Appalachian Trail Environmental Monitoring and the AT MEGA-Transect Program

New Appalachian Trail Environmental Monitoring web site is now on-line

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 14:25:07 -0400

The Northeast Temperate Network has released a new website that is devoted to environmental monitoring activities related to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The site is similar to an I&M Network web page, but is designed to serve and distribute information about A.T. focused activities.

Appalachian Trail Environmental Monitoring Newsletter, August 25, 2009

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:46:08 -0400

Recent highlights about environmental monitoring along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail

A.T. Vital Signs Coordinator Contributes to Appalachian Trail Resource Management Plan

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:31:15 -0400

Fred Dieffenbach collaborated with Appalachian Trail Park Office staff by writing the water quality section of the A.T. resource management plan. The section relies on publicly available information from the U.S. EPA to provide baseline nutrient values for lakes and ponds found throughout the Appalachian Trail region. The section is currently undergoing review and is not publicly available. If you would like to review the document, please contact Fred Dieffenbach.

Two Countries One Forest Conference to Explore Opportunities to Conserve the Northern Appalachian/Acadian Ecoregion

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:25:49 -0400

Two Countries, One Forest (2C1Forest) is holding Conference in Montreal, Quebec entitled: Crossing Boundaries and Connecting Landscapes: Conserving the Northern Appalachian/Acadian Ecoregion. The conference is intended to launch a science-based, systematic approach to conserve and restore the ecoregion. Due to scheduling conflict, the Appalachian Trail Environmental Coordinator cannot attend, but will investigate future collaborative opportunities.

Introduction the the A.T. MEGA-Transect Enters Final Stage Prior to Publication

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:15:58 -0400

The baseline report intended to introduce the A.T. MEGA-Transect Coordination Team to a broad audience is expected to be published by mid-December. The report is in the final format stage, and will be subjected to a final round of "high level" review prior to publication according to Caroline Dufour.

A.T. Environmental Monitoring Coordinator Attends Appalachian Trail New England Regional Partnership Meeting

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:20:18 -0400

On Saturday, October 27, Fred Dieffenbach met with trail club representatives from the New England region to discuss key issues related to Appalachian Trail Management. For many at the meeting, it was the first time they had an opportunity to hear first hand about the A.T. MEGA-Transect Program.

A.T. MEGA-Transect Presented at Annual Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMAB) Conference

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:25:47 -0400

SAMAB held it's 2007 annual meeting in Johnson City, TN between October 22 and 24. The conference was titled the "Summit on the Summits," focusing primarily on issues of concern to the Roan Mountain Massif, an area through which the Appalachian Trail traverses. Fred Dieffenbach participated in a session facilitated by John Peine, USGS, that discussed Information Technology and Data Management in relation to Natural Resource Management. Laura Belleville, ATC Central and Southern Virginia Regional Director, presented a poster detailing the A.T. MEGA-Transect program.

A.T. Environmental Monitoring Coordinator Attends Appalachian Trail Virginia Regional Partnership Meeting

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:20:18 -0400

On Saturday, October 13, Fred Dieffenbach met with trail club representatives from the central and southern Virginia region to discuss key issues related to Appalachian Trail Management. For many at the meeting, it was the first time they had an opportunity to hear first hand about the A.T. MEGA-Transect Program.

A.T. Environmental Monitoring Coordinator Attends NPS Trail to Every Classroom Workshop

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:09:22 -0400

On Friday October 12, Fred Dieffenbach attended one day of this year's fall Mid-Atlantic Region Trail to Every Classroom (TTEC) workshop. Teachers from states ranging from North Carolina through Pennsylvania explored opportunities to use the A.T. as an outdoor learning environment. Programs like TTEC are expected to become key elements of the A.T. MEGA-Transect Citizen Science program.

