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Number 3 -- Spring 1987

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Number 3 -- Spring 1987 I a PARK SCUENCE A RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BULLETIN NATIONAL PARK SERVICE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR VOLUME7 - NUMBER3 SPRING1987 q PARK SPRING 1987 A report to park managers of recent and on- SCIENCE going research in parks with emphasis on its NATIONAL PARK SERVICE implications for planning and management In This Issue Page Meet the New AD Meet the New AD .......................... 2 Dr. F Eugene Hester has been appointed Associate How Urban Development Near Director for Natural Resources for the Nattonal Park Parks is Affecting Streams .................. .3 Service. Before joining the Service, he was Deputy Director of the U.S. Ftsh and Wildlife Service (19% Soleduck Revegetation Project .............. .4 1967). Hester began his caleer in 1959 as Assistant Using 35mm Color Infrared Professor of Zoology at Norih Carolina State Univer- Slides to Map Vegetation .................... 5 sity In 1963, he left this position to become the leader Letters to the edltor ........................ 6 of the North Carolina Cooperative Fishery Research Unit of the USFWS. He became Chief of the Division MAB Notes ............................... 7 of Fishery Research in 1971 and later was made As- BookReview ............................. sociate Director for Research (1974-1981). Among the Tom Lucke ............................... 7 nurnelous awards Hester has received for his service The Boundary Approach to the Analysis with the Federal Government, are the Department of of Conservation of Nature Reserves .......... (8 the Interior Meritorious Service Award (1981) and a Presidential DIstinguished Rank Award (1982). Computer Corner ......................... .9 He has a B.S. from North Carolina State University, Conservation Biology Group an M.S. in wildlife biology from North Carolina State, Exhibits ‘Elastic’ Response ................. 10 and a Ph.D. in fisheries from Auburn University. He Is Our Face Red! ......................... 10 has published widely on fish genetics, fisheries man- agement, and waterfowl population dynamvx. An ac- Five-Year Plan for Biodiversity complished wildlife photographer, he has had photos Action on Track. .......................... 10 published !n and on the covel of many magazines. Information Crossfile ...................... 11 Of the many diverse natural rescuce issues in the NPS scfence sphere, Dr. Hester Indicated particular interest Regional Highlights ....................... 12 in genetic and biological dwersity, the implementation of a Servicewide strategy to collect baseline inventory and long-term monitoring information, and the ecologtcal impacts of adjacent land use changes on resources in the Panel Reviews Sequoia parks. One of Dr. Hester’s first activities will be to visit the Regions, meet with the Regional Directors, Regional Fire Management Program ................. 13 natural resource management and science staffs, and park staffs, and discuss how the Washington Offtce can Revegetation Notes ....................... 13 help them address natural resource management problems. He expressed particular interest in assuring that Research Notes .......................... 13 the necessary communications occur between managers and scientists so that manaqement decisions will be NPS Scientists Involved based on good scientific information. in Wilderness Congress .................... 14 Modified Elk ‘Cocklail’ Regional Chief Scientists Lowers Knockout Risk ..................... 14 Andenon. William H. Huff Dan NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION Meetings of Interest ....................... 14 1100 Ohio Drive. SW. P.O. Box 25027 Imagine This Guy - Washington, DC 20242 Denver. CO 60225 Using His GIS Data!. ...................... 15 6(202)342-1443 S-776-9425 (303) 236-9425 Streamside Management Proceedings ........ 15 Doltavio. Dominic Larson, James W. SOUTHEAST REGION PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION ‘The Visitor Experience’ - 75 spring St. s w. 63 S. Kmg S1. What Do We Really Mean? ................. 16 Atlanta. GA 30303 Suite 212 Equipment Ailernatives for Using SAGIS ...... 17 S-242-4916 (404) 221-4916 Seanle. WA 98104 8.399-4176 (206) 4424176 Black Bear Species/Area Relationships Karish. John R. MID ATLANTIC REGION Saukup, Michael Studied at Rocky Mountain NP .............. 16 Ferguson Bldg, Room 209-B NORTH ATLANTIC REGION In Search of a Better Feral Pig Trap: Pennsylvama Slate Univenlty 15 state street a Modification in Trap Door Designs .......... 19 University Park, PA 16602 Boston. MA o2tW 8(814,865.7974 8-635-8805 (617) 565-6805 ‘411’ Impresses Trackers with Her Native Skills ...................... 