Geospatial data related to Natural Resource Report NPS/SHEN/NRR—2016/1190

The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program aims to provide documentation about the current conditions of important park natural resources through a spatially explicit, multidisciplinary synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge. Findings from the NRCA will help Gauley River National Recreation Area (GARI) managers to develop near-term management priorities, engage in watershed or landscape scale partnership and education efforts, conduct park planning, and report program performance (e.g., Department of the Interior’s Strategic Plan “land health” goals, Government Performance and Results Act).

The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program aims to provide documentation about the current conditions of important park natural resources through a spatially explicit, multidisciplinary synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge. Findings from the NRCA will help Gauley River National Recreation Area (GARI) managers to develop near-term management priorities, engage in watershed or landscape scale partnership and education efforts, conduct park planning, and report program performance (e.g., Department of the Interior’s Strategic Plan “land health” goals, Government Performance and Results Act).

Non-biological data (habitat assessment, logger information, water quality data) for spring macroinvertebrate inventory sites at Shenandoah National Park. Dataset as delivered.

Non-biological data (habitat assessment, logger information, water quality data) for spring macroinvertebrate inventory sites at Shenandoah National Park. Dataset as delivered.

U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists completed a data collection campaign from the 26th of July to the 13th of August in 2021, using various methods to record geomorphic and habitat indicators throughout streams in the Shenandoah Valley. Field methods included GNSS surveys, gravelometer-based pebble count readings, visual assessments, and riparian analyses. This metadata record contains all recorded observations from the campaign as well as numerous summary metrics to be used in model development. Those "model-ready" data can be found in Summary_Metrics_Deliverable.csv in the parent item, while the two child items containing recorded in-channel observations and recorded survey data. Attached to this release is a data dictionary containing general information about Summary_Metrics_Deliverable.csv. This information can be found in the Summary_Metrics_Dictionary.csv file. The various data collected in this data release fall into the following categories describing both reach average and heterogeneity: - Study Information - Internal site ID - Riparian Statistics - Monarch Presence - Riparian assessment score - Riparian canopy cover - Active floodplain width - Bank Statistics - Bank erosion rates - Bank vegetation - Modified BEHI score - Total to bankfull ratio - Bank angle - Total bank height - Legacy sediment depth - In-Channel Statistics - Wetted width - Bankfull width - Bankfull height - Pebble count - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Embeddedness - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Fine sediment depth - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Water depth - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Flow type - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - In-channel canopy cover - Vegetation coverage - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Fish habitat coverage - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Woody debris - Survey Metrics - Thalweg sinuosity - Longitudinal roughness - Water surface slope - Cross section - Bankfull area - Total channel area - Total to bankfull area ratio - Cross sectional roughness - Wetted perimeter Additionally, the following child items can be found attached to this data release: - Recorded Field Observations: All unsummarized data collected by field team members from the Habitat Assessment field teams. - Recorded Survey Data: All coordinate data from surveying campaign collected by Habitat Assessment field teams. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

New River Gorge National River (NERI) is located in south-central West Virginia along an 85-km stretch of the New River within the Appalachian Mountain chain. NERI conserves the outstanding natural, scenic, and historic values of the landscape immediately surrounding, and including, the New River Gorge. This conservation extends to the New River itself—a free-flowing river that supports small-mouth bass, freshwater mussels, native fish, and rare riparian plants. The landscape surrounding the New River main stem is a mosaic of mature and maturing forests, tributary streams, floodplains, and dramatic sandstone cliffs. This landscape has been shaped by a history of human occupation and resource extraction (e.g. mining, timbering, flood control). Natural resources presented in this Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) can be divided into five general areas: air resources, geologic resources, water-related resources, plant resources, and terrestrial wildlife. Within each of these general areas, specific natural resources were assessed as follows: • Air resources– acoustic environment, night sky, visibility, ozone, sulfur and nitrogen deposition, mercury/toxics, climate change, scenic vistas • Geologic resources—mass movements, cliff communities • Water-related resources—water quality (main stem and tributaries), fish, aquatic invertebrates, salamanders • Plant resources—xeric plants (e.g. rimrock pine), mixed mesophytic forest, eastern hemlock, Appalachian flatrock/riverscour prairies, rare and medicinal plants • Terrestrial wildlife --- Allegheny woodrat, bat communities, birds, game species. The approach of this NRCA was to use existing data to evaluate the condition of natural resources at NERI. Thresholds for condition (good, moderate concern, and significant concern) were obtained from a variety of resources such as federal and state regulations (e.g. water quality criteria), peerreviewed literature, research reports, and, in some cases, best professional judgment. If possible, trends in the condition (improving, deteriorating, or unchanging) were also evaluated. Finally, an estimate of the confidence in the assessment was provided based on the quality and quantity of available information (high, medium, low confidence). The assessment of condition used standardized symbology provided by NRCA guidelines.

