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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
USGS2005

Toxicity to amphibians of environmental extracts from natural waters in National Parks and Fish and Wildlife Refuges

Amphibian population declines are not limited to overtly degraded habitats, but often occur in relatively pristine environments such as national parks or wildlife refuges, thus forcing biologists to examine less obvious causes for declines such as the presence of contaminants. The objective of our study was to extract naturally-occurring compounds from amphibian habitats (using semipermeable membrane devices) in three national parks or wildlife refuges (two sites within Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, Big Bend National Park, and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge), and assess their toxicity to developing larvae using bioassays. Extracts did not cause mortality, so all effects observed were sublethal, influencing life history characteristics. In all three areas studied, amphibians reared in extracts from at least one of the two sites exhibited either a lengthened larval period or reduced mass at metamorphosis. Extracts from both the air and water at one site in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park lengthened the larval period, which is in agreement with studies showing elevated levels of aerially transported contaminants at sites such as this within the park. Ultraviolet radiation, which is also suspected of having caused amphibian declines and was included as a factor in our study, did not act alone or alter the toxicity of the extracts. ?? ISSCA 2005.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2011

Rare and endangered species of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park; endangered, threatened, and rare animal, plant, and community handbook

Introduction Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) is the largest area in the State of Hawai`i protected for its geology and landscapes and its native flora and fauna. The park covers approximately 135,000 hectares or 333,000 acres in all. These lands stretch from the seacoast of Kīlauea Volcano to far above timberline on the summit of Mauna Loa (Figure 1). This vast area includes expanses of forests, woodlands, shrublands, and barren lava flows that represent an array of native ecosystems. Contained within these communities are a great many species of rare animals and plants, most of them unique to the island of Hawai`i, and some of them surviving only in the park. These are the biological treasures of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Our book is a guide to all animal and plant species in HAVO that are specially recognized as endangered species in the general sense. (The official designations at four levels and the unofficial designation of species of concern are explained later.) There are 23 such animal species and 71 plant species covered in the handbook, including six species planted in HAVO but not naturally occurring. In addition, we describe seven rare communities. In some cases, HAVO offers the best opportunity to save these species and communities from extinction. Increasingly, the park has attempted to restore rare populations by conducting surveys to locate them, controlling threats such as feral livestock, and bolstering existing populations or creating new ones by planting nursery stock. To aid such efforts, our original intent was to publish an identification guide for researchers and field management personnel. Particularly, we wanted to familiarize the reader with the many rare plant species which otherwise are known mainly from the technical literature. Because we soon came to realize that this handbook would be useful to a much larger, general readership, our aim is to make this information available to anyone interested in endangered animals and plants at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

Hawaii↗
USGS2010

A Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Rocky Mountain National Park

We conducted a natural resource assessment of Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) to provide a synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge to address the current conditions for a subset of important park natural resources. The intent is for this report to help provide park resource managers with data and information, particularly in the form of spatially-explicit maps and GIS databases, about those natural resources and to place emerging issues within a local, regional, national, or global context. With an advisory team, we identified the following condition indicators that would be useful to assess the condition of the park: Air and Climate: Condition of alpine lakes and atmospheric deposition Water: Extent and connectivity of wetland and riparian areas Biotic Integrity: Extent of exotic terrestrial plant species, extent of fish distributions, and extent of suitable beaver habitat Landscapes: Extent and pattern of major ecological systems and natural landscapes connectivity These indicators are summarized in the following pages. We also developed two maps of important issues for use by park managers: visitor use (thru accessibility modeling) and proportion of watersheds affected by beetle kill. Based on our analysis, we believe that there is a high degree of concern for the following indicators: condition of alpine lakes; extent and connectivity of riparian/wetland areas; extent of exotic terrestrial plants (especially below 9,500’); extent of fish distributions; extent of suitable beaver habitat; and natural landscapes and connectivity. We found a low degree of concern for: the extent and pattern of major ecological systems. The indicators and issues were also summarized by the 34 watershed units (HUC12) within the park. Generally, we found six watersheds to be in “pristine” condition: Black Canyon Creek, Comanche Creek, Middle Saint Vrain Creek, South Fork of the Cache la Poudre, Buchanan Creek, and East Inlet. Four watersheds were found to have strong restoration opportunities: Big Thompson River West, Cache la Poudre South, Colorado River North, and Onahu Creek. Ten watersheds were found to have substantial near-term issues: Aspen Brook, Big Thompson River West, Black Canyon Creek, Cabin Creek, Cache la Poudre South, Fall River, Hague Creek, La Poudre Pass Creek, North Fork Big Thompson (East), and Colorado River North.

