National Park Service

Description

The Recipient is a member of the (Northern Great Lakes CESU) who was awarded a Master Cooperative Agreement (P12AC31164) allowing (Northland College) to participate in specific tasks, and can provide the necessary activities involved in this particular task while providing an effective outcome for NPS and the objectives of this research/educational project.Project Need: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (APIS) is comprised of a mainland unit and 21 islands in Lake Superior. The park supports several types of coastal wetlands including lagoons, bogs, freshwater estuaries, fringing marshes, and peatlands on the mainland and on several islands. Because these wetlands are on protected lands and many are on islands, they are high quality systems and may serve as sentinel sites for the Great Lakes. However, despite their protection from many forms of anthropogenic disturbance, they are vulnerable to impacts associated with climate change (e.g., changing Lake Superior water levels, increased storm frequency and intensity, increasing wave energy, increased air and water temperatures). Currently, our ability to proactively and adaptively manage these wetlands in a changing climate is limited by a lack of sufficient data on wetland hydrology, water quality, and biotic communities.7The proposed project will address this information gap through a comprehensive assessment of 11 of the park’s major coastal wetlands (see attached site list) and, where data are available, compare current to historic conditions to elucidate trends. Data and analyses generated during this project will provide critical information on how the park’s coastal wetlands will likely respond to climate change, bolstering NPS’ capacity to adaptively manage these critical habitats.Northland College offers a unique mix of expertise, experience specific to the ApostleIslands and close geographic proximity that will enable them to meet the objectives of this project.

Who can apply

• Others

Contact

Julie Hendricks <br/>Lead Grants Management Specialist <br/>Phone 4026611662
julie_hendricks@nps.gov