COVID-19 Pandemic Causes Impacts and Opportunities for U.S. National Parks

By Abe Miller-Rushing

“What institutions of man can survive a morning experience?”

Henry David Thoreau in his Journal

 

In the early stages of the pandemic in April 2020, visitation to U.S. national parks declined by about 87 percent. In some parks visitation rebounded quickly as the summer progressed, while in others it remained low. For example, Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska got less than 10 percent of its normal visitation in 2020. Other parks, particularly those near urban areas, experienced increased numbers of visitors as people sought safe areas for recreation and exercise.

Some park programs continued, though with masks and distancing.

Many long-term research projects and management actions at national parks were delayed or cancelled due to COVID 19, which complicates the challenge of collecting adequate data for analysis.

 

Researchers continued a project restoring mountain meadows
at Acadia National park, but many other projects were cancelled.

Parks and partner organizations hired fewer seasonal employees and cancelled many internship and volunteer programs, creating hardships for those who rely on these opportunities to gain experience and skills.

 

At the same time, many parks, such Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Montana, offered more online programs and content.

 

Researchers are now evaluating how these changes have affected wildlife protection, visitor services, education, and park management, and what lessons can be learned.

 

The paper was published in Biological Conservation: Abraham J. Miller-Rushing et al. 2021. COVID-19 pandemic impacts on conservation research, management, and public engagement in US national parks. Biological Conservation 257: 109038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109038

Thoreau’s observations of fruiting times inform climate change research

By Tara K. Miller
 

“To replenish the possibility of mutual flourishing, for birds and berries and people, we need an economy that shares the gifts of the Earth, following the lead of our oldest teachers, the plants.”

- Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry

 
In a recent Annals of Botany article, we compared Thoreau’s fruiting observations from the 1850s in Concord, MA with museum records from the past 150 years across New England to investigate the biological effects of climate change. We found a strong sequence of fruiting, with species such as blueberries fruiting in mid-summer and hollies fruiting later in autumn.   

Digitized museum specimens, such this bluebead lily,
were used to determine the time of fruit ripening.
© Consortium of Northeast Herbaria

 
This is the first use of Thoreau’s fruiting observations in scientific research, and builds on previous studies of Thoreau’s observations of flowering and bird arrival times. The present study was possible because pressed plant specimens – also known as herbarium specimens – have only recently been digitized in large numbers and made available on-line.

Lowbush blueberry plants were observed to fruit early in the year,
based on both Thoreau’s observations and museum specimens. © Jason S. 

 
Both Thoreau’s observations and museum specimens detect similar patterns of plant fruiting times, confirming that they can be combined to create larger and more powerful data sets for climate change and ecological research. However, the museum specimens, collected over a larger area and over more years than Thoreau, show an earlier start to fruiting and later ending than Thoreau’s Concord observations.

This deciduous holly, also known as winterberry, fruits later in the year. © SB Johnny 

Article: Comparing fruiting phenology across two historical datasets: Thoreau’s observations and herbarium specimens

Wildlife impacts during the pandemic

By Richard B. Primack
 

“All change is a miracle to contemplate; but it is a miracle which is taking place every instant.”

- Henry David Thoreau in Walden

 
The pandemic dramatically reduced levels of human activity and provided a chance to learn about wildlife ecology, management and conservation. In many cases, less human activity allowed animals to change their behavior and explore new areas.  Elsewhere, reduced management resulted in increased poaching and other illegal activities, harming wildlife.

Mountain lions were less likely to be hit by vehicles during the pandemic and were more often seen in urban areas.
Photo from the NPS.

 
Many of these examples were gathered together by the new organization PAN-ENVIRONMENT and featured in a special issue of Biological Conservation. 
 
The goal of this effort was to use the pandemic as an opportunity to advance conservation science and improve the management of endangered species and protected areas.
 
This material also provided key background information for a popular article in National Wildlife about wildlife during the time of the pandemic: Room to Roam: The pandemic has offered scientists an opportunity to study how slowdowns in human activity impact wildlife. By Barry Yeoman, 2021. 

This material was also featured in the Wildlife Professional: Wildlife in the Pandemic: The “Big Experiment” wildlifers wish they never had. By Joshua Rapp Learn, 2021.

COVID-19 lockdown makes two Boston urban parks quieter, but another is noisier

By Richard B. Primack and Carina Terry
 

“They who are ready to go are already invited.”

- Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 
Noise from traffic and other human activities interferes with the enjoyment of nature and can change wildlife behavior.
 
In 2019, BU biologists began monitoring sound levels in three Boston area parks, quantifying how noise declined with greater distance from roads. These measurements created an opportunity to compare sound levels before and during the pandemic.

Carina Terry and Richard Primack at Hall’s Pond Sanctuary in Brookline, MA.  
Measurements were done using an iPhone app.

 
Hammond Woods in Newton and Hall’s Pond Sanctuary in Brookline both experienced the expected decreases in sound levels of about 1-3 decibels during the pandemic lockdown when there was less human activity, which made the parks noticeably quieter.
 
In contrast, Blue Hills Reservation in Milton experienced a surprising increase of 4-6 decibels. Most noise at Blue Hills is from a congested six-lane highway that cut through the park. With fewer cars and trucks during pandemic, the traffic moves much faster and so creates more noise throughout the park.