A.T. MEGA-Transect Presented at 2007 Organization of Fish and Wildlife Information Managers Annual Conference

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:48:04 -0400

On September 18, Fred Dieffenbach and Don Owen jointly presented the A.T. MEGA-Transect during the opening session of the 2007 Organization of Fish and Wildlife Information Managers (OFWIM) Annual Conference. OFWIM is an international non-profit association dedicated to the management and conservation of natural resources through technology and information exchange.

Appalachian Trail Funding Case Statement Completed

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:04:06 -0400

A multi-tiered funding strategy document was prepared for the Appalachian Trail by Destry Jarvis. The document argues that funding is necessary to adequately support the Trail into the future, and concentrates on 8 specific areas, one of which is funding to support the A.T. MEGA-Transect. The document is not publicly available at this time. For more information contact Fred Dieffenbach.

National Phenology Network Citizen Science Lead Inquires About A.T. MEGA-Transect

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 13:56:27 -0400

Dr. Kayri Havens, Chicago Botanic Garden, contacted Fred Dieffenbach to explore possible collaborative opportunities between her group, the National Phenology Network and the A.T. MEGA-Transect. More to come. . .

Eligible Centennial Matching Fund Proposals Announced and AT MEGA-Transect Prominently Highlighted

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:39:46 -0400

On Thursday August 23, NPS Director Bomar and DOI Secretary Kempthorne announced the proposals eligible for FY 2008 centennial challenge matching funds. The AT MEGA-Transect and the Trail to Every Classroom program were among the projects highlighted in the announcement.

New Appalachian Trail Environmental Monitoring Coordinator Speaks During Long-Trail Festival Opening Ceremonies

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:28:03 -0400

The new Appalachian Trail Environmental Monitoring Coordinator, Fred Dieffenbach joined the Mayor of Rutland, Mr. Chris Louras and the Executive Director of the Green Mountain Club, Mr. Ben Rose to welcome attendees to the 1st Long Trail Festival. The theme of the festival was "Walking Gently on the Earth," and brought a mix of local musicians and performers together

Appalachian Trail Visitor Use Study

Wed, 8 Aug 2007 11:34:14 -0400

The National Park Service has partnered with The Pioneering Research Unit of the USFS Southern Research Station in Athens, Georgia, to design a statistically valid, reliable, and uniform method of collecting and reporting public use data for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

The Appalachian Trail: No one walks alone (multimedia extras)

Tue, 7 Aug 2007 12:19:14 -0400

Hikers often seek solitude along the trail, but many people pitch in to ease the difficult journey, giving the path a colorful culture all its own. Stories by Darrin Youker, Photos by Ben Hasty Reading Eagle

The Appalachian Trail: A trail of two views (multimedia extras)

Mon, 6 Aug 2007 12:18:20 -0400

Mounting development shrinks the gap between nature and sprawl, leaving the Appalachian Trail in danger. Hikers are not the only ones with reason to worry. Stories by Darrin Youker, Photos by Ben Hasty Reading Eagle

ATC Teams up with World Water Monitoring Day

Fri, 3 Aug 2007 14:09:08 -0400

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has partnered with the Water Environment Federation to facilitate volunteer participation for water resources sampling along the entire A.T. during World Water Monitoring Day. Data collected from A.T. volunteers will be extracted from the World Water Monitoring database and analyzed.

Green Mountain National Forest Long-term Ecosystem Monitoring (LEMP)

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 09:19:15 -0400

On April 23, 2007 Fred Dieffenbach and Matt Stevens (ATC) met with key members of the Green Mountain National Forest Long-term Ecosystem Monitoring (LEMP) team to investigate potential collaborative opportunities. LEMP is a program that GMNF is creating to more intensively investigate the status of certain specific community types.

State of the Trail -- Introduction to the Appalachian Trail MEGA-Transect Report

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:44:52 -0400

The AT MEGA-Transect Coordination team has assembled a series of 11 topic specific summaries that will discuss, in general terms, the significance of each from an ecological monitoring perspective. The first round of reviews was completed in late June, and the team plans to complete the report in advance of the 1st anniversary of the 2006 AT Environmental Monitoring symposium.

