Judd Patterson

The NPSdataverse is a suite of R packages developed to create, document, publish, and access data and metadata in open and machine-readable formats. NPSdataverse is modeled off of the tidyverse concept of several packages built with a common goal (Wickham et al., 2019). The NPSdataverse supports Ecological Metadata Language (EML) metadata and .csv data files. Some of the constituent R packages (EML and EMLassemblyline) are general-use and aimed at authoring EML documents. Other R packages (QCkit, EMLeditor, DPchecker and NPSutils) are designed and maintained by the National Park Service (NPS). Although many functions within the NPSdataverse packages are NPS-specific (particularly some API calls), whenever possible the functions are written so that they can also be used by the general public. Scientists conducting permitted research in NPS units can utilize the NPSdataverse to efficiently and consistently meet the data delivery requirements of their permits. Additionally, the packages will be useful for data management plans in a wide variety of grant proposals and for anyone that needs to create open data and machine-readable metadata. The ability to swiftly and easily author, edit, and check Ecological Metadata Language (EML) metadata in a reproducible fashion will be useful for data publication at any number of repositories or data journals. Finally, a scripted interface for downloading NPS data and leveraging metadata while loading it into R or other platforms for subsequent analyses and visualizations will be useful to researchers in the government, academia, and industry as well as the public.

Data release report for fish species observation tables from Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Exotic plant populations can be potentially catastrophic to the natural communities of South Florida. Aggressive exotics such as Brazillian Pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) and Melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquinervia) have displaced native habitats and formed monocultures of exotic stands (Dalrymple et al. 2003). Nearby plant nurseries, especially the ones outside the boundaries of Biscayne National Park (BISC) and Everglades National Park (EVER), are a continuous source of new exotic species that may become established within South Florida’s national parks. Early detection and rapid response to these new species of exotic plants is important to maintaining the integrity of the parks’ natural habitats and is a cost-effective approach to management. The South Florida/Caribbean Network (SFCN) developed the South Florida/Caribbean Network Early Detection Protocol for Exotic Plants to target early detection of these potential invaders. Three national parks of South Florida are monitored for invasive, exotic plants using this protocol: Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY), Biscayne National Park (BISC), and Everglades National Park (EVER). These national parks include some 2,411,000 acres (3,767.2 square miles [mi2]) that encompass a variety of habitat types. To monitor the entire area for new species would not be feasible; therefore the basic approach of this protocol is to scan major “corridors of invasiveness,” e.g., paved and unpaved roads, trails, trail heads, off road vehicle (ORV) trails, boat ramps, canals, and campgrounds, for exotic plant species new to the national parks of South Florida. Sampling is optimized using a two- to three-person crew: a trained botanist, a certified herbicide applicator, and optionally a SFCN (or IPMT [Invasive Plant Management Team]) staff member or park staff to take photographs and help with data collection. If infestations are small, they are treated immediately by the herbicide applicator. If large, they are reported to park staff and the Invasive Plant Management Team. The sampling domain is partitioned into five regions, with one region sampled per year. Regions include the terrestrial habitats of Biscayne National Park, the eastern region of Everglades National Park, the western region of Everglades National Park, the northern region of Big Cypress National Preserve, and the southern region of Big Cypress National Preserve. Monitoring of roads, trails, and canals occurs while traveling into and through the parks (i.e., travel at 2–10 mph) using motorized vehicles, airboats, and/or hiking. Campgrounds, boat launches, trailheads, and similar areas, involve complete searches. When an exotic plant is observed, a GPS location is obtained, and coordinates are taken of the plant. Photographs are not taken for every exotic plant encountered, but photographs will be taken for new and unusual species (for example a coastal exotic found in inland habitats). Information recorded at each location includes the species name, size of infestation, abundance, cover class, any treatment/control action taken, and relevant notes. During the surveys, a GPS “track” is also recorded to document the areas surveyed and a field of view is estimated. Field notes, pictures, and GPS data are compiled, entered, and analyzed in a Microsoft Access database. Resource briefs (and optional data summary reports) and associated shapefiles and data are then produced and sent to contacts within the corresponding national parks.

The vegetation map of Dry Tortugas National Park was created by in-field polygon delineation instead of the more common photointerpretation of aerial imagery. Using the Trimble GeoXT GPS device in the field allowed the production of a finely detailed vegetation map (vegetation census) for Loggerhead Key, Garden Key, Bush Key, East Key, Long Key, Middle Key, and Hospital Key. The Dry Tortugas vegetation maps were made using the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) zone 17 North coordinate system and the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) with a minimum mapping unit of 25 m². The SFCN developed a vegetation classification in congruence with the vegetation map of Dry Tortugas National Park. The Dry Tortugas vegetation classification conforms to the Rutchey et al. (2006) South Florida Vegetation Classification System coupled with the vegetation communities unique to the Dry Tortugas. The final vegetation map has a total of 41 mapping classes and 438 polygons with a total land area of 39.4 hectares. At the physiognomic level, Dry Tortugas vegetation map included 3 Woodland classes, 8 Shrubland classes, 5 Scrub classes, 20 Dune classes, 3 Sparse Vegetation classes, and 2 Non-Vegetative classes.

This brochure illustrates the status and trends of coral reefs in eight national park units from two networks (Pacific Island and South Florida/Caribbean networks). Descriptions of coral communities and their threats as well as management actions in each park are discussed.

To facilitate collaboration, information sharing, and economies of scale in inventory and monitoring, the NPS organized the more than 270 parks with significant natural resources into 32 ecoregional networks. The South Florida/Caribbean Inventory and Monitoring Network (SFCN) is composed of seven parks in South Florida and the U. S. Virgin Islands: Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY), Biscayne National Park (BISC), Buck Island Reef National Monument (BUIS), Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO), Everglades National Park (EVER), Salt River Bay National Historical Site and Ecological Preserve (SARI), and Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS). The network monitoring program is designed to complement, not replace, existing park and other agency monitoring programs. Funding for the SFCN supports a core, professional staff who conduct the day-to-day activities of the network and who collaborate with staff from the seven parks and other programs and agencies to implement an integrated long-term program to monitor the highest-priority vital signs.