Natural resource condition assessment: Gateway National Recreation Area

Walsh, Brianne; Costanzo, Simon; Taillie, Dylan

Natural Resource Condition Assessments (NRCAs) are an effort to assess and report on park resource conditions and are meant to complement traditional issue and threat-based resource assessments. NRCAs report on current conditions, trends, critical data gaps, and general level of confidence for a subset of park natural resource indicators. This analysis is designed to help park managers as they think about near-term workload priorities, frame data, and study needs for important park resources, and communicate messages about park natural resources to various audiences. The goal of this report is to deliver science-based information that is credible and has practical uses for a variety of park decision-making, planning, and partnership activities. Assessment of natural resource condition within GATE was carried out using the Inventory and Monitoring Program Vital Signs ecological monitoring framework. Twenty one metrics were synthesized in four categories: Air Quality, Water Resources, Biological Integrity, and Landscape Dynamics. The assessment of condition was based on the comparison of available data collected between 2010 and 2015 to justified ecological threshold values. When data were not available to support peer-reviewed ecological thresholds, regulatory and management-based thresholds were used. Final condition scores for each of the four vital signs categories were calculated based on the percentage of sites or samples that met or exceeded threshold values for each indicator. An indicator attainment score of 100% reflected that the indicator at all sites and at all times met the threshold identified to maintain natural resources. The overall score for the vital sign was determined using the average of each of the metrics use to assess condition. An overall park score could be determined by averaging the score for Air Quality, Water Resources, Biological Integrity, and Landscape Dynamics. Due to a lack of park specific historical data, trends were not assessed within this document. Overall, the natural resources of Gateway National Recreation Area were in moderate condition. Air quality was identified as the most highly degraded resource, warranting significant concern. Degraded air quality is a problem throughout the eastern United States and while the causes of degraded air quality are out of the park’s control, the specific implications to the habitats and species in the park are less well known. Gaining a better understanding of how reduced air quality is impacting sensitive habitats and species within the park would help prioritize management efforts. Park management efforts to directly improve regional air quality are likely to have minimal impacts, however the park can play a leading role in regional education of the causes and effects of air pollution. The condition of water resources for the park was assessed as being of moderate concern. Because many of the water resources within the park originate outside of park boundaries, and due to a lack of water quality data for the Staten Island and Sandy Hook Units, it is difficult to identify and manage environmental impacts from pollution within GATE. The park should aim to work collaboratively with local, state, and federal partners to undertake a comprehensive water quality monitoring program. Biological integrity was assessed as being of moderate concern. American Holly forest extent had a condition of moderate concern. Overall, piping plover, seabeach amaranth, and diamondback terrapin were assessed as significant concern. A fifth indicator, horseshoe crab Index of Spawning Activity was not scored due to a lack of established reference criteria or sufficient long-term historical data, and was included for informational purposes only. Due to a lack of spatial monitoring across all park units, these indicators are all presented with low confidence.

Natural resource condition assessment: Gateway National Recreation Area

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