Rare, Threatened and Endangered (RTE) Species Monitoring Program Review

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:47:19 -0400

Staff at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy are continuing to work on the RTE program review despite contractual delays. The lead reviewer is in the process of developing a comprehensive program summary document that will be used during the review, and will likely evolve into a monitoring protocol.

Centennial Challenge

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:44:36 -0400

The Appalachian Trail Park Office (ATPO) collaborated with the Northeast Temperate Network (NETN) and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) to develop a Centennial Challenge proposal requesting three years of funding to support a Director for the AT MEGA-Transect program. ATC has pledge matching funds.

Appalachian Trail Environmental Coordinator Selected

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:12:34 -0400

Following a long hiring process, the Northeast Temperate Network filled its AT Vital Signs Coordinator position. Fred Dieffenbach has accepted the position, and will officially begin working as the AT Vital Signs Coordinator on August 5. In addition to his duties as NETN Data Manager, Fred has been providing his leadership and expertise to the A.T. MEGA-Transect and other Appalachian Trail inventory and monitoring projects for years. As many of you know, filling this position has been a long (almost two years) process, and when we advertised the position this year we had over 100 applicants. His successful competition for this position is a testament to his broad biological background, enthusiasm for scientifically-based monitoring of the Appalachian Trail, leadership and collaboration skills, and proven ability to manage multiple complex projects. Fred will continue to be based in Woodstock, Vermont, and he will be traveling regularly in order to stay in touch with the A.T. community.

Landscape Change

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:47:09 -0400

A draft report for this project was received and is currently out for external review.

East Stroudsburg University Small Mammal Study

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:45:24 -0400

Howard Sandy Whidden, the primary investigator, submitted a draft final report along with a complete data set for this small mammal inventory project. Dr. Whidden is in the process of reconciling the final editorial comments and we anticipate that the final report will be delivered by the end of August.

Vegetation Mapping

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 09:47:58 -0400

Over a year ago NatureServe began the process of acquiring as much existing data from the AT corridor as possible. With the exception of a handful of plots from New Hampshire and Maine, the task is complete and has yielded far more data than expected. NatureServe has acquired 410 vegetation plots, 392 of which have been crosswalked to the National Vegetation classification, and have data for 461 vascular plant element occurrences and 309 rare and/or exemplary ecological communities.

Acquiring this data will enable NatureServe to thoroughly evaluate sampling needs to complete the classification, and they hope that this can be completed for natural vegetation over the next two years. Currently, field work is being completed in Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.

Preliminary Discussions with Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:07:01 -0400

Fred Dieffenbach spoke with Dr. Robert Waide, LTER Program Director, about opportunities to collaborate on ecological monitoring projects. Dr. Waide enthusiastically embraced the idea, and agreed to speak with his colleagues at Hubbard Brook and Coweeta Hydrologic Lab, both of which are in close proximity to the Appalachian Trail. Dr. Waide was intrigued by the potential of the AT MEGA-Transect to utilize volunteers for large scale monitoring efforts.

Decision Support System Proposal to NASA

Fri, 25 May 2007 10:25:16 -0400

A team of collaborators, lead by Dr. Y.Q. Wang at the University of Rhode Island, submitted a proposal to NASA for funding to develop a data analysis and decision support system for monitoring and reporting ecological health along the Appalachian Trail Mega-Transect (ATMT). If funded, the ATMT decision support system (ATMT-DSS) will use a combination of NASA Earth-Sun System (ESS) data products, in situ field measurements, simulation models, and internet visualization and dissemination utilities to support data interpretation and decision making capacities.
The decision on whether to fund the proposal is anticipated during early 2008.

Water Resources Inventory

Wed, 16 May 2007 09:47:49 -0400

The National Park Service Water Resource Division has agreed, in concept, to fund a Level I water quality inventory of the Appalachian Trail. The initial plan is to consider having the USGS conduct the inventory because of their water quality expertise and network of field offices in the states along the Trail. Keith Robinson from the Vermont and New Hampshire Water Science Center has expressed an interest in doing some water quality work along the Trail, and he might be willing and able to coordinate the water quality inventory.

