29 Sep 2025

Planning-Level Wetland Delineation of Fee-Owned and Trust-Held Properties of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians

Abstract: A planning-level wetland delineation is an important visualization tool for identifying the location and type of wetlands on the landscape, prioritizing areas for conservation and restoration practices, performing alternative analysis, and informing design and development of infrastructure needs. This study used a combination of off-site data analysis and field data collection to identify the location and extent of wetlands on 1,428 acres of fee-owned and trust-held properties of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians (LTBB). The study found that a wide variety of wetlands occur across approximately 313.6 acres, including 65 acres of wetland-nonwetland mosaic features. These wetlands benefit local communities by providing flood risk reduction, habitat for a wide array of species, and improved water quality. Opportunities to increase wetland functions through management activities, including restoration, were identified. This wetland delineation was conducted under the Planning Assistance to States Program, which provides technical assistance to states, tribal communities, and local governments and was administered via an agreement between the US Army Corps of Engineers–Detroit District and the LTBB. This approach has the potential to provide similar information to other tribal groups interested in identifying and delineating wetlands to improve the management of valuable natural resources.

26 Sep 2025

Rapid Assessment Tool for Channel Hydraulics and Floodplain Connectivity

Abstract: This technical note (TN) presents a rapid, nationally applicable web application for analyzing channel hydraulics and floodplain connectivity. The tool uses locally derived relative elevation models (REMs) that allow users to quantify hydraulics, like velocity and shear stress, and floodplain connectivity metrics, like inundation extent and storage volume (Haring and Dougherty, forthcoming).* By delineating cross sections directly from publicly available high-resolution terrain, the tool provides a rapid hydraulic assessment without requiring field survey data and also helps prioritize reaches for more detailed assessments.

25 Sep 2025

Effects of Suspended Sediment on Aquatic Organisms: A Literature Review and Database Effort

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) acknowledges that uncertainties and public perceptions regarding the effects of suspended sediment on aquatic organisms, particularly the concentration thresholds associated with harmful effects, present an ongoing challenge to its dredging mission. USACE is actively working to address these challenges through improved monitoring, research, and collaboration to support safer and more sustainable dredging practices. To help mitigate this uncertainty, 159 field- and laboratory-based studies describing the effects of sediment on aquatic organisms were reviewed and compiled in a database. No- and low-effect ecotoxicity data from this review were further analyzed to determine percentiles of effects data and species sensitivity distributions. The analysis indicated corals and freshwater crustaceans were most sensitive, followed by fish, while bivalves and marine crustaceans appeared to be the most tolerant of suspended sediment. This literature review provides a foundational framework for visualizing site-specific suspended sediment thresholds for effects concentrations associated with potential effects on aquatic species. It serves as a starting point for identifying critical data gaps for future research, layering in additional data, refining thresholds, and supporting more informed, site-specific decision-making moving forward.

25 Sep 2025

Considerations and Lessons Learned for Remote Sensing Data Acquisition of Understudied Wetland Vegetation Metrics

Purpose: Traditional field-based methods for monitoring wetland ecosystems are often limited by accessibility and cost, hindering comprehensive assessment of these vital habitats. These wetlands often present challenges for mapping and monitoring due to their size, location, and diverse vegetation types. Therefore, thorough planning and execution are essential for collecting reliable data for analysis and generating meaningful results. To overcome these challenges, we investigated how remote sensing data captured from uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), such as multispectral imagery and lidar, can be effectively used to develop and validate metrics for measuring wetland vegetation characteristics as an alternative to traditional field-based methods.

23 Sep 2025

Alkaline Hydrolysis for Degrading the Emerging Munitions Contaminant Methylnitroguanidine and Regenerating Graphene Nanoplatelets for Sustainable Adsorption of Munition Compounds

Abstract: Alkaline hydrolysis has proven to be an effective treatment technique for several emerging and legacy munition compounds. This study evaluates its effectiveness in degrading the emerging insensitive MC methylnitroguanidine in comparison to NQ. Additionally, the feasibility of regenerating graphene nanoplatelets following adsorption of MCs, including MeNQ, NQ, NTO, TNT, DNAN, and RDX, is investigated. This study is among the first to successfully evaluate MeNQ treatment and proposes a novel strategy to regenerate GnPs for further environmental remediation. Regeneration performance in high-pH solutions was compared with processes using a 30:70 solution of acetonitrile:water and reagent water alone to further determine pH- and solvent-based interactions. In high-pH solutions, NTO was desorbed via electrostatic repulsion, while the other MCs degraded, generating breakdown products consistent with previous studies and current findings. The aqueous ammonium produced during degradation may have been removed by GnPs. The organic-aqueous blend enhanced MC removal, with recovery largely correlating with aqueous solubility, though π-π interactions may have hindered desorption. Adsorption following desorption with these techniques resulted in higher capacities compared to systems using reagent water alone, where desorption aligned with adsorption isotherms. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into MeNQ treatment and the reuse of GnPs for sustainable water remediation.

