Category: Home Heros

Seagrasses are a key resource for the National Park Service (NPS), as they provide many ecosystem services benefits. However, long-term monitoring by the NPS Northeast Coastal and Barrier Inventory & Monitoring Network has shown widespread eelgrass declines largely due to warming sea surface temperatures and eutrophication. At Cape Cod National Seashore, a 48 percent loss of eelgrass meadows over the past three decades prompted the park to develop a strategy focused on understanding threats, improving environmental conditions, and expanding eelgrass through restoration and rehabilitation. 

Beginning in 2024, Dr. Alyssa Novak of Boston University (BU) and her team launched the research project Seagrass Habitat Suitability Modeling and Pilot Restoration at Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) in collaboration with Audrey Brown and Holly Plaisted of NPS, Dr. Joel Carr from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Dr. Rachel Schaefer of BU, and Dr. Jon Lefcheck from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). This work is part of a broader initiative using assisted gene flow to restore degraded seagrass meadows at four additional National Seashores: Fire Island, Assateague Island, Cape Hatteras, and Cape Lookout. More than 15 partner institutions, many affiliated with the North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (NAC CESU), as well as the Piedmont- South Atlantic Coast (PSAC) CESU, contribute to this regional study of eelgrass across the East Coast.

Eelgrass bed in Gloucester, MA. Photo credit: Novak Lab Boston University

The first portion of the project involves identifying sites for restoration and rehabilitation considering various scenarios for increases in sea surface temperature (SST) by 2050. Recent modeling efforts at Cape Cod National Seashore have identified 66 acres across Nauset Harbor, in Orleans, and Pleasant Bay, which borders the towns of Chatham, Orleans, Harwich, and Brewster as high-priority restoration areas. Of these, 49 are suitable for restoration without overlapping conflicting use areas, such as aquaculture and mooring areas, that can impact eelgrass. Additionally, 180 acres of depleted eelgrass meadows in Pleasant Bay have been designated as high priority for rehabilitation, with 166 acres clear of conflicting use areas. Ongoing modeling at Fire Island and Assateague Island National Seashores is still being refined, with over 80 acres at Fire Island already designated as a high priority for rehabilitation. 

Co-project leads Dr. Alyssa Novak and Dr. Karina Scavo, and undergraduate student Kelly Fietz preparing to harvest reproductive shoots. Photo credit: Novak Lab Boston University

The second portion of the project involves performing pilot restorations using multiple donor populations to identify populations that can survive future increases in SST. This portion started in 2025 and will continue until 2027.  Each year, reproductive shoots are collected from multiple donor meadows across Massachusetts, including Provincetown, Gloucester, Buzzards Bay, and Nantucket, as well as from New York’s Great South Bay and Moriches Bay, and seeds are planted into plots in CACO.  The pilot restoration sites use a “common garden” experimental design, meaning eelgrass seeds from different source populations are planted side-by-side under the same local environmental conditions at each pilot restoration site. Each individual pilot site functions as its own common garden, and together the full set of pilot sites spans a range of environmental conditions across the region, providing a coordinated framework used to test restoration approaches in the field.

This approach allows scientists to directly compare how different eelgrass sources perform at a given location, helping to identify the most resilient and appropriate plant material for future large-scale restoration. By embedding common garden experiments within pilot restoration sites, the project reduces risk and strengthens the scientific basis for scaling up restoration investments, maximizing the likelihood of long-term success. These efforts run in parallel with other National Seashores down the East Coast, including Fire Island, Assateague Island, Cape Hatteras, and Cape Lookout. Efforts are led by Dr. Brad Peterson and Dr. Steve Heck of Stony Brook University (SBU), Dr. Steve Tomasetti of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), Erin Shields of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), and Dr. Jessie Jarvis of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), respectively. 

Kelly Fietz, undergraduate student, harvesting reproductive eelgrass shoots underwater. Photo credit: Novak Lab Boston University

Beyond restoring eelgrass at individual parks, this work is designed to inform natural resource managers how restoration can succeed under a changing climate. By identifying heat-tolerant populations and optimal restoration locations, the project hopes to improve long-term survival and resilience at both park and regional scales.

Continuous monitoring of the pilot sites will inform the creation of more common garden experiments along the East Coast. Researchers are also integrating environmental and genomic data to better understand how eelgrass populations vary across the region. As new data becomes available, additional habitat suitability and site selection models will be completed to guide future restoration and rehabilitation efforts. Ultimately, this collaborative research provides managers with a science-based framework for conserving existing eelgrass meadows and restoring those that have been lost. Funded by the National Park Service and National Park Foundation under task agreement P24AC02302 and research permit CACO-2024-SCI-0014, in partnership with the CESU system, these approaches aim to ensure that these important ecosystems can thrive in a warming world.

From August to October in 2020 and 2021, Dr. H. Bryan Underwood of USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center and Dr. Donald Leopold of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry studied white-tailed deer in the fertile forests of Delaware. Their goal was to develop a cost-effective and efficient method for estimating deer populations without disrupting park staff. With the help of two graduate students, the researchers explored various existing deer counting methods to estimate the populations in both the First State National Historical Park and the adjacent Brandywine Creek State Park.

