National Park Service Grant: Researching Post-Flood Sandbar Succession and Biodiversity in MNRR

This Cooperative Agreement P18AC00040 (Agreement) is entered into by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS), and University of South Dakota (Recipient). University of South Dakota is a member of the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), Document Number: NPS# P16AC00011.

The objective of this Agreement is to combine scientific field work to assess current conditions and dynamics of riparian vegetation, sandbar geomorphology, and land bird biodiversity and productivity of set-aside sandbars, and a GIS mapping component that will use aerial/satellite imagery to assess historical and ongoing sandbar-vegetation dynamics on both set-aside and managed sandbars in the Missouri National Recreational River. Findings will inform the general public and scientific community of sandbar habitat, and in particular will assess the ecological values and post-flood dynamics of “set-aside” sandbars that have been allowed to proceed through natural vegetation succession. Project will also provide valuable information for the public and give students real world hands on experience outside the classroom in natural and/or historical resources project through the CESU. In direct cooperation with the NPS, the study will create an education component Sandbar Stories for the public.

STATEMENT OF WORK

RECIPIENT AGREES TO:
A. The Recipient agrees to:
1. Implement the scientific field work and mapping as outlined within the Detailed Implementation Plan.
2. Questions that will be addressed in the research include the following:
i. How have sandbar characteristics (area, topography, vegetation) on both NPS set-aside or non-managed sandbars and USACE managed sandbars changed from the 2011 flood to present?
ii. To what degree do set-aside or non-managed sandbars support diverse native plant and land bird communities and cottonwood forest establishment? Are set-aside sandbars actively contributing to the MNRR “Outstandingly Remarkable Values” as the set-aside management approach was designed?
iii. What factors have influenced vegetation establishment, topographic complexity, and geomorphic dynamics on set-aside or non-managed sandbars?
3. The research will provide (a) better estimates of spatial and temporal changes in open sandbar and vegetated sandbar area on both managed and set-aside sandbars since the 2011 flood, (b) information on the distribution, composition, and structure of riparian vegetation and bird biodiversity and productivity during nesting and migration on set-aside bars, and (c) better mechanistic understanding and predictive models of vegetation development and sandbar topographic changes within set-aside bars.
i. Specific datasets will include the following:
1. Compiled GIS maps of annual vegetation and sandbar changes throughout the MNRR for 2011-2020, and analyses related to these maps.
2. Spatially explicit (for a specific set of focal bars) data on productivity and diversity of breeding and migrant land birds and vegetation composition and structure on set-aside bars, including locations of significant cottonwood recruitment and both herbaceous and woody invasive species.
3. Fine resolution GIS maps describing vegetation-geomorphic dynamics on set of focal bars along with predictive statistical models of vegetation colonization patterns and changes in sandbar topography.
ii. Research products will include:
1. Annual and final accomplishment reports and a final completion report to NPS with recommendations for natural resource management of sandbars.
2. Training of two graduate students (e.g., bird work, vegetation, and geomorphic work), with MS/PhD theses or dissertations.
3. Scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations (e.g., Missouri River Natural Resources Conference, Ecological Society of America) related to research.
4. Provide data summaries as part of the formal reporting process and informally with NPS to contribute to the educational component “Sandbar Stories”.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AGREES TO:
B. NPS agrees to:
1. Provide technical expertise and share all pertinent information regarding the MNRR with researchers and their collaborators.
2. Provide maps of the set-aside and managed sandbars, a copy of the NPS ESH Management Strategy document for receipt review, and a face-to-face presentation of the background and pertinent NPS sandbar management issues related to the research topic.
3. Lead the selection of specific research locations/sites for the research based on NPS set-aside status/classification.
4. Develop the education component for the research project, tentatively titled, “Sandbar Stories”. This education component will use the real-time data gather from the project and incorporate it into various public outreach materials for greater public understanding and comprehension of MNRR sandbars.