Report↗
USGS2015

Estuarine water quality in parks of the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network: vital signs estuarine nutrient-enrichment monitoring, 2006-11

This report summarizes results of water-quality monitoring within estuaries of the National Park Service Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN) from 2006 through 2011. Data collection formed part of the NCBN Vital Signs Monitoring Program implemented to detect threats of estuarine nutrient enrichment. Data included here were collected from six parks at predetermined intervals: Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011); Fire Island National Seashore, New York (2009, 2011); Gateway National Recreation Area, New York and New Jersey (2010); Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia (2006, 2008, 2010); George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Virginia (2009, 2011); and Colonial National Historic Park, Virginia (2008, 2010). Monitoring variables consisted of dissolved-oxygen concentration, chlorophyll a concentration, attenuation of downwelling photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), turbidity, water temperature, and salinity. All monitoring was conducted during four-week summer index periods. The monitoring design incorporated data collection at multiple, complementary spatial and temporal scales. Within each park, a spatial survey was conducted once during the index period following a probability design using a grid of tessellated hexagons as the basis for sample site selection. The spatial survey was supplemented with weekly measurements at a subset of sites and continuous monitoring at a single reference site. Within parks, data were reported as area-weighted water-quality conditions during each index period, the location and extent of estuarine area within condition categories, and spatial and temporal trends. In addition, we used a repeated measures analysis of variance to determine the extent to which variability in three water quality metrics (chlorophyll a in surface water, dissolved oxygen in bottom water, and water clarity expressed by PAR attenuation) was explained by year to year changes in each park's respective estuary.

Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Vir↗
USGS2006

Grizzly bear nutrition and ecology studies in Yellowstone National Park

T HE CHANCE TO SEE a wild grizzly bear is often the first or second reason people give for visiting Yellow - stone National Park. Public interest in bears is closely coupled with a desire to perpetuate this wild symbol of the American West. Grizzly bears have long been described as a wilderness species requiring large tracts of undisturbed habitat. However, in today’s world, most grizzly bears live in close proximity to humans (Schwartz et al. 2003). Even in Yellowstone National Park, the impacts of humans can affect the long-term survival of bears (Gunther et al. 2002). As a consequence, the park has long supported grizzly bear research in an effort to understand these impacts. Most people are familiar with what happened when the park and the State of Montana closed open-pit garbage dumps in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when at least 229 bears died as a direct result of conflict with humans. However, many may not be as familiar with the ongoing changes in the park’s plant and animal communities that have the potential to further alter the park’s ability to support grizzly bears.

Wyoming↗
USGS2005

Toxicity to amphibians of environmental extracts from natural waters in National Parks and Fish and Wildlife Refuges

Amphibian population declines are not limited to overly degraded habitats, but often occur in relatively pristine environments such as national parks or wildlife refuges, thus forcing biologists to examine less obvious causes for declines such as the presence of contaminants. The objective of our study was to extract naturally-occurring compounds from amphibian habitats (using semipermeable membrane devices) in three national parks or wildlife refuges (two sites within Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, Big Bend National Park, and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge), and assess their toxicity to developing larvae using bioassays. Extracts did not cause mortality, so all effects observed were sublethal, influencing life history characteristics. In all three areas studied, amphibians reared in extracts from at least one of the two sites exhibited either a lengthened larval period or reduced mass at metamorphosis. Extracts from both the air and water at one site in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park lengthened the larval period, which is in agreement with studies showing elevated levels of aerially transported contaminants at sites such as this within the park. Ultraviolet radiation, which is also suspected of having caused amphibian declines and was included as a factor in our study, did not act alone or alter the toxicity of the extracts.

Alytes↗
USGS2016

Protecting national parks from air pollution effects: Making sausage from science and policy

The story of air pollution research, policy development, and management in national parks is a fascinating blend of cultural change, vision, interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration, and science-policy-management-stakeholder collaborations. Unable to ignore the loss of iconic vistas from regional haze and loss of fish from acid rain in the 1980s, the National Park Service (NPS) embraced an obligation to protect resources from threats originating outside park boundaries. Upholding the Organic Act requirement for parks to remain "unimpaired" for the enjoyment of future generations, and using the Clean Air Act statement that NPS has an “affirmative responsibility” to protect park resources, NPS has supported, and effectively used, research as a means to protect lands, waters, and vistas from a mostly unseen threat. Using visibility and atmospheric nitrogen deposition as examples, we will illustrate some success stories where NPS led the way to benefit not only parks, but the Nation.

