Preservation and DNA Fingerprinting of the Historic Tidal Basin Cherries

Abstract The historic Japanese flowering cherry trees planted around the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, were given to the United States in 1912 as a gift from Japan, yet only a small portion of the original trees remain. In cooperation with the National Park Service, the U.S. National Arboretum clonally propagated a portion of these trees. DNA from these and other P. x yedoensis plants obtained from domestic commercial nurseries were compared using RAPD markers. Twenty-one 10-nucleotide primers yielded 80 repeatable bands that were used to assess genetic distances among the accessions. The genetic distances ranged from 0.65 to 1.0, with thirteen accessions identical at all loci tested. The most genetically dissimilar trees were P. x yedoensis accessions that were collected as seed in Japan. Accessions obtained from commercial nurseries including ‘Afterglow’, ‘Akebono’, and Yoshino were also dissimilar to the Tidal Basin trees. This study indicated that most of the older trees planted around the Tidal Basin are genetically very similar, but that variability in P. x yedoensis exists, especially in accessions collected as seed from Japan.

Download Full-text

086 Preservation and DNA Fingerprinting Historic Prunus × yedoensis Germplasm from the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.34.3.456b ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 456B-456

Author(s):

Margaret R. Pooler ◽

Ruth L. Dix

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Rapd Markers ◽

National Park Service ◽

Average Frequency ◽

The United States ◽

Tidal Basin ◽

Tourist Attraction ◽

Prunus Yedoensis ◽

Park Service ◽

Flowering Cherry

The historic Japanese flowering cherry trees planted around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., were given to the United States in 1912 as a gift from Japan, and have become a popular tourist attraction. Unfortunately, only a small portion of the original trees remain, and these trees are in various states of decline due to old age and stress. In cooperation with the National Park Service, we have propagated from cuttings nine trees that are known to be original and 10 trees that are thought to be original. DNA from these and other P. × yedoensis were compared using RAPD markers. Twenty-one 10-nucleotide primers yielded 80 repeatable bands that were used to assess genetic distance among the accessions. Twenty of these bands were monomorphic across all 28 accessions tested, so were not informative. The frequency of the remaining 60 bands varied from 0.04 to 0.96, with an average frequency of 0.58. Thirteen of the accessions, including six of the nine that are known to be original germplasm, were identical at all loci tested. Other accessions that are thought to be original trees were similar, with similarity values of 0.93 to 0.99. The most genetically dissimilar trees were P. × yedoensis accessions from our collection that were collected as seed in Japan. Accessions obtained from commercial nurseries including `Afterglow', `Akebono” and Yoshino were also dissimilar to the Tidal Basin trees. This study indicates that most of the older trees planted around the Tidal Basin are genetically very similar, but that variability in P. × yedoensis exists, especially in accessions collected as seed from Japan.

Download Full-text

Department of the Interior

Issue A Journal of Opinion ◽

10.1017/s0047160700503941 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 8 (2-3) ◽

pp. 16-17

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

National Park ◽

National Park Service ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Training Programs ◽

The United States ◽

United States Department ◽

States Department ◽

Park Service ◽

The U.S

The United States Department of the Interior is responsible for several programs in Africa through the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Mines, and the National Park Service. These programs range in scope from training programs to technical assistance to research for the Bureau of Mines annual publication. The Minerals Yearbook.

Download Full-text

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Live Interactive Virtual Explorations Involving a Hard-to-Reach Native American Earth Lodge and a Pacific Island Volcanoes Site

Journal of Interpretation Research ◽

10.1177/109258721101600105 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 67-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kimberly Mann Bruch ◽

Hans-Werner Braun ◽

Susan Teel

Keyword(s):

Native American ◽

National Park ◽

National Science Foundation ◽

High Performance ◽

National Park Service ◽

Washington Dc ◽

Historic Site ◽

Park Service ◽

Research And Education ◽

Education Network

For several years, National Park Service scientists, historians, and educators have been working with National Science Foundation-funded High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN) researchers on developing, implementing, and evaluating Live Interactive Virtual Explorations (LIVE) at several sites. The LIVE activities utilize computers with headsets and microphones to link National Park Service sites with an array of audiences. The two case studies in this paper examine the effectiveness of LIVE activities that allow Washington, DC, inner-city youth to explore two hard-to-reach National Park Service sites: Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site in North Dakota and the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Download Full-text

Describing the Mountainsnails (Oreohelix Sp.) of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2013.3991 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 36 ◽

pp. 94-97

Author(s):

