Fort Monroe National Monument (VA): Natural Resource Condition Assessment NPS/FOMR/NRR—2018/1604 - related geospatial data

Fort Monroe National Monument is located at the tip of the Virginia Peninsula in Hampton, Virginia. The area known as Old Point Comfort was formed from a modified barrier island system, and is connected to Buckroe Beach in the north via a narrow sand spit. The beaches were formed by longshore drift, are partially protected by dunes, and are an important ecological and recreational asset. The site includes the largest stone fort built in the United States and was formally added to the National Park System in 2011, recognizing millennia of human interactions with this landscape. 

Natural resources within the 325-acre park boundary include an ecologically diverse and productive saltmarsh cordgrass wetlands within Mill Creek. Marsh birds, shorebirds, songbirds, and other bird species can be observed in the park in greater abundance and diversity than any other group of animals. The park is home to approximately 30 species of mammals and 250 species of plants. Over 130 southern live oaks (Quercus virginiana), including the nearly 500-year old Algernourne oak, are characteristic of the historic monument. Management issues of concern include rising sea level, the effects of increasingly frequent and intense coastal storms, history of military use, water quality degradation, introduction of exotic species, air pollution, habitat fragmentation, and the impacts of recreational use.

Natural Resource Condition Assessments (NRCAs) assess and report on park resource conditions and are meant to complement traditional issue and threat-based resource assessments. NRCAs report on current conditions, trends, and critical data gaps for a subset of park natural resource indicators. This analysis is designed to help park managers as they think about near-term workload priorities, frame data and study needs for important park resources, and communicate messages about park natural resources to varied audiences. The goal of this report is to deliver science-based information that is credible and has practical uses for a variety of park decision-making, planning, and partnership activities. 

Data for the NRCA were compiled for the park to assess four different categories of resources (air, water, biota, and landscape) and to calculate an overall park-level condition score. Data sets were obtained from multiple divisions within the National Park Service (NPS) including the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Inventory and Monitoring (NPS I&M) Program, the Air Resources Division, and the park itself. Other important sources of data included the Fort Monroe Authority, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the City of Hampton, the Boy Scouts of America, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Additional expertise was provided by Fort Monroe officials and experts who have worked in the park and surrounding area.

Strong collaboration with park staff was essential to the success of this assessment. Project collaboration and exchange of data occurred throughout the project by way of scoping meetings, site visits, and follow-up conference calls. Outcomes of these discussions helped identify natural resources to be included in the assessment, identify key indicators to assess the condition of these resources, assign desired or target values for the indicators, and interpret findings. These meetings also provided the context of current conditions and background information not necessarily available in published form.

Although the park is not part of any NPS I&M networks at this time, efforts were made to select indicators consistent with those used in that program. NPS I&M ecological monitoring aggregates indicators into broad ‘vital signs’ categories including the following four, which formed the basis of the Fort Monroe NRCA: Air Quality, Water Quality, Biotic Integrity, and Landscape Dynamics.

Tags: fomr, fort-monroe-national-monument, natural-resource-condition-assessment, natural-resources, nrca, park-resources, virginia
Organization: Department of the Interior