Book chapter↗
USGS2022

Climate change and ‘alien species in National Parks’: Revisited

The US National Park Service mission includes conserving native species and historical landscapes ‘unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations’. However, humans have increased the introduction of non-native species that can become invasive and which have harmful impacts on native species and landscapes. We revisit two previous papers, ‘Alien Species in National Parks: Drawing Lines in Space and Time’, published in 1995 by D.B. Houston and E.G. Schreiner, and ‘Climate Change and “Alien Species in National Parks”: Revisited’, published in 2014 by T.J. Stohlgren, J.R. Resnik and G.E. Plumb, to demonstrate the organizational progress that has been made in reducing impacts of invasive species despite the increasing pressure of increasing numbers of non-native species. The National Park Service has continued efforts on invasive plant management, established an Invasive Animal Program in 2018 and developed a Pest & Invasive Species Project Kit to compile information to inform management regardless of taxonomic group. Additionally, the Park Service has expanded their toolset to make decisions related to invasive species and climate change to focus on achievable goals. Since the 1995 publication, the scale of invasion has increased, and impacts of climate change are more noticeable since the 2014 publication, increasing the complexity in trying to achieve the National Park Service mission.

Book chapter↗
USGS2024

Glacier National Park bumble bee survey report 2023

Glacier National Park's grasslands provide important contributions to the character and ecology of the park. In 1999-2001, Glacier National Park (hereafter, the park) established 155 permanent vegetation monitoring plots to inventory grassland vegetation communities east of the Continental Divide. In June of 2023, the Blackfeet Nation (Amskapi Piikuni) re-introduced a herd of free roaming bison on adjacent tribal land (the linnii Initiative), and those bison may enter the park. Because grasslands are important areas for bison grazing, and because biological communities have likely changed since the initial inventories, the park’s vegetation program began revisiting grassland monitoring plots in 2018. New data will provide insights into how these grasslands, and the wildlife that depend on them, have changed over the past two decades. Data on pollinators in these grasslands, however, are limited. Bison have been shown to influence plant communities, for example, by increasing herbaceous forb diversity and drought resilience (Elson and Hartnett 2017; Ratajczak et al. 2022). These changes directly influence resources available to foraging pollinators. To provide understanding of pollinators prior to bison reintroduction, bumble bee surveying at these grassland plots began in 2020 and has continued through 2023. Target sites for 2020-2022 focused on collecting data at plots where new vegetation surveys were recently completed to match current vegetation data with the bumble bee data.

Montana↗
USGS2003

Aquatic synthesis for Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs National Park (VOYA), which was established in 1975, contains significant aquatic resources with about 50% of its total area of 883 km 2 (341 mi 2 ) consisting of aquatic habitats. In addition to the Park's 30 named lakes, there are numerous wetlands including hundreds of beaver ponds. Due to the Park's size and location in the drainage basin, aquatic resources within the Park are particularly susceptible to activities and developments that occur outside its' boundary. This is particularly true in regard to the water quality and aquatic communities in the four large lakes that comprise 96% of the Park's total lake area of 34,400 ha (133 mi 2 ). Because most Park activities center on the lakes, particularly the large lakes, resource managers need to have knowledge and understanding of VOYA's aquatic resources to effectively preserve, in an unimpaired condition, the ecological processed, biological and cultural diversity, and history of the northwoods, lakecountry border shared with Canada.

Minnesota, Ontario↗
USGS2013

Vegetation classification and mapping, Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi

