Funding the Natural Resource Challenge

Report to Congress, Fiscal Year 2007

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science
Cover: Colleen Young, graduate student from Moss Landing 

Marine Laboratory, conducting 

observations of harbor seals in 

Johns Hopkins Inlet, Glacier Bay 

National Park, 2007.

NPS Photo: Jamie N. Womble
Funding the Natural Resource Challenge

Report to Congress, Fiscal Year 2007

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science

Washington, DC

U.S. Department of the Interior

National Park Service

Washington, DC

Contents

Executive Summary 5

Chapter I: Funding and Measuring Progress 15

Funding 15

Measuring Progress 16

Chapter II: Park and Regional Resource Management Programs 19

Park Base Funding Increases 19

Regional Resource Management Activities 25

Alaska 25

Intermountain 26

Midwest 27

National Capitol 28

Northeast 30

Pacific West 31

Southeast 32

Chapter III: Network Programs 35

Inventory and Monitoring Networks 35

Exotic Plant Management Teams 46

Cooperative Ecosytem Studies Units 47

Research Learning Centers 54

Chapter IV: The Natural Resource Preservation Program 61

Natural Resource Management Projects 61

Threatened and Endagered Species Projects 65

Disturbed Lands Restoration Projects 66

Small Park Projects 68

Regional Block Allocation Projects 71

Alaska Special Projects 73

USGS Biological Resources 74

Servicewide Projects 74

Chapter V: Servicewide Natural Resource Programs 77

Air Quality Program 77

Water Resources Program 83

Biological Resource Management Program 88

Geologic Resources Program 94

Environmental Quality Program 102

Natural Sounds Program 103

Chapter VI: Financial Details 109

Appendixes 119

Appendix A 119

Appendix B 121

Appendix C 131

Appendix D 133

Appendix E 135

Park Index 147

Geoscientists-in-the-Park (GIP) 

volunteer Susi Tomsich hiking 

at Denali National Park and Preserve. In FY 2007 GIPs provided 

technical expertise valued at 

$378,000.
4 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

If space allows, it is recommended that the text begin on the opposite page and that this page contain photographic or illustrative material. 
 National Park Service 5

Executive Summary

In August 1916 the United States Congress 

created the National Park Service to oversee 

the nation’s growing collection of national 

treasures and protected areas. The Organic 

Act charged the Park Service with the conservation of “the scenery and natural and 

historic objects and the wild life therein and to 

provide for the enjoyment of the same in such 

manner and by such means as will leave them 

unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” For almost 100 years the National 

Park Service has endeavored to fulfill this 

mandate.

Even as the National Park System has grown 

and matured, the pressures on parks and their 

natural resources have also evolved. Modern 

park managers must deal with complex issues that their predecessors never dreamed 

of, such as development, shrinking habitats, 

and climate change. Through tactical research, 

increased professional capability, expanded 

partnerships, support for restoration and 

protection projects, and greater education 

and outreach ability—all with an emphasis on 

cooperation and accountability—the National 

Park Service endeavors to respond to the 

complex and dynamic resource issues parks 

face.

Funding increases associated with the Natural 

Resource Challenge (2000–2007) are the cornerstone of the agency’s improved capacity 

to address today’s complex natural resource 

issues. To date, Natural Resource Challenge 

funding has increased professional expertise 

at both park and central support levels, and 

increased the Natural Resource Preservation Program (NRPP)—which supports on 

the ground tactical research, restoration, and 

protection projects at the parks. The increased 

funding has also supported cooperative programs connecting geographically linked parks, 

including establishment of 32 Inventory and 

Monitoring (I&M) networks, 12 Cooperative 

Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU), 17 Research 

Learning Centers (RLC), and 16 Exotic Plant 

Management Teams (EPMT). These programs 

enable the National Park Service to develop 

high quality scientific data, more sophisticated 

information and tools for improved management, and often, more efficient and cost effective ways of doing business.

While the National Park Service has risen to 

the Natural Resource Challenge, the work of 

caring for parks will never be done as long as 

the American people continue to visit and care 

about the nation’s great system of national 

parks and protected areas. Natural systems 

continually change. New information arises to 

challenge our understanding. New stressors 

are introduced that disrupt natural systems. 

Natural resource stewardship is a cycle of 

activities described by the following stages: 

discovery, learning, understanding, sharing, resource protection and restoration, and 

evaluation.

Discovery is the process of finding something 

new: new information, new species, new 

patterns. It can come from basic research, 

baseline inventories, or even observation. 

As a result of the Soil Resources Inventory 

and the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, researchers discovered 21 new soil types at Great 

Smoky Mountains National Park as well as 58 

new biotic species associated with different 

soils.

In the fall of 2006, researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental 

Science-Appalachian Lab, a partner in the 

Chesapeake Watershed-CESU, discovered a 

federally endangered Indiana bat in a mist net 

in a tunnel along the Canal. This was the first 

sighting of this endangered bat in 27 years in 

the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. This exciting discovery presented 

the park with a big challenge because this is a 

stretch of the Canal being considered for part 

of the “Rail to Trail” Maryland State project. 

Facilitated by Urban Ecology Research Learning Alliance and the CW-CESU, new bat 

monitoring has started at the park, giving park 

managers valuable information to help them 

make the decisions related to this highly visible project.

In 2007 NPS researchers discovered quagga 

mussels, a close relative of the zebra mussel 

and an exotic species, in Lake Mead. This 

discovery at Lake Mead National Recreation 

Area represented the first detection of this 

species in the western U.S. and lead to an immediate response by the National Park Service 

Hellbenders (a large, aquatic amphibian) found within the Ozark 

National Scenic Riverways are 

mostly older, larger individuals 

and the population lacks recruitment. Research is providing 

important genetic information 

to support recovery and captive 

breeding efforts. The hellbender 

is a candidate for listing as 

threatened or endangered.
6 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

to increase monitoring, detection, prevention 

and treatment activities in waters of other 

western U.S. parks. The response planning effort was lead by an All Risk Incident Management Team, and was fully coordinated with 

other agencies and the Western States.