AT MEGA-Transect Status

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:26:00 -0400

Fred Dieffenbach along with Don Owen (A.T. Park Office) and Laura Belleville (ATC) have been leading the AT MEGA-Transect Coordination Team. A steering committee has been formed that is helping the coordinating team develop a strategy for hiring a permanent director for this program. The various working groups for the MEGA-Transect are working on developing content for Introducing the A.T. MEGA-Transect, a publication and web site that will provide the general public with information about this developing program.

RTE Program Review

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:28:54 -0400

NETN is funding a review (led by the ATC) of the Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species Program that is run jointly by ATC and the ATPO. This program has never had a comprehensive review, and a review is warranted since the program will likely be a flagship program for the A.T. MEGA-Transect. The program review should be complete by the end of the fiscal year, in time for the USGS to begin developing an on-line data entry system for this program (part of the NBII).

WQ Program

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:30:21 -0400

Like the RTE program, the existing ATC Water Quality program is also in need of a comprehensive review, since it will also likely be a flagship MEGA-Transect program. NETN is currently investigating possibilities for this review.

Other Projects

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:31:27 -0400

Several other projects are in various stages of conception and implementation. Bill McShea of the Smithsonian is implementing a volunteer-based mammal inventory in Virginia, using wildlife cameras. Ken Stolte with the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis program is working to build support for the A.T. as a special project of the FIA program. If he is successful, the Forest Service may be willing to fully fund the installation and monitoring of about 200 plots along the trail, with all of the resulting data (including plot locations) shared with the NPS. Dan Lambert of the American Bird Conservancy is working on a program for monitoring mountain birds in the Northeast; this program could have direct application to monitoring mountain bird species along the trail. Y.Q. Wang is working on a proposal to NASA to incorporate remote sensing capacity into a Decision Support System for the A.T. Finally, the ATPO and NETN submitted a Centennial Challenge pre-proposal to the NPS Northeast Region, that would fund citizen science engagement and educational outreach along the Trail.

AT MEGA-Transect Coordination Team

Fri, 5 Jan 2007 09:38:57 -0400

Fred Dieffenbach and Brian Mitchell have been actively working with the A.T. Park Office, ATC, USGS, and USFS as the organization of the Mega-Transect is taking shape. The primary leadership group for this effort is the Coordination Team, and this group is currently being led by Fred, Don Owen of ATPO, and Laura Belleville of ATC. I am also serving on this team, as are other representatives from USGS, ATC, and the USFS, as well as Jennifer Shirk (Cornell University) and Mari Omland (for those of you who have not heard, Mari Omland is no longer with the ATC, but she is continuing to be involved with the Mega-Transect). A major focus of recent discussions has been how scientific the monitoring will be along the Trail.

Appalachian Trail Environmental Monitoring Symposium

Fri, 5 Jan 2007 09:36:38 -0400

The biggest event over the last few months was the Appalachian Trail Environmental Monitoring Symposium, also known as the AT Mega-Transect. The meeting brought together over 60 people from government agencies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations that have an interest in the Trail. The meeting generated a lot of excitement, including a favorable article that was written by an AP reporter and was picked up by most major newspapers in the US (and a number of international papers) around Thanksgiving. National Geographic explorer Michael Fay has agreed to hike part of the trail sometime in the next few years, and this will be a big publicity boost for monitoring the Trail. In addition, the publicity surrounding the symposium generated a swarm of offers from members of the public who are interested in citizen-based monitoring of the Trail.

Appalachian Trail Vital Sign Report Now Available On-line

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 15:21:49 -0400

The Northeast Temperate Network coordinated with a series of technical experts to identify and describe a series of eleven ecological vital signs that are important to the long-term ecological health of the Appalachian Trail.