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  • Technical Recommendations for the Identification and Management of Potential Acid Sulfate Soils in an Ecological Restoration Context

    Abstract: Restoration projects are being implemented to address natural and anthropogenic threats to coastal wetlands, including increased inundation and historic land use alterations. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and other organizations introduce dredged sediments into coastal environments to increase elevation and stabilize marsh platforms. However, some dredged sediments either contain iron sulfide compounds (i.e., iron monosulfide [FeS] and pyrite [FeS₂]) or form them after application. Under aerobic conditions, FeS and FeS₂ can rapidly oxidize, which generates acidity that can dramatically lower the soil pH, impacts plant establishment, and threatens the success of wetland restoration projects. Recommendations are needed to properly manage iron sulfide containing materials through project design, screening, monitoring, and adaptive management. Tools and techniques exist to evaluate dredged sediments for the presence of FeS and FeS₂ prior to and following marsh sediment applications, and project design and construction approaches can minimize associated acidification risks. This report provides a framework for properly identifying and managing sediments containing iron sulfide minerals during wetland restoration projects. These technical recommendations provide dredged sediment beneficial use practitioners a decision support tool for the successful management of iron sulfide containing dredged sediments to increase the ecological function and sustainability of coastal wetlands.

  • Advancing a Framework for Rapid Assessment and Economic Valuation of Wild Pig Damage to Wetland Terrain: Year Two of Research at US Army Corps of Engineers Somerville Lake, Texas

    Abstract: Wild pigs significantly impact wetlands, yet a standardized method for quantifying and valuing this damage is lacking. This research aims to develop a user-friendly ecological-economic framework for rapid assessment of wild pig damage on wetlands, building on a pilot study conducted at Lake Somerville, Texas, in FY21. The FY22 project advanced methods to value the lost benefits provided by wetlands due to wild pigs and identified methods to adapt and refine the framework for broader application. Additionally, a 65% reduction in wild pig population was achieved by Texas Wildlife Services personnel through helicopter gunning at two treatment sites, which is estimated to have prevented further damage to wetlands.

  • Engineering With Nature: Natural Infrastructure for Mission Readiness at U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Installations

    Abstract: This book illustrates some of the current challenges and hazards experienced by military installations, and the content highlights activities at eight U.S. Navy and Marine Corps military installations to achieve increased resilience through natural infrastructure.

  • Assessing the Validity and Accuracy of Wetland Indicator Status Ratings for Eight Species in Alaska Subregions

    Abstract: Preexisting ecological information and plant species occurrence data were used to determine the accuracy and validity of the present regional and subregional wetland indicator status ratings for eight species: Andromeda polifolia, Arctous rubra, Carex canescens, Rhododendron tomentosum, Rubus arcticus, Salix arctica, Salix pulchra, and Viola palustris. Technical documentation was developed to either (1) support the current National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) subregion boundaries and wetland indicator status ratings for the NWPL Alaska Region or (2) support a proposed change to the subregions or wetland indicator status ratings for the NWPL Alaska Region, for inclusion into the next NWPL update. The project developed repeatable, quantitative methods for assignment of wetland indicator status rating. Analyses included multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), analysis of similarities (ANOSIM), nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), and principal component analysis (PCA). Prevalence index (PI) was used as a numeric approximation of wetland status for comparing observations across subregions. A pilot study on S. pulchra data evaluated regional assignments by machine learning and assessed the feasibility of correlation network analysis and Louvain clustering for wetland indicator status rating assignment as dictated by co-occurring species. The methods developed for this Alaska-specific study may be applied to any future regional or subregional updates to the NWPL.

  • Great Lakes Costal Wetland Revitalized on Ohio’s Lake Erie Shoreline

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District and City of Port Clinton celebrated the completion of construction on a five-year coastal restoration project with a final planting of native species on the beach. The $1.9 million Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program Port Clinton Coastal Restoration Project has expanded costal wetland – a rarity along Ohio’s Lake Erie Shoreline – by 1.4 acres, removed invasive plant species, and created a more diverse habitat for wildlife to thrive in and people to enjoy.

  • Army Corps of Engineers comes to Roseburg for a good time (not a long time)

    Army Corps of Engineers comes to Roseburg for a good time (not a long time)

  • Tools and Technical Guidelines for Delineating the Extent of Tidal Waters: Proof of Concept

    Abstract: The delineation of shorelines in tidally influenced waters, as well as the inland extent of tidal influence of those waters, is often used to define the extent of federal and/or state jurisdictional boundaries, including the US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) limits of jurisdiction under the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (RHA) and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. At present, USACE and other practitioners use a variety of field observations and desktop-based data sets, tools, and techniques to identify and delineate the lateral and longitudinal extent of USACE’s jurisdiction under the RHA for tidally influenced waters. Tidal waters, and thus federal jurisdiction under the RHA, “end where the rise and fall of the water surface can no longer be practically measured in a predictable rhythm.” However, the technical standards, definitions, and data to delineate tidal extent are also lacking. The uncertainty and ambiguity in what constitute tidal extent increases litigation risk and decreases repeatability and technical defensibility of USACE decisions. Nationally applicable technical guidance and rapid tools and techniques are needed to increase defensibility and consistency across all coastal USACE districts while also accelerating USACE Regulatory decision-making.

  • Regeneration Dynamics of Bottomland Hardwood Sites Following Prolonged Growing-Season Inundation

    Abstract: The spring flood of the Mississippi River and backwater areas in 2019 resulted in large-scale flooding and was the longest-lasting flood event since the Great Flood of 1927. This flood event provided a rare opportunity to establish permanent plots in batture and backwater habitats to evaluate forest-stand dynamics following prolonged flooding. In this study, we evaluated postflooding conditions of forest overstory, midstory, and regeneration by establishing permanent plots at four locations subjected to varying amounts of flooding within the Mississippi River batture and the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta backwater region. Our results highlight oak regeneration success following the 2019 flood event as well as the utility and need to establish and monitor permanent plots to increase our understanding of floodplain forest dynamics in regions experiencing prolonged riverine flooding during the growing season.

  • USACE seeks comments on proposed work near Coppermine Brook, wetlands in Bristol, Connecticut

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

  • Engineering With Nature: An Atlas, Volume 3

    Abstract: Engineering With Nature: An Atlas, Volume 3 showcases EWN principles and practices “in action” through 58 projects from around the world. These exemplary projects demonstrate what it means to partner with nature to deliver engineering solutions with triple-win benefits. The collection of projects included were developed and constructed by a large number of government, private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and other organizations. Through the use of photographs and narrative descriptions, the EWN Atlas was developed to inspire interested readers and practitioners with the potential to engineer with nature.