SECN Highlights August 2025

Megan Herrmann, SIP Intern for the Southeast Coast Network

NPS / SECN

Welcome Megan!

SIP Intern to Assist the SECN Veg Team

Megan Herrmann is the new Scientists in the Parks (SIP) intern for the Southeast Coast Network. She joined the SECN Vegetation Team at Congaree National Park in June and will continue to assist with fieldwork at other parks for the rest of the field season. She is duty-stationed at Congaree National Park, where she will work as a member of the Resources Stewardship and Sciences Division.

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Megan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Geology from Oberlin College and a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Cleveland State University. Her M.S. thesis research investigated plant and soil microbial diversity in vacant lots across levels of urbanization.

Her work focuses on plant community ecology, particularly factors influencing plant community composition such as plant-soil feedback, human disturbance, and climate change. Megan has held a range of research and field positions, including Biological Science Aid with the U.S. Forest Service in Dillon, Montana; Graduate Teaching Assistant at Cleveland State University; and Lead Field Technician for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) in Fairbanks, Alaska.

She has also completed two AmeriCorps terms with the American Conservation Experience (ACE) Individual Placement Program at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, serving as both an Invasive Plant Management Team Member and a Natural Resources Team Member. These positions provided valuable hands-on experience in natural resource management and using monitoring data to inform land management decisions. When she’s not working, Megan enjoys reading, drawing, playing soccer, hiking, and rock climbing.

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Fieldwork at Moores Creek National Battlefield.

NPS / SECN

SECN Veg Team Surveys Plots Across Three Parks

Twenty-nine Plots at CONG, MOCR and KEMO

Botanist Forbes Boyle, Biological Technician Mallorie Davis, and SIP Intern Megan Herrmann conducted the second round of monitoring on long-term vegetation plots at Congaree National Park, Moores Creek National Battlefield, and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in June and July. Data was collected from 29 plots, including eight plots in upland pine habitat at Congaree NP; four plots in upland pine and three plots in wet meadow habitat at Moores Creek NB; along with 10 plots in upland forest and four plots in upland woodland glade habitat at Kennesaw Mountain NBP.

The wet meadow of Moores Creek NB and woodland glades of Kennesaw Mountain NBP are home to several rare and unique plants with very narrow ecological ranges and distributions. These plots represent some the highest species diversity within the entire Southeast Coast Network’s plot database. The number of native species almost doubled between 2021 and 2025 in most of the Congaree plots, likely due to repeated, successful application of prescribed fire within these management units.

The SECN Veg Team was assisted at all three parks including Rob Heins and Arie Oosterom (CONG staff); Wylie Paxton, Cynthia Worthington, and Kacey Russo (APC Zone Fire Effects staff); and Bob Dellinger (US Forest Service) at Congaree NP. Kari Lumsden (MOCR staff) and Scott Ward (NC Botanical Garden) assisted at Moores Creek and Scott and Kacey joined the team at Kennesaw Mountain NBP.

Clockwise from top right, Megan and Scott at Moores Creek NB; the team at Congaree NP; posing for a group photo is Mallorie, Megan, Kacey Russo (APC Zone Fire Effects staff), Cynthia Worthington (APC Zone Fire Effects staff), Forbes, Arie Oosterom (CONG staff) and Rob Heins (CONG staff); passion flower/maypop (Passiflora) at Moores Creek NB; view from a plot at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park; the team surveys a plot at Kennesaw Mountain NBP.

NPS / Mallorie Davis and M. Forbes Boyle

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Assessing the Water Quality at the Outer Banks

SECN surveys estuarine waters of Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores

Aquatic Ecologist Eric Starkey and Hydrologic Technician Katie Dagastino recently collected water-quality data at 30 locations between Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore. This year’s random draw included 13 sites at Cape Hatteras NS and 17 sites at Cape Lookout NS. Eric and Katie took water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and water clarity (using a Secchi disk) along with water samples for lab analysis of chlorophyll a, and concentrations of total and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus. Parkwide assessments, done every five years complement fixed-station water-quality monitoring.