Executive Summary The National Park Service (NPS) Gulf Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network, with the support of the National Park Service Vegetation Inventory completed vegetation classification and mapping for Vicksburg National Military Park (VICK), in Warren County, Mississippi, from 2004 to 2010. VICK is one of more than 250 NPS units to be covered by the Vegetation Inventory. Methods and procedures follow those of the NPS Vegetation Inventory as of August, 2012 ( http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/inventory/veg/index.cfm ). Ecologists collected floristic and environmental data from 45 vegetation field plots and classified and described 13 plant community types corresponding to US National Vegetation Classification (USNVC) associations from these data. This classification was used to map 712 hectares (1,698 acres) of Vicksburg National Military Park, in ten map classes corresponding to vegetation associations and two non-vegetated land cover classes, from a digital orthomosaic created from 1:24,000 color infrared aerial photographs and digital elevation model (DEM) data. Methods used to delineate stands varied according to vegetation type and were a combination of incorporating stand boundaries from an existing map, new “heads-up” interpretation and modeling of digital environmental spatial data. A thematic accuracy assessment collected vegetation data from 118 field observations stratified across the vegetation classes. The overall accuracy of the vegetation map was estimated to be 60.5% at the thematic level of USNVC association and 92.4% at the thematic level of USNVC group. Estimates of areas of vegetation types, as adjusted for mapping error, were calculated for all types mapped and/or observed during the thematic accuracy assessment. An important finding of this study is that the composition of the forests of VICK is substantially different from that described by earlier, more qualitative, accounts. Implications of these findings and possible applications of the data for resource monitoring and management are presented. This report summarizes the methods and general results of the Vegetation Inventory for Vicksburg National Military Park. Appendices include descriptions of vegetation types, a field key to the types, a list of plant species, and accuracy assessment contingency tables. This report is supplemented by the project data, which include: spatial database containing map polygon attributes. Geospatial products are in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection, Zone 15, using the North American Datum of 1983. all field data (plot, observation point, and accuracy assessment point) stored in a Microsoft Access database metadata for all digital products The data and reports produced by this investigation reside at: https://irma.nps.gov/App/ and/or at: http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/

Mississippi↗
USGS2013

Estimating ecosystem carbon stocks at Redwood National and State Parks

Accounting for ecosystem carbon is increasingly important for park managers. In this case study we present our efforts to estimate carbon stocks and the effects of management on carbon stocks for Redwood National and State Parks in northern California. Using currently available information, we estimate that on average these parks’ soils contain approximately 89 tons of carbon per acre (200 Mg C per ha), while vegetation contains about 130 tons C per acre (300 Mg C per ha). estoration activities at the parks (logging-road removal, second-growth forest management) were shown to initially reduce ecosystem carbon, but may provide for enhanced ecosystem carbon storage over the long term. We highlight currently available tools that could be used to estimate ecosystem carbon at other units of the National Park System.

California↗
USGS2013

Wintering and breeding bird monitoring data analysis 2010-2013: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Following guidance issued within the Avian Inventory and Monitoring in National Parks of the Gulf Coast Network: Gulf Coast Network Avian Monitoring Plan, 40 point locations were established and monitored within San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. During three breeding seasons (May – Jun) and winters (Dec – Feb) between 2010 and 2013, birds were monitored at 20 or 30 of these point locations via time-distance point counts (breeding) or area searches (winter). To ensure data from all 40 random locations were included in analyses, monitoring data from two consecutive years were combined. As a result, some points were monitored twice during the period of analysis. Even so, I have treated each survey as an independent monitoring event, thereby assuming each visit to be equally representative of the bird community for the entirety of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. When translating avian densities to park-wide populations, I used an area of 334 ha to represent San Antonio Missions National Historical Park including the Rancho de las Cabras unit.

Texas↗
USGS2006

Summer inventory of landbirds in Kenai Fjords National Park

As part of the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program, we conducted a summer inventory of landbirds within Kenai Fjords National Park. Using a stratified random sampling design of areas accessible by boat or on foot, we selected sites that encompassed the breadth of habitat types within the Park. We detected 101 species across 52 transects, including 62 species of landbirds, which confirmed presence of 87% of landbird species expected to occur in the Park during the summer breeding season. We found evidence of breeding for three Partners in Flight Watch List species, Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi), and Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus), which are of particular conservation concern due to recent population declines. Kenai Fjords National Park supports extremely high densities of Hermit Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Wilson’s Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla) compared with other regions of Alaska. Other commonly observed species included Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca), Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius), Rubycrowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula), and Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia). More than half of the landbird species we observed occurred in needleleaf forests, and several of these species were strongly associated with the coastforest interface. Tall shrub habitats, which occurred across all elevations and in recently deglaciated areas, supported high densities and a diverse array of passerines. Two major riparian corridors, with their broadleaf forests, wetlands, and connectivity to interior Alaska, provided unique and important landbird habitats within the region.

Alaska↗
USGS2002

Level I water-quality inventory and monitoring, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Virginia

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a Level I Water-Quality Inventory and Monitoring (WAQIM) data-collection effort for Richmond National Battlefield Park (Richmond NBP) from August 2001 through April 2002. The primary objective of the WAQIM program was to provide the National Park Service (NPS) and Richmond NBP with at least a nominal inventory of its natural resources and to provide those data in a data-management system consistent with park management needs. Water-quality inventory data (physical, chemical, and biological) were collected from "key" water bodies within the boundaries of Richmond NBP. The key water bodies are those waters within park boundaries that are essential to the central cultural, historical or natural resources management themes of the parks or provide habitats to threatened or endangered plants and animals. Data were collected during the fall, winter, spring, and summer over a range of hydrologic conditions. Because of the drought conditions that persisted during the study period, variations in flow between seasons were less pronounced than during normal hydrologic conditions.

