SECN Highlights November 2019

"The Grizzly Giant." A Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in Mariposa Grove, standing an estimated 63.7 meters (209 feet) tall with a dbh (diameter at breast height) of 7.8 meters (25.5 feet).

NPS photo / Paula Capece

Capece teaches at Yosemite

Southeast Coast Network Data Manager Paula Capece was invited to teach a course on decision analysis and Structured Decision Making (SDM) for the Yosemite National Park Leadership Team during the week of October 15, 2019.

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Natural Resource and I&M Training

The Southeast Coast Network team attended the Natural Resource and Inventory & Monitoring Training in Asheville, North Carolina on October 28-31, 2019. The event drew nearly 150 speakers and participants from the Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, including the Inventory and Monitoring Division, and several parks and other agencies from across the country. The training event focused on sharing knowledge and methods, networking, training events, and breakout sessions.

Left, Brian Mitchell, Southeast Region Inventory and Monitoring Chief, and Ellen Cheng, Quantitative Ecologist for the Southeast Region, show off their Halloween costumes at the Natural Resource Training held Oct. 28-31 in Asheville, North Carolina.  Right, a Carolina mantis photo bombs the group photo taken on the porch of the Crowne Plaza Expo Center at the Natural Resources Training held last month in Asheville, North Carolina.

Left, NPS photo / Brian Gregory. Right, NPS photo / Wendy Wright

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Learning About Story Circles

Southeast Coast Network Managing Editor Wendy Wright, Coastal Ecologist Lisa Cowart Baron, Biological Technician Elizabeth Rico, and Coastal Intern Kelsey Mack attended an "Introduction to Story Circles" training event in Asheville, North Carolina on October 28, 2019. The training was organized by Jeri Hall and led by author and screenwriter Randy Olson. The writing methods covered in the training, detailed in the book "Houston, We Have a Narrative," focus on clear and concise writing styles for scientists to better communicate science to the public and other audiences.

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In the Field

Completed in October

• Water-level data was collected from groundwater monitoring wells at Cumberland Island National Seashore.
• Continuous water-quality data was collected at Congaree National Park, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Canaveral National Seashore, and Fort Pulaski National Monument.

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Publications

The Southeast Coast Network published a variety of reports in October 2019 including coastal assessments and vegetation mapping conducted by the University of Georgia's Center for Geospatial Research. Reports and their links on the Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA) portal:

• Assessment of Estuarine Water and Sediment Quality at Fort Pulaski National Monument: 2018 Data Summary. Available at: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2266897
• Assessment of Estuarine Water and Sediment Quality at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve: 2018 Data Summary. Available at: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2266891
• Vegetation Mapping at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument: Photointerpretation Key and Final Vegetation Map. Available at: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2266926
• Vegetation Mapping at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Photointerpretation Key and Final Vegetation Map. Available at: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2266958
• Vegetation Mapping at Fort Caroline National Monument: Photointerpretation Key and Final Vegetation Map. Available at: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2266799
• Vegetation Mapping at Fort Matanzas National Monument: Photointerpretation Key and Final Vegetation Map. Available at: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2266813

• Vegetation Mapping at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park: Photointerpretation Key and Final Vegetation Map. Available at: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2267065

• Vegetation Mapping at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park: Photointerpretation Key and Final Vegetation Map. Available at: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2266896

There are additional reports awaiting record numbers that will be published in November:

• Wadeable Stream Habitat Monitoring at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: 2017 Baseline Report
• Wadeable Stream Habitat Monitoring at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield: 2017 Baseline Report
• Wadeable Stream Habitat Monitoring at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park: 2017 Baseline Report

Two NPS Story Maps were also published by the network last month:

Monitoring Estuarine Water Quality in Coastal Parks - A Multiscale Approach: Park-wide Assessments.

Monitoring Estuarine Water Quality in Coastal Parks - A Multiscale Approach: Fixed Station Monitoring.

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