Climate Change Trends, Impacts and Vulnerabilities for Martin Van Buren NHS

Project Description: This project will synthesize existing regional climate and phenology datasets and the scientific literature to better characterize current and future impacts of climate change on park natural resources. It would facilitate park stewardship of natural resources facing the unprecedented challenges of climate change by identifying resources most at risk, synthesizing data describing those risks and identifying potential data gaps.

Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. James Gibbs, SUNY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Partner Institution: SUNY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: David Hayes

Project Type: Research

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Air, Atmosphere, & Weather, Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E), Global Change

Start Year: 2020

End Year: 2021

Initial Funding Amount: $21,860.00

Federal Grant Number: P20AC00392

Location: Martin Van Buren National Historic Site

Support interpretive component of Nor’easters study for three New England parks

Project Description: The goal of this project is to communicate findings to park visitors and local communities for an already funded study. This project aims to assess Nor’easter vulnerability for three New England parks. We will coordinate and develop interpretive products across three Northeast parks (Acadia National Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area and Cape Cod National Seashore). These products will enhance public understanding of storm surge and coastal flooding and how communities can prepare for and adapt to changing conditions. Through this project, we will develop and implement a regional strategy to improve coastal climate communication across the northeastern US.

We will lead a virtual workshop to facilitate science communication from researchers to park managers to the broader
public. The objectives of the virtual workshop are to 1) examine storm modeling results for all three parks, 2) develop locally relevant science communication materials, and 3) share best practices for communicating about coastal change and storm preparedness with park visitors and local communities. This project will support Secretarial Priority Utilize science to identify best practices to manage land and water resources and adapt to changes in the environment by sharing science with neighboring communities, visitors, and students. By reaching these communities, it supports visitor safety and adapting to changes in the environment.

Lead Principal Investigator: Nick Fisichelli, Schoodic Institute

Partner Institution: Schoodic Institute

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Amanda Babson

Project Type: Technical Assistance

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E), Global Change, Water (FW & Marine)

Start Year: 2019

End Year: 2023

Initial Funding Amount: $11,877.77

Federal Grant Number: P19AC00971

Amendments

  • Amendment Number: 01, Year: 20, Amount: $2,969.74

Location: Acadia National Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area and Cape Cod National Seashore

Provide Technical Assistance for Invasive Species Assessment to Protect Park Resources and Increase Public Awareness

Project Description: Invasive plants and insects are one of the leading causes of damage and costly maintenance for the historic forest at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP and other public lands in the northeast. This project will provide critical information to assist land managers in identifying potential risks from invasive plants and insects and prioritize and enhance rapid response treatment approaches to minimize damage and reduce costs.

This project will develop a non-native invasive species risk assessment and response plan for forest management including a geographic information system analysis, rapid response plan using scientifically based thresholds, and enhance partnerships with other federal, state, local agencies and neighbors for increasing coordination in addressing shared goals of non-native invasive species management. This project directly addresses Secretary of the Interior goals of utilizing science to identify best practices to manage park resources; reducing long-term maintenance through proactive planning and rapid response to invasive species; and being a good neighbor by improving relationships with those bordering park lands.

Lead Principal Investigator: Nick Fisichelli, Schoodic Institute

Partner Institution: Schoodic Institute

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Christina Marts

Project Type: Technical Assistance

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E)

Start Year: 2018

End Year: 2019

Initial Funding Amount: $32,670.00

Federal Grant Number: P18AC01248

Assessing the factors affecting the condition of vegetation in eastern NPS Parks

Project Description: Now and into the future parks need to use sound scientific data to identify best management practices of their resources to adapt to changes in the environment. This is especially so in an era where a variety of threats and stressors affect park vegetation resources that can result in increased operational costs for parks to ensure visitor safety and preserve park infrastructure. Knowing the condition and trends in vegetation resources allow parks to prioritize and allocate resources more effectively. The goals of this project are to collect data to assess the conditions and the factors affecting vegetation of 16 eastern parks within the Inventory and Monitoring Division (IMD) Northeast Temperate (NETN), Mid-Atlantic (MIDN), and Northeast Coastal Barrier (NCBN) network parks.

This is a two-part project collecting vegetation community data at 1) NETN’s long-term freshwater wetland monitoring plots located in Acadia National Park, and 2) long-term forest vegetation monitoring plots located within NPS parks from ME to VA. Both of these ecosystems are important to park operations, visitors’ experience, and are valuable resources that are constantly affected by environmental change and stressors. Monitoring data collected under this agreement will be used by NPS Inventory and Monitoring staff and Dr. Nicholas Fisichelli of Schoodic Institute to assess the overall condition of and factors affecting NPS vegetation communities and provide recommendations to park managers. For example, annual assessments of the condition of park vegetation can help park’s prioritize invasive species management, identify and adapt to newly emerging threats, and alter management practices as needed to promote healthy ecosystems. Schoodic Institute in cooperation with NPS IMD staff will perform analyses of the vegetation communities and environmental data to evaluate the roles of climate change, invasive exotic species, forest pests, and other stressors on vegetation health within eastern parks.