Discovery leads to...

Learning, which is tactical research, monitoring, or study that gathers data in scientifically 

sound manner in order to examine causes, effects and implications.

The Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) evaluated ecological 

impacts of airborne contaminants in national 

parks using a network of sites to provide 

spatially extensive, site specific, and temporally-resolved information on the exposure, 

accumulation, and impacts of airborne toxic 

compounds. The National Park Service is concerned about airborne contaminants because 

they can pose serious health threats to wildlife 

and humans, as some of these compounds 

tend to “biomagnify” in the food chain. The 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the 

U.S. Geological Survey, the USDA Forest 

Service, the University of Washington, and 

Oregon State University are working with the 

NPS Air Resources Division on this assessment. Analyses of snow, vegetation and fish 

samples were finished in FY 2007, and most 

of the statistical interpretations of raw data 

were also accomplished during that time. The 

WACAP database—constructed from data 

submitted by nine different laboratories, with 

space for approximately 100 variables for more 

than 2,000 samples—will be publicly available 

by early 2008.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Genetic 

Analysis of the Hellbender (Cryptobranchus 

alleganiensis), A Candidate Endangered Species: The purpose of this project is to provide 

important genetic information to support 

recovery and captive breeding efforts for the 

hellbender, a large, aquatic amphibian that 

is currently a candidate species. In the past 

20 years, this species has experienced drastic 

population declines of 70 percent throughout 

its range. Hellbenders found within the Ozark 

National Scenic Riverways are mostly older, 

larger individuals and the population lacks 

recruitment. With the rate of population decline and lack of juveniles, hellbenders could 

face extinction. Previous work on hellbenders 

found the highest recorded genetic variance 

in mitochondrial DNA between local populations for any species. Preservation of this 

genetic diversity is essential to their survival. 

Modern genetic techniques were used to 

determine if the hellbender can be given protection as a single species representing a monotypic genus, a set of species or subspecies, 

as Management Units or as Evolutionarily Significant Units within a species. Cellular DNA 

will be extracted and mitochondrial DNA will 

be sequenced. If this does not reveal enough 

information, DNA fingerprinting techniques 

will be used. Two hundred samples will be 

analyzed and findings will be summarized in a 

final report.

Voyageurs National Park. Improve Limited 

Knowledge of Ecology and Population Status 

of Threatened Canada Lynx: Snowtracking 

during March through May was limited by 

poor tracking conditions, however at least 

one unconfirmed lynx track was located adjacent to the southern edge of the park. More 

than 150 snowshoe hare pellet transects were 

completed within and adjacent to the park 

in the major vegetation community types in 

May and June 2007. The initial assessment of 

lynx and snowshoe hare habitat quality via 

remote sensing information was also started in 

May. Infrared camera stations were purchased 

and monitoring stations began collecting 

data in August 2007. Field work will continue 

throughout FY 2008. The work was undertaken by the NPS and one CESU partner. Data 

for at least one of the project deliverables is 

being analyzed in conjunction with the principal investigators; final reports are expected by 

the end of FY 2008.

Great Basin National Park. Sage Steppe & 

Fuels Management: Building the Knowledge 

Base: Sagebrush habitats are one of the most 

threatened communities in the United States 

and wildlife species dependent on these 

habitats have also declined. Conserving four 

vulnerable sagebrush species: yellow-bellied 

marmots, Utah mountain kingsnakes, pygmy 

rabbits, and sagebrush voles is critical. Great 

Basin National Park staff conducted 340 person hours of surveys to find new populations. 

Marmots were observed in six new sites. 

No pygmy rabbits or signs of the same were 
 National Park Service 7

Studies at Voyageurs National 

Park are helping managers understand the habitat needs of 

the threatened Canada lynx.

Photo: Lisa Burdett, University 

of Minnesota Duluth-Natural Resources Research Institute

found suggesting that pygmy rabbit habitat is 

extremely limited. No kingsnakes were found 

within the park although six were found very 

near during cooperative surveys with the Nevada Department of Wildlife. There is a high 

likelihood of finding kingsnakes in the park in 

FY 2008. Researchers spent 7,700 trap nights 

surveying for sagebrush voles with 4 individuals at 3 new locations. The survey resulted in 

locating 791 individuals of 14 small mammal 

species, 1,295 recaptures, 400 isotope samples, 

and data for completion of a masters thesis 

were recorded during sagebrush vole surveys.

Night Sky Monitoring Program: One of 

the key tasks of the NPS Night Sky Program 

is to inventory night sky quality in parks. 

In FY 2007, inventories were completed in 

3 more parks bringing the total completed 

to 30. Thirteen more inventories were initiated bringing the total completed or pending 

to 54. Additionally, night sky data collection 

methods were peer reviewed and published 

in 2007. Other important tasks have been to 

retrofit lighting in parks, advise parks on new 

facility lighting, and compile a knowledge base 

of night sky friendly lighting standards. Partnership with the International Dark-sky Association (IDA) has resulted in the creation of 

a Dark Sky Park certification program. Natural 

Bridges National Monument was named the 

first IDA Dark Sky Park, and several other 

parks are currently pursuing this status.

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. 

Field reconnaissance of glacial changes at 

Klondike Goldrush National Historical Park 

prompt further study of outburst flood potential: 

During a reconnaissance survey two proglacial lakes with moraine dams were identified. 

There is a concern that the moraines are composed of an ice core and if they were to melt, 

failure would cause the lakes to drain rapidly. 

This represents a potential hazard to the City 

of Skagway, NPS resources and private land 

in the historical community of Dyea. Outcomes from the reconnaissance survey are to 

1) fully characterize the present condition of 

the glaciers in the park; 2) determine how the 

glaciers have changed (number, length, area, 

thickness, volume) since the end of the Little 

Ice Age and; 3) determine whether the glaciers 
8 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Erosion threatens the fort at 

Drewry’s Bluff in Richmond National Battlefield Park. The Geoscietist-in-the-Parks program provided the park with the technical 

expertise to evaluate proposed 

solutions and move forward 

with an engineering solution.

possess the potential to be a source of major 

flooding.

