Forest Sciences Commons^™

Assessing The Impact Of Mercury Bioaccumulation In Mammoth Cave National Park, Cahtleen Webb

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

This project will examine the fate and transport of mercury in Mammoth Cave National Park, which has an extensive karst ecosystem. Contaminant transport in karst systems (limestone based surface geology) is rapid and extensive. Mercury’s mobility in surface and ground water is of great concern due to its toxicity and ability to bio-magnify within food chains. However, mercury interacts with limestone, thus impairing its mobility. A number of federally listed species are declining in the parks. Further, Kentucky has issued a statewide mercury fish consumption advisory. With eight new coal-fired power plant applications under consideration in Kentucky, the potential exists …

Establishment Of Long-Term Forest Vegetation Monitoring Plots Within Mammoth Cave National Park, Bill Moore, Teresa Leibfreid, Rickie White

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Beginning in 2011, the Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN) of the National Park Service (NPS) in cooperation with NatureServe, began monitoring forested vegetation communities within all 14 network parks, including Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA). The primary objectives of this effort are to: detect meaningful changes in species composition and vegetation structure within each park’s forested habitat and determine whether these changes are correlated with trends in “key stressors.” Thus far, 16 permanent long-term monitoring plots have been established within MACA. An additional 16 plots will be established in 2013- 2014. Within the permanent plots, data are collected on forest structure; …

A Functional Visual System In The Cave Beetle Ptomaphagus Hirtus, Markus Friedrich, Rui Chen, Elke K. Buschbeck, Stewart Peck

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Cave species exhibit a suite of dramatic differences in comparison to their surface living relatives, commonly referred to as troglomorphy (Christiansen 2005). One hallmark feature of troglomorphy is the severe reduction or complete loss of eyes and functional vision. The two most abundant cave beetle species in Mammoth cave, the 2-3 mm small carrion beetle Ptomaphagus hirtus (Packard 1888; Peck 1973; Peck 1975; Tellkampf 1844) and the 6-8 mm long predatory ground beetle Neaphaenops tellkampfii are good examples of this (Barr 1979). P. hirtus tends to hide in crevices and usually goes unnoted to the regular visitor of Mammoth cave. …

Disjunct Eastern Hemlock Populations Of The Central Hardwood Forests: Ancient Relicts Or Recent Long Distance Dispersal Events?, F. Collin Hobbs, Keith Clay

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is an evergreen conifer with a contiguous distribution extending from the southern Appalachian Mountains north to Nova Scotia and west across the Great Lakes region. Eastern hemlock is threatened with extirpation from much of this range by an introduced pest, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Orwig et al. 2002). In addition to the contiguous distribution, many small, isolated populations are located within the central hardwood forest region of Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio (Braun 1928, Potzger and Friesner 1937, Van Stockum 1979). These disjunct populations form clearly delineated, often monospecific stands associated with unique natural features such as …

Breeding Bird Survey Summary From Mammoth Cave National Park, 1995 - 2012, Steve Kistler

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Breeding bird surveys are used by ornithologists to study the variations in bird populations across the United States and Canada. Initiated in 1966, the surveys were originally created by Chandler Robbins and colleagues to study the effects of pesticide use on bird populations.

Today, these data are used to monitor changes in avian populations due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, land-use changes, and chemical contamination. The administration of these surveys is jointly run by the US Geological Survey and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Almost fifty years of continuous surveying also provides excellent baseline data which can be used to determine …

Landscape Genetics Of The Marbled Salamander, Ambystoma Opacum, In A Nationally Protected Park, Kevin Tewell, Jarrett Johnson

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Landscape features may influence the patterns of migration and dispersal of amphibian species and create genetic structure. A primary goal of landscape genetics is to analyze these influences in order to make more informed management decisions. We sampled larvae from 50 breeding ponds within the boundaries of Mammoth Cave National Park and genotyped 12 individuals per pond at 10 microsatellite loci to estimate gene fl ow between ponds. We used GIS layers of habitat types to conduct a least-cost path analysis and determine the relative cost of movement through each habitat type. We were interested in answering two questions: does …

Evaluating Interactions Between River Otters And Muskrats At Bridge Crossings In Kentucky, Ryan Williamson, Joseph Clark

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) prey on freshwater mussels in the Green River within Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA), many species of which are threatened or endangered. Reportedly, muskrat populations have been reduced in some streams where North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) were reintroduced and it has been suggested that river otter reintroduction at MACA might help conserve endangered mussels. To test that idea, we used occupancy estimation methods to evaluate the ecological relationship between muskrats and otters by collecting presence/absence data based on field sign found at bridge crossings in eastern and central Kentucky. Mean detection (p) and occupancy probabilities …

Mammoth Cave In Poetry: Davis Mccombs’ Ultima Thule, Judith Hatchett

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Davis McCombs, former Mammoth Cave park ranger, received the Yale Younger Poets Award for Ultima Thule, his collection of poems based on his experiences in and with Mammoth Cave, not only of his actual experiences as ranger and cave explorer, but also of the history of the cave, including poems in the voice of Stephen Bishop, cave explorer, cave guide, and also a slave. The detail of McCombs’ examination produces what poet W.S. Merwin called “a grave, attentive holding of a light.” In a sense, his poetry illuminates the cave the way ancient torches and modern lighting have done. This …

First Underground Photograph Taken In America, Wm. Gross Magee

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

The presentation covers the work of Charles Waldack in Mammoth Cave. Waldack took the first underground photographs in America. He was the pioneer of using magnesium as a light source for cave photography. It explores the who, why, when, where and how of his images in the cave. It covers the recreation of his stereo views in the cave showing the same views taken nearly 150 years apart.

