scholarly journals Biogeography of Mammals in Rocky Mountain National Parks

1992 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 23-24
Author(s):  
Susan Glenn ◽  
Ian Butler ◽  
Brian Chapman ◽  
Rebecca Rudman
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Regional Office ◽  
Cd Rom ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Elevation Data ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Species Lists ◽  
Data Layers

The first phase of the project was to determine which mammal species may have gone locally extinct from the national parks and which of these extinctions were in populations at the edge of their range. Susan Glenn met with Robert Schiller in the NPS Regional Office in Denver in July 1992. During this meeting, the validity of the park species lists was discussed. Only verified species records were being used and some groups of species had not been thoroughly inventoried in many of the parks. Species lists have not been obtained from some parks. Problems in species lists has been documented by the National Park Service (Stohlgren and Quinn 1992). Therefore, it cannot be assumed that all species that are missing from the park lists have gone locally extinct. Species habitat requirements are being analyzed to determine if the parks are likely to maintain populations of the missing species. We acquired 3-arc second digital elevation data of the study area from Rocky Mountain Communications Inc. on CD-ROM. This data was merged for the Rocky Mountain region of the project. A VHRR satellite data has been obtained for mapping land cover. These auxiliary data layers will be used to refine the mammal distribution maps. In order to use these data, we have developed a database in dBase on habitat, and elevation range tolerance of each species. Brian Chapman, Warren Drummond and Susan Glenn visited several parks to obtain habitat information and verify species lists.

scholarly journals Spatial Distribution of Tropospheric Ozone in National Parks of California: Interpretation of Passive-Sampler Data

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 483-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Ray
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Standard Operating Procedure ◽  
Passive Samplers ◽  
Quality Assurance Program ◽  
Spatial Distributions ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Mount Rainier ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Baseline Values

The National Park Service (NPS) has tested and used passive ozone samplers for several years to get baseline values for parks and to determine the spatial variability within parks. Experience has shown that the Ogawa passive samplers can provide ±10% accuracy when used with a quality assurance program consisting of blanks, duplicates, collocated instrumentation, and a standard operating procedure that carefully guides site operators. Although the passive device does not meet EPA criteria as a certified method (mainly, that hourly values be measured), it does provide seasonal summed values of ozone. The seasonal ozone concentrations from the passive devices can be compared to other monitoring to determine baseline values, trends, and spatial variations. This point is illustrated with some kriged interpolation maps of ozone statistics. Passive ozone samplers were used to get elevational gradients and spatial distributions of ozone within a park. This was done in varying degrees at Mount Rainier, Olympic, Sequoia–Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Rocky Mountain, and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. The ozone has been found to vary by factors of 2 and 3 within a park when average ozone is compared between locations. Specific examples of the spatial distributions of ozone in three parks within California are given using interpolation maps. Positive aspects and limitations of the passive sampling approach are presented.

scholarly journals Biogeography of Mammals in Rocky Mountain National Parks

1991 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 25-28
Author(s):  
Susan Glenn ◽  
Brian Chapman ◽  
Rebecca Rudman ◽  
Ian Butler
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Effective Area ◽  
Habitat Diversity ◽  
Initial Population ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Local Extinctions ◽  
Equilibrium Number

The equilibrium theory of island biogeography proposes that on an island of a given area, there exists an equilibrium number of species when the rates of immigration and local extinction of species are equal (MacArthur and Wilson 1967). This theory has been applied to park systems because parks may act as functional islands when surrounding unprotected land is cleared of natural vegetation. Alteration of these surrounding habitats isolates these parks and reduces the effective area, causing a decrease in the equilibrium number of species. In animal communities, this process is called faunal collapse (Soule et al. 1979).The effects of park isolation and faunal collapse have been studied for mammals in Rocky Mountain parks (Picton 1979, Newmark 1986, Glenn and Nudds 1989). In western U.S. parks, extinctions were more numerous in smaller or older parks (Newmark 1987). Area, topographic diversity, and habitat diversity have been correlated with mammal species richness in western North American parks (Picton 1979, Newmark 1986). Initial population size was also related to the extinction probability of a species (Newmark 1986). It has been proposed that all parks in a region are subject to similar factors influencing local extinctions, and therefore a similar suite of species should become locally extinct in all parks (Patterson and Atmar 1986, Patterson 1987). This means that a nested subset pattern is produced, where parks with low species richness contain mainly species already present in parks with high species richness. This pattern was not found for Canadian parks, where even small parks contained different species assemblages (Glenn 1990). The objectives of this three-year study are to: (i) identify mammal species that have become locally extinct in each of the Rocky Mountain National Parks; (ii) distinguish between hypotheses regarding the causes of these local extinctions in National Parks; (iii) determine if the same species become locally extinct in all parks; and (iv) identify potential sites for future protection of species prone to extinction.

