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Southeast Coast Network News September 2017

A boat travels across the water.
Above: A Southeast Coast Network boat outfitted for coastal assessment work.

Photo courtesy of Eric Starkey, SECN.

Going Coastal

Water and sediment quality assessments were completed at CUIS and FOMA

In August, the SECN Aquatic Program completed coastal water- and sediment-quality assessments at Cumberland Island National Seashore and Fort Matanzas National Monument. This monitoring included hydrologic profiles, nutrient sampling, and collection of sediment for analysis of metals, total organic carbon, and other types of pollutants. Thirty randomly chosen locations around each park were evaluated. In 2018, Fort Pulaski National Monument and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve are scheduled for this type of assessment.

Ponar grab sampler with sediment and a water quality sonde deployed into the water
Left, Ponar grab sampler with sediment collected at Cumberland Island National Seashore. Right, Water-quality sonde deployed for hydrologic profile at Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Photos courtesy of Eric Starkey, SECN

Headshot of Brian Gregory
SECN Program Manager, Brian Gregory.

NPS/SECN photo

From the Program Manager

As FY 2017 winds down, nature has again shown us its truly awesome power through the impacts of Hurricane Irma. Our thoughts are with the parks in our network and others in the Southeast Region affected by this storm. Let us know if we can assist. I also want to thank everyone on the SECN team for their commitment to fulfilling the mission of the I&M Program this year and for everyone in the 17 parks of the Southeast Coast Network who have helped make our work easier, safer, and more efficient. Your assistance is truly appreciated. My staff is looking forward to meeting with you later this fall at Congaree National Park (Nov 14–15), for our annual steering committee meeting. We will show what we have done this year and will ask for input on making the I&M Program work better in the Southeast Coast Network. Until then, we hope to see you in your park soon.

A person standing on a platform in a salt marsh.
Salt marsh platform maintenance and data collection was conducted at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in August with the help of park volunteer Carrie Baker. Salt marsh platform maintenance was conducted at several sites in the preserve.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Cowart Baron, SECN.

Field Work

Completed in July/August

Upcoming in September/October

Three girls staring at the sky with three shots of solar eclipse.
Tristan Rutledge, Katlyn Phelps, and Meghann Wright of Monroe, Georgia, take in the view just before totality. The moments before, during, and after totality during the Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017. Photos courtesy of Wendy Wright, taken at Ninety Six National Historic Site in Ninety Six, S.C.

Wendy Wright, SECN/NPS

In Totality: Parks Experience Historic Total Eclipse

On August 21, a total solar eclipse traversed the continental United States for the first time in 38 years. It started in Oregon and finished in South Carolina, crossing 21 national parks and 7 trails.
Among the SECN parks in the path of total were Congaree National Park, Fort Sumter National Monument and Charles Pickney National Historic Site. Ninety Six National Historic Site, part of the Cumberland Piedmont Network, is where Southeast Region Managing Editor Wendy Wright took family and friends to see the historic event.
“It was definitely a once-in-a lifetime experience for the girls,” said Wright. “If you ever get the chance, don’t pass it up, even if you have to travel. It’s worth the trip.” She added that her daughter, Meghann, and her friends, are already making plans for the next one, which will cross 12 states in April 2024.

Sunset over the water.
End of a long day’s work at Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Photo courtesy of Eric Starkey, SECN.

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Last updated: May 18, 2023