The resulting analyses will increase the public and scientific community’s knowledge of how a variety of local (e.g., deer browse, culverts) and regional (e.g. invasive species, climate change) stressors affect the condition of vegetation resources. This information is critical for evaluating current and future threats to regional vegetation structure, biodiversity, and other linked natural and cultural resources so that strategies can be developed to mitigate their impacts in the future. For example, scientific data is needed to understand and manage how the arrival of invasive forest pests, high deer browse, and invasive plant species are affecting the forests within our parks and local communities that not only provide refuge for species and are important to high water quality, but also contribute to the visitor experience as an integral component of many parks’ cultural landscape.

Lead Principal Investigator: Nick Fisichelli, Schoodic Institute

Partner Institution: Schoodic Institute

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Jim Comiskey

Project Type: Research

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E)

Start Year: 2018

End Year: 2023

Initial Funding Amount: $85,134.64

Federal Grant Number: P18AC01230

Amendments

  • Amendment Number: 1, Year: 2019, Amount: $114,462.37
  • Amendment Number: 2, Year: 2020, Amount: $203,374.13
  • Amendment Number: 3, Year: 2020, Amount: $71,253.43
  • Amendment Number: 5, Year: 2022, Amount: $61,752.18

Curating Boston African American National Historic Site Archeology Collections: Practical guidance on implementing preservation standards and strategies

Project Description: This project will complete cataloging of over 17,000 artifacts from the Boston African American National Historic Site excavations. Cataloging will be in a manner compatible with the Omeka database used by their ultimate repository, the Boston City Archaeology Lab. This project will ensure proper preservation of the artifacts according to National Park Service standards and also facilitate easier access to the collections by researchers and by park staff.

This innovative partnership is focused on providing a hands-on, project-based learning opportunity for participants who have limited exposure to archeological collections management. It will be specifically useful for those with no formal collections management training, who are nearing graduation and about to enter the professional world of archeology and considering a
career focused on managing and/or caring for archeological collections.

The main teaching and learning goals are:

– Provide participants with an overview of preventative conservation; collections management policies and procedures; and the tasks associated with managing archeological collections.

– Teach participants about their roles and responsibilities as they related to archeological collections, to ensure that curation is effectively considered at each stage of the archeological process.

– Offer solutions and resources that participants can refer to as they encounter collections management scenarios.

The Northeast Museum Services Center, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, supports and strengthens programs and partnerships that preserve and protect natural and cultural resource collections within Northeast Region sites of the National Park Service and make those collections accessible for research, education and public enjoyment. Since the inception of the Northeast Museum Services Center’s archeology collections management program in 2003, the goal of the program has been to bring NPS archeology collections into the public eye. This project is organized as partnership to fulfill that commitment to public outreach and reaching a variety of people.

Lead Principal Investigator: David Landon, University of Massachusetts Boston

Partner Institution: University of Massachusetts Boston

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Teri DeYoung

Project Type: Education

Project Discipline: Cultural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Cultural and Historic

Start Year: 2018

End Year: 2023

Initial Funding Amount: $75,000.00

Federal Grant Number: P18AC00972

Amendments

  • Amendment Number: 01, Year: 2019, Amount: $70,000.00
  • Amendment Number: 02, Year: 2020, Amount: $67,855.00
  • Amendment Number: 03, Year: 2021, Amount: $25,000.00

Location: Boston African American National Historic Site

State(s): Massachusetts

Student and Other Involvement:

  • Masters Students: 12

Summary of Student Involvement: The students gained a wide range of technical skills related to curating archeology collections and to cultural resource management in general through a collaborative partnership between the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center at the University of Massachusetts (Boston) and the Northeast Museum Services Center of the National Park Service. Student participants created both personal and professional relationships with NPS Curators and Archeologists as well as outside researchers and external partners. Participants learned how to identify artifacts; enter data and use a database program to store and analyze field data; and rehoused material remains and associated records based on established procedures and guidelines to manage and preserve collections. The experience helped prepare participants for pursuing their field of study.

Communicating Climate Projection Evaluations

Project Description: This project will identify the climate model evaluation metrics and use cases relevant to National Park Service applications, develop a series of “consumer reports” for these use cases, and then test and evaluate the efficacy of these “consumer reports” to improve user comprehension on the performance of climate models.

Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Arthur DeGaetano, Cornell University

Partner Institution: Cornell University

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Melanie Wood

Project Type: Research

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Global Change, Natural Hazards & Environmental Quality (NRDA)

Start Year: 2023

End Year: 2025

Initial Funding Amount: $121,208.00

Federal Grant Number: P23AC01199

Trajectory of Vegetation structure under Contrasting Stressors over a 26 Year Period

Project Description: Morristown National Historical Park (MORR) is embedded in a vast suburban landscape with parks and sanctuaries abutting its boundary. Although recent research has characterized the difference between urban and rural vegetation in the Northeast, there is a lack of quantitative and long-term study of suburban landscapes which are a major component of the region’s natural resources and biodiversity. A key objective of this project is to evaluate the current condition of the park’s vegetation to clarify the factors that cause landscape stressors with the focus on invasive plants and deer browsing. This will be accomplished through inventory of vegetation plots and analysis with data sets from the same plots that were recorded in 1995 and 2001.