The professors conducted their study using two different field methods simultaneously. One approach involved distance sampling, which required two spotters per vehicle along various accessible roads, while the other utilized a total of sixteen baited and unbaited infrared cameras in areas unreachable by distance sampling. Underwood and Leopold decided that “placing bait, corn weighing just shy about twenty-three kilograms in a V pattern roughly five meters apart from the camera, would be the best way to attract as many deer as possible.” Bait was replenished and resulting data collected weekly, and each year, when  October arrived, the cameras were removed from the parks. 

One of the professors’ analyses involved sorting images by gender and age group and assigning a species label to create a unique identity for each male based on the number of antler points. These data were used to estimate the deer population with two ratio estimation approaches (Jacobson’s method and Bowden’s estimator). To eliminate overlapping data, the cameras captured loitering deer in bursts of photos separated by three minute intervals in 2020 then extended to five minute intervals in 2021. When questioned about the most noteworthy discovery Underwood stated, the most interesting, but perhaps not surprising, finding was that counts conducted from roads (as opposed to off-road using trail cameras) almost always produced lower estimates of abundance. Underwood also discussed critical facts about climate change and its impact on deer populations in the Northeast. He observed that while harsh winters can reduce deer mortality rates, exposure to novel infections, such as Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease virus (EHD), could significantly increase deer deaths. At smaller protected areas like First State National Historical Park, budget constraints often limit staffing for deer population surveys. The professors aimed to identify an effective and economical method for estimating deer populations without overburdening staff.

Furthermore, projects like this offer valuable research experiences for graduate students, exposing them to real-world challenges and fostering collaboration with agency personnel. Such opportunities help students discover their professional paths. By leveraging their existing skills, they enhanced the research project’s value, transforming a seemingly routine inquiry into something more impactful.

Compiled and written by Shanea Togninalli, NAC CESU Student Assistant at the University of Rhode Island.

The juvenile moose of Maine face two challenges in the dawn of their lives: harsh, frigid winters and thousands of parasitic ticks slowly draining their life source. The combination of the two establishes a low survival rate for these vulnerable moose calves, a phenomenon that may be aggravated by our warming climate. 

Dr. Pauline Kamath from the University of Maine is currently working to estimate winter tick population abundance and how it might be affected by environmental change. Through her research she has observed these winter tick infestations wreak havoc on moose calves and cause a decline in moose populations across Maine. When infested with up to 70,000 – 95,000 ticks during the winter season, moose calves can experience hair loss and anemia, and many ultimately die. In 2022 and 2023, Dr. Kamath reported that greater than eighty-five percent of the collared moose calves did not survive their first winters. 

As climate change makes winters warmer, these formidable winter tick populations are able to flourish. More favorable weather conditions allow for larval tick survival in the fall, along with high moose host densities, establishing a large tick population for the winter season. In collaboration with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Penobscot Nation Department of Natural Resources, Dr. Kamath’s valuable research aims to inform the management and longevity of this iconic Maine species. 

According to Dr. Kamath, the North Atlantic Coast CESU has “allowed [her] to expand upon some of [her] lab’s ongoing research questions to more comprehensively examine winter tick infections in moose.” Our partnership with Dr. Kamath’s lab and the University of Maine has supported research on the various pathogens these winter ticks carry. Future research will include examining the effects of microclimate on tick populations and their survival, giving important insight into how changes in the environment will affect their abundance and distribution and the exposure risks to moose.

During the summer season of 2023, a 14-foot white shark loomed over Herring Cove along the Cape Cod National Seashore, reminding visitors of the potential dangers that lurk beneath the waves. However, this particular shark wasn’t like its living, breathing counterparts, as it was crafted entirely out of plastic debris. This art installation from the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) served both as a symbol of these important annual visitors to the Cape as well as a warning to the public of a greater threat to marine life: marine debris pollution. 

Funded through a unique opportunity from the NOAA Marine Debris Program and the National Park Service, this project sought to highlight plastic marine debris in an engaging way to visitors. Cindy Pease Roe, a local artist with an extensive background in upcycling plastic pollution, was commissioned to design and build a steel framework in the shape of a white shark and attach various marine debris items, found along the shoreline by groups of CCS volunteers. This spectacular sculpture was given the name “Sugar, aka Mama Shug” and placed on display at the Herring Cove Bathhouse for members of the public to admire and understand the harsh truth about the amount of plastic debris in our own backyards. The plastic components of this sculpture were from everyday items, forcing visitors to think about their personal impact on the environment. 

“This global environmental issue becomes not just local but personal,” says Aleutia Scott, North District Supervisor of Interpretation & Education at Cape Cod National Seashore.

When it comes to marine debris pollution in our oceans, reality bites. 

“Marine debris, including consumer debris, construction material, fishing gear and miscellaneous items, impacts the Cape Cod beaches in many ways,” explains Laura Ludwig, CCS Marine Debris and Plastics Program Director. “Visually, it can interfere with an otherwise pristine land- and seascape; logistically, it can present hazards of entanglement or ingestion to animals, and to pedestrians it can pose a threat to bare feet; economically, it can stretch the budget of the National Seashore to clean it all up and dispose of it properly.” 

Projects such as this are important for bringing awareness to this dynamic issue and creating a conversation around responsible plastic use. There are plans for a smaller version of the sculpture to be displayed inside the Cape Cod National Seashore Salt Pond Visitors Center, and similar plastic art installations are in the works around the Cape.