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Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve, U.S. Virgin National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve, U.S. Virgin Islands Vegetation Mapping Project, 2009 Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SFCN/NRTR—2011/448 ON THE COVER 2007 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 30cm resolution orthoimage of Salt River Bay within Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve. Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve, U.S. Virgin Islands Vegetation Mapping Project, 2009 Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SFCN/NRTR—2011/448 Jonathan G. Moser1,2 Resource Management Intern Kevin R. T. Whelan, Ph.D.2 Community Ecologist Robert B. Shamblin2 Botanist Andrea J. Atkinson, Ph.D.2 Quantitative Ecologist Judd M. Patterson2 GIS Specialist 1Florida International University Southeast Environmental Research Center University Park Campus Miami, FL 33199 2National Park Service South Florida / Caribbean Network 18001 Old Cutler Rd., Suite 419 Village of Palmetto Bay, FL 33157 April 2011 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Technical Report Series is used to disseminate results of scientific studies in the physical, biological, and social sciences for both the advancement of science and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series provides contributors with a forum for displaying comprehensive data that are often deleted from journals because of page limitations. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received formal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data, and whose background and expertise put them on par technically and scientifically with the authors of the information. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available from the South Florida/Caribbean Network website (http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfcn/) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). Please cite this publication as: Moser, J. G., K. R. T. Whelan, R. B. Shamblin, A. J. Atkinson, J. M. Patterson. 2011. Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vegetation Mapping Project, 2009. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/SFCN/NRTR—2011/448. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 141/107552, April 2011 ii Contents Page Figures............................................................................................................................................. v Tables ............................................................................................................................................ vii Appendices ..................................................................................................................................... ix Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... xi Summary ...................................................................................................................................... xiii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve Vegetation Mapping Project ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction to Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve ....................... 1 Methods........................................................................................................................................... 5 Project Overview ........................................................................................................................ 5 Phase 1: Gathering Background Information ............................................................................. 5 Phase 2: Imagery Acquisition ..................................................................................................... 7 Phase 3: Draft Polygon Creation ................................................................................................ 8 Phase 4: Selection of Plots and Creation of Field Data Sheets ................................................... 8 Phase 5: Collection of Field Data ............................................................................................... 8 Phase 6: Database Design and Creation ..................................................................................... 9 Phase 7: Vegetation Classification ............................................................................................. 9 Phase 8: Refinement and Finalization of Polygons .................................................................. 11 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 13 Area mapped ............................................................................................................................. 13 Plots .......................................................................................................................................... 13 Mapping Classes ....................................................................................................................... 13 Polygons .................................................................................................................................... 13 iii Contents (continued) Page Accuracy Assessment ............................................................................................................... 14 Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Summary of final project specifications, products and files ......................................................... 19 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 37 iv Figures Page Figure 1. South Florida / Caribbean Network parks. .................................................................... 20 Figure 2. Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve (SARI). ..................... 20 Figure 3. Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve Ownership Tracts as of March 2009 ............................................................................................................... 21 Figure 4. Map of vegetation polygons and field plots in Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve ......................................................................................... 22 Figure 5. Map of classified vegetation polygons for Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve ......................................................................................... 23 Figure 6. Northeast, Northwest, and South areas of the map chosen to compare vegetation classification among the UVI, NOAA, and NPS maps ............................................... 24 Figure 7. Northeast area of the UVI (A), NOAA (B), and NPS (C) maps ................................... 25 Figure 8. Northwest area of the UVI (A), NOAA (B), and NPS (C) maps .................................. 25 Figure 9. South area of the UVI (A), NOAA (B), and NPS (C) maps ......................................... 25 Figure 10. Comparison of mangrove areas in the NPS map to mangrove areas in the UVI map (A) and the NOAA map (B) ......................................................................................... 26 Figure 11. Majority of differences between the NPS map and the UVI and NOAA maps .............................................................................................................................................. 26 v Tables Page Table 1. Descriptions of Fields for Vegetation Field Plots. .......................................................... 27 Table 2. Additional Description of Community Type - Virgin Islands Sub-formations (Level_3). ...................................................................................................................................... 28 Table 3. Additional Description of Hurricane Omar Damage. ..................................................... 28 Table 4. Descriptions of Fields for Polygons. ............................................................................... 29
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