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Morristown National Historical Park Natural Resource Condition Assessment

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Morristown National Historical Park Natural Resource Condition Assessment National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Morristown National Historical Park Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/NERO/NRR—2014/869 ON THE COVER Autumn on the Passiac River, Morristown National Historical Park (MORR). Photograph by: Ed Sharron, National Park Service Morristown National Historical Park Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/NETN/NRR—2014/869 Rebecca Wagner, Charles Andrew Cole, Larry Gorenflo, Brian Orland and Ken Tamminga The Pennsylvania State University The Department of Landscape Architecture University Park, PA 16802 Margaret C. Brittingham, C. Paola Ferreri and Margot Kaye The Pennsylvania State University The Department of Ecosystem Science and Management University Park, PA 16802 October 2014 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are 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 Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. 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 in digital format from the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Wagner, R., C. A. Cole, M. Brittingham, C. P. Ferreri, L. Gorenflo, M. W. Kaye, B. Orland and K. Tamminga. 2014. Morristown National Historical Park natural resource condition assessment. Natural Resource Report NPS/NERO/NRR—2014/869. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 337/127006, October 2014 ii Contents Page Figures ................................................................................................................................................... ix Tables ..................................................................................................................................................xiii Appendices ......................................................................................................................................... xvii Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ xix Background and Context ............................................................................................................. xix Approach ..................................................................................................................................... xxi Threats to MORR ........................................................................................................................ xxi Current Condition of Natural Resources in MORR ................................................................... xxii Air Quality ............................................................................................................................. xxii Forest Soil Dynamics ............................................................................................................ xxii Water Quantity and Stream Water Chemistry ....................................................................... xxii Invasive Exotic Plants and Animals ..................................................................................... xxiii Forest Vegetation.................................................................................................................. xxiii White-tailed Deer Herbivory ................................................................................................ xxiii Fish Community ................................................................................................................... xxiv Bird Community ................................................................................................................... xxiv Amphibians and Reptiles ....................................................................................................... xxv Visitor Usage ......................................................................................................................... xxv Landscape Dynamics ............................................................................................................ xxvi Soundscapes ......................................................................................................................... xxvi Lightscapes-Dark Night Sky ............................................................................................... xxvii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................. xxix Chapter 1. NRCA Background Information .......................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2. Introduction and Resource Setting ....................................................................................... 5 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 5 History & Enabling Legislation ................................................................................................. 5 Geographic Setting .................................................................................................................... 6 Visitation Statistics .................................................................................................................... 7 iii Contents (continued) Page Natural Resources ........................................................................................................................... 9 Ecological Units and Watersheds .............................................................................................. 9 Resource Descriptions ............................................................................................................. 12 Resource Issues Overview ....................................................................................................... 19 Resource Stewardship .................................................................................................................. 24 Management Directives and Planning Guidance..................................................................... 24 Status of the supporting science .............................................................................................. 24 Chapter 3. Study Scoping and Design ................................................................................................. 29 Preliminary Scoping ..................................................................................................................... 29 Study Design ................................................................................................................................ 29 Indicator Framework, Focal Study Resources and Indicators ................................................. 29 Reporting Areas ....................................................................................................................... 29 General Approach and Methods .............................................................................................. 30 Chapter 4. Natural Resource Conditions .............................................................................................. 31 Air Quality .................................................................................................................................... 31 Ozone ....................................................................................................................................... 32 Atmospheric Deposition & Stress ........................................................................................... 33 Contaminants (Mercury (Hg)) ................................................................................................. 38 Visibility .................................................................................................................................. 40 Soils .............................................................................................................................................
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