Heartland Network

Heartland Network Natural Resource Monitoring Program

Heartland Network

Cultural and Natural Significance of Heartland Network Parks

Protecting the Habitat of Our Heritage

– Free Flowing Rivers and Streams– Presidents– Deciduous Forests– Civil War battlefields– Prairies and Savannas– Native Americans– Wetlands– Westward Expansion

Heartland Network

History of Natural Resource Management in NPS

• 1930’s. Amidst an agency dominated by landscape architects and engineers, George Wright uses his private fortune to conduct the first faunal inventories of NPS units. (Note: the first national parks had been in existence nearly 60 years at this time).

• 1940’s. War times conditions stress national resources reducing NPS natural resource staff from it’s peak during Wright’s and New Deal levels.

• 1956 – 66. Mission 66 initiative concentrates NPS resources and attention on development of visitor services to accommodate record visitation.

• 1970’s - present. NPS takes greater responsibility for managing ecosystems, not just charismatic species, driven the by growth of ecological thinking.

• ~1993. Most NPS science staff transferred to the newly created National Biological Survey, which would later become the Biological Resources Division of USGS.

Heartland Network

History of Natural Resource Management in NPSState of the Parks Report (circa 2000)

• 80 (1/3) of the “natural resource parks” had no professional natural resource manager.

• Another 84 parks had only 1 or 2 natural resource professionals.

• Almost all projects/studies were short-term; staff mostly deals with the “crisis of the day”.

• Science/data and management are not tightly connected.

• Parks unable to provide “desired future resource condition” or natural resource goals.

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Natural Resource Challenge

Revitalize and expand the natural resource program within the park service and improve park management through greater reliance on scientific knowledge

Heartland Network

NPS Natural Resource Challenge

• Accelerate Inventories• Design/Implement Vital Signs Monitoring• Collaboration with scientists and others• Improve Resource Planning• Enhance Parks for Science• Assure Fully Professional Staff• Control Non-native species• Protect Native and Endangered Species• Enhance Environmental Stewardship• Expand Air Quality efforts• Protect and restore Water Resources• Establish Research Learning Centers

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Purpose of Monitoring

• Determine the status/trends in the condition of park resources:– Assess the efficacy of management

and restoration efforts– Provide early warning of impending

threats– Provide a basis for understanding

and identifying meaningful change in natural systems characterized by complexity, variability, and surprises – improves decision-making.

Heartland Network

Vital Signs Monitoring

To track a subset of physical, chemical, and biological

parameters that represent the overall health of the parks.

Heartland Network

LandscapesLand use / land cover

Terrestrial EcosystemsCommunity Monitoring

Plant communitiesGrassland birds

Population MonitoringInvasive, exotic plant speciesMissouri bladderpodWestern prairie fringed orchidBlack tailed prairie dogDeer

Environmental MonitoringAir qualityClimate

Aquatic EcosystemsCommunity Monitoring

Aquatic invertebratesFish communities

Population MonitoringTopeka shiner

Environmental MonitoringWater chemistryDischarge

Overview of Vital Signs Monitored

Heartland Network

Vital Signs Monitoring – 3 Characteristics

1. Long-term, ecological monitoring perspective

• Core staff and dedicated funding

• Rigorous planning and documentation standards

• Focus on long-term trends, e.g. decadal sampling intervals in some cases

Heartland Network

Vital Signs Monitoring – 3 Characteristics

2. Integration and coordination among parks, programs and agencies

Heartland Network

Vital Signs Monitoring – 3 Characteristics

3. Emphasis on Information Management

• 1/3 staff time spent managing and analyzing data

• Database systems and processes to insure data integrity

• Making information available to managers through analysis and interpretation

Heartland Network

NPS Monitoring Program Development and Organization – Prototype Programs

Heartland Network

NPS Monitoring Program Development and Organization – I&M Networks

Heartland Network

Heartland NetworkEstablished 2001

Heartland Network

The Network Strategy

• Groups of parks working together collaboratively under a Network Charter

• Administrative tool for greater efficiency• Core professional staff augmenting work

done by park staff• Board of Directors

overseeing activities• Technical Committee representing each park.

Heartland Network

Network Structure

• Board of Directors– Superintendents

assigned to the BOD on a rotating basis

• Technical Committee– One representative

from each member park

Heartland Network

Heartland Network Staff

Heartland Network

Why is monitoring important to Park Managers?

Inventory and monitoring are critical for cost effective, accountable resource management informed by scientific information.

Heartland Network

Management Needs for Monitoring Information

Natural and Cultural

Landscape Restoration

Heartland Network

Management Needs for Monitoring Information

Recreation, Health and Safety

Heartland Network

Management Needs for Monitoring Information

Effects of Prescribed Fire

Heartland Network

Management Needs for Monitoring Information

Grazing and Bison Management

Heartland Network

Management Needs for Monitoring Information

Invasive Exotic Plant

Management