A Year of Success for the A.T. MEGA-Transect
Citizen scientists turn A.T. into living laboratory

Harpers Ferry, W.V.—In November 2006, a bold new idea was established by a group of educators, scientists, explorers, and partners of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy: To create a long-term collaborative project to comprehensively monitor changes in the mountain and valley environments through which the 2,175-mile footpath traverses.

That idea quickly took hold and after just a year of work on the A.T. MEGA-Transect, two projects have already shown both significant progress and tremendous interest among volunteers. Additionally, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy launched a new portal on its Web site to broaden public understanding of the initiative and to provide a repository for the data that’s collected, at www.appalachiantrail.org/megatransect.

“Our efforts to generate more volunteers and to establish the A.T. MEGA-Transect have been successful largely because we have been able to engage a wider group of partners,” said Laura Belleville, ATC regional director for central and southern Virginia. “The result of these partnerships has been a wildlife survey with the Smithsonian Institute, and a water resources sampling project suitable for all ages that was a result of developing partnership with the Water Environment Federation.

“In the coming year we will continue to seek out new and innovative partners to develop meaningful environmental monitoring projects along the entire A.T.,” Belleville said.

Wildlife Survey

For more than a month, dozens of motion-sensitive infrared cameras were posted along the Trail corridor in Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland, to capture images of wildlife and provide better information on the animals that call the A.T. lands their home. The project involved the impressive collaboration of the National Park Service Appalachian Trail Park Office, the U.S. Geological Survey, National Geographic, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Smithsonian Institute.

Volunteers also played a key role in the study, as a total of 50 cameras were distributed and placed. By project completion, more than 350 sites will have been monitored, and volunteers will upload the images about once a month to the National Park Service Web site. Volunteer Master Naturalists have also lent their expertise to the program.

Counting large mammals and especially predators is one way of determining the health of the East Coast’s ecosystems, which are increasingly affected by sprawl, air and water pollution, and invasive species. To date, animals captured on film include the elusive bobcat, as well as red foxes, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and even a few curious human beings.

Water-Quality Monitoring

During the months of September and October, hundreds of volunteers took part in an effort to measure water quality at various sites along the Appalachian Trail. The effort, in partnership with the Water Environment Federation’s “World Water Monitoring Day,” generated a good deal of data that is still being analyzed.

“Part of the power of World Water Monitoring Day is that it takes people’s contributions and fits them into a greater meaningful whole,” said ATC’s Laura Belleville. Although the information collected was fairly basic, the sheer amount of data collected will ultimately contribute to a larger picture that can help decision-makers and scientists focus further attention on water quality.

The Appalachian Trail runs over, through and next to many lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, wetlands, seeps, springs and wells, and because it runs mostly along mountains and ridge crests, it often follows watershed divides. These watersheds directly feed drinking water sources for millions of people along the East Coast. From Maine to Georgia, the A.T. passes through 64 major watersheds and most of the nearly 1,800 streams, rivers and lakes found along the Trail are at the headwaters of those watersheds.

Perhaps most important in this effort has been the involvement of a new generation of volunteers. In addition to partnering with World Water Monitoring Day, ATC has reached out to the Girl Scouts of America. “The Girl Scouts are already involved with World Water Monitoring Day, and they have been looking for additional meaningful outdoor projects, so it’s a natural fit,” said Belleville.

“It’s a great learning activity because it’s simple, do-it-yourself, and fun,” said Jeanne Mahoney, ATC’s Volunteer Resources Coordinator. “It’s a useful and valuable thing to do and it’s one more reason to go spend some time outdoors and get on the Trail.”

About the A.T. MEGA-Transect: A mega-transect, a term first coined by Mike Fay, National Geographic’s explorer in residence, is a scientific study over a large geographic area. The A.T. MEGA-Transect (the uppercase “MEGA” representing the Trail termini of Maine and Georgia), will be the world’s first permanent mega-transect, and will use the geographic reach and iconic status of the A.T. to connect residents of the Eastern United States with the changes in their environment.