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The Mascoma Headwaters Project
Science Behind the Standards
NRCS in New Hampshire
is providing leadership with the scientific verification
and development of standards used to identify wetland soils. Our staff is
currently involved in a long term study at the headwaters of the Mascoma
River. This Comparative Field Study of Wetland Boundary Indicators
is the only one of its kind in New England. It is receiving wide-spread interest because of the documentation
it is providing to accurately identify and delineate wetlands as well as
providing technical support for carrying out federal and state wetland
regulations.
Above is a view of the project area in Grafton County, New Hampshire. |
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Karen Dudley, Data Analyst for the Mascoma Project, downloads
data logged into the on-site automated system.
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The Mascoma Headwaters Project - Soil Survey Investigations Report No. 50,
Issued 2006 is now available.
For a copy, or more information, please contact:
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The diagram to the left shows the location of the Mascoma Project in
Grafton County, near the Vermont border.
Project Design and Data Collection Methods
As the lead agency providing
soil data and technical guidance on soils, it is important that NRCS meets
the needs of our customers in their work with natural resources assessment
and management. It was recognized that some types of landscapes in
Northern New England presented challenges when it came to wetland
indicators. Soils, plant communities, and hydrologic indicators were
often complex and current technical documents did not provide adequate
guidance. The Mascoma Project has been one way to provide the needed
data to support or revise these standards.
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The Purpose of
the Project is to:
- Better identify and describe hydric soil morphology indicative of saturation
- Refine the National and Regional Field Indicators of Hydric Soils
- Document defensible criteria for identifying and delineating wetland boundaries in
Northern New England landscapes (frigid temperature regime).
The photo to the right shows the "SCAN site" where data collection is automated,
then transmitted by satellite.
Contact
people for the Mascoma Headwaters Project are:
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Project Cooperators
The Mascoma Project has received interest and support
from a variety of agencies involved in wetlands, soils, and other natural
resources. The agencies cooperating with NH
NRCS
in this effort are:
The Mascoma
River (left) abuts the project area to the South.
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