Learning in turn leads to...

Understanding, which is the process of 

analysis, synthesis, summarization, and critical 

review of data. This creates information, and 

then knowledge.

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and 

Preserve. Characterize Changes in the Fisheries Population at the Barataria Preserve: The 

objectives of this study were to assess changes 

in the composition and distribution of fish 

communities in the Barataria Preserve. The 

project documented the presence of newly 

introduced rare, threatened, endangered or 

non-native fish species that may require special management action. Researchers compiled scientific information on the changes in 

the fish fauna that can be used as a foundation 

for advising stakeholders.

Improving Visibility: Long-term air quality 

monitoring in numerous parks documented 

widespread visibility degradation. The data 

convinced the EPA to require all the States to 

develop plans for improving visibility in “Class 

I” areas—including most of the major national 

parks and wilderness areas. The plans, which 

were due at the end of 2007, must show ‘reasonable progress’ toward restoring natural visibility conditions, consistent with the national 

goal established by Congress in the Clean Air 

Act. The plans must specifically include requirements for retrofitting older facilities that 

contribute to visibility impairment with modern pollution control equipment. The NPS 

has been working in partnership with regional 

planning organizations over the past few years 

to ensure states have the information they 

need to produce effective plans. Plans will be 

due every decade and must continue to show 

progress toward the visibility goal.

Richmond National Battlefield Park. Slope 

instability study at Drewry’s Bluff: Drewry’s 

Bluff is eroding and as a result, three of the 

four batteries (cannons) formerly lining the 

top of the bluff have been lost. The exterior 

wall of the fort is now on the edge of the bluff, 

which is fenced off from visitors for safety 

reasons. The park is concerned that allowing unabated erosion to continue at Drewry’s 

Bluff will result in the loss of a large portion of 

the unit’s historical resources and significance. 

In June 2007, the park convened a workshop 

to discuss three previous studies of the site, 

all of which had differing conclusions for the 

cause of instability as well as different design 

solutions. Based on a brief site visit during the 

workshop, it was concluded that the site is a 

slide complex with varying mechanisms caus-
 National Park Service 9

ing erosion and warranted further efforts in 

dealing with the instability. As a result, a Geoscientist-in-the-Parks (GIP) was acquired to 

analyze past studies, perform field reconnaissance of the site, and perform a geotechnical 

review of existing data. The basic findings of 

the GIP report provided enough information 

that the park is pursuing an engineering solution to the issue.

Comprehensive park-based Natural Resource 

Condition Assessments were initiated in 21 

parks in 2007, in cooperation with the Cooperative Ecosystem Study Units. These assessments involve summarizing and synthesizing 

research, inventory data, and monitoring 

results about park natural resources and drawing generalized conclusions about the overall 

condition of fundamental park resources and 

the factors that influence those conditions. 

These condition assessments, which draw 

heavily from information compiled through 

the Inventory and Monitoring Program, represent an investment in the synthesis and 

interpretation of scientific data for direct use 

in park-based planning and natural resource 

management.

Understanding then gains relevance 

through... 

Sharing, where the information is disseminated to peers, partners and the public.

The Park Flight Migratory Bird Program

works to protect shared migratory bird species 

and their habitats in U.S. national parks. The 

program also develops bird conservation and 

education projects, and creates opportunities for technical exchange and cooperation 

between U.S. national parks and protected 

areas or parks in Canada, Latin America, and 

the Caribbean. Park Flight is a partnership 

between the National Park Service, National 

Park Foundation, American Airlines, National 

Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the University of Arizona.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, 

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, 

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical 

Park, and Catoctin Mountain Park. Partnership 

with Chicago Botanic Garden: Interns with the 

Chicago Botanic Garden completed projects 

at five national parks. At Wrangell-St. Elias an 

intern worked with Alaska’s exotic plant management team surveying the backcountry for 

exotic plants and manually eradicated infestations of oxeye daisy, yellow toadflax, common 

dandelion, and Siberian peashrub. The intern 

at Carl Sandburg Home documented and 

removed exotic species such as Japanese honeysuckle and oriental bittersweet. Projects also 

included restoration of the historical view and 

park firebreak by clearing brush, monitoring 

almost 400 hemlock trees infested by hemlock woolly adelgid, and treating 100 hemlock 

seedlings with insecticidal soap. The park will 

use the treated seedlings to replace adult trees 

that die from the pest infestation. Another intern worked in three parks in the Washington, 

DC area. The intern surveyed trees damaged 

by gypsy moths and conducted wetland surveys at Harpers Ferry. At Catoctin Mountain 

Park the intern monitored vegetation and 

mushrooms and prepared a draft revegetation 

manual. In addition, she assisted with the restoration of harperella, an endangered plant, at 

the C&O Canal.

Rocky Mountain National Park. Reducing 

Stress on Ecosystems: Twenty years of 

monitoring and research at Rocky Mountain 

has produced a large body of peerreviewed, park-based scientific information 

documenting unnatural and harmful effects 

on park ecosystems because of nitrogen 

deposition. There were no legal or regulatory 

mechanisms that would require reductions 

in nitrogen emissions located outside park 

boundaries. Armed with a compelling case for 

action, the Park Service began working with 

Colorado, the EPA, and other stakeholders to 

develop a nitrogen deposition reduction plan, 

which is the first of its kind in the country 

and may serve as a template for addressing 

ecosystem impacts from deposition in other 

natural areas. The goal of the plan is to attain 

a park-identified nitrogen “critical load” for 

park aquatic resources over the next 25 years. 

The plan’s framework will accommodate new 

information and advances in technologies as 

progress is made toward achieving the park’s 

resource management goals.

NPS Training and Natural Resource staff developed and presented a series of interagency 

broadcasts to introduce the Department of 

the Interior’s Adaptive Management Guide. 
10 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Three broadcasts were made that provided an 

overview to the guide and adaptive management process, detailed explanations of select 

steps, and discussions of case studies within 

the Department. DOI staff tuning into the 

broadcasts were able to interact with presenters during and after the broadcasts.

