Sample analysis and interpretation for the Shenandoah National Park Long-Term Ecological Monitoring System
PI(s): Voshell, Jr, J Reese
Investigators: Hiner, Stephen W
Abstract: After developing the aquatic component of the Long-Term Ecological Monitoring System for Shenandoah National Park in the late 1980's, the Aquatic Entomology Program has continuously performed laboratory analyses of the samples taken by park personnel and assisted with data analysis and interpretation.
Description:
Shenandoah National Park is one of the most popular units administered by the U. S. Department of Interior, National Park Service because of its scenic beauty, proximity to the Washington, DC area, and accessibility from the Skyline Drive. The National Park Service uses mostly passive natural resource management and allows no consumptive uses within the public lands that it manages, but even this "crown jewel" is subject to a variety of potentially threatening disturbances. These include disturbances from human activities ( e.g., atmospheric deposition of acidity and invasive species) and natural events (e.g., fire and floods). Shenandoah National Park was one of five national parks chosen for an ambitious pilot project in the 1980's known as the Inventory and Monitoring Initiative. This initiative was begun because the Park Service recognized that it had to understand its natural and cultural resources in order to fulfill its mandate to ensure that these resources are protected for enjoyment by future generations.
The Aquatic Entomology Program was fortunate to have the opportunity to develop the aquatic component of the Shenandoah National Park Long-Term Ecological Monitoring System (LTEMS) to track the environmental health of the many beautiful streams within the park. As part of the LTEMS development, we provided technical training to park personnel on sampling benthic macroinvertebrates according to the protocol. Since their staff are not trained in benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomy and ecology, we have continued to identify and enumerate the organisms in the samples. The data are transmitted to the data base manager at Shenandoah National Park so that a variety of commonly used community metrics can be calculated to characterize the biological integrity of the streams. Lastly, the Aquatic Entomology Program assists with data analysis and interpretation. This cooperative effort has continued for almost 20 years.
Impact:
This long-term project has produced a highly valuable data set that is used to understand the expected conditions in streams within the Blue Ridge Ecoregion. One of the main advantages of studying Shenandoah National Park is that all of the streams originate in the park and flow out, so the potential stressors can be identified. In addition, the potential stressors are few in comparison to most streams that have multiple impacts from human activities. The data from these studies have been used by many universities and state and federal agencies, including national monitoring programs of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and U. S. Geological Survey. The data have been used to understand the effects of gypsy moth defoliation, acid deposition, catastrophic flooding, and fires. Funding from this project has supported many graduate students in the Aquatic Entomology Program, as well as undergraduates in various majors, and provided them with valuable experience in taxonomy, ecology, and biomonitoring.
Commodities:
Resources: Aquatic Entomology Laboratory
Disciplines: Aquatic Systems, Ecology, Environmental Quality
Audiences: Environmental Groups, Government Agencies, Researchers