scholarly journals Progress Report on the History of Forest Fires in Yellowstone National Park

1977 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 41-46
Author(s):  
Richard Levinson ◽  
Ronald Marrs
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
National Park ◽  
Fire History ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Remote Sensing Techniques

This report discusses a research effort to determine the utility of remotely sensed data to delineate a forest fire history for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Research was supported by the National Park Service and the Northern Rocky Mountain Parks Studies Cooperative Program. We are grateful for the cooperation and assistance given us by Dr. Don Despain and other personnel of the National Park Service who provided data and logistical support for this research. We also thank Dr. Dennis Knight and Mr. Bill Romme of the Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, for their assistance in gathering field data essential for evaluation of the remote sensing techniques.

YMCA Hiking Patterns at Rocky Mountain National Park: Implications for Public Health

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Collingwood ◽  
Alicia Adcock ◽  
John Librett
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Summer Season ◽  
Rocky Mountain National Park ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Park Service

Background:There is little data on hiking patterns in national parks to support hiking behavior as a vehicle to meet the joint YMCA, CDC, and National Park Service initiatives to encourage physical activity through public land use.Methods:The YMCA of the Rockies hiking program provided data from Hike Report forms completed after 343 supervised hikes for one summer season in Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) to assess visitor hiking patterns.Results:Of the total hikes, 64.4% were categorized as easy, 27.1% moderate, and 8.5% difficult. There were 1937 individual hikers which represented 13.3% of the estimated potential hiker sample. The majority of hikers (69%) only took easy hikes with 72.7% participating in only one hike and 27.3% doing two or more hikes. Energy cost estimates for hike categories indicated mean MET levels between 4.0 to 5.7.Conclusion:Hiking patterns at ROMO may be reflective of general population inactivity suggesting the need to design strategies to promote visitor hiking.

From Competition to Cooperation: A History of Canada–US National Park Relations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence Young ◽  
Alan MacEachern ◽  
Lary Dilsaver
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Settler Societies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Flow Of Information ◽  
The Relationship

This essay explores the evolving international relationship of the two national park agencies that in 1968 began to offer joint training classes for protected-area managers from around the world. Within the British settler societies that dominated nineteenth century park-making, the United States’ National Park Service (NPS) and Canada’s National Parks Branch were the most closely linked and most frequently cooperative. Contrary to campfire myths and nationalist narratives, however, the relationship was not a one-way flow of information and motivation from the US to Canada. Indeed, the latter boasted a park bureaucracy before the NPS was established. The relationship of the two nations’ park leaders in the half century leading up to 1968 demonstrates the complexity of defining the influences on park management and its diffusion from one country to another.

Are We Loving Our National Parks to Death? A Call for Research on Crime and Law Enforcement in the U.S. National Park System

2021 ◽  
pp. 073401682110157
Author(s):  
William Andrew Stadler ◽  
Cheryl Lero Jonson ◽  
Brooke Miller Gialopsos
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Current State ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Service Data ◽  
National Park System ◽  
The U.S