Sharing in turn creates knowledge, which is 

used for...

Resource Protection and Restoration, where 

managers take action, based in sound science, 

to meet mission goals.

Petrified Forest National Park. Excavation of 

Threatened Fossil Bone-bed: The purpose of 

the project was to conduct excavations of a 

fossil bone-bed with objectives of protecting scientifically relevant specimens being 

destroyed by erosion. Other components of 

this project included preparation and curation 

of fossils collected from the site as well as the 

publication and presentation of results. Initial 

and ongoing findings include salvage and recovery of several scientifically important specimens including partial skeletons of Triassic 

Period reptiles. The fundamental project goals 

of salvaging and stabilizing threatened fossils 

have been successfully completed.

Buck Island Reef National Monument. Reintroduce Endangered St. Croix Ground Lizard: 

The purpose of the one-year project was to 

conduct the translocation of the endangered 

endemic St. Croix Ground Lizard (Ameiva 

polops) to Buck Island Reef National Monument. Translocation of Ameiva will mitigate 

the potential for catastrophic loss of remaining populations and increase species range 

into a high quality habitat in a federally protected natural area. In March 2007, the National Park Service hosted the multi-agency 

Ameiva working group to develop the Project 

Implementation Plan for university collaboration on the translocation project. In August 

2007, the National Park Service established a 

Cooperative Agreement with Texas A&M University. Dr. Lee Fitzgerald, Herpetologist, and 

his research team will guide the Ameiva translocation project, provide guidance, and select 

a master’s student to conduct the project, thus 

ensuring a high degree of scientific rigor in 

the project design and outcome. Researchers 

were granted Virgin Islands-Department of 

Natural Resources permits for Ameiva work. 

In November 2007, a 15-person multi-agency, 

university, and volunteer group conducted 

a 4-day site visit. All three remnant Ameiva

populations were visited, capture methods 

tested, existing habitat conditions assessed, 

translocation plot design developed, and prey 

abundance assessed. The working group had 

consensus on all aspects of the project. The 

Park Service and the Department of Planning 

and Natural Resources-Division of Fish and 

Wildlife will collaborate on public education 

efforts. In December 2007, the Environmental 

Assessment will be completed and researchers 

will conduct population surveys, test capture/

tagging methods, and construct Buck Island 

translocation enclosures. The first translocation of Ameiva is scheduled for March 2008. 

Dry Tortugas National Park. Marine Protected 

Area: In January, 2007, the Dry Tortugas 

Research Natural Area was established in 

cooperation with the state of Florida. This 

ecological preserve creates a fully-protected 

46 square-miles that provides a sanctuary for 

species affected by over-fishing and habitat 

loss.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Cave Management Policies: Unique microbes in every 

pool studied in Lechuguilla Cave, some with 

potential medicinal values, changed management policies on where researchers, employees, and volunteers working in Lechuguilla 

Cave could go and what was expected of them 

in order to protect these very fragile native microbial communities.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Analysis 

of sand and gravel management at Guadalupe National Park results in best management 

practices for roads and trails: The roads and 

trails at Guadalupe Mountains National Park 

are based on old game trails, Native American 

traces, stock trails, old ranch and mine roads 

and the 1981 trail building program. Since 1981, 

only minor changes and repair have occurred 

to the more than 80 miles of hiking trails. In 

1978, Congress designated 46,850 acres of 

the park as wilderness. This designation recognized the pristine qualities of more than 

60 percent of the park. Most of the park’s 

trail system lies within this designation. In 

2007 a plan was developed on the premise 

that through best management practices, the 
 National Park Service 11

amount of sand and gravel needed for roads 

and trail maintenance could be minimized, 

thus reducing the potential impacts so that 

the natural, scenic, and cultural values of the 

area could be preserved. This can be achieved 

through conservation of material and using 

appropriate road and trail system design. To 

achieve the plan objectives, the roads and 

trails will need to be consistent with management policies and best management practices. 

As funds become available, the park is upgrading existing roads and trails and installing 

erosion control treatments to upgrade them to 

storm-proof conditions.

Once decisions are made and actions taken, 

responsible managers then conduct...

Evaluation, which, depending upon the results can lead managers back to any of the 

previous stages of the process. Evaluation is 

critical...

Big Cypress National Preserve. Capture and 

Biomedical Sampling of Endangered Florida 

Panthers: The Florida Panther is an endangered species that exists only in south Florida. 

The ongoing loss of habitat on private lands 

will likely result in Big Cypress becoming the 

core habitat for the remaining population. The 

objectives for the ongoing panther capture 

work are to determine the current panther 

population status and future carrying capacity 

of Big Cypress. In order to achieve this goal, 

the Park Service will attempt to capture, collar, sample, and monitor as many panthers as 

possible to determine panther home ranges 

and dispersal, assess habitat suitability within 

the preserve, determine genetic diversity 

within the population, and manage potentially 

population limiting diseases. By evaluating 

these parameters the National Park Service 

will assist in the ultimate restoration and preservation of this endangered species.

Mount Rainier National Park. Assess Status 

Of Native Bull Trout & Cutthroat Populations: 

The purpose of this project was to confirm 

native char and trout stock presence in Mount 

Rainier National Park and to determine the 

extent of hybridization in three watersheds in 

the park. The specific objectives of this project 

were to obtain a baseline genetic profile and 

species delineation; provide a comparison of 

genetics within and among basins; provide 

information essential to meet National Environmental Policy Act mandates for specific 

construction projects; and to incorporate 

knowledge gained in this study into the statewide and regional information base to facilitate better understanding of the status of these 

species including native char distribution and 

the range-wide distribution of Dolly Varden 

and bull trout in the state. During the first year 

of this project Mount Rainier National Park 

field crews surveyed 81 streams throughout 

the park. Eighty-nine fin clips were obtained 

from native char in 14 streams. Two-hundredfifteen fin clips were obtained from trout in 

42 streams. Fin clips were preserved labeled 

and logged and shipped to the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Abernathy Fish Lab and to the U.S. 

