Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Natural Resource Report NPS/NCBN/NRR-2013/617 ON THE COVER View of Cold Spring Harbor from the bridge over the Eel Creek salt marsh at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. Photograph by MJ James-Pirri. Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Natural Resource Report NPS/NCBN/NRR-2013/617 Mary-Jane James-Pirri Graduate School of Oceanography University of Rhode Island Narragansett, RI 02882 January 2013 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. Data in this report were collected and analyzed using methods based on established, peer- reviewed protocols and were analyzed and interpreted within the guidelines of the protocols. This report received formal, high-level peer review based on the importance of its content, or its potentially controversial or precedent-setting nature. Peer review was conducted by highly qualified individuals with subject area technical expertise and was overseen by a peer review manager. 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 IRMA Data Store (https://irma.nps.gov) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). Please cite this publication as: James-Pirri, M. J. 2013. Natural resource condition assessment for Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCBN/NRR-2013/617. National Park Service. Fort Collins. Colorado. NPS 419/119622, January 2013 ii Contents Page Figures............................................................................................................................................. v Tables ............................................................................................................................................ vii Appendices ..................................................................................................................................... ix Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... xi Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... xv Chapter 1. NRCA Background Information ................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2. Introduction and Resource Setting ................................................................................ 5 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.1.1 Enabling Legislation .................................................................................................. 5 2.1.2 Geographic Setting..................................................................................................... 5 2.1.3 Visitation Statistics .................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Natural Resources .............................................................................................................. 8 2.2.1 Ecological Units and Watershed ................................................................................ 8 2.2.2 Natural Resource Descriptions ................................................................................ 11 2.2.3 Resource Issues Overview ....................................................................................... 12 2.3 Resource Stewardship ...................................................................................................... 16 2.3.1 Management Directives and Planning Guidance ..................................................... 16 2.3.2 Status of Supporting Science ................................................................................... 16 2.4 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................ 20 Chapter 3 Study Scoping and Design ........................................................................................... 23 3.1 Preliminary Scoping ........................................................................................................ 23 3.1.1 Reporting Areas, Indicator framework, and General Approach .............................. 23 Chapter 4 Natural Resource Conditions ....................................................................................... 25 iii Contents (continued) Page 4.1 Biological Integrity .......................................................................................................... 25 4.1.1 Upland Vegetation Community ............................................................................... 25 4.1.2 Salt Marsh Vegetation Community ......................................................................... 43 4.1.3 Managed Field Vegetation ....................................................................................... 49 4.1.4 Avian Community .................................................................................................... 53 4.1.5 Herpetofauna Community ........................................................................................ 59 4.1.6 Mammal Community ............................................................................................... 65 4.1.7 Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Community ................................................ 70 4.1.8 Salt Marsh Nekton Community ............................................................................... 76 4.2 Physical Integrity ............................................................................................................. 81 4.2.1 Freshwater Quality and Quantity ............................................................................. 81 4.2.2 Estuarine Water Quality ........................................................................................... 86 4.2.3 Geologic and Coastal Resources .............................................................................. 94 4.2.4 Air Quality-Ozone ................................................................................................. 103 4.2.5 Air Quality-Wet Deposition ................................................................................... 108 4.2.6 Air Quality-Visibility ............................................................................................. 113 4.2.7 Night Sky and Natural Lightscape ......................................................................... 116 4.2.8 Soundscape ............................................................................................................ 118 Chapter 5 Discussion .................................................................................................................. 121 5.1 The Park ......................................................................................................................... 121 5.2 Resource Synopsis ......................................................................................................... 122 5.3 Potential Research and Monitoring Activities ............................................................... 125 iv Figures Page Figure 1. Location of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.......................................................... 6 Figure 2. Average annual (top graph) and monthly (bottom graph) visitation statistics for SAHI.......................................................................................................................................... 7 Figure 3. Map of Northern Long Island watershed, location of SAHI, and Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge. ............................................................................................................... 9 Figure 4. Land cover from the 2006 National Land Cover Database . ........................................ 10 Figure 5. Primary natural resource types at SAHI. ...................................................................... 13 Figure 6. Sampling locations of natural resource studies or inventories at SAHI.