Virginia↗
USGS2015

A formalized approach to making effective natural resource management decisions for Alaska National Parks

A fundamental goal of the National Park Service (NPS) is the long-term protection and management of resources in the National Park System. Reaching this goal requires multiple approaches, including the conservation of essential habitats and the identification and elimination of potential threats to biota and habitats. To accomplish these goals, the NPS has implemented the Alaska Region Vital Signs Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program to monitor key biological, chemical, and physical components of ecosystems at more than 270 national parks. The Alaska Region has four networks—Arctic, Central, Southeast, and Southwest. By monitoring vital signs over large spatial and temporal scales, park managers are provided with information on the status and trajectory of park resources as well as a greater understanding and insight into the ecosystem dynamics. While detecting and quantifying change is important to conservation efforts, to be useful for formulating remedial actions, monitoring data must explicitly relate to management objectives and be collected in such a manner as to resolve key uncertainties about the dynamics of the system (Nichols and Williams 2006). Formal decision making frameworks (versus more traditional processes described below) allow for the explicit integration of monitoring data into decision making processes to improve the understanding of system dynamics, thereby improving future decisions (Williams 2011).

Alaska↗
USGS2017

Widespread occurrence and potential for biodegradation of bioactive contaminants in Congaree National Park, USA

Organic contaminants with designed molecular bioactivity, such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals, originate from human and agricultural sources, occur frequently in surface waters, and threaten the structure and function of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Congaree National Park in South Carolina (USA) is a vulnerable park unit due to its location downstream of multiple urban and agricultural contaminant sources and its hydrologic setting, being composed almost entirely of floodplain and aquatic environments. Seventy-two water and sediment samples were collected from 16 sites in Congaree National Park during 2013 to 2015, and analyzed for 199 and 81 targeted organic contaminants, respectively. More than half of these water and sediment analytes were not detected or potentially had natural sources. Pharmaceutical contaminants were detected (49 total) frequently in water throughout Congaree National Park, with higher detection frequencies and concentrations at Congaree and Wateree River sites, downstream from major urban areas. Forty-seven organic wastewater indicator chemicals were detected in water, and 36 were detected in sediment, of which approximately half are distinctly anthropogenic. Endogenous sterols and hormones, which may originate from humans or wildlife, were detected in water and sediment samples throughout Congaree National Park, but synthetic hormones were detected only once, suggesting a comparatively low risk of adverse impacts. Assessment of the biodegradation potentials of 8 14 C-radiolabeled model contaminants indicated poor potentials for some contaminants, particularly under anaerobic sediments conditions.

South Carolina↗
USGS2024

Strong variation in Brook Trout trends across geology, elevation, and stream size in Shenandoah National Park

Objective Landscape context structures fish abundance and dynamics, and understanding trends in fish abundance across the landscape is often prerequisite for effective conservation. In this study, we evaluated the status and trends of Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis in Shenandoah National Park to understand how these are structured across bedrock geology, elevation, and stream size. Methods We used long-term monitoring data from 94 sites in Shenandoah National Park to evaluate trends in Brook Trout abundance over a 27-year period (1996–2022) and assess the importance of local environmental covariates using a hierarchical Bayesian N-mixture model based on depletion sampling. Focal covariates were chosen for their demonstrated importance in structuring fish populations in Shenandoah National Park and elsewhere. Bedrock geology controls sensitivity to acid deposition, watershed area is related to stream habitat features such as complexity and flow variability, and elevation creates gradients in temperature. Result Models revealed significant decreases in adult Brook Trout abundance over time (95% credible intervals < 0) for 31 of 94 sites (33%), and at least three sites exhibited apparent extirpations over the study period. Estimated Brook Trout abundance declined by 50% or more in approximately 70% of streams across the park over the study period. Sites with the warmest water temperatures exhibited the fastest declines in abundance. However, large watersheds on poorly buffered bedrock exhibited significant gains in abundance over time, suggesting some recovery from acid deposition due to improvements in air quality. Conclusion Our analysis revealed large and divergent changes in Brook Trout abundance over recent decades and suggests the importance of local water temperature and acid sensitivity as probable causal mechanisms. These results highlight the importance of considering local factors when evaluating long-term trends in stream fish populations. Results of this study can assist the development of targeted conservation actions within Shenandoah National Park and elsewhere.

Virginia↗