Geologic Survey Western Fisheries Research 

Center for char and trout identification, respectively, using DNA analysis.

Channel Islands National Park: Establish Baseline Ecological Conditions of Newly Established 

Marine Reserves: This project will expand the 

park’s existing kelp forest monitoring program 

through establishment of 16 new fixed sites to 

ensure adequate inside/outside reserve baseline data to properly evaluate the effectiveness 

of the new marine reserves. This project collected 3 years of baseline data for 70 taxa or 

categories of algae, fish and invertebrates from 

24 fixed sites in and adjacent to 4 of the newly 

established Marine Protected Areas in Channel Islands National Park. This baseline data 

is currently being analyzed and will be used to 

evaluate the effectiveness of the Marine Protected Areas. 

In 2007 intensive monitoring was initiated in 

the newly established Research Natural Area 

at Dry Tortugas National Park to determine 

the species response to the management actions created in conjunction with the establishment of the preserve. Monitoring was 

a coordinated effort between the National 

Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and the 

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric 

Administration. The evaluation of monitoring 

data will provide a basis for any future adjustments to the management of the area.

In FY 2007 Congress completed what it began in 1999 with the enactment of the final 

planned Natural Resource Challenge funding increases. While funding the Natural ReOne of the newest members of 

the Big Cypress Florida Panther 

family is kitten K-275. Ongoing 

research at Big Cypress National 

Preserve will provide critical information about habitat and the 

genetic diversity of the current 

population.

Photo courtesy of Ralph Arwood

A St. Croix Ground Lizard (Ameiva polops) captured on Ruth Cay, 

St. Croix, Virgin Islands.
12 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

source Challenge may be completed, the work 

of caring for parks continues. As the National 

Park Service approaches its 2016 centennial, 

park managers must anticipate new challenges. Climate change, marine conservation, 

energy development, increased urbanization, 

and a “shrinking” globe that allows for easy 

disease transmission and non-native species invasions are all daunting challenges that 

put at risk the very nature of the parks the 

American public so treasures. National Park 

Service funding increases for natural resource 

programs in the past eight years have provided 

for significant improvement in the stewardship of the national parks. Through tactical 

research, increased professional capability, expanded partnerships, support for restoration 

and protection projects, and greater education 

and outreach ability—all with an emphasis on 

cooperation and accountability—the National 

Park Service endeavors to ensure that America’s national parks are unimpaired for current 

and future generations to enjoy. However, it 

will take commitment from Congress, the National Park Service, a wide range of partners, 

and the American public to provide the stewardship of America’s natural treasures for the 

next 100 years.
 National Park Service 13
14 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress
 National Park Service 15

Chapter I: Funding and Measuring Progress

Funding

This report responds to directions in the 

House Report 106–22 for the FY 2000 appropriations for the National Park Service and 

other Department of the Interior and related 

agencies. In the House report, the National 

Park Service was requested to provide information concerning the expenditures and related accomplishments resulting from a series 

of increases to Natural Resource Stewardship 

Programs begun in FY 2000 and completed 

in FY 2007 known as the Natural Resource 

Challenge. This report addresses FY 2007 expenditures and accomplishments for all Natural Resource Stewardship Programs, exclusive 

of Everglades Restoration and Glen Canyon 

Adaptive Management Program, and communicates the successful implementation of the 

final year of the Natural Resource Challenge. 

A detailed history of the Challenge is included 

as Appendix A.

The Natural Resource Challenge included a 

series of requests for new funding that were 

designed by field superintendents and subject 

matter experts to meet future natural resource 

management needs. Many of the increases 

resulted in accelerating or expanding earlier 

programs, while a few resulted in entirely new 

activities. The table below shows the funding 

for Servicewide Natural Resource Stewardship Programs, distinguishing those affected 

by Natural Resource Challenge funding, 

and identifies the funding level for FY 1999, 

the year before the first Challenge increases, 

and FY 2007. Most of the differences where 

increases are shown were as a result of the 

Natural Resource Challenge.

NPS Natural Resource Stewardship Programs1

Program Components FY 1999 FY 2007 Change

Natural Resource Challenge-Affected Programs

Air Quality Program 6,285 8,736 2,451

Biological Resource Management Program2 0 9,938 9,938

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units3 0 127 127

Geologic Resources Program 1,918 2,862 944

Inventory and Monitoring Program3 5,787 43,775 37,988

Natural Resource Data and Information Program 1,424 1,443 19

Natural Resource Preservation Program 5,432 8,229 2,797

Research Learning Centers (15 Centers established)3

Resource Damage Assessment & Restoration Program 

(includes Oil Spill Pollution Act)

873 1,361 488

Resource Protection Fund 0 286 286

Water Resources Program 4,754 12,399 7,645

Subtotal 26,473 89,156 62,683

Programs Not Affected by Natural Resource Challenge

Cave and Karst Research Institute 0 328 328

Everglades—Comprehensive Restoration Plan (CERP) 0 4,662 4,662

Everglades—Critical Ecosystem Studies Initiative 1,200 3,864 2,664

Everglades Task Force Support 800 1,307 507

Geographic Information System (GIS) Program 1,336 1,255 -81

Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Program3 0 100 100

Natural Sounds Program (formerly Overflight Program) 200 3,806 3,606

Subtotal Non natural Resource Challenge Programs 3,536 15,322 11,786

Subtotal—Servicewide Natural Resource Programs 30,009 104,478 74,469

National Park System Units, Other Field Units, and 

Central Office Natural Resource Stewardship Programs

64,408 111,012 46,604

Total Natural Resource Stewardship 94,417 215,490 121,073

1

All numbers shown in thousands of dollars

2

Includes $375,000 for Emergency Supplemental—Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

3

Reflects program funding after transfers to parks or regions

Twenty years of monitoring and 

research at Rocky Mountain 

National Park have produced a 

large body of peer-reviewed, 

park-based scientific information documenting unnatural and 

harmful effects on park ecosystems because of nitrogen deposition. The Park Service is working 

with Colorado, the EPA, and 

other stakeholders to develop 

a nitrogen deposition reduction 

plan, which is the first of its kind 

in the country and may serve as 

a template for addressing ecosystem impacts from deposition 

in other natural areas.
16 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

The table below shows FY 2006 funding and 

changes resulting from FY 2007 increases and 

other actions for all of the programs affected 

by the Natural Resource Challenge.