22 Sep 2025

Design and Validation of Universal and Taxon-Specific 16S rRNA qPCR Primers for Detection of Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom-Forming Cyanobacteria

Abstract: Freshwater harmful algal bloom-forming cyanobacteria have become a prominent global concern from environmental and human health perspectives. For timely decision making in taking preventative and mitigative measures, rapid, accurate, sensitive and quantitative tools are needed for the detection and monitoring of toxin-producing cyanobacteria. We report the development of taxon-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction primers capable of distinguishing 10 cyanobacterial genera or clade from non-target groups and a new set of universal primers capable of amplifying all cyanobacteria species. When evaluated by 4 stringent metrics and primer-template mismatches, these de novo designed qPCR primers outperformed published primers in amplifying the 16S rRNA gene of their target strains of 16 in-house cyanobacterial strains belonging to 10 genera. The 10 best-performing designed primers were validated using field samples from three field locations with historically documented HAB events. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of our design-screen-evaluation-validation pipeline in developing taxon-specific qPCR primers for detecting and quantifying group-specific target populations and their promising application to field HABs samples. With the advancement of massive parallel sequencing technologies and bioinformatic tools, a community-wide 16S full-length sequencing run can provide a panoramic view of the genetic diversity and site-specific variant info about the target taxa of interest.

19 Sep 2025

A Stakeholder Driven Engagement Strategy to Support the Development of Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies: A Case Study with DinoSHIELD

Abstract: With rapid advancements in environmental technology, early stakeholder engagement in research and development is critical for successful technology transition. DinoSHIELD is a novel biological harmful algal bloom control strategy targeting toxic dinoflagellates through controlled release of a naturally-produced algicide from bacteria immobilized in non-toxic hydrogel. This study presents the first successful application of the Responsible Research and Innovation framework to marine HAB control technology development. The stakeholder engagement strategy included workshops in southwest Florida with pre- and post-surveys to assess understanding and comfort, plus feedback sessions to gather actionable input for ongoing R&D. The RRI approach achieved measurable success across all objectives: survey results showed significant increases in stakeholder understanding and comfort with DinoSHIELD. Stakeholder feedback directly informed critical R&D priorities including alternative deployment mechanisms, sustainability considerations, and ecological safety assessments. Participants showed enthusiasm for the technology’s natural derivation while identifying crucial research gaps that have been incorporated into ongoing development. This work establishes the first rigorous baseline of stakeholder perceptions for marine HAB control technologies and validates a replicable model for environmental management strategies. The results demonstrate that successful technology transition requires meaningful stakeholder participation throughout development, providing a template for accelerating responsible development of novel environmental technologies.

16 Sep 2025

Review of Threatened and Endangered Plant Species Potentially Impacting US Army Corps of Engineers Mission Areas

Abstract: This special report summarizes federally threatened and endangered plant species that have most affected recent or ongoing US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) projects in terms of dollars spent on research, management, and mitigation. We also assess which of these highest cost-associated species are most likely to benefit from further research and conservation efforts, with the goals of species recovery and delisting.

15 Sep 2025

Foliar Fungal Assemblages Associated with Diploid and Triploid Butomus umbellatus Populations in the United States

Purpose: Novel associations between plant invaders and fungi may moderate invader impacts if fungi are pathogenic or contribute to variation in invader response to management. Identifying and quantifying species associations with plant invaders can have management consequences. However, whether novel fungal associations and resulting assemblages are shaped by invader genetics is largely unknown. The goal of this research was to identify community patterns of foliar fungi associated with diseased and healthy diploid and triploid Butomus umbellatus (flowering rush) cytotypes in the United States. A total of 12 diploid and 9 triploid Butomus umbellatus L. populations in 10 states across the northern United States were surveyed, foliar fungi were isolated from healthy and diseased leaves, and a fungal assemblage structure analysis was conducted to determine whether assemblages were unique to B. umbellatus cytotypes. Differences in flowering rush–associated fungal assemblages and complex interaction between fungal taxa may promote uneven invasion between cytotypes in the United States and guide future management efforts to reduce the negative impacts caused by B. umbellatus invasions.

12 Sep 2025

Identifying Hydric Soils Using α,α′-Dipyridyl Dye

Purpose: The application of α,α′-dipyridyl dye (pronounced alpha, alpha di-peeri-dill) provides a reliable and defensible mechanism for documenting the presence of reduced iron in support of hydric soil identification and wetland delineation activities. The α,α′-dipyridyl dye has proven particularly useful for identifying hydric soils in naturally problematic, altered, and disturbed soils. The proper application of paper test strips embedded with α,α′-dipyridyl dye further promotes the use of this technique to improve wetland delineation and management. This technical note summarizes the state of the science related to α,α′-dipyridyl dye and provides practitioner recommendations for applying, documenting, and interpreting α,α′-dipyridyl dye in hydric soil and wetland investigations.