Archaeological Investigations For Proposed Trail Rehabilitation Within Mammoth Cave, Steven R. Ahler, George M. Crothers

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

In 2008, staff from the University of Kentucky Program for Archaeological Research (UK-PAR) and the Illinois State Museum Society (ISMS) conducted archaeological and paleontological investigations at Mammoth Cave National Park in advance of proposed rehabilitation of 40,499 linear feet of selected trail segments within Mammoth Cave. This presentation focuses on the results of archaeological investigations conducted within Mammoth Cave and is confined to discussion of the prehistoric materials. These materials were confined to the upper and lower passages of the Historic Tour, the Lantern Tour, and Gothic Avenue trails

The History And Conservation Of Saltpeter Works In Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, George M. Crothers, Christina A. Pappas, Christian D. Mittendorf

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Remains of the saltpeter mining operation in Mammoth Cave are a significant feature of several cave tours and figure prominently in the history of cave use. We undertook a comprehensive review of existing historical descriptions and recent archaeological investigations to construct the most reasonable account of how the saltpeter operation worked and assess its current conditions. At least three types of saltpeter vats were constructed in the cave reflecting an increase in the size of the operation and efficiency of processing sediments over time. Remains of three pump towers are also found in the cave in various states of preservation. …

The Mammoth Cave Mushroom Company: A Brief History Of A Short-Lived Venture, Katie Algeo

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

The Mammoth Cave Mushroom Company was formed in August 1881 during a particularly contentious period of family struggle for control of the cave, its resources, and tourism operations. This paper documents the history of the company from original company records and family letters. It places the Mammoth Cave operation within the larger historical context of mushroom production in caves as possibly the first such operation in the United States. It traces developments at the cave during the fall of 1881 as Anthony Muzarelli oversaw preparation of mushroom beds and supporting infrastructure and identifies sources of tension between the new mushroom …

Mammoth Cave National Park's 10th Research Symposium: Celebrating Diversity Of Research In The Mammoth Cave Region, Shannon Trimboli ,Editor

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

No abstract provided.

Crowdsourcing With Arcgis Online For Natural Resources Management, Yanli Zhang, Matthew W. Mcbroom, Jason Grogan, Paul R. Blackwell

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Stream Water Quality And Quantity Effects From Select Timber Harvesting Of A Streamside Management Zone, Luke Sanders, Matthew W. Mcbroom

Faculty Publications

A naturally regenerated, even aged, mixed pine/hardwood, streamside management zone (SMZ) was selectively harvested in May 2006. The 27.8 ha SMZ buffered an intermittent headwater stream draining a 98 ha watershed. The harvest complied with Texas, USA best management practices (BMPs) by maintaining a minimum SMZ width of 15 m on either side of the channel, retaining a minimum basal area (BA) greater than 11.47 m² ha^-1, and minimizing forest floor and stream channel disturbance. No changes in soil bulk density were measured with only a slight increase in bare soil. No changes in water quality or …

Climate Change At The Ecosystem Scale: A 50-Year Record In New Hampshire, Steven P. Hamburg, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Andrew D. Richardson, Amey S. Bailey

All Materials

Observing the full range of climate change impacts at the local scale is difficult. Predicted rates of change are often small relative to interannual variability, and few locations have sufficiently comprehensive long-term records of environmental variables to enable researchers to observe the fine-scale patterns that may be important to understanding the influence of climate change on biological systems at the taxon, community, and ecosystem levels. We examined a 50-year meteorological and hydrological record from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) in New Hampshire, an intensively monitored Long-Term Ecological Research site. Of the examined climate metrics, trends in temperature were the …

Wood Microsites At Timberline-Alpine Meadow Borders: Implications For Conifer Seedling Regeneration And Alpine Meadow Conifer Invasion, Adelaide C. Johnson, J. Alan Yeakley

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The importance of climate warming on forests is recognized worldwide and has increased attention on the significance of both timberline advance and alpine meadow invasion by forests. Successful seedling regeneration in alpine meadows depends on availability of suitable substrates, or microsites, for seedling establishment. We sought to determine whether wood microsites (i.e., nurse logs), which are regeneration sites in Pacific Northwest subalpine forests, promoted regeneration at timberline-alpine meadow borders. To determine the ecological role of wood microsites, we examined mechanisms forming wood microsites; compared density, survival, and percent nitrogen content of seedlings growing on wood microsites to adjacent soil substrates; …

Smokejumper Obituary: Wengert, Richard (Missoula 1951), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Smokejumper Obituary: Theios, Alex (Cave Junction 1965), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Smokejumper Obituary: Wicklund, Scott Francis (North Cascades 1991), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.