Southeast Coast Network News December 2018

Steering committee meeting attendees were able to take a tour of Castillo De San Marcos National Monument. From left, Lauren Serra, Brian Mitchell, Forbes Boyle, Jacob McDonald, Alberto Alvarado, Eric Starkey, Kurt Foote, John Fry, Chelsey Stephenson, Daniel Tardona, Lisa Cowart Baron, Candice Wyatt, and Chris Hughes.

NPS photo / Brian Gregory

From the Program Manager

Steering Committee and Board Meeting a Success

It was a pleasure to meet with the Southeast Coast Network Steering Committee and Board last month in St. Augustine, Florida. It was productive and informative as Southeast Coast Network staff presented some of the monitoring results for the year. We also discussed our approach to working in our network parks in FY19 and heard from park representatives on how we can better serve the network. I spoke to many old friends and met a few new faces at this year’s gathering. I want to thank everyone who attended and helped with this year’s event. Many of the attendees wrapped up the two-day session with an informative tour of Castillo de San Marcos National Monument led by Jill Leverett, who walked us through more than 345 years of history. This tour really gave the group, normally focused on natural resources, an appreciation for the cultural side of this special place in St. Augustine. The FY 19 Work Plan was signed off so now it's on to implementation at our parks.

Network Parks to Meet at the I&M Training in January

The Natural Resource and Inventory & Monitoring Training is scheduled for January 8-10 in Asheville, North Carolina. Along with the training, parks in the Southeast Coast Network will have a separate meeting and round table discussion centered on updates, introductions, and management issues in your parks. Thanks to John Fry at Cumberland Island National Seashore for suggesting this opportunity. The Southeast Coast Network can assist with travel costs if needed.

We will see you in your park soon. Happy holidays from the Southeast Coast Network!

Publications

The Southeast Coast Network published two data reports in November. Fixed-Station Water-Quality Monitoring at Fort Matanzas National Monument: 2015-2016 Data Summary and Fixed-Station Water-Quality Monitoring at Cumberland Island National Seashore: 2015-2016 Data Summary are now available on IRMA.

Coastal Program on the Move

The Southeast Coast Network's Coastal Program is relocating to Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. The network's coastal ecologist, Lisa Cowart Baron, is in the process of moving and will be duty stationed in Jacksonville, Florida. Equipment, gear, and office items will be relocated sometime this month.

Cumberland Island National Seashore was recently featured in the Travel section of CNN.com.

NPS photo / SECN

Cumberland Island National Seashore on CNN

Cumberland Island National Seashore was highlighted last month in the Travel section on CNN.com. The three-minute video and article covered the park's plethora of opportunities to discover nature on the barrier island. Cumberland's Wildlife Biologist, Doug Hoffman, talks about the island's wide diversity of wildlife and natural resources. Jill Hamilton-Anderson, the park's Chief of Interpretation, Education and Visitor Services, gives both readers and viewers a history lesson and guided tour of the park's abundant features. Read the full article at https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cumberland-island-national-seashore-georgia/index.html.

In the Field

There is no fieldwork currently scheduled for the month of December.