Natural resource condition assessment: Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
Burkholder JM, Allen EH, Flood S, Kinder CA. 2015. Natural resource condition assessment: Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. Natural Resource Report. NPS/SECN/NRR—2015/981. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
The two major goals of this report were (i) to inventory the natural resources of Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (HOBE, or the park) in eastern Alabama, including synthesis of available information and collection of geospatial data layers and maps; and (ii) to develop a set of indicators, quantitative insofar as possible, for natural resource conditions that can be tracked over time. The natural resources that were evaluated include climate, air quality, geology and soils, groundwater, surface water, terrestrial and wetland biota, and species of special concern. Horseshoe Bend is a small park (8.3 square kilometers [km2], or 2,040 acres) in Tallapoosa County within the middle Tallapoosa River basin. Its natural resources include mixed hardwood/pine forests mixed with grassy fields, two perennial streams, several intermittent streams, and wetlands that mostly occur as narrow fringes of swamp forest along the Tallapoosa River. An approximately 6-km (3.7-mile) segment of that river flows through the park and is its most prominent natural feature; indeed, the park is named for a “horseshoe-like” bend in the river. Horseshoe Bend has excellent soundscape and lightscape features and is described by park staff as minimally affected by noise or light pollution. The airshed has moderate ozone levels that may adversely affect both human health and the park vascular plant communities. Visibility is poor because of compromised air quality, and the park also lies in an area that is especially prone to acid deposition by nitrogen and sulfur species.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Burkholder, JoAnn; Allen, Ellen; Flood, Stacie; Kinder, Carol
- Date of Issue
- 2015-06
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- HOBE , NRSS , SECN
- Keywords
- Air, Amphibians, Birds, Climate, Condition assessment, Disease, Exotic Species, Fish, Herpetofauna, Indicators, Invasive Species, Landscape, Mammals, Natural Resource Condition Assessment Reports, Natural Resources, NRCA, Pests, Plants, Reptiles, Resource condition, resource condition assessment, Southeast Coast Network, Stressors, Threats, Trends, Water, Water Quality, Weather, Wildlife