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  • Framework Development for Rapid Assessment and Economic Valuation of Feral Swine Damage to Wetland Terrain: A Pilot Study at US Army Corps of Engineers–Somerville Lake, Texas

    Abstract: The increased spread and presence of feral swine on sensitive natural resources landscapes like wetlands has become a considerable concern on lands managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. In August 2021 a pilot study was carried out at Somerville Lake, Texas, as the first step in a three-year research plan to develop an ecological-economic framework for feral swine damage assessments (FSDA) and valuation. The study sought to quantify and value soil disturbance caused by feral swine trampling, rooting, and wallowing on wetland soils. The primary objective—to develop and test a rapid FSDA prototype—was achieved and represents an important first step to creating a quick and user-friendly damage-assessment framework that also estimates the economic value of the damage observed. With continued testing and development, this rapid FSDA protocol will be of use to all who manage feral swine impacts on landscapes with wetland ecosystems, and findings from this information will be of use for scientifically informed cost-benefit analysis and management decision-making.

  • Using an Object-Based Machine Learning Ensemble Approach to Upscale Evapotranspiration Measured from Eddy Covariance Towers in a Subtropical Wetland

    Abstract: Accurate prediction of evapotranspiration (ET) in wetlands is critical for understanding the coupling effects of water, carbon, and energy cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. Multiple years of eddy covariance (EC) tower ET measurements at five representative wetland ecosystems in the subtropical Big Cypress National Preserve (BCNP), Florida (USA) provide a unique opportunity to assess the performance of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ET operational product MOD16A2 and upscale tower measured ET to generate local/regional wetland ET maps. We developed an object-based machine learning ensemble approach to evaluate and map wetland ET by linking tower measured ET with key predictors from MODIS products and meteorological variables. The results showed MOD16A2 had poor performance in characterizing ET patterns and was unsatisfactory for estimating ET over four wetland communities where Nash-Sutcliffe model Efficiency (NSE) was less than 0.5. In contrast, the site-specific machine learning ensemble model had a high predictive power with a NSE larger than 0.75 across all EC sites. We mapped the ET rate for two distinctive seasons and quantified the prediction diversity to identify regions easier or more challenging to estimate from model-based analyses. An integration of MODIS products and other datasets through the machine learning upscaling paradigm is a promising tool for local wetland ET mapping to guide regional water resource management.

  • USACE seeks comments on proposed work in freshwater wetlands, tributaries in Rumford, Maine

     The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District received a permit application to conduct

  • USACE seeks comments on proposed work in freshwater wetlands and tributaries in Saco, Maine

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District received a permit application to conduct work

  • USACE seeks comments on proposed work in freshwater wetland and tributaries in Warren, Maine

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District received a permit application to conduct work

  • USACE issues permit authorizing California wildfire mitigation activities in waters of the United States

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued Regional General Permit (RGP) 10, authorizing activities associated with wildfire mitigation that may involve discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States and/or work in or affecting navigable waters of the United States, including wetlands, within the State of California.

  • Headwaters Highlights: Regulators ‘mount up’ to defend waterways and wetlands in Pittsburgh’s watersheds

    Unlike the gun-slinging outlaws of the 1870s bringing violence to the Western frontier in New Mexico, or the Warren G rappers of the 1990s cruising to the Eastside Motel in Los Angeles, today’s regulators “mount up” for a very different reason in the Pittsburgh District.

  • Antecedent Precipitation Tool (APT) Version 2.0: Technical and User Guide

    Purpose: This document provides an overview of the technical components of the Antecedent Precipitation Tool (APT) and a user’s guide for the APT. The APT is an automation tool that the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) developed to facilitate the comparison of antecedent or recent precipitation conditions for a given location to the range of normal precipitation conditions that occurred during the preceding 30 yr*. In addition to providing a standardized methodology to evaluate normal precipitation conditions (precipitation normalcy), the APT queries additional datasets to assess the presence of drought conditions and the approximate dates of the wet and dry seasons for a given location. This document constitutes an update to Antecedent Precipitation Tool (APT) Version 1.0: Technical and User Guide (Gutenson and Deters 2022).

  • From Antiquated to Automated: USACE wetland delineation tool helps revolutionize regulatory process

    According to the Environmental Protection Agency, United States has lost more than half of its wetlands since the 1600s, and approximately 35 percent of the world’s wetlands were lost between 1970 and 2015. To protect against further impairment of wetlands and the essential functions they provide, the U.S. established a policy of "no net loss" of wetlands, as well as procedures to ensure responsible management of wetland resources.

  • Eelgrass Functions, Services, and Considerations for Compensatory Mitigation

    Abstract: Coastal-marine eelgrass habitat is a critical resource within New England and throughout the world. Eelgrass habitat provides functions and services including providing structure, biogeochemical cycling, erosion reduction, habitation provision, and water quality improvement. Declines in eelgrass distribution are often due to anthropogenic processes impacting temperature and water quality. Declines in distribution and abundance highlight the importance of protecting the existing eelgrass, improving environmental conditions allowing for ecosystem restoration, and identifying viable in-kind and out-of-kind compensatory mitigation measures. Considering the limited availability of New England sites for in-kind compensatory mitigation, additional approaches for out-of-kind compensatory mitigation should be considered. These include (1) creation of alternative plant or kelp habitat, (2) using a multi-pronged, multi-habitat and structure approach, (3) contributing to the development of water quality improvement initiatives to encourage current eelgrass bed expansion over time, (4) reduce physical impacts to eelgrass habitat, (5) and identifying locations for future eelgrass habitat suitability based on climate predictions and investing to create future compensatory mitigation habitat in these locations.