Monitoring salt marsh vegetation at Colonial National Historical Park: 2010 summary report

Patenaude, Erika; Pooler, Penelope

The Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN) is one of 32 networks of parks created by the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M Program). The I&M Program has two components, 1) to collect baseline ecological inventory datasets and 2) to implement Vital Signs monitoring, a long-term ecological monitoring program, in each of the 32 networks. The Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network consists of eight parks linked by geography and shared ecological characteristics along the Northeastern Atlantic Coast. As part of the I&M Program, each network has developed detailed protocols for monitoring a select number of Vital Signs, or ecological indicators. Because the majority of parks in the NCBN are coastal parks, salt marsh monitoring was chosen as a high priority and a protocol was developed for collecting long-term data on salt marsh vegetation (James-Pirri and Roman in Review). The objective of monitoring salt marsh vegetation is to identify long-term trends in community structure, and to provide resource managers with a better understanding of the current status and condition of the salt marsh resources they manage.The NCBN protocol for monitoring salt marsh vegetation was first implemented at Colonial National Historical Park (COLO) in Virginia during the summer of 2008. This report summarizes the vegetation data collected at COLO in 2010, and includes a brief discussion of observed differences in species composition between 2008 and 2010. Changes in vegetation data between sampling years should not be considered indicative of a significant change in the salt marsh plant community at COLO. Because new plot locations are randomly selected each sampling year, substantial inter-annual variability is to be expected. Long-term monitoring of salt marsh vegetation is necessary in order to distinguish between inter-annual variability and significant changes in the vegetation community. The percent cover of each vegetation species and non-vegetation cover type within each 1m2 plot was visually estimated using a revised Braun-Blanquet method (Kent and Coker 1992). Fifty or more vegetation plots were sampled for vegetation at three marshes in July of 2010. Sampling at a fourth site was attempted (only four vegetation plots were sampled); however, extreme heat and difficulties accessing this site prevented the crew from completing the data collection. A total of 29 vegetation species and 3 non-vegetation cover types were recorded in 2010. Non-vegetation cover types recorded included wrack and litter, bare ground, and water. One of the observed species, Phragmites australis, is listed as a highly invasive species in the state of Virginia (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation 2009).

Monitoring salt marsh vegetation at Colonial National Historical Park: 2010 summary report

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