Biscayne National Park colonial nesting birds monitoring protocol—Version 1.1

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Muxo ◽  
Kevin Whelan ◽  
Raul Urgelles ◽  
Joaquin Alonso ◽  
Judd Patterson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Colonial Nesting ◽  
Wading Bird ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Biscayne National Park ◽  
Bird Colonies

Breeding colonies of wading birds (orders Ciconiiformes, Pelecaniformes) and seabirds (orders Suliformes, Pelecaniformes) serve as important indicators of aquatic ecosystem health, as they respond to changes in food abundance and quality, contaminants, invasive species, and disturbance. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, Restoration Coordination & Verification program (CERP-RECOVER) has identified wading-bird colonies as an important ecosystem restoration indicator. The National Park Service South Florida/Caribbean Inventory & Monitoring Network (SFCN) ranked colonial nesting birds eighth out of 44 vital signs of park natural resource conditions for ecological significance and feasibility. However, while large-scale monitoring efforts are occurring in the rest of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, only minimal historic data collection and no extensive ongoing monitoring of wading bird and seabird nesting have occurred in Biscayne National Park. Consequently, due to their high importance as biological indicators and because they are a gap occurring in regional monitoring efforts, the network has initiated a monitoring program of colonial nesting birds in Biscayne National Park. This protocol provides the rationale, approach, and detailed Standard Operating Procedures for annual colonial bird monitoring within and close to Biscayne National Park and conforms to the Oakley et al. (2003) guidelines for National Park Service long-term monitoring protocols. The specific objectives of this monitoring program are to determine status and long-term trends in: Numbers and locations of active colonies of colonial nesting birds with a special focus on Double-crested Cormorants, Great Egrets, Great White Herons, Great Blue Herons, White Ibises, and Roseate Spoonbills. Annual peak active nest counts of colonial nesting birds in Biscayne National Park with a special focus on the species mentioned above. An annual nesting index (i.e., sum of monthly nest counts) with a special focus on the species mentioned above. Timing of peak nest counts for the focal species.

Bird community monitoring at New River Gorge National River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and Bluestone National Scenic River, 1997 - 2018

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew DeSaix
Keyword(s):  
West Virginia ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Biotic Integrity ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Recreation Area ◽  
Term Monitoring

Birds are prominent features of National Park Service lands and are effective indicators for monitoring ecosystem health. Assessing the temporal change of avian species abundance depends on long-term monitoring of bird communities and trends, however long-term monitoring programs are generally uncommon. In this report, we summarize 22 years (1997-2018) of point count data across five sites on West Virginia National Park Service lands (three in New River Gorge National River, one in Gauley River National Recreation Area, and one in Bluestone National Scenic River) and compare these results to our analysis of Breeding Bird Survey data for the same time period across all of West Virginia. The objectives of this analysis are two-fold: 1) describe the biotic integrity of the National Park Service lands in West Virginia and 2) Quantify trends in guilds and species abundance. During the 20-year period of this survey, 85 breeding resident species were detected. The West Virginia National Park Service lands are home to stable populations of Wood Thrush and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, both species of continental concern by Partners in Flight. Seven species have declined precipitously on NPS lands during this time period. Three of these species are also experiencing declines across the rest of West Virginia (Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Carolina Chickadee, Kentucky Warbler), but the other 4 species are stable across West Virginia (Acadian Flycatcher, Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Parula, Swainson’s Warbler). Four species that are declining across West Virginia (Great Crested Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting, Red-eyed Vireo, and Worm-eating Warbler) are stable on southern West Virginia NPS lands. Additionally, the upper-canopy foraging guild of species has decreased significantly on NPS lands in southern West Virginia. An analysis of community biotic integrity revealed that the southern West Virginia NPS lands have been stable at a rating of high biotic integrity every year for the duration of this survey. Future research should delve into the underlying factors that may be driving the trends in abundance at different scales.

scholarly journals Amphibian and Reptile Inventory and Monitoring Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, 2001

2001 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 3-27
Author(s):  
Debra Patla
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Inventory And Monitoring

This is a report of field work conducted in Yellowstone (YELL) and Grand Teton (GRTE) national parks, including the J.D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway (JODR), in the summer of 2001. This project was supported by the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program and the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative.

