NPS photo / SECN staff
NPS photo / M. Forbes Boyle (SECN Botanist)
Overview
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a 1,200-hectare (2,965-acre) park in the Atlanta, Georgia metro area, between Marietta and Kennesaw. The most prominent natural features at the park are Kennesaw Mountain, a monadnock rising approximately 216 meters (708 feet) from its base to the main peak at 551 meters (1,808 feet) above sea level and the lesser peak of Little Kennesaw Mountain, which rises to 488 meters (1,600 feet) elevation. Hundreds of visitors come to the park every day to explore its extensive network of hiking trails and historic battlefields. The park is mostly in forested land cover of various assemblages. Approximately 33% of the park is in early- and mid-successional pine (Pinus spp.) forest, and another roughly 28% of the park is in various hardwood communities, including: oak-hickory (Quercus spp. and Carya spp.); red oak - white oak, and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) forests. Various small wetland communities are present, as are granitic flat rock and other rock faces on the mountain summits. Almost 6% of the park is maintained in cultural meadows and 20% of the park is in non-vegetated (including developed areas) land cover.
The Southeast Coast Network conducts monitoring for the following protocols at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park:
- Wadeable stream monitoring at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park began in 2017 on two third-Strahler order streams (Noses and Ward Creeks). Surveys have been conducted in 2017, 2019, and 2023. Further surveys are scheduled in 2026. Streams in the Appalachian Piedmont region, including the monitored streams at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, are in variously altered states that reflect multiple legacies of anthropogenic disturbance. Beginning in the late 1800s, deforestation, increased row crop agriculture, and a general lack of soil conservation measures caused widespread erosion of topsoil from steeply sloped upland areas. These streams have further subjected to hydrologic alterations caused by urban or suburban development. These streams are currently recovering from their unique history of land use and seeking to equilibrate to current flow and sediment regimes.. Methods used to monitor stream habitats at the park were primary bases on existing published methods from USGS, USFWS and EPA. Data are collected to assess both status and trends in upstream influences on stream habitat, changes to channel geomorphology, and benthic and instream habitat features.
- Landbird community monitoring and Vocal anuran community monitoring is conducted on a rotating schedule every three years. These wildlife communities play critical roles in park ecosystems and interact with several trophic levels of food webs. The network uses automated recording devices (ARDs) to collect vocalization data during mornings and evenings in the spring, which are analyzed by bioacoustics specialists. Data collected from these vital sign monitoring efforts help assess the ecological integrity and diversity of park areas and how communities and park conditions may change over time. The landbird and vocal anuran monitoring efforts in network parks began in 2012.
- Vegetation community monitoring is conducted on a rotating schedule every four years. Monitoring vegetation is important because it’s key indicator of overall ecosystem health. Changes in vegetation reflect the effects of stressors like extreme weather, disease, invasive species, fire, and land use change. Plant communities also provide structured habitat and food resources for other species. Vegetation monitoring data provides managers with information about the degree of change in their park’s natural communities. Vegetation plots are established across the following habitats: Piedmont Upland Forests, and Piedmont Open Uplands and Woodlands. Data reports include information about new occurrences and rare plants, species richness and abundance, tree health and regeneration, disturbance observations, soil nutrients, landform/geomorphology, and downed woody debris.
|
Vital Sign |
Examples of Measurements |
|---|---|
|
Wadeable Stream Habitats |
Stream channel morphology (heights, widths, depths), channel gradient, bed sediment particle size, large wood inventory, distribution of geomorphic channel units, canopy cover |
|
Terrestrial Vegetation Communities |
Plant community diversity, relative species/guild abundance, structure/age class, incidence of disease |
|
Landbird and Vocal Anuran Communities |
Species occurrence, distribution |
Source: Data Store Collection 4006. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 4003 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 4004. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 9586. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 4008 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 4007 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 9567. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 4005 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Last updated: November 11, 2024