20 Kilgore, Bruce Flether, Mllford WESTERN REGION SOUTHWEST REGION HIstory, Mythology, and Limnology 450 Golden Gate Ave. PO. Box 726 of Lake Crescent, Olympic NP ............... 21 P 0 Box 36063 Santa Fe, NM 87501 Chaparral Studies at Sequma San Francisco, CA 94102 6-476-6412 (505) 966-6412 Pmvide Management Insights ............... 23 8.556.4968 (415) 556-4966 Lovaas. Allen L. Rugglero, Michael ALASKA REGION MIDWEST REGION 2525 Gambell St, Room 107 ,709 Jackson St Anchorage, AK 99503-2692 Cover: Stream gauges esfablished on Poore Creek, Omaha, NE 66102 S (907) 271-2612 Petersburg National Baniei& make poss;ble a 6-664-3436 (402) 221-3436 quantirabve evaiuat;on of storm runoff from the ur- banized watershed (see sfory page 3j. 2 How Urban Development Near Parks is Affecting Streams By James 0. Gregory, Charles A. Williams, Karl (Chuck) Smith, Chuck Rafkind, Sam Kunkle. and John Karish Urban development closing in on small park units Stream gauging and precipitation measuring sites in densely populated areas can have severe ecologi- have been established, and field measurements of cal effects on park resources. One example is con. runoff and water quality are underway (see cover). struction upstream from a park, which can cause era- Park staff are surveying cross-sections along POOre sion. flooding, siltation, and even vegetation die-off in Creek and Harrison Creeks so that long-term cross- a park. Preliminary observations indicate that secttonal measurements can be repeated and erosion Petersburg and Richmond National Battlefields, two quantified with existing park resources beyond the NPS sites in central Virginia, are cases in point. research contract period. An automatic storm-water sampler, which fills up when a stream rises during The Petersburg Study storm events, is being assembled in the park so that At Petersburg NatIonal Battlefield (NE), extensive sediment in storm runoff can be monitored. In order upstreamconstructionof highways, housing and other to evaluate pollution and erosion impacts, water sam- developments evidently IS causing excessive channel ples are being collected for analysis 01 bacterial con- Ftgura 2. Housing construction can cause erosion, erosion along Poore Creek, a small stream flowing tamination, suspended sediment, and dissolved sol- which bws as sadiment downstream during storms. through the heali of the park (Fig. 1). Unusually high ids, and benthic macminvertebrates are being sw This eroded site is onty about 100 meters from the volumes of runoff I” Poore Creek are now seen during veyed in the stream. parkboundary at Richmond Natfonaf Battlefield Parh. storms. The increased runoff is undercutting the Preliminary storm data collected to date at the posits in the park after storms, NPS personnel have stream banks, causing large trees to uproot and fall stream gauging sites indicate that Poore Creek is been working actively with the county, developers, and Inlo the stream, and has scoured out the channel to drastically affected by the urbanization: storm runoff other groups to effect better conservation practices its clay base. This is a classic example of the runoff is much higher in Poore Creek than in the control upstream. In one case, developers 01 a subdivision impacts caused by the conversion of forest and fields stream. Sewage contamination also has been found. near the park already have improved their erosion into asphalt and roofs. Such runoff water also may be It is too early to pronounce findings on channel era- control measures after park personnel pressed lor of poor quality, which can adversely affect park w- soon, which must be measured over time. sources and their use. such actton. In order to stimulate interest in more effective up- The Richmond Study Possible Conservation Measures stream conservation, the park has initiated a study of At Richmond National Battlefield Park (NBP). ur- More effective conservation measures must be im- Poore Creek’s urbanization impacts and is working in banization is having a different impact on the riparian plemented by upstream developers in order to protect cooperation with the Department of Forestry at North environment. Erosion from housing and road con- resources at both Richmond and Petersburg. De- Caroltna State University. The objective of the struction upstream apparently is sendtng increased velopers can take many kinds of conwvation actlons, Petersburg NB study is to evaluate runoff from Poore sediment loads downstream into the park’s Beaver such as leaving undeveloped “buffer” strips along Creek and its urbanized watershed of 1,230 acres to Dam Creek Unit (Fig. 2). Lossof forest cover upstream streams; using better erosion control and sediment determine if the runoff from storms is in fact abnor- also is very likely causing higher peak flows during retarding devices; building runoff retention ponds to mally high and causing the severe channel erosion. storms. Because this park unit lies in a lowland area,
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