While managing the land and its resources, it can be easy to focus on one aspect. To focus on just the affect that Beech Bark Disease has on the Beech tree population or see the growth of the Piping Plover population after a very successful nesting season but taking a step back shows much more. The death of Beech tree will lead to it falling and opening a gap in the tree canopy. This gap provides the opportunity for fast growing invasive plants to establish and out compete native plant species. While the successful control of the invasive Baby’s Breath can provide a more suitable habitat for the Piping Plovers to create their nests within the dunes.

These are just examples of the importance of looking at the big picture and managing through a landscape approach. There are certainly limitations to the landscape approach, as it requires a lot of time and multiple large datasets. There is also the benefit that landscape approach promotes collaborations between different disciplines and backgrounds. Within my project, I have been focusing on the overall landscape of SLBE while developing a GIS prioritization model for adaptive invasive plant management. By considering the locations of invasive plants as well as the known nesting areas of the Piping Plovers, the locations of resistant Beech and Ash trees, the varying landcover types, the locations of rare plants, the proximity to recreational areas, water bodies and so much more giving an encompassing look into the area.

Even with the drawbacks of landscape approach, the application of it in the adaptive management of natural resource can be extremely beneficial. I see it being applied more often as scientist continue to discover and work to understand the environment. Overall, the understanding that the natural world is all connected is incredibly crucial and will not only help projects today but is needed when planning for what’s to come.

I am Meagan Fairfield-Peak and I am currently a Master’s student at University of Maryland Baltimore County, where I focus my GIS experience in forest restoration monitoring, which aligns nicely with the GIS prioritization model that I will create during this internship. Since moving to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE) I have been able to deep dive into the literature of invasive species and priority management, along with the GIS data that has been collected and maintained by the park and their partners.

Like most natural areas, SLBE has ongoing projects and management plans in an attempt to control the variety of invasive plant species throughout the park. SLBE is in the northwest of the lower peninsula of Michigan and has a variety of landscapes from public beaches to steep 450ft tall dunes to dense deciduous forests. There is always something to be explored and researched! Unfortunately, throughout these landscapes, there are nonnative invasive plant species that are outcompeting native species and suppressing the growth of some rare plant species for the area.

This is where I come in! Within their Natural Resources Department at SLBE, there is an Invasive Plants and Restoration Team that works diligently to control the large variety of invasive plants throughout the park. Although sites are determined by the project leaders’ best judgment, currently there is not a specific definition of what sites are highest priority. Through ArcGIS Pro Model Builder, I will create a model that will consider a variety of criteria to identify areas of high priority for management. The criteria will include factors such as the invasive plants current impact, ability of becoming a pest, abundance within the park, ease of control as well as sub-criteria that will break down possible seed dispersal, proximity to rare species and much more.

As the summer continues, I will edit and enhance the priority model through data cleaning, additional data, as well as weighing the criteria. I will also ground truth sites and get project leads expert opinions to look at the accuracy of the model. Please come on back for more updates as this project progresses.