Southeast Coast Network News June 2023

Wendy to Detail at National Office

Wendy Wright, SECN Data Manager, will begin a 120-day detail starting June 5. Wendy will be working as a Data Scientist with the Inventory and Monitoring Division Central Support Office in Fort Collins, Colorado. She will be working with IMD Program Managers and Data Management staff to evaluate support needs to publish data packages relative to climate change. Congratulations Wendy!

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The SECN's new Scientists in the Park (SIP) Intern, Alyssa Sanderson.

Photo submitted

SIP Intern, Alyssa Sanderson, joins the Vegetation Team

Alyssa Sanderson is the Scientists in Parks (SIP) Ecology intern for 2023 at the Southeast Coast Network. Originally from southeast Michigan, she has always loved learning about the outdoors and spending time outside. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from Michigan State University, Alyssa has been heavily involved in the public service sector, serving as a Team Leader for the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) twice, a Crew Leader for the Wisconsin Conservation Corps, and a Crew Leader for a Roving Forest Management Crew. These experiences helped her develop a love for ecosystem restoration and land management. She is excited about this internship because it will give her more insight into the planning and decisions that go into natural resource management. When she is not working, Alyssa loves to hike, rollerblade, crochet, and explore new places. Welcome aboard Alyssa!

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The SECN's new Data Programming Intern, Elika Bozorgi.

Photo submitted

Elika Bozorgi is the New Data Intern

The Southeast Coast Network welcomes a new data intern, Elika Bozorgi. Elika is a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Georgia. She is partnering with the network through the Piedmont South Atlantic Coast CESU program. Originally from Tehran, Iran, she earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering and started work at a top-ranked medical-equipment company as technical engineer and then a technical manager. Elika moved to the United States in 2018 to earn her PhD. During her time at UGA, she has served as a teaching assistant for several computer science courses, as well as a lab instructor and research assistant in both the computer science department and UGA's Terry College of Business. Beyond campus, she has worked as a data analyst at Elevance Health Company. Elika loves food and working out. During her free time, she is either hanging out with friends or at the gym. Elika will be providing data management support to the Southeast Coast Network and her first project will be developing a reporting dashboard for the Water-Quality monitoring program, and providing maintenance support for the water-quality database. Welcome aboard Elika!

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The National Water Quality Monitoring Council's 13th National Monitoring Conference was held in April at Virginia Beach, Virginia.

NPS photo / Eric Starkey

Eric presents at National Water Quality Meeting

Aquatic Ecologist Eric Starkey presented "A Tale of Two Datasets" at the National Water Quality Monitoring Council's 13th National Monitoring Conference in April at Virginia Beach, Virginia. The presentation, a collaborative effort with the Office of Water at the Environmental Protection Agency, highlighted the connection between the Southeast Coast Network’s estuarine water-quality monitoring and the EPA's National Coastal Condition Assessment (NCCA). Methods for the SECN’s parkwide assessments of water-quality are based on the EPA’s NCCA; therefore, data are comparable across each program’s sample frame. The objectives of the study were to compare eutrophication-related indicators from sites sampled by SECN and NCCA in Pamlico and Core Sound and address these questions:

1. Do NPS sites adjacent to the park indicate similar condition as the NCCA sites sampled across the larger Sound area?
2. Do any similar patterns emerge when comparing the data?

Findings indicated water-quality conditions during the comparison year (2015) were consistently better at near shore areas of Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores whereas sites assessed by the NCCA, in more inland locations and further from the park waters, appeared more impacted by human activities which may be due to less exchange with the ocean. In addition, chlorophyll a levels, an indicator of eutrophication, were elevated in locations nearer to population centers. This collaboration between NPS and EPA highlights the benefit of using consistent methods so park water-quality conditions can be placed in a larger regional context.

For more information about both programs and results of recent monitoring check out:
U.S. EPA National Coastal Condition Assessment 2015 and DataStore - Assessment of estuarine water and sediment quality at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore: 2021 data summary. (nps.gov).

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Ches Published in Earth's Future

Coastal Ecologist William "Ches" Vervaeke recently co-authored "Mangrove Trees Outperform Saltmarsh Grasses in Building Elevation but Collapse Rapidly Under High Rates of Sea-Level Rise" for Earth's Future, a research publication of AGU (American Geophysical Union). The article focused on the ongoing conversion of coastal wetlands from non-woody marsh grasses to mangrove forests in subtropical transition zones such as northeast Florida due to a warming climate. This conversion will enhance coastal protection and carbon storage. The study looked at the effects of sea-level rise on this conversion. The report is available at Mangrove Trees Outperform Saltmarsh Grasses in Building Elevation but Collapse Rapidly Under High Rates of Sea‐Level Rise - Morris - 2023 - Earth's Future - Wiley Online Library

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With great help from staff at Cumberland Island NS (CUIS) and Timucuan E&HP (TIMU), 32 TIMU plots were surveyed. Left photo, from left, Mallorie Davis (SECN Biological Vegetation Technician), Steve Kidd (TIMU Chief of Resource and Science Management), Forbes Boyle (SECN Botanist), Julia "Jules" Pace (TIMU Biological Science Technician), and Fiona Southwell (TIMU Biological Science Technician). Right photo, Mallorie and Forbes with Kayleigh Hendley (CUIS Cultural Resources Program Manager).

