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SECN Newsletter December 2024

Collage of fieldwork photos behind December 2024 Network News

Stephen Works as READ in Storm-Ravaged Blue Ridge Parkway

SECN Physical Scientist Stephen Cooper completed a nine-day READ (Resource Advisor) assignment at Blue Ridge Parkway (BLRI) in November. Stephen was part of a 10-person team of natural and cultural resource experts tasked with assessing damage to park resources caused by the passing of Hurricane Helene in late September. As the team’s expert on stream ecology and morphology, Stephen was specifically tasked to assess Helene’s impact on the parkway’s stream resources. it was the first time a READ team has been assigned to suggest necessary restoration efforts for park natural and cultural resources following an incident. Anna Toline (SER Marine Ecologist), led the team which was divided into two-person teams based on resource expertise. Stephen was teamed with Byron Tsang (SER Wetland Ecologist), and together they visited and assessed conditions at numerous sites spread over 170 miles of the Parkway.

The stream, wetland, and floodplain assessments were conducted concurrently and consisted of pedestrian surveys along stream and river corridors and adjacent riparian zones in affected watersheds. Wherever possible and accessible, assessments covered upland fringe headwaters as well as downstream floodplains and confluences with major tributaries. Stream evaluations included assessment of storm-associated scouring, excessive bank erosion, channel widening, sedimentation, and risk of obstruction due to debris. Wetland evaluations included assessment of sediment deposition, vegetation loss due to wracking or scour, smothering or loss of habitat due to debris and treefall damage, and potential for post-disturbance invasive species encroachment. Floodplain evaluations included assessment of degradation to floodplain function (e.g. flood water retention capacity) floodplain natural resource values (e.g. suitability of habitat for floodplain-dependent species) due to stream alteration, debris accumulation, sediment load, vegetation loss, and risk of invasive encroachment.

Following field-based condition assessments, individual restoration project descriptions were created including cost estimates informed by each READ’s understanding of the resources’ individual needs, anticipated challenges, and recommended best practices for resource restoration. Where feasible, similar projects were then combined into large-scale multi-site projects to take advantage of economies of scale and improved performance and consistency throughout the Parkway.

People in hard hats and yellow vests walk across a damaged bridge, near a stream with a large tree uprooted, and down a road.
From left, crossing a damaged bridge over Linville River at Linville Falls are Byron Tsang (SER), Emma Brinley Buckley (AHPN), and Anna Toline (SER). Byron and Stephen Cooper assess damage on Boone Fork at Price Park. Stephen points to badly positioned and clogged culvert near Beaver Dam Gap.

NPS photos / Byron Tsang, Stephen Cooper, Emma Brinley Buckley

FY2025 Workplan Presented at Steering Committee Meeting

Administration Report for FY2024 also Highlighted

The Southeast Coast Network's FY2024 Annual Report and FY2025 Workplan were presented at the annual Steering Committee meeting held last month on the campus of the University of Georgia. More than 40 attendees participated virtually and in person. Presentations from SECN protocol leads covering the past year's accomplishments and plans for 2025 highlighted the meeting.
Random shots of meeting with people sitting at desks and pointing to screen.
Clockwise from top left, SECN Botanist and Former Acting Program Manager Forbes Boyle talks about SECN Partners, the group listens to a presentation, University of North Georgia Associate Professor and Wadeable Stream protocol author Jake Bateman-McDonald talks streams, and Krista Pollet, Acting Chief of Resource Management at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, celebrates winning the Network Trivia Contest.

NPS photos / SECN staff

New for this year, SIP Intern Elena Kelly talked about her experience with the network and Lisa Nelson and Rebecca Port from the IMD office in Fort Collins provided an update on the revamped Natural Resource Inventories and Assessments Program.

Botanist and Acting Program Manager Forbes Boyle, Aquatic Ecologist Eric Starkey and Coastal Ecologist Ches Vervaeke went in depth into the various partnerships that help the network with its monitoring efforts. There was also a demonstration of the new SER Invasive Species AGOL Tool by IMD Geospatial Specialist Mina Nada. In addition, Lauren Serra gave an update on the Southeast Coast Invasive Plant Management Team, and Regional Program Manager Brian Gregory and Associate Regional Director of Resource, Stewardship and Science, Darrell Echols, gave updates from the regional and national IMD perspective.

