National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/HOFU/NRR-2016/1153 ON THE COVER Photograph of Hopewell Furnace National Historical Site. Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/HOFU/NRR-2016/1153 Mary-Jane James Graduate School of Oceanography University of Rhode Island Narragansett, RI 02882 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 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: James, M. 2016. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site natural resource condition assessment. Natural Resource Report NPS/HOFU/NRR-2016/1153. National Park Service. Fort Collins. Colorado. NPS 376/131918, March 2016 ii Contents Page Figures.................................................................................................................................................. vii Tables .................................................................................................................................................... xi Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ xiv Physical Resources Summary ....................................................................................................... xv Water and Water-Related Resources ........................................................................................... xix Ecosystem Integrity ..................................................................................................................... xxi Focal Animal Communities ........................................................................................................ xxii Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................................xxiii Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................... xxv 1. NRCA Background Information ........................................................................................................ 1 2. Introduction and Resource Setting ..................................................................................................... 5 2.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 5 2.1.1. History and Enabling Legislation .................................................................................... 5 2.1.2. Geographic Setting .......................................................................................................... 6 2.1.3. Watershed ...................................................................................................................... 10 2.1.4. Geologic Setting ............................................................................................................ 10 2.1.5. Climate .......................................................................................................................... 14 2.1.6. Visitation Statistics ........................................................................................................ 14 2.2. Natural Resources Descriptions and Ecological Units .......................................................... 15 2.2.1. Physical Resources ........................................................................................................ 15 2.2.2. Water Resources ............................................................................................................ 15 2.2.3. Ecosystem Integrity and Focal Communities ................................................................ 17 2.2.4. Resources Issues Overview ........................................................................................... 19 2.3. Resource Stewardship ........................................................................................................... 19 2.3.1. Management Directives and Planning Guidance........................................................... 19 2.3.2. Status of Supporting Science ......................................................................................... 20 3. Study Scoping and Design ............................................................................................................... 27 3.1. Preliminary Scoping .............................................................................................................. 27 iii Contents (continued) Page 3.1.1. Park Involvement........................................................................................................... 27 3.2. Study Design ......................................................................................................................... 27 3.2.1. Assessment Framework and General Approach and Methods ...................................... 27 3.2.2. Reporting Areas ............................................................................................................. 29 4. Natural Resource Conditions ........................................................................................................... 31 4.1. Physical Resources ................................................................................................................ 31 4.1.1. Air Quality - Ozone ....................................................................................................... 31 4.1.2. Air Quality - Wet Deposition ........................................................................................ 39 4.1.3. Air Quality-Visibility .................................................................................................... 46 4.1.4. Night Sky Resources ..................................................................................................... 51 4.1.5. Acoustic Resources ....................................................................................................... 60 4.2. Water and Water-related Resources ...................................................................................... 71 4.2.1. Stream Water Quality .................................................................................................... 71 4.2.2. Streambed Habitat and Stream Morphology ................................................................. 81 4.2.3. Aquatic Macroinvertebrates .......................................................................................... 89 4.2.4. Fish Community .......................................................................................................... 100 4.3. Ecosystem Integrity ............................................................................................................. 107 4.3.1. Forest Communities..................................................................................................... 107 4.3.2. Agricultural Fields ....................................................................................................... 118 4.3.3. Wetlands ...................................................................................................................... 122 4.3.4. Invasive Plants ............................................................................................................. 126 4.4. Biological Integrity-Focal Animal Communities