Lusha Tronstad ◽

Gary Beauvais ◽

Jeanne Serb ◽

Kevin Roe

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

National Park Service ◽

Endangered Species Act ◽

The State ◽

Recent Past ◽

Grand Teton National Park ◽

Important Group ◽

Park Service ◽

Very High ◽

The U.S

Invertebrates are receiving an increasing amount of conservation attention across North America. Currently, about 40% of the animals listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) are invertebrates (www.NatureServe.org). The National Park Service and other agencies require better information on invertebrate faunas in order to effectively conserve this important group of animals. One way to prioritize invertebrate groups for study is to assess the number of rare taxa within a given genus. In this context, Oreohelix (mountainsnails) are a top priority because the genus is assumed to support a very high percentage of rare and endemic taxa. Additionally, Oreohelix species in Wyoming and surrounding states have been petitioned for ESA listing in the recent past. The diversity of Oreohelix forms in Wyoming is not well-understood, and the current taxonomy may not reflect the true pattern of diversity within the state. Therefore, we are studying both the morphology and genetic structure of Oreohelix in Grand Teton National Park to begin to understand the diversity of mountainsnails in the state. We collected Oreohelix from 4 locations in Grand Teton National Park. Based on shell and internal characteristics, all individuals were identified as O. subrudis. We are currently preparing specimens for DNA sequencing.

Download Full-text

Visualizing When, Where, and How Fires Happen in U.S. Parks and Protected Areas

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information ◽

10.3390/ijgi9050333 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 333

Author(s):

Nicole C. Inglis ◽

Jelena Vukomanovic

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Fire History ◽

National Park Service ◽

Fire Management ◽

Fire Regime ◽

Fire Regimes ◽

The United States ◽

Park Service

Fire management in protected areas faces mounting obstacles as climate change alters disturbance regimes, resources are diverted to fighting wildfires, and more people live along the boundaries of parks. Evidence-based prescribed fire management and improved communication with stakeholders is vital to reducing fire risk while maintaining public trust. Numerous national fire databases document when and where natural, prescribed, and human-caused fires have occurred on public lands in the United States. However, these databases are incongruous and non-standardized, making it difficult to visualize spatiotemporal patterns of fire and engage stakeholders in decision-making. We created interactive decision analytics (“VISTAFiRe”) that transform fire history data into clear visualizations of the spatial and temporal dimensions of fire and its management. We demonstrate the utility of our approach using Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park as examples of protected areas experiencing fire regime change between 1980 and 2017. Our open source visualizations may be applied to any data from the National Park Service Wildland Fire Events Geodatabase, with flexibility to communicate shifts in fire regimes over time, such as the type of ignition, duration and magnitude, and changes in seasonal occurrence. Application of the tool to Everglades and Big Cypress revealed that natural wildfires are occurring earlier in the wildfire season, while human-caused and prescribed wildfires are becoming less and more common, respectively. These new avenues of stakeholder communication are allowing the National Park Service to devise research plans to prepare for environmental change, guide resource allocation, and support decision-making in a clear and timely manner.

Download Full-text

Valuing Our National Parks: An Ecological Economics Perspective

Land ◽

10.3390/land8040054 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 54

Author(s):

Paul Sutton ◽

Sophia Duncan ◽

Sharolyn Anderson

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

National Parks ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

National Park ◽

National Park Service ◽

Natural Capital ◽

The United States ◽

Commercial Real Estate ◽

Annual Budget ◽

Park Service

The annual budget for the United States National Park Service was roughly $3 billion in 2016. This is distributed amongst 405 National Parks, 23 national scenic and historic trails, and 60 wild and scenic rivers. Entrance fees and concessions generate millions of dollars in income for the National Park Service; however, this metric fails to account for the total value of the National Parks. In failing to consider the value of the ecosystem services provided by the National Parks, we fail to quantify and appreciate the contributions our parks make to society. This oversight allows us to continue to underfund a valuable part of our natural capital and consequently damage our supporting environment, national heritage, monetary economy, and many of our diverse cultures. We explore a simple benefits transfer valuation of the United States’ national parks using National Land Cover Data from 2011 and ecosystem service values determined by Costanza et al. This produces an estimate suggesting the parks provide $98 billion/year in ecosystem service value. If the natural infrastructure ‘asset’ that is our national park system had a budget comparable to a piece of commercial real estate of this value, the annual budget of the National Park Service would be roughly an order of magnitude larger at something closer to $30 billion rather than $3 billion.

Download Full-text

A Life in the Practice of Anthropology: Muriel Crespi and the Development of the Ethnography Program in the National Parks

Practicing Anthropology ◽

10.17730/praa.26.1.m00432056123j15w ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 2-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gretchen Schafft

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

National Parks ◽

National Park ◽

National Park Service ◽

The United States ◽

Seminal Work ◽

Park Service

This issue of Practicing Anthropology is devoted to an exposition and discussion of the seminal work of Muriel (Miki) Crespi and its impact on the United States National Park Service (NPS). Changes that Crespi initiated and achieved with the collaboration of colleagues greatly enhanced the commemoration and documentation of the heritage of varied ethnic groups around whose lives and artifacts our national parks have been developed.

Download Full-text