Clockwise from top right, Katie prepares a sample for analysis; a sonde is used for nutrient sampling; Eric at the wheel; storm on the horizon; the lighthouse at Cape Lookout; and sunrise on the ferry.

NPS / Katie Dagastino and Eric Starkey

SECN Coastal Ecologist Ches Vervaeke collects elevation data at Cumberland Island National Seashore in July.

NPS / SECN

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SECN and USGS Partner to Study Wetlands

Project Will Address Elevation Model Errors

Coastal wetlands are increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels. These ecosystems have the potential to adapt through vertical development and upslope migration, although certain barriers can inhibit this natural process, particularly in areas with steep gradients or developed infrastructure.

A collaborative project has been initiated by SECN Coastal Ecologist William “Ches” Vervaeke alongside USGS researchers Nicholas Enwright, Michael Osland, and Davina Passeri. It aims to address the issues surrounding elevation errors in digital elevation models, which can significantly underestimate the effects of sea-level rise. It also builds upon a Natural Resources Preservation Program that recently developed a model for reducing elevation error and assessing potential wetland migration space for coastal wetlands in and around Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.

Project Objectives

1. Better understanding of wetland elevation by correcting elevation errors in existing remotely-sensed data
2. Provide estimates of inundation probability related to current high tide flooding and future sea-level rise scenarios
3. Highlight areas for landward migration of coastal wetlands in and around these parks
4. Highlight barriers to potential wetland migration
5. Highlight where localized wetland loss may occur
6. Collect water level data in coastal wetlands at three SECN parks

Measuring mangroves at Fort Matanzas National Monument last month.

NPS / SECN

Work started last month with field data collection and reconnaissance at five SECN parks: Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Mantanzas National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Fort Frederica National Monument, and Fort Pulaski National Monument. Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Hatteras National Seashore are included along with Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Findings from this project will assist NPS managers with evaluating and making resource management decisions concerning important historic and natural resources in and around each park in the context of climate change.

Ches Co-Authors Poster at UNF

Coastal Ecologist William “Ches” Vervaeke recently co-authored a poster presented at the Advancements in Research, Inquiry and Scholarship Exhibition (ARISE) Symposium held July 25 at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Hosted by the UNF Office of Undergraduate Research, it is held annually in summer semesters as a venue for students to present their research projects in poster format. Lead author Miles Tuckey presented data that helps explain why red mangroves are as abundant as black mangroves at their northern limit, despite recent surveys that show black mangroves have a higher freeze tolerance and should be more prevelant.

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Recent Publications

The Southeast Coast Network recently published the following reports:

Landbirds

• Landbird Community Monitoring: 2022 Data Summary for Congaree National Park. Available at: https://doi.org/10.57830/2313657
• Landbird Community Monitoring at Congaree National Park 2022 Data Summary Species Detection Maps. Available at: DataStore - Landbird Monitoring in Southeast Coast Network Parks: 2022 Species Maps for Congaree National Park

Wadeable Stream Habitat

• Wadeable Stream Habitat Monitoring at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park 2023 Change Report. Available at: https://doi.org/10.36967/2313926

Terrestrial Vegetation

• Terrestrial Vegetation Monitoring at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve: 2023 Data Summary—Cycle 2 and Newly Established Cycle 1 Plots Narrative. Available at: https://doi.org/10.36967/2314675
• Terrestrial Vegetation Monitoring at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve: 2023 Data Summary—Cycle 2 and Newly Established Cycle 1 Plots Supplemental Materials. Available at: DataStore - Terrestrial Vegetation Monitoring in Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve 2023: Supplemental Materials

Anurans

• Anuran Community Monitoring: 2023 Data Summary for Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Available at: https://doi.org/10.57830/2315061
• Anuran Community Monitoring at Cape Hatteras National Seashore 2023 Data Summary Species Detection Maps. Available at: DataStore - Vocal Anuran Monitoring in Southeast Coast Network parks: 2023 Species Maps for Cape Hatteras National Seashore

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For More Information About the SECN: https://www.nps.gov/im/secn/index.htm