Natural resource condition assessment: Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts
Nelson SJ, Vaux P, James-Pirri M, Giese GS. 2012. Natural resource condition assessment: Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NER/NRR—2012/605. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
This report is an assessment of the condition of the natural resources of Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) and a review of the threats that act on these resources. The assessment focuses on the four landscape types present in the Park: uplands; barrier islands/spits/dunes; freshwaters (ponds, streams, wetlands and groundwater); and estuaries/salt marshes. The Park includes 12,472 hectares (30,819 acres), representing approximately 40% of the combined area of the towns of Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans and Chatham. The Park was established by legislation of 1961 and funds to complete acquisition of its lands were secured in 1967. Given the heterogeneous nature of the available information base, a consistent and fully quantitative assessment of resource conditions at CACO is an unrealistic goal at this time. For some attributes, it was only possible to make general, qualitative, statements about condition. In some cases, we had to conclude that insufficient information was available to assess condition at any level of confidence at the present time. For other attributes we were able to use well-defined benchmarks against which to evaluate CACO data. The readers are referred to our comprehensive summary table located at the end of the document where the key conclusions from our review as they pertain to the status and trends of each resource attribute can be found.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Nelson, Sarah; Vaux, Peter; James-Pirri, Mara-Jane; Giese, Graham
- Date of Issue
- 2012
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CACO , NRSS
- Keywords
- Assessment, Condition, dune, Natural, Resource, sea-level rise, Spits