FY2018 Annual Accomplishments Report for Inventories and Vital Signs Monitoring: Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN)

Stevens, Sara

The Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN) includes eight parks located along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Virginia: Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO), Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS), Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (SAHI), Gateway National Recreation Area (GATE), Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS), George Washington Birthplace National Monument (GEWA), Thomas Stone National Historic Site (THST), Colonial National Historical Park (COLO). These parks contain critical coastal habitat for many rare and endangered species, as well as migratory stopovers, acting as essential corridors for birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals. They also protect vital coastal wetlands, essential to water quality, fisheries, and the biological diversity of coastal, near shore, and terrestrial environments. All NCBN parks continue to be pressured by encroaching development, intense recreational activity, and the results of climate change; sea level rise, increased storm intensity, amplified variability in surface and groundwater levels, and ocean acidification. These are expected to be among the most pressing natural resource management challenges in the near future. In addition, being within the urban sprawl of the Northeast creates additional pressure on these sensitive and often last remaining pristine ecosystems.