CHOH 08 Bear Island

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP

Features

§ Bear Island is located approximately 6 km upstream from the American Legion Memorial Bridge, and has been included in lichen biomonitoring studies since the 1970's.

§ The Billy Goat Trail, one of the most popular with hikers, runs across much of Bear Island.

§ Bear Island lies within the Potomac River Gorge, one of the most significant hyrogeologic features in the Park, and site of many rare and unusual plant species.

§ Studies of lead accumulation by the rock-inhabiting lichen Flavoparmelia baltimorensis indicate that fallout patterns have changed significantly in the past 100 years.

Site data

38.9821N  77.2366W

Oak-hickory forest

Corticololous lichens in plot 2004 (abundance)

Anaptychia palmulata (1)
Coccocarpia palmicola (1)

Dirinaria aegialita (1)

Flavoparmelia caperata (4)

Heterodermia obscurata (2)

Myelochroa aurulenta (4)

Parmotrema dilatatum (2)

Phaeophyscia adiastola (1)

Phaeophyscia rubropulchra (3)

Physcia millegrana (4)

Punctelia rudecta (4)

Punctelia subrudecta (2)

Pyxine caesiopruinosa (2)

Marchandiomyces corallinus (1)

Element data (mean µg/g ± SD, N = 3)

2004	2009
Cd  < 0.55 Cu  22.21 ± 4.11 Cr   1.93 ± 0.56 Pb  24.50 ± 3.32 Ni   2.42 ± 0.64 Zn  51.46 ± 6.90 S  1474.8 ± 155.4 Hg  0.14 ± 0.02	Cd  < 0.50 Cu  13.35 ± 6.47 Cr   2.68 ± 0.41 Pb  14.93 ± 5.34 Ni   2.42 ± 0.99 Zn  57.29 ± 2.48 S  1677.4 ± 147.5 Hg  —