Measuring Progress

The National Park Service, like most governmental organizations, is increasingly being 

charged with reporting performance in a meaFY 2007 Changes to Natural Resource Stewardship Programs1

With Natural Resource Challenge Contributions Highlighted

All numbers in thousands of dollars

Servicewide Natural Resource Programs FY 2006 FY 2007

Increases

FY 2007

Air Quality Program 8,692 8,736

 Challenge contribution 2,800 2,800

Biological Resource Management Program2 8,401 9,938

 Challenge contribution 7,985 7,985

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units3 127 127

 Challenge contribution 1,993 1,993

Geologic Resources Program 2,672 2,862

 Challenge contribution 696 696

Inventory and Monitoring Program 43,124 43,775

 Challenge contribution 40,403 1,000 41,403

Natural Resource Data and Information Program 1,510 1,443

 Challenge contribution 1,098 1,098

Natural Resource Preservation Program 8,229 8,229

 Challenge contribution 3,499 3,499

Research Learning Centers3

 Challenge contribution 2,698 2,698

Resource Damage Assessment & Recovery Program 

(includes Oil Spill Pollution Act)

1,344 1,361

 Challenge contribution 500 500

Resource Protection Fund 286 286

 Challenge contribution 300 300

Water Resources Program 12,325 12,399

 Challenge contribution 7,985 7,985

Cave and Karst Research Institute4 328 328

Everglades Research and Restoration4 9,746 9,833

GIS4 1,255 1,255

Glen Canyon Adaptive Management4 95 99.7

Natural Sounds Programs4 1,399 3,806

National Park System Units, Other Field Units, and 

Central Office Natural Resource Stewardship Programs

108,975 111,012

 Challenge contribution 6,595 6,595

Natural Resource Stewardship Programs 208,883 215,490

 Challenge contribution 76,552 77,552

1 Includes across-the-board reductions and other changes to base, so FY 2007 changes added to FY 2006 will 

not equal the FY 2007 final funding

2 Includes $375,000 for Emergency Supplemental—Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

3

Reflects program funding after transfers to parks or regions

4 Programs not affected by Natural Resource Challenge

surable way. The Government Performance 

and Results Act (GPRA) formalizes reporting 

requirements and stresses measuring performance by tracking outcomes. For the natural 

resources of the National Park System, the desired outcome is resources in good condition, 

as defined by the desired condition, usually 

identified in a planning document.
 National Park Service 17

During fiscal year 2007 the National Park 

Service completed its transition to the performance goals identified in the Department 

of the Interior 2007–2011 Strategic Plan. As a 

result, a number of goals previously reported 

were eliminated and others were modified. 

The changes are intended to streamline the 

goals and bring the National Park Service into 

better alignment with Departmental goals.

Goal BUR Ia3A measures air quality in parks 

and replaces the previously reported goals 

Ia3B/PEM 1.010 and Ia3C/PEM 1.011 which 

have been discontinued. This year, 129 of 145 

reporting parks met the air quality goal with a 

resulting performance measure of 89 percent. 

Thus, the annual air quality performance goal 

was exceeded this year. In FY 2007, the number of reporting park areas increased compared with previous years because the analysis 

included more data representative of park 

areas that was collected by state air pollution 

control agencies and other national programs.

While goal BUR Ia1B remained unchanged 

from previous fiscal years, the technical field 

guidance for reporting invasive plant work was 

updated and revised in 2007. Definitions were 

clarified and modified to become consistent 

with other federal agencies, bureaus within 

DOI and the national standards for the inventory and monitoring of invasive plant species. 

In 2000, the National Park Service identified 

and organized 270 parks with significant natural resources into a system of 32 bioregional 

networks. These networks provide a means to 

measure resource condition and performance 

in connection with resource stewardship. 

Through the Natural Resource Challenge, 

these networks were funded in incremental 

stages beginning in FY 2001 with the final two 

networks receiving funding in FY 2007. As 

of September 30, 2007, all 270 (100 percent) 

of parks have identified their vital signs, 197 

parks (73 percent) have designed monitoring 

plans and implemented vital signs monitoring, 

and 157 parks (58 percent) have completed at 

least one year of field data collection and are 

able to estimate current condition for specific 

vital signs. Four networks are at least one year 

ahead of schedule in designing and implementing their long-term monitoring program. 

The Service’s performance goals for vital signs 

monitoring have been met or exceeded every 

year since FY 2001.

The following table shows the relationship of 

natural resource programs to selected Department of the Interior 2007–2011 Strategic Plan 

goals.

FY 2007 Strategic Plan Goal Targets

NPS Goal Targets for FY 2007

(NPS number/DOI number)

Servicewide Natural Resource 

Program Supporting Park Performance

Goals relating to strategies to restore, maintain, sustain and protect resources:

BUR Ia3 Air quality in 68 percent of NPS reporting park areas has remained 

stable or improved. Actual 89 percent. (exceeded)

Air Quality

BUR Ia1B Invasive Species: 0.69 percent of acres (4,795 of 697,313 acres) 

infested with invasive plants being maintained as free of invasive plants. 

