| Patuxent Science Meeting 2006 Poster Abstract |
| | Development of a protocol for monitoring freshwater wetlands at |
| | Acadia National Park |
| | Neckles HA, Guntenspergen GR, Gilbert AT |
| | Wetlands of Acadia National Park are threatened by a suite of anthropogenic stresses |
| | associated with increasing visitor pressure and rapid residential development of watersheds |
| | outside the park boundary. A monitoring program is essential to help resource managers |
| | document trends in wetland condition, evaluate potential threats, and identify areas of |
| | management concern. Through a preliminary pilot project, we identified several abiotic and |
| | biotic variables that showed significant differences between herbaceous emergent wetlands |
| | subject to hydrologic disturbance and undisturbed wetlands (specific conductance of surface |
| | water and shallow ground water; pH of surface water and shallow ground water; vegetation |
| | community composition). These variables were tested on an independent set of wetlands to |
| | confirm their robustness as indicators of wetland condition and to determine their applicability to |
| | multiple wetland types. We also conducted intensive sampling on a subset of wetlands within |
| | distinct types to define the spatial sampling design necessary to characterize wetland |
| | condition. The relationship between landscape attributes and wetland ecosystem condition is |
| | being used to assess the susceptibility of park wetlands to anthropogenic stressors as a basis |
| | for a stratified sampling design. This information is being synthesized into a wetland monitoring |
| | protocol for Acadia National Park that is ready for field implementation. |
| | Friday, September 22, 2006 |