George Washington Carver National Monument natural resource condition assessment

Annis, Gust; Debacker, Michael; Diamond, David; Elliott, Lee; Garringer, Aaron; Hanberry, Phillip; James, Kevin; Lee, Ron; Leis, Sherry; Morey, Michael; Pursell, Dyanna; Young, Craig

In accordance with National Park Service requirements, staff with the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership and the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network conducted a natural resource condition assessment (NRCA) for George Washington Carver National Monument (GWCA). NRCA's are intended to provide a synthesized assessment of current conditions in the park. The NCRA for GWCA builds on methods developed for a similar effort for Effigy Mounds National Monument. Basic elements of the methodology include (1) reliance on a framework of essential ecological attributes provided by the Environmental Protection agency, (2) development of a list of resource types, indicators, and attributes for assessment, and (3) application of assessments by reporting unit, including park wide, major terrestrial landscapes types, and major streams and tributaries. Current condition was assigned to indicators based on contemporary data and management targets were defined based on best available information, which ranged from quantitative sampling data to expert opinion. A logic model-based framework was created to evaluate each indicator for which both current data and a management target were available. The framework is hierarchical so that indicators within an attribute are evaluated as well as attributes within a resource type and/or reporting unit. A hierarchical framework allows for integrated analysis among different components of the resource types and reporting units that are found within the park. The logic-based framework was designed to address the validity of the statement “the current condition approximates the management target”. For each level in the hierarchy, an assessment score is provided that corresponds to the degree that the statement is valid. A logic-based integrated analysis is not a quantitative analysis of the park resources; rather it is a method of qualitative reasoning. The framework reflects expert knowledge about the park resources and provides a formal structure of how the resource components can be arranged or summarized. Terrestrial communities at GWCA consist mainly of restored grasslands on former croplands and woodlands, mainly near upland drainage ways. Past and on-going efforts at prairie restoration have resulted in the re-establishment of many native grasses and forbs, and with continued effort these grasslands could add significant local or regional natural resource value. However, invasive species such as tall fescue (Schedonorus phoenix), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) are common. Habitat diversity within the park supports breeding bird species that require grassland, shrubland/edge, and woodland with understory habitats. Maintenance of this diversity would help populations of at least three species of continental concern that are fairly common breeding birds within park, including the Dickcissel (Spiza americana), Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), and Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). Floodplains generally support immature forests, and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a common invasive understory vine that may inhibit natural succession in these woodlands by preventing tree recruitment in light gaps. Upland streams, including Harkins Branch, Williams Branch, and Carver Branch, are shaded by the woodlands. These support fairly high quality, diverse fish communities. The diversity of native fish species that are sensitive to poor water quality, such as darters, including the rare Arkansas darter (Etheostoma cragini), sculpins, and madtoms is generally high. Only a small segment of Harkins Branch is contained within the park, and this stream has greater discharge and somewhat higher bank instability than the others on the park.

George Washington Carver National Monument natural resource condition assessment

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