Monitoring protocol leads presented highlights from 2024 and workplans for 2025. The meeting was capped by an intense round of SECN Trivia which was won by Krista Pollett, the Acting Integrated Resource Chief at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park-Charles Pinckney National Historic Site. Special thanks to Biological Technician Mallorie Davis for putting that together. Thanks to everyone who was able to attend and provide feedback on our program. Copies of the approved Work Plan will be sent to the SECN Steering Committee representatives, meeting attendees, and Park Superintendents. Let us know if you have any questions.

Group of people wearing name tags around their necks posing for a photo.
From left, kneeling, Ann Honious, Allyson Read, Laura Seifert, Carla Beasley, Brian Gregory, Patrick Gamman, Matthew Robinson; standing, Mallorie Davis, Darrell Echols, Krista Pollett, Michael Parrish, Elika Bozorgi, Forbes Boyle, Elena Kelly, Mark Hynds, Ches Vervaeke, Steve Kidd, Beth Wheeler, Eric Starkey, Kari Lumsden, Stephen Cooper, Wendy Thorsdatter, Katie Dagastino, Kurt Foote, Lizzie Hancock, Spencer Womble, Lauren Serra, Ellen Cheng, Meaghan Johnson. Not in photo, Carson Lillard.

NPS photo / UGA staff

Woman smiling and holding a phone
Elena Kelly, former SIP Intern with the Southeast Coast Network and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.

NPS photo / Elena Kelly

Goodbye Elena

Former SIP Intern Supported SECN and TIMU

Elena Kelly finished her 26-week Scientists in Parks (SIP) internship with the Southeast Coast Network and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in November. During the first three months of her internship, Elena’s primary task was to assist with terrestrial vegetation health monitoring with the SECN vegetation team at Cumberland Island National Seashore, Fort Frederica National Monument, and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. The survey plots, modeled after Carolina Vegetation Survey protocol, collected a plethora of data on seedling/sapling abundance, tree size and health, fuel load, canopy cover, and much more.

While stationed at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Elena took on projects such as drafting Mayfly water quality student curriculum, analyzing weekly phytoplankton samples for the NOAA Phytoplankton Monitoring Network, monitoring a bald eagle nest with Audubon EagleWatch, mapping invasive plants, and co-leading volunteers and park staff in the Dragonfly Mercury Project. Elena also participated in outreach events such as the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve's annual Estuary Fest and she developed her own interpretation pop-up exhibit at Fort Caroline National Memorial.

Elena said she is sad to leave, but grateful for all the skills and connections she is taking away from this SIP internship. The experience she gained in resource management will be particularly vital in the next steps of her career. She will pursue an M.S. in Forest Ecology at Clemson University starting in August 2025. Her project will examine six decades worth of management and ecology data from the Clemson Experimental Forest and the Hardscrabble property. Elena plans to return to the National Park Service as a biotechnician after achieving her degree.

Woman standing under a tent with displays and standing next to a tripod on a shoreline
Left, Elena at the Estuary Fest in St. Augustine, Florida. Right, vegetation monitoring at Cumberland Island National Seashore.

NPS photos / Elena Kelly

Goodbye to Wayne Too

Former Wildlife Intern Wraps Up at UGA

Wayne Ryan recently completed his time with the Southeast Coast Network as a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Intern from the University of Georgia. He assisted with wildlife vocalization classification, field season preparations, ARD deployment and retrieval and data entry. Wayne worked in the Spatial Ecology Laboratory at UGA and conducted field research at the USDA Forest Service Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in western North Carolina involving bird banding, mist-netting, and point count surveys. This was in pursuit of a Masters in Science from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources with a concentration in Geospatial Information Science. Wayne, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Western Carolina University, will obtain his MS from UGA in January.

"I've learned plenty of new skills and a newfound appreciation for nature," said Wayne. "I've learned way more about autonomous recording units than I ever thought I would, including programming them, setting them up, and taking them down. This has also allowed me to travel to new NPS sites where I got to learn more about historic sites such as Horseshoe Bend National Military Park and Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve. It has been great getting to know everyone at SECN and even getting to occasionally join them for their fieldwork has been a blast too."