Another objective is to measure the course of natural resource change from different ecological starting points. This can be accomplished because of the original stratified plot design in locations established in 1995. Half of the plots were established in highly invaded areas while the other half are found in areas that were substantially clean of invasive species in 1995. This project will determine if sites that were not invaded in 1995 have remained uninvaded. This addresses the tempo of vegetative change and the persistence of invasive character of vegetation over twenty or more years.

The Rutgers ecology researchers implementing this project recently completed a comprehensive vegetation survey at MORR in over fifty forested canopy gaps. This gap study has recorded the invasive species and regeneration of native canopy species in response to Hurricane Sandy. These data will deepen our understanding of vegetation dynamics in the 1995 plots over a period of 26 years and inform future management decisions.

Lead Principal Investigator: Steven Handel, Rutgers University

Partner Institution: Rutgers University

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Robert Masson

Project Type: Research

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E)

Start Year: 2021

End Year: 2022

Initial Funding Amount: $30,000.01

Federal Grant Number: P21AC10154-00

Amendments

  • Amendment Number: 02, Year: 2023, Amount: $-6.18

National Park or Protected Area: Morristown (FWS)

State(s): New Jersey

Off-Road Vehicle Regulations to Support Resilience of Foredune-Beach System

Project Description: This project intends to help the public understand how off-road vehicles can impact the beach, dunes, and vegetation on Fire Island. This will also help park mangers use science to implement driving regulations in the park. This project is needed to provide input to management regarding aspects of the natural vectors of change that will affect the site and situation of the foredune system evolution along FIIS, and thus assist in guiding proactive steps to limit ORV impacts. The Park is seeking scientific knowledge about the dimensions and sites of change to better craft the no-drive zone regulations both in general and site-specific situations. This knowledge can be gained through an understanding of the patterns of change in the recent past and the drivers for those changes. With that knowledge, it will be possible to identify the likely causes for impacts to the foredune and the likely locations for those impacts. Further, an improved understanding of the present and potential future impacts will allow for an adjustment of existing regulations to support the maintenance of the foredune system and its topographical, ecological, and anthropogenic benefits.

Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Norbert Psuty, Rutgers University

Partner Institution: Rutgers University

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Jordan Raphael

Project Type: Research

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E), Natural Hazards & Environmental Quality (NRDA), Water (FW & Marine)

Start Year: 2020

End Year: 2021

Initial Funding Amount: $31,724.00

Federal Grant Number: P20AC00938

National Park or Protected Area: Fire Island (NPS)

Habitat Use and Foraging Ecology of WNS-Affected Bats

Project Description: This project aims to increase bat survey effort to identify roost trees of Indiana and northern long-eared bats and examine habitat use and foraging ecology of bats within Morristown National Historical Park (MORR). Specifically, this project will: (1) identify additional bat roosting sites and foraging hotspots within MORR; (2) test the influence of vegetative structure and composition (native vs. invasive dominated areas); 3) link insect community with habitat structure; and 4) incorporate findings into the MORR bat habitat management guidelines. Public programming will also be delivered to engage visitors and educate them on bat ecology and ecosystem services provided by bats and bat conservation.

Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Brooke Maslo, Rutgers University

Partner Institution: Rutgers University

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Robert Masson

Project Type: Research

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E), Natural Hazards & Environmental Quality (NRDA)

Start Year: 2020

End Year: 2022

Initial Funding Amount: $42,500.00

Federal Grant Number: P20AC00480

Location: Morristown National Historical Park

Coastal Geomorphological Monitoring and Change Analysis: application of the monitoring protocols at gateway national recreation area; trend reports at ASIS, GATE and FIIS; evaluation of impacts at GATE

Project Description: Coastal environments include several habitats of concern for resource managers. This project will enhance the data record on coastal shoreline and topographic change over time at a number of parks within the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN) through data collection and reporting. This project is part of the NCBN long-term monitoring program, and the protocols being used were developed specifically for the coastal park in collaboration with scientists from Rutgers University.

Specifically, the project objectives include: 1) data collection and processing at Gateway National Recreation Area (GATE); 2) data analysis and interpretation of coastal change datasets and a cumulative Trend Report developed for Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS), GATE and for Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS). Support to managers at GATE regarding the evaluation of both the internal and external influences and drivers of coastal change occurring at GATE.

Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Norbert Psuty, Rutgers University

Partner Institution: Rutgers University

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Jim Comiskey

Project Type: Research

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Water (FW & Marine)

Start Year: 2019

End Year: 2023

Initial Funding Amount: $24,927.00

Federal Grant Number: P19AC00790

Amendments

  • Amendment Number: 01, Year: 2020, Amount: $70,689.00
  • Amendment Number: 02, Year: 2021, Amount: $71,815.00

Location: Gateway National Recreation Area, Assateague Island National Seashore, and Fire Island National Seashore