New River Gorge National River (NERI) is located in south-central West Virginia along an 85-km stretch of the New River within the Appalachian Mountain chain. NERI conserves the outstanding natural, scenic, and historic values of the landscape immediately surrounding, and including, the New River Gorge. This conservation extends to the New River itself—a free-flowing river that supports small-mouth bass, freshwater mussels, native fish, and rare riparian plants. The landscape surrounding the New River main stem is a mosaic of mature and maturing forests, tributary streams, floodplains, and dramatic sandstone cliffs. This landscape has been shaped by a history of human occupation and resource extraction (e.g. mining, timbering, flood control). Natural resources presented in this Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) can be divided into five general areas: air resources, geologic resources, water-related resources, plant resources, and terrestrial wildlife. Within each of these general areas, specific natural resources were assessed as follows: • Air resources– acoustic environment, night sky, visibility, ozone, sulfur and nitrogen deposition, mercury/toxics, climate change, scenic vistas • Geologic resources—mass movements, cliff communities • Water-related resources—water quality (main stem and tributaries), fish, aquatic invertebrates, salamanders • Plant resources—xeric plants (e.g. rimrock pine), mixed mesophytic forest, eastern hemlock, Appalachian flatrock/riverscour prairies, rare and medicinal plants • Terrestrial wildlife --- Allegheny woodrat, bat communities, birds, game species. The approach of this NRCA was to use existing data to evaluate the condition of natural resources at NERI. Thresholds for condition (good, moderate concern, and significant concern) were obtained from a variety of resources such as federal and state regulations (e.g. water quality criteria), peerreviewed literature, research reports, and, in some cases, best professional judgment. If possible, trends in the condition (improving, deteriorating, or unchanging) were also evaluated. Finally, an estimate of the confidence in the assessment was provided based on the quality and quantity of available information (high, medium, low confidence). The assessment of condition used standardized symbology provided by NRCA guidelines.

U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists completed a data collection campaign from the 26th of July to the 13th of August in 2021, using various methods to record geomorphic and habitat indicators throughout streams in the Shenandoah Valley. Field methods included GNSS surveys, gravelometer-based pebble count readings, visual assessments, and riparian analyses. This metadata record contains all recorded observations from the campaign as well as numerous summary metrics to be used in model development. Those "model-ready" data can be found in Typ1_Summary_Metrics.csv in the parent item, while the two child items containing recorded in-channel observations and recorded survey data. Attached to this release is a data dictionary containing general information about Typ1_Summary_Metrics.csv. This information can be found in the Summary_Metrics_Dictionary.csv file. The various data collected in this data release fall into the following categories describing both reach average and heterogeneity: - Study Information - Internal site ID - Riparian Statistics - Monarch Presence - Riparian assessment score - Riparian canopy cover - Active floodplain width - Bank Statistics - Bank erosion rates - Bank vegetation - Modified BEHI score - Total to bankfull ratio - Bank angle - Total bank height - Legacy sediment depth - In-Channel Statistics - Wetted width - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Bankfull width - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Bankfull height - Pebble count - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Embeddedness - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Fine sediment depth - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Water depth - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Flow type - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - In-channel canopy cover - Vegetation coverage - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Fish habitat coverage - Average - Heterogeneity metrics - Woody debris - Survey Metrics - Thalweg sinuosity - Longitudinal roughness - Water surface slope - Cross section - Bankfull area - Total channel area - Total to bankfull area ratio - Cross sectional roughness - Wetted perimeter Additionally, the following child items can be found attached to this data release: - Recorded Field Observations: All unsummarized data collected by field team members from the Habitat Assessment field teams. - Recorded Survey Data: All coordinate data from surveying campaign collected by Habitat Assessment field teams. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Shenandoah National Park contains hundreds of natural springs which help form the headwaters of three major watersheds that empty into Chesapeake Bay. Virginia Tech partnered with the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring program to sample macroinvertebrates and environmental measures related to water quality, habitat availability, and human use at 63 springs within the park, of which, 59 could were assessed and analyzed. The goals of this inventory were to assess the distributions of macroinvertebrates across springs in the park. Additionally, we sought to determine whether macroinvertebrate diversity and the presence of rare taxa have been impacted by modifications made to springs and/or by visitor use. We identified 205 unique taxa across the 59 springs. Of those taxa, we identified 17 rare taxa using NatureServe’s Conservation Status Rank. Rare taxa were present in 32 springs, 19 of which were modified and 13 were unmodified. Class Insecta represented 90% of rare taxa that were mostly in orders Trichoptera, Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera and Odonata. There was no difference in total taxa richness or abundance between the spring types. Richness and abundance for all taxa and for rare taxa were greater, on average, in modified springs; however, these differences were not statistically significant. The diversity of spring types, locations and habitats appear to support a diversity of species that are not being negatively affected by visitor usage or spring box infrastructure. The springs provide a regional species pool at high density that are likely source populations for the headwater streams.