National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Stones River National Battlefield Natural Resource Report NPS/STRI/NRR—2016/1141 ON THIS PAGE Native warm season grass, located south of Stones River National Battlefield visitor center Photograph by: Jeremy Aber, MTSU Geospatial Research Center ON THE COVER Karst topography in the cedar forest at the “Slaughter Pen,” Stones River National Battlefield Photograph by: Jeremy Aber, MTSU Geospatial Research Center Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Stones River National Battlefield Natural Resource Report NPS/STRI/NRR—2016/1141 Henrique Momm Zada Law Siti Nur Hidayati Jeffrey Walck Kim Sadler Mark Abolins Lydia Simpson Jeremy Aber Geospatial Research Center Department of Geosciences Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37132 February 2016 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 comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service. The series supports the advancement of science, informed decision-making, and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series also provides a forum for presenting more lengthy results that may not be accepted by publications with 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 in digital format from http://www.nature.nps.gov/water/nrca/reports.cfm and 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: Momm, H.G., Z. Law, S. N. Hidayati, J. Walck, K. Sadler, M. Abolins, L. Simpson, J. Aber. 2016. National Resource Condition Assessment for Stones River National Battlefield. Natural Resource Report NPS/STRI/NRR—2016/1141. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 327/131743, February 2016 ii Contents Page Figures.................................................................................................................................................. vii Tables .................................................................................................................................................... ix Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. xi Acknowledgments ...............................................................................................................................xiii Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................. xv 1. NRCA Background Information ........................................................................................................ 1 2. 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 .......................................................................................................... 9 2.2. Natural Resources .................................................................................................................. 11 2.2.1. Ecological Units and Watershed ................................................................................... 11 2.2.2. Resource Descriptions ................................................................................................... 13 2.2.3. Resource Issues Overview ............................................................................................. 14 2.3. Resource Stewardship ........................................................................................................... 16 2.3.1. Management Directives and Planning Guidance........................................................... 16 2.3.2. Status of Supporting Science ......................................................................................... 17 3. Study Scoping and Design ............................................................................................................... 21 3.1. Preliminary Scoping .............................................................................................................. 21 3.2. Study Design ......................................................................................................................... 22 3.2.1. Indicator Framework, Focal Study Resources, and Indicators ...................................... 22 3.2.2. Reporting Areas ............................................................................................................. 30 3.2.3. General Approach and Methods .................................................................................... 30 4. Natural Resource Conditions ........................................................................................................... 33 4.1. Air Quality ............................................................................................................................. 33 4.1.1. Ozone and Foliar Injury ................................................................................................. 33 4.1.2. Deposition of Nitrogen and Sulfur ................................................................................ 39 iii Contents (continued) Page 4.1.3. Particulate Matter and Visibility ................................................................................... 40 4.2. Weather and Climate ............................................................................................................. 43 4.2.1. Precipitation ................................................................................................................... 43 4.2.2. Temperature ................................................................................................................... 45 4.3. Geology and Soil ................................................................................................................... 48 4.4. Water Quality ........................................................................................................................ 50 4.4.1. Description .................................................................................................................... 50 4.4.2. Data and Methods .......................................................................................................... 50 4.4.3. Conditions and Trends ................................................................................................... 54 4.5. Biological Integrity ................................................................................................................ 57 4.5.1. Invasive/Exotic Plants ................................................................................................... 57 4.5.2. Wetland Communities ................................................................................................... 66 4.5.3. Freshwater Aquatic Insects ............................................................................................ 71 4.5.4. Bird Assemblages .......................................................................................................... 73 4.5.5. Cedar Glades ................................................................................................................. 76 4.5.6. Fish Assemblages .......................................................................................................... 78 4.5.7. Amphibian and Reptile Assemblages ............................................................................ 80 4.5.8. Mammal Assemblages..................................................................................................