 
The paper was published in “Biological Conservation”:  Carina Terry, Matt Rothendler, Lucy Zipf, Mike Dietze,  and Richard B. Primack. 2021. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on noise pollution in three protected areas in metropolitan Boston (USA).  Biological Conservation.

Women and the Global South are strikingly under-represented as top authors

By Richard B. Primack

“Regard not your past failures nor successes.  All the past is equally a failure & a success.  It is a success in as much as it offers you the present opportunity.” 

- Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.
 

 

A new study examined the gender and affiliations of 1051 top-authors, those scientists with the most publications in 13 leading ecology and conservation journals. Women and the Global South are barely represented on this list. The overall list of top authors included only 11% women, while 75% of the articles were from authors in just five countries in the Global North. This massive imbalance in scientific authorship is extremely concerning, especially in the field of ecology and conservation, where diverse perspectives are needed to address global climate and environmental challenges.

Diverse perspectives foster scientific innovation in ecology and conservation (© Bea Maas)

Analysed trends over different time periods showed that the proportion of top female authors increased from 3% to 18% between 1945 and 2019, and authors from  the Global South also increased.

 

The lack of representation of women and the Global South affects not only top authorship in ecology, but also scientific leadership.

Global distribution of top authors in ecology and conservation (© Maas et al., 2021, Cons.Lett.)

 

The study provides specific recommendations to promote scientific diversity:

 

First, scientific journals and societies should make special efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in leadership recruitment. Second, the trajectory of a scientific career should be evaluated based on diverse competencies beyond publication outputs. Third, structural changes are needed to promote parenting time and diversity among staff, collaborators and co-authors and protect the integrity of scientific communities.

 

Publication in "Conservation Letters": Bea Maas, Robin J Pakeman, Laurent Godet, Linnea Smith, Vincent Devictor and Richard Primack (2021). Women and Global South strikingly under-represented among top-publishing ecologists. Conservation Letters, in press.

Hammond Pond Parkway in Newton Reimagined

By Richard B. Primack
 

“Now I yearn for one of those old meandering dry uninhabited roads which lead away from towns… Where my spirit is free.” 

- Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 
Hammond Pond Parkway in Newton is a highspeed four-lane road with no sidewalks that bisects the Hammond/Webster Woods and is dangerous to cross. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has proposed a complete renovation involving reducing the current 4 lanes to 2, and creating a 12 foot wide landscaped pathway for pedestrians and bicyclists  on the western side of the parkway.  A new crosswalk would allow people to cross the parkway safely.

The parkway will be reduced from 4 to 2 lanes. A landscaped pedestrian and biking path will be built along the west side of the parkway.

Nicole Freedman, Newton’s Director of Transportation Planning, approves, “We are very supportive and excited for this project. It is taking a road that is overbuilt and unsafe and turning it into a gem.” 
 
Traffic studies by the DCR suggest that reducing the number of lanes will not affect traffic congestion, though speeds will likely be reduced.
 
Some local residents were concerned that these changes would create more congestion during rush hours and divert traffic into nearby neighborhoods.  Newton Councilor Lisle Baker urged the department to, “try out some things before building and find out it doesn’t work.”

There are concerns that these changes might increase traffic congestion at the Beacon Street intersection.

This is a condensed version of an article that appeared in the Newton Tab.

Wildlife biologists grow up in suburban Newton

By Richard B. Primack

“Knowledge is to be acquired only by a corresponding experience.” 

- Henry David Thoreau in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.

 
Even in these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, people of all ages are out in Newton’s wild places observing birds, photographing natural beauty, removing invasive plants, and exploring the landscape of this populous suburb in metropolitan Boston. Who knows which ones will transform their passion into careers?
 
Sam Jaffe thinks Newton had the right mixture of lawns, wild places, and overgrown spots to engage his childhood passion for insects.  Today Jaffe directs The Caterpillar Lab in New Hampshire, which has five full-time employees and focuses on education, science and art involving caterpillars.

Sam Jaffe shows caterpillars at a public event.

Sabrina Hepburn remembers Nahanton Park along the Charles River as the place where she went birding with her family and saw American woodcocks.  Today, Hepburn is an environmental manager in Colorado specializing in how big energy projects impact wildlife.

Sabrina Hepburn views king penguins on a trip to the subantarctic.

 
Brendan Whittaker grew up on the edge of Webster Woods in Newton, exploring, camping out, and fishing in Hammond Pond. Whittaker went on to study forestry and became Secretary for Natural Resources for Vermont, responsible for forests, water, fish, and wildlife.

Brendan Whittaker cores a Vermont tree to determine its age.

Oliver and Nick Komar biked around Newton every day before and after school looking for birds.  Today, Nick is a disease ecologist with the Centers for Disease Control in Colorado, specializing in human diseases spread by birds. Oliver teaches and does research on wildlife conservation at Zamorano University in Honduras.

Oliver Komar holds a Spot-Crowned Woodcreeper in Honduras.

Nick Komar checks a mosquito trap in Arizona.

This article is a shortened version of an article that appeared in the Newton Tab.