NPS photos/ Mallorie Davis

FY2023 Monitoring Updates

The FY2023 fieldwork season is in full swing for the Southeast Coast Network. In addition, data collected in FY2022 for each SECN monitoring protocol is being processed with reports and data packages getting prepared for publication.

Vegetation Communities

FY2023 marks the is the start of the second round of vegetation community monitoring at SECN parks and kicked off with 32 plots at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in May. Fieldwork is scheduled at Fort Matanzas National Monument in mid-June and Cape Hatteras National Seashore in late July or early August. Monitoring at Fort Pulaski National Monument is scheduled for late August.

Data collected in FY2022 at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Moores Creek National Battlefield and Canaveral National Seashore is being processed. Reports for data collected during FY2021 at Congaree National Park, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park are in review and should be published this year.

SECN Aquatic Ecologist Eric Starkey holds up the transect label for a downstream photo with Dr. Jacob Bateman McDonald conducting the detailed transect survey in the background. Bateman McDonald, an assistant professor at the University of North Georgia, is the lead author of the protocol.

NPS photo / Stephen Cooper

Wadeable Streams

Wadeable stream habitat monitoring surveys started at three parks in May. Standard transects at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park were completed, but equipment issues left the detailed transect surveys unfinished. A return trip is being scheduled. Two sites at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park were completed but high water conditions at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park postponed the surveys there to a yet-to-be-determined date later this summer.

Processing continues for data collected from wadeable stream monitoring surveys conducted in FY2022 at Congaree National Park and a summary report from the previous year's data collection at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area will be published later this year.

High-water flows at the wadeable stream survey site at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park forced the postponement of monitoring work at the park.

NPS photo / Wendy Wright

From left, SECN Aquatic Ecologist Eric Starkey, SECN Hydrologic Technician Katie Dagastino, SECN Physical Scientist Stephen Cooper and Dr. Jacob Bateman McDonald discuss the issue of base flow at the OCMU site.

NPS photo / Wendy Wright

Coastal Wetlands

Surface Elevation Table (SET) sites at all coastal parks including Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Fort Frederica National Monument and Cumberland Island National Seashore received a first reading this spring. A second reading will be conducted this fall.

A revised monitoring protocol has been approved and publication of the narrative and associated SOPs expected later this year.

Shorelines

Spring shoreline surveys have been completed this spring at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and Cape Lookout National Seashore, Canaveral National Seashore, and Fort Matanzas National Monument. Fort Pulaski National Monument, and Fort Frederica National Monument were completed in late May.

Data collected during fall surveys are being processed. Data collected during spring surveys in FY2022 at Canaveral National Seashore, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Hatteras National Seashore have been processed with reports coming soon.

Water Quality

Water-quality data were collected at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and Congaree National Park in April and May. Monthly visits to parks will continue in 2023 with assistance from park staff and partners at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and Cape Lookout National Seashore. Park-wide assessments will be conducted at Fort Pulaski National Monument and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in July.

Data collected during last summer's park-wide water-quality assessments at Cumberland Island National Seashore and Fort Matanzas National Monument will be reported later this year. The updated protocol for estuarine water and sediment quality monitoring was published this spring. The revised version of the protocol brings the instructions in line with updated data handling and publication guidance as well as updates to instrumentation and software that have occurred since this protocol was published in 2013.

Landbird and Anuran Communities

Automated recording devices (ARDs) for the FY2023 field season have been deployed at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Fort Matanzas National Monument and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Recordings, which began in March, continue through mid-June.

Analysis of FY2021 landbird monitoring data at Cape Lookout National Seashore, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is nearing completion with all reports expected to be completed this year. Reports for 2021 vocal anuran monitoring and 2017 vocal anuran monitoring will be published in June. In addition to completing the scheduled monitoring for FY 2022, landbird and anuran vocalizations collected in FY 2015 and 2016 are being processed and data sets from these monitoring events will be published in the coming weeks with reports to follow later this year.

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Recent Publications

The Southeast Coast Network recently published the following reports:

• Post Tropical Storm Ian and Hurricane Nicole Storm Report 2022 for Fort Matanzas National Monument. Available at: DataStore - Shoreline change at Fort Matanzas National Monument: Post Tropical Storm Ian and Hurricane Nicole Storm Report 2022 (nps.gov)