Understanding and preserving caves and karst landscapes

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 318-336
Author(s):  
Dale L. Pate ◽  
Ronal C. Kerbo
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Educational Opportunities ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Karst Landscapes ◽  
The Many ◽  
Long Term Preservation

ABSTRACT Beginning in 1903 with the creation of Wind Cave National Park, ten National Park Service units have been created because of the caves they contained. Since the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916, over 5,360 caves are known to exist within at least 99 park units. These caves are found in different types of rocks and were formed by several different mechanisms. The most prolific landscapes that have formed caves are those in soluble rocks such as limestone. Known as karst landscapes, at least 114 park units contain some amount of karst. In the early days, cave parks were developed for their commercial and recreational values. Little was known of the processes that created caves or the many resources that encompassed these entire landscapes. With the help of cave and karst enthusiasts and researchers, and the advent of cave and karst resource managers, the National Park Service has made great strides in understanding these resources. This has led to increased educational opportunities and better management decisions that will enhance long-term preservation of these resources.

scholarly journals Protecting Canyonlands: Anatomy of a National Park Struggle in Southeastern Utah, USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Natalie S. Mumich ◽  
Geoffrey L. Buckley ◽  
Yolonda Youngs ◽  
Tatyana Martello
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Extractive Industries ◽  
The Past ◽  
Canyonlands National Park ◽  
Economic Forces ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Successful Collaboration

National parks have been called “America’s best idea”, but their creation and management never fail to stir controversy. On September 12, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill creating Canyonlands National Park (CANY). Instead of a preservation climax, however, the establishment of CANY simply opened a new chapter in the long-term effort to protect a much greater percentage of southeastern Utah’s canyon country. Over the next several decades, park enthusiasts and wilderness advocates sought to expand the boundaries of CANY, while agricultural interests and extractive industries lobbied vigorously to limit the influence of the National Park Service. In this paper, we use archival data and methods to reconstruct the story of CANY’s creation and review attempts since then to extend protections beyond the original park’s borders, seeking to understand the different social, political, and economic forces that aligned to propose—as well as the forces that rallied to contest—these expansion efforts. While our findings indicate that the stakeholders involved and the issues that drive them have changed little over the past sixty years, we also cite several examples of successful collaboration that could serve as guideposts for future conservation efforts, both in the U.S. and elsewhere.

scholarly journals Biodiversity and ecology of lichens of Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

2020 ◽  
pp. 586-619
Author(s):  
Bruce McCune ◽  
Ulf Arup ◽  
Othmar Breuss ◽  
Elisa Di Meglio ◽  
Joseph Di Meglio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Ecological Monitoring ◽  
Lichenized Fungi ◽  
Vulnerability Assessments ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Resource Condition ◽  
Condition Assessments ◽  
Its Barcoding

We inventoried lichens in Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska, USA We assembled the known information on occurrence and ecology of lichens in this park by combining field, herbarium, and literature studies. Our results provide baseline data on lichen occurrence that may be used in resource condition assessments, vulnerability assessments, long-term ecological monitoring, and resource management. We report a total of 616 taxa of lichenized fungi from the Park, plus an additional five subspecies and three varieties, all of which are new additions to the National Park Service database for this park unit. An additional five species of nonlichenized lichenicolous fungi are reported here. Eight non-lichenized fungi that are traditionally treated with lichens are also included, most of these associated with bark of particular host species. Four taxa new to North America are reported here (Arctomia delicatula var. acutior, Aspicilia dudinensis, Myriospora myochroa, and Ochrolechia bahusiensis), along with 44 species new to Alaska. Numerous species have been confirmed using ITS barcoding sequences. Also several records assigned to the genus level are reported, many of those are likely new species.

Philanthropy and the National Park Service

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Vaughn ◽  
Hanna J. Cortner
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Park Service

A Question Of Relevance

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-123
Author(s):  
Michael A. Capps
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Interpretive Approach ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Educational Component

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is an example of one memorial site that has successfully managed to retain relevance for nearly one hundred years by adapting to changes in scholarship and the expectations of its visitors. Initially created as a purely commemorative site, it has evolved into one where visitors can actively engage with the Lincoln story. By embracing an interpretive approach to managing the site, the National Park Service has been able to add an educational component to the experience of visiting the memorial that complements its commemorative nature.

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