Monitoring of Lake Ontario St. Lawrence River Coastal Wetland Habitat in Support of Adaptive Management

Summary

This wetland monitoring project addresses a critical need in the implementation of a new regulation plan for Lake Ontario. It looks in more detail at the relationships between elevation and plant composition in 16 New York wetlands by linking water-level dynamics to vegetation samples. We are also monitoring performance indicators for meadow marsh extent, muskrat houses, and rare plants in these wetlands. We are collaborating with DEC Division of Lands and Forests, Bureau of Real Property to create control points with centimeter-level elevation precision near each wetland and with TNC to ensure that our study design, sampling, and results satisfy the Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River (LOSLR) environmental monitoring called for in the International joint Commission’s framework for adaptive management.