Wadeable stream suitability assessment for long-term monitoring: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

McDonald, Jacob; Starkey, Eric

doi:10.36967/2256953

The Southeast Coast Network (SECN) initiated a monitoring effort to assess habitat conditions in wadeable streams at national parks, recreation areas, battlefields, and monuments in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina (McDonald et al. 2018a). These parks include Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Congaree National Park, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, and Ocmulgee National Monument. The monitoring, implemented in 2016, focuses specifically on providing relevant data to assess the physical condition of Piedmont and upper Coastal Plain streams with respect to aquatic and riparian habitats and how these habitats may be changing over time. The habitat assessment methods outlined in the protocol rely on standard data collection methods and standard operating procedures currently in use by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Forest Service that have been modified to better meet the needs of National Park Service (NPS) managers. The Southeast Coast Network’s Monitoring Wadeable Stream Habitat Conditions in Southeast Coast Network Parks protocol (McDonald et al. 2018a) was developed to begin a monitoring program that will provide insight into the status of, and trends in, stream and riparian habitat conditions. The number of reaches surveyed at each park is dependent on the spatial extent of the park and the total number of wadeable streams that are present within park boundaries. Regardless of the size of the park and the number of reaches that are to be monitored, selected reaches (1) are representative of the processes influencing the streams in each park; (2) can address current and anticipated management concerns; and (3) offer the most utility for future complementary studies. The purpose of this report is to document the stream suitability survey conducted at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (KEMO). The purpose of this survey was to determine which streams should be chosen for long-term monitoring (McDonald et al. 2018a). On 7 February 2017, SECN staff met with Chief Ranger Anthony Winegar to determine which streams in the park are of management concern and are suitable for long-term monitoring. Stream segment suitability was based on whether the stream: (1) could be safely accessed; (2) is part of a single channel, wadeable stream system; and (3) is not greatly influenced by upstream impoundments. Of the ten stream segments identified by a GIS analysis, four stream segments (two each on Noses Creek and Ward Creek) were determined to be of potential management concern (Figure 1). After evaluating the stream segments in the field, three of the segments (two on Noses Creek and one on Ward Creek) were determined to be suitable for long-term monitoring. The remaining segment (Upper Ward Creek) was determined to not be suitable for long-term monitoring (Table 1). The upstream stream segment on Ward Creek was determined not to be suitable because this portion of Ward Creek has been highly modified by the installation of a sewage line. Upper Ward Creek is now a multi-channel quasi-wetland and the SECN wadeable stream monitoring protocol was not developed to monitor multi-channel streams (McDonald et al. 2018a). Following an analysis of the basin characteristics of the three suitable stream segments and in consultation with park staff, one segment on Noses Creek and one segment on Ward Creek were chosen for long-term monitoring (Table 2). The two stream segments chosen provide comparisons between similar streams and will help determine if the upstream trails or bridges on these streams are having a downstream influence. The following report provides an overview of the methods used to assess the suitability of each stream segment and provides a description of how the monitored reaches within each stream segment will be compared in future reports.

Wadeable stream suitability assessment for long-term monitoring: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

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