Despite a recent surge of visitation and frequent media accounts of lawlessness in America’s national parks, little empirical research has been dedicated to crime and law enforcement in the U.S. national park system. The absence of systematic crime and justice research within these protected spaces should raise concern, as recent park service data and intra-agency reports suggest visitor growth, funding and personnel declines, operational shortcomings, and technology constraints may endanger the capacity of the National Park Service (NPS) to adequately address anticipated crime threats in the 21st century. This call for research aims to raise awareness of the contemporary law enforcement challenges facing this federal agency and encourage the study of crime and justice issues within the U.S. national park system. We briefly examine the evolution and current state of NPS law enforcement and its associated challenges and conclude with a conceptual road map for future research occurring in these protected spaces.

scholarly journals The taxonomy, biogeography and conservation of the myrmecophilous Chrysoritis butterflies (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R.F. Terblanche ◽  
H. Van Hamburg
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Butterfly Species ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Species Lists ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Valuable Role

The relevance and integration of scientific knowledge to conservation management of the locally popular and highly endemic butterfly genus Chrysoritis are investigated within the research fields of taxonomy and biogeography. The butterfly genus Chrysoritis contains at least 41 species endemic to South Africa. The taxonomy of Chrysoritis has reached a state where revisions could easily result in a plethora of names between “lumping and splitting”. In practice, the state of the taxonomy of these butterflies on species level may alter their conservation priority. The two most species rich species groups in Chrysoritis have different centres of endemism, however, a butterfly atlas becomes a necessity to reveal more about their biogeography. There is an absence of butterfly species lists in many of our National Parks and Nature Reserves. Legislation should facilitate rather than limit the valuable role of the amateur lepidopterist to add distribution records. In turn, the amateur lepidopterists should adapt and make an effort to explore unknown localities, apart from monitoring butterflies at their well-known localities. The red listing of localised butterflies in South Africa, including a number of Chrysoritis species, is in need of an urgent review in the light of the most recent IUCN categories. A species such as Chrysoritis dicksoni should be protected by law - but at its known localities. The scenario that real conservation action is only needed if the last known locality of a butterfly is threatened, should be abolished. A paradigm shift to conserve the metapopulations of the highly endemic Chrysoritis genus and not merely a few of its species as items that appear on lists, seems necessary.

scholarly journals “Making Alcatraz Amazing”: The Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Boling
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Golden Gate ◽  
Federal Prison ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Multiple Languages

In 1987 the National Park Service and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy launched the Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour as part of the interpretive program educating visitors about the island and its history. Using an existing format made possible several years previously by Sony Walkman™ technology, the designers framed this individual, and innovative, audio tour as a means for visitors to experience the cellhouse through the voices of people incarcerated there, or living and working there, during the years when it served as an active federal prison. Such a design called for different decisions about content, scripting and moving people through space than had been required for ranger-led tours or the lecture-type audio tours prevalent at the time. The original tour has been updated continuously since its launch, and experienced by millions of visitors in multiple languages. The author of this case experienced the tour in 1988 and interviewed key designers in 2014.

scholarly journals Trail impact monitoring in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 3117-3149
Author(s):  
J. Svajda ◽  
S. Korony ◽  
I. Brighton ◽  
S. Esser ◽  
S. Ciapala
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Rocky Mountain National Park ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Impact Monitoring ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. This paper examines impacts of increased visitation leading to human trampling of vegetation and soil along several trails in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to understand how abiotic factors and level of use can influence trail conditions. RMNP is one of the most visited national parks in the USA with 3.3 million visitors in 2012 across 1075 km2 and 571 km of hiking trails. 95 % of the park is designated wilderness making the balance between preservation and visitor use challenging. This research involves the application of trail condition assessments to 56 km of trails to determine prevailing factors and what, if any, connection between them exist. The study looked at a variety of inventory and impact indicators and standards to determine their importance and to develop a baseline condition of trails. The data can be used for future comparison and evaluation of development trends. We found that trail widening (mean trail width 88.9 cm) and soil loss (cross sectional area 172.7 cm2) are the most visible effects of trail degradation. Further statistical analyses of data identified the role and influence of various factors (e.g. use level and topography). Insights into the influence of these factors can lead to the selection of appropriate management measures to avoid or minimize negative consequences from increased visitation.

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