Actual 1.3 percent (9,205 acres). (exceeded)

Biological Resource 

Management

BUR Ia2A. 41.6 percent (490 of 1,177) of park populations of native species 

of management concern that are managed to desired condition. Actual 

37.2 percent (385). (approaching)

BUR Ia9 38.3 percent (1,534 of 4,007)of paleontological localities in good 

condition. Actual 39.6 percent (1,588). (met)

Geologic Resources

BUR Ia4A Water quality: 72.4 percent (104,800 of 144,811) of surface water 

stream miles in Parks that meet State and Federal water quality standards 

as defined by the Clean Water Act. Actual 91.5 percent (132,469). (exceeded)

Water Resources

BUR Ia4B Water quality: 79.8 percent (4,400,677 of 5,513,876) of surface 

waters acres in Parks that meet State and Federal water quality standards 

as defined by the Clean Water Act. Actual 90.6 percent (4,994,927). (exceeded)

Goals related to strategy to improve information base, resource management and technical assistance
18 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress
 National Park Service 19

Chapter II: Park and Regional Resource Management 

Programs

Americans love their national parks; they have 

answered the call to care for and protect parks 

time and again. As the National Park Service 

approaches its centennial in 2016, Congress 

is initiating the Centennial Challenge to ensure that the current generation has the opportunity to enjoy and care for parks. Citizen 

stewards across the country are partnering 

with their parks to protect resources, provide 

educational and recreational opportunities, 

and prepare parks for 2016.

The Centennial Challenge is not the first time 

that Congress and the American people have 

responded to the NPS Organic Act’s call to 

ensure that parks are “unimpaired for current 

and future generations.” In 1956 Congress 

supported the Mission 66 program to prepare 

parks for the National Park Service’s golden 

anniversary. In 2000 Congress launched the 

Natural Resource Challenge. Where Mission 66 sought to provide improved access 

to parks, the Natural Resource Challenge endeavored to ensure that parks continue to be 

worth visiting.

A key strategy of the Natural Resource Challenge was to improve the capacity of NPS 

resource managers at every level to address 

emerging complex resource issues. Base funding increases for 36 national parks in FY 2001 

and FY 2002 were directed at invasive species 

control, threatened and endangered species 

restoration and recovery, native species efforts, 

and basic natural resource capability for small 

parks. Regional programs also benefited from 

increased capacity. Natural Resource Challenge funding provided for the establishment 

of park-based aquatic resource professionals 

and other specialists. Strategically locating 

these highly skilled professional allows for 

multiple parks to benefit from their knowledge and skills. After seven years the Natural 

Resource Challenge increases have been fully 

integrated into park and regional resource 

management programs.

Park Base Funding Increases

The Natural Resource Challenge base funding increases continue to provide tangible 

benefits to parks. In the case of smaller parks 

like Monocacy National Battlefield and 

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, 

the Challenge funding established natural 

resource management programs where none 

previously existed. Prior to funding increases 

these parks relied on the specialists from the 

regional office, neighboring parks, or like 

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site,

on staff from other disciplines such as law 

enforcement or education to conduct natural 

resource management activities.

The benefits of the Natural Resource Challenge were not limited to smaller parks; funding increases also enhanced the capabilities 

of parks with pre-existing resource management programs to address critical issues such 

as threatened and endangered species and 

invasive plants and animals. Many parks report that Natural Resource Challenge funding continues to provide increased capacity 

and flexibility and has helped to establish and 

strengthen partnerships that enhance productivity and foster creativity in addressing problems and mutual concerns.

While parks continue to report overall increased capability and tangible benefits of the 

Natural Resource Challenge base funding increases, many parks are also noting an erosion 

of these gains. At Sequoia and Kings Canyon 

National Parks erosion of base funds by fixedcost increases means the parks are losing the 

capacity to provide critical follow-up control 

on past projects. Theodore Roosevelt National Park reports that significant gains made 

through the initial base increase are threatened by relatively small but persistent erosion of base funds and annual cost-of-living 

increases.

Unlike Mission 66 or the Centennial 

Challenge, the Natural Resource Challenge 

has no end date. Climate Change, invasive 

species, and other complex issues continue 

to emerge and threaten parks and the 

wildlife within. Natural Resource Challenge 

park base funding increases improved 

the capacity of the 36 benefiting parks to 

discover, learn, understand, share, protect and 

Park visitors viewing numerous 

brown bears with a commercial 

operator on the coast at Katmai 

National Park and Preserve.

NPS Photo: Peter Hamel
20 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

restore resources, and evaluate the results of 

management actions.

Discovery

Rock Creek Park. Bioblitz: In partnership with 

the National Geographic Society, the park 

conducted an all species Bioblitz in May. Approximately 100 scientists descended on the 

park to conduct an all taxa 24-hour inventory 

of species. More than 600 species were recorded for the park with some species yet to 

be identified. The event was well attended by 

the public.

Great Basin National Park. Cave Biological 

Inventories: Biological Resource Management 

Program funding combined with Natural 

Resource Challenge funds have allowed the 

park staff to inventory for little known cave 

adapted biota. With more than 42 wild caves, 

a wild cave entry permit program and the 

heavily visited Lehman Caves, this project was 

essential for development of a cave management plan. During the second year of a two 

year study, park staff continued monthly cave 

biota monitoring in Lehman Caves to provide 

an entire year of data that can be analyzed to 

determine if seasonality, impact, distance from 

entrance, and/or distance from trail affect the 

distribution of cave biota. A CESU agreement 

with the Illinois Natural History Survey allowed park staff to work in close cooperation 

with cave biologists to assist with cave biota 

collections. A new genus and several new 

species to science have been discovered as a 

result of this project. In the spring 2007, the 

first report of the new genus was published 

in “Cave Millipedes of the United States. V. 

The genus Idagona Buckett & Gardner (Chordeumatida, Conotylidae, Idagoninae)” in the 

online journal Zootaxa. In July, six alpine 

caves were visited, with all containing more 

diverse and abundant biological populations 

than expected. The Principal Investigator is 

refining identification of specimens collected, 

sending them to taxonomic experts as necessary, and preparing a final report to be completed by September 2008. The findings of this 

project will allow planning for cave visitation 

and monitoring of visitation to preserve these 

unique populations.

Catoctin Mountain Park. Monitoring Air Quality: Catoctin operated a National Atmospheric 

Deposition Program (NADP) monitoring 

station in cooperation with NPS Air Quality 

Program. This station samples wet deposition 

to monitor air quality as part of the National 

Trends Network. The station has been on-line 

since May 2003. Samples are collected and 

analyzed weekly by park staff, then forwarded 

to a contract lab for detailed analysis. This 

project provides specific air quality data for 

the park as well as providing information pertinent to the entire region.

