Petersburg National Battlefield natural resource condition assessment: Virginia

Lookingbill, Todd; Miller, Brianna; Madron, Justin; Finn, John; Valenski, Andrew

Petersburg National Battlefield (PETE) commemorates the site of the last major confrontation of the Civil War and the longest siege in the history of American warfare. The park consists of several distinct units in and around the City of Petersburg, Virginia, including the Eastern Front, Five Forks Battlefield, Grant’s Headquarters at City Point, and the Western Front including Poplar Grove National Cemetery. This Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) reports on current conditions, trends, critical data gaps, and general level of confidence for a subset of park natural resource indicators. Threats to the natural resources of the park come from within the park (e.g., well over 100,000 visitors a year), outside and adjacent to park boundaries (e.g., potential contamination of streams flowing into the park), and the region at large (e.g., air pollution). Data were compiled to calculate overall park-level scores from all available sources in collaboration with park natural resource staff and the Mid-Atlantic Network Inventory and Monitoring Program. When possible, condition scores also were calculated separately for the two largest units of the park: the Eastern Front and Five Forks units. A total of 25 indicators were reviewed and compared. Final scores were calculated based on the percentage of sites or samples that met or exceeded desired condition values for each metric. Attainment scores were then categorized on a scale from very good to very degraded: very degraded (0-20%), degraded (>20-40%), fair (>40-60%), good (>60-80%), and very good (>80-100%). The overall natural resources of Petersburg NB were assessed to be in “fair” condition, attaining an average attainment score of 56% for the 25 indicators. Air quality degradation was identified as a resource of significant concern. However, it is important to note the improving trends in regional air quality over the past decade (ozone, wet nitrogen deposition, wet sulfur deposition, and visibility). Biological integrity was the next most degraded resource. White-tail deer overabundance, depauperate fish communities, and invasive plants were of notable concern for the Eastern Front unit. A lack of forest regeneration is a concern throughout the park. Looking forward, the results of this NRCA provide information designed to help park managers prioritize near-term workloads, frame data and study needs, and communicate current park resource condition. Future priorities and recommendations include the implementation of a noise and light pollution monitoring protocol, co-location of sampling among multiple indicators, and careful targeting of any future expansion to connect and buffer park units within this urban and suburban environment.

Petersburg National Battlefield natural resource condition assessment: Virginia

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