Wayne said he would like to continue working with wildlife and hiking outdoors. He hopes to work as a wildlife biologist for the National Park Service or a state agency.

"Working with birds would be a bonus," said Wayne. "Hopefully wherever I end up, I will be able to support the environment and nature around me."

Man putting ARD on a tree, two men standing in a stream and a man standing in front of screen.
Wayne in action, deploying an ARD, assisting with wadeable stream monitoring, and his thesis defense.

NPS photos / SECN staff

From the Data Manager

Wadeable Stream Data for Entire Period is Published

An updated Data Package has been published for the Wadeable Streams Habitat monitoring protocol. The data package is the first published by the network that contains the entire period of record for a single protocol, and is a milestone for the wadeable stream protocol and data management teams. The data package contains all wadeable stream habitat data from 2017 through the end of 2024.

FY2025 Monitoring Updates

The FY2024 monitoring season is in the books and planning for FY2025 is on tap for the Southeast Coast Network. Data collected is being processed along with data from the FY2022 and 2023 field seasons. Data packages and reports are coming soon.

Three people standing in the woods smiling, one wearing a net.
From left, Wildlife Biologist Michael Parrish, Wildlife Intern Myra Kincaid, and Aquatic Ecologist Eric Starkey at Congaree National Park last month putting out ARDs. Eric assisted Michael and Myra by navigating hard to reach locations with the SECN boat.

NPS photo / SECN staff

Landbird and Anuran Communities

For FY2025, automated recording devices (ARDs) were deployed at Congaree National Park in November. Other parks planned for deployment include Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Frederica National Monument, Moores Creek National Battlefield, and Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. The ARDs from FY2024 at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park and Cape Lookout National Seashore have been collected and data is being processed. The ARDs at Cumberland Island National Seashore will be retrieved in January. Data sets from the ARDs deployed in FY2024, FY 2023 and FY2022 for both landbird and vocal anuran monitoring continue to be processed. Summary reports for 2016 and 2022 Landbird data have been published along with Anuran data from 2015, 2016 and 2022. This includes anuran data from Fort Pulaski National Monument in 2023.

Wadeable Streams

Wadeable stream surveys will be conducted at four sites at Congaree National Park in 2025. Monitoring at 13 sites in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area was completed in 2024 and data collected have been processed. A summary report from FY2021 data collection at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is in editing and will be published early in 2025. Change reports for Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (2023), Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (2023), Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park (2023) and Congaree National Park (2022) will also be published in 2025.

Vegetation Communities

Ninety-five plots are scheduled to be survey across three parks in 2025 including Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Congaree National Park, and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Data collected at 102 plots from during the FY2024 season at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Fort Frederica National Monument and Cumberland Island National Seashore is being processed. Data collected in FY2023 at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and Fort Matanzas National Monument are processed. A new SECN Vegetation Database is also in development.

Shorelines

Surveys in FY2025 will be conducted at Cape Lookout National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Fall 2024 surveys requested by the parks were completed at Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Data for the FY2024 shoreline survey season is processed. Data collected in FY2023 are being processed and two-page summary briefs, along with an updated data dashboard, are planned for each park.

Coastal Wetlands

All Surface Elevation Table (SET) sites are scheduled for FY2025 at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Fort Frederica National Monument, and Cumberland Island National Seashore. Data collected through 2024 have been published as part of a cumulative data package with recent findings to be discussed with park managers. No reports are planned for this monitoring effort until sites have at least five years of data.

owl in a tree
A barred owl at Congaree National Park. Hydrologic Technician Katie Dagastino captured this shot on her hike to the data collection site on Cedar Creek in October.

NPS photo / Katie Dagastino

Water Quality

Water-quality data collection at fixed-station sites was conducted in October and scheduled for December at Congaree National Park, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Monthly visits to parks will continue in FY2025 with assistance from park staff and partners at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore. Data collected in the 2024 park-wide water-quality assessment at Canaveral National Seashore are being processed and a report will be published soon. Park-wide assessments will be conducted in July 2025 at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore.

screenshot of IRMA home page

Recent Publications

The Southeast Coast Network recently published the following reports:

Terrestrial

Landbirds and Anurans

For More About the SECN

Check out Southeast Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network (U.S. National Park Service) (https://www.nps.gov/im/secn/index.htm)

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Last updated: December 9, 2024