted in FY2022 at Congaree National Park and a summary report from FY2021 data collection at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is out for external review and will be published in 2024.

Vegetation Communities

Ninety-one vegetation monitoring plots across three parks will be resampled and four new plots established in the spring and summer of 2024. Monitoring will be conducted at Cumberland Island National Seashore in May and June. Work at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is slated for July and monitoring at Fort Frederica National Monument will take place in August. Data collected in FY2023 at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and Fort Matanzas National Monument is processed and analyzed leaving Cape Hatteras National Seashore to be completed. Data collected in FY2022 at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park and Moores Creek National Battlefield is also being processed. The 2022 report for Canaveral National Seashore has been sent to the national office for publication and Cape Lookout National Seashore is ready to send when the Central Support Office resumes accepting reports. FY2021 Data Summary Reports for Congaree National Park, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park have been published and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is awaiting a report number from the national office.

Ches with the UTV used at CALO South Core with 3 antennas mounted (Leica GG04 on Field Maps (front) r12i running post process kinematic back left and r12i on Field Maps back right) and Trimble Geo7x on the seat.

NPS photo / Ches Vervaeke

Shorelines

The spring 2024 shoreline survey season is underway. In March surveys were completed at Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The other parks will follow this month including Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Fall surveys, requested by the parks, are planned for Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Data collected in FY2023 are being processed and briefs, along with an updated data dashboard, are planned for each park.

For the CALO survey, CALO_S2024_processed (arcgis.com), Ches used four different GPS antennas in order to pick the best data collection process for gathering shoreline data going forward. Exciting developments are ahead for shorelines including quick processing and visible geo-linked photos available in near real time. Stay tuned for further developments and data on your park!

Coastal Wetlands

Surface Elevation Table (SET) sites have been read this spring at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore. Those parks and Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Fort Frederica National Monument, and Cumberland Island National Seashore will be read twice in FY2024. First readings were conducted from October to November with second readings planned for February through May.

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