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  • Vegetation Community Changes in Response to Phragmites Management at Times Beach, Buffalo, New York

    Abstract: Management of invasive phragmites (Phragmites australis [Cav.] Trin. Ex Steud.) in the United States has proven challenging over the last several decades. Various methods for control exist, but integrated approaches appear to have the most success. However, documentation of vegetation community–wide responses to these approaches remains limited. This study monitored plant community changes at Times Beach, New York, over a five-year period. In concert with mowing and thatch removal in all areas, the study evaluated two herbicides separately and together, representing three experimental treatment areas (TAs), for control efficacy by measuring plant community structure. Phragmites was targeted for treatments, avoiding native and nonproblematic non-native species when possible, to preserve beneficial habitat during phragmites control efforts. Monitoring results showed significant drops in phragmites relative cover, relative frequency, and importance values due to integrated management, regardless of herbicide treatment, with corresponding increases in these same values for native and other plant species. This suggests that prudent removal of phragmites is compatible with beneficial plant restorative efforts to maintain and improve habitat in infested areas.

  • Inundation Depth and Duration Impacts on Wetland Soils and Vegetation: State of Knowledge

    Abstract: The following synthesizes studies investigating plant and soil responses to increased inundation in order to support ecosystem restoration efforts related to the alteration of natural wetland hydrodynamics. Specific topics include hydrologic regimes, soil response to inundation, and implications for vegetation communities exposed to increased water depths. Results highlight the important interactions between water, soils, and vegetation that determine the trajectory and fate of wetland ecosystems, including the development of feedback loops related to marsh degradation and subsidence. This report then discusses the knowledge gaps related to implications of inundation depth, timing, and duration within an ecosystem restoration context, identifying opportunities for future research while providing source materials for practitioners developing restoration projects.

  • Threatened, Endangered, and At-Risk Species for Consideration into Climate Change Models in the Northeast

    Abstract: This special report provides a selection process for choosing priority species using the specific focus of high-elevation, forested habitats in the North Atlantic to demonstrate the process. This process includes criteria for choosing invasive species to incorporate into models, given the predicted spread of invasive plant species because of climate change. Discussed in this report are the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Threatened and Endangered Species Team portal, the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Information for Planning and Consultation Portal, the nonprofit organization Partners in Flight’s watch list, the US Geological Survey’s Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation model, and NatureServe’s interagency effort Landfire. The data linked this montane habitat with a species of conservation concern, Cartharus bicknelli and the endangered squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus as target species and with Elaeagnus umbellate, Robinia pseudoacacia, Rhamnus cathartica, and Acer planoides as invasive species. Incorporating these links into the climate change framework developed by Davis et al. (2018) will create predictive models for the impacts of climate change on TER-S, which will affect land management decisions in the region.

  • Backward Erosion Testing: Magnolia Levee

    Abstract: Using a confined flume device, an experimental study investigated the critical horizontal gradient of soils obtained from a site identified as potentially vulnerable to backward erosion piping (BEP). Tests were conducted on glacial outwash material obtained from a sand and gravel quarry in the vicinity of Magnolia Levee in the community of Magnolia, OH. The two bulk samples collected from the quarry had similar grain-size distributions, grain roundness, and depositional environments as the foundation materials beneath the levee. Samples were prepared at various densities and subjected to gradual increases of flow in a wooden flume with an acrylic top until BEP was observed. The critical average horizontal gradient ranged from 0.21 to 0.30 for a bulk sample with a coefficient of uniformity of 1.6, while tests conducted on a bulk sample with a coefficient of uniformity of 2.5 yielded critical average horizontal gradients of 0.31 to 0.36. The critical average gradients measured during these tests compared favorably to values in the literature after applying adjustments according to Schmertmann’s method.

  • ERDC biologists’ research noted in professional journal

    Studies conducted by research biologists at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory (EL) on the management of the invasive aquatic plant flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus L.) were published in the 2021 Issue 59 of the peer-reviewed Journal of Aquatic Plant Management.

  • Commitment to high-quality blue roof installations for Ida survivors

    Water-logged floorboards. Moldy sheetrock. Broken windows. Desperation. For many survivors of Hurricane Ida, the storm itself was not the worst part—the worst of their experience was the growing anxiety of watching their homes quickly deteriorate every day it was left exposed to the elements.

  • Volunteers clean up Lake Cumberland on National Public Lands Day

    SOMERSET, Ky. (Sept. 28, 2021) – More than 120 volunteers collected 276 bags of trash, 53 agricultural and car tires, old dock flotation, a metal railing with stairs, and a doghouse during a community effort to clean up Lake Cumberland on National Public Lands Day.

  • Corps seeks comments on riverbank stabilization project near Morton, MN

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is seeking comments on its draft Environmental Assessment of the Lower Sioux Indian Community Tribal Partnership Program Feasibility Study.

  • Operation Blue Roof sign-up deadline Sept. 30

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Blue Roof program Sept. 30 deadline is close, for the residents who sustained Hurricane Ida damage in the 25 eligible parishes in southeastern Louisiana.

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Announces Contract Award for St. Albans Columbarium Project

    NEW YORK – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, recently awarded a contract for