Learning and Understanding

Dinosaur National Monument. Distribution 

and ecology of invasive New Zealand Mudsnail: 

In 2005 Dinosaur National Monument staff 

began working with Utah State University 

researchers to study the distribution and ecology of invasive New Zealand mudsnail in the 

Green River and its effects on native invertebrates. This project addresses a new invasive 

animal, but findings will also be integrated 

with the river ecology research. Researchers will use the data to formulate predictions 

about susceptibility of Western rivers to 

future invasion and potential effects on native aquatic biota. Work conducted in 2006 

revealed that the New Zealand mudsnail has 

begun to invade Dinosaur National Monument via the Green River (Canyon of Lodore). 

A final report for this project was accepted in 

May, 2007. The park management is seeking 

technical assistance to determine appropriate 

response. Partners in this project included the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land 

Management, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and Utah State University.

Kalaupapa National Historical Park. Habitat 

use and Foraging of Endangered Monk Seal 

(Monachus schauinslandi): Endangered Hawaiian monk seals that inhabit Kalaupapa 

National Historical Park play a major role in 

the greater Main Hawaiian Islands population 

of seals. Approximately 40–50 percent of the 

monk seal pups born annually in the Main 

Hawaiian Islands are born at the park. The 

primary agency responsible for management 

of this species is the National Oceanographic 

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

endangered species division. The park works 

closely with NOAA personnel to document 

seal distribution and abundance. The Molokai 

community is sensitive to marine fisheries issues, and the role that the NOAA and Kalaupapa play in seal management. This concern 
 National Park Service 21

has the potential to negatively affect local 

fisheries resources and may strain relations 

between the park and community. Therefore, 

a cooperative study with NOAA was initiated 

in 2007 to satellite tag at least eight local monk 

seals residing on Molokai to document their 

home-range, habitat use, and foraging areas. 

A total of seven monk seal pups were flipper 

tagged and measured in cooperation with 

the endangered species division of NOAA. 

In August 2007, an additional five monk seals 

(two adults, one sub-adult, one yearling, and 

one weaner) were satellite tagged and given a 

full health assessment. The health assessment 

included blood samples, tissue samples, swabs 

of other body fluids, and physical measurements. Coupled with these activities, NPS staff 

performed or supported three detanglements 

of monk seals from fishing gear. Marine managers and local fishermen need to determine 

how Molokai seals use local resources in order to prepare future management plans.

Mojave National Preserve. Development and 

Application of RFID Technology to Track Juvenile Desert Tortoise Survivorship: The Mojave 

Preserve represents 1.6 million acres including approximately 800,000 acres of Critical 

Habitat for the threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). Survival of juveniles to adulthood is also essential for species recovery. The 

small size of juvenile desert tortoises and long 

intervals spent underground makes tracking 

them difficult. The proposal “Development 

and Application of RFID (Radio Frequency 

Identification) Technology to Track Juvenile 

Desert Tortoise Survivorship” was selected 

for funding through NRPP-USGS-BRDResearch. A contract is being negotiated with 

Radargolf Corporation for development of the 

chip. A study plan was prepared by USGS and 

peer-reviewed. This technology development 

will allow researchers to track juvenile tortoises over a period of several years without 

batteries.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Elk Population Monitoring and Research: The 2007 elk 

population revealed the park’s elk population 

at approximately 750–900 animals and continues to grow relatively unchecked. Indeed, 

in a paper recently published in the Journal 

of Wildlife Management by Sargeant and Oehler (2007), researchers concluded that the 

population at Theodore Roosevelt was one 

of the most productive and healthy herds that 

has been studied to date. Based on location 

data from 137 marked elk, the majority of collared elk were found within the boundaries 

of the park between December and March, 

and generally traveled outside the park during 

the summer months. Some of the preliminary 

conclusions of the collaborative (NPS/USGS) 

elk monitoring research are as follows:

At Mojave National Preserve researchers are using RFID technology to track juvenile desert tortoises. This juvenile was hatched 

in a headstart facility similar to 

one planned for the preserve.

NPS Photo: Debra Hughson
22 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

• The distribution of elk within the park 

displayed dramatic seasonal variation. This 

seasonal variability must be considered 

when impacts of elk on park resources (e.g., 

sensitive plants) are assessed.

• Despite unusually dry conditions observed 

in 2003 and 2004, elk rarely used water developments.

• Elk activity outside the park was patchy 

and localized. Most occurred within 25 km 

of the park, within an area that was largely 

encompassed by exterior boundaries of the 

Little Missouri National Grassland.

• A substantial portion of elk activity outside 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park occurs 

on private lands. Intensive use of private 

lands occurred in localized areas but was 

not widespread.

In addition to the ongoing movement and distribution study, a study was completed on the 

population dynamics of the elk population at 

the park. That research was also recently published in the Journal of Wildlife Management. 

This and other elk research supported the development of the draft Elk Management Plan/

EIS released in 2008.

Sharing

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. 

Native Seed Propagation and Planting: Seed 

collected from October 2007 was planted in a 

greenhouse in a partnership with Adena Mansion and Gardens, a unit of the Ohio Historical Society. The Mansion and Gardens provided greenhouse space, growing medium, and 

use of their watering equipment. A park volunteer tended the plants, such as black-eyed 

Susans, purple coneflower, butterfly weed and 

big and little bluestem. Once the plants were 

established, they were planted at Hopewell 

Mound Group parking lot (0.015 acres), which 

lies across the road from the prairie in which 

the seeds were harvested. The planting was 

done during a Great American Cleanup event 

where volunteers helped plant and beautify 

the area on April 28, 2007.

Dinosaur National Monument. Weed Warriors: 

In FY 2007, 482 volunteer Weed Warriors 

contributed 2,107 person-hours removing 

invasive tamarisk, Russian olive, perennial 

pepperweed, and leafy spurge from riparian 

habitat along the Green and Yampa Rivers in 

Dinosaur. Efforts in 2007 focused on two primary removal objectives: 1) tamarisk removal 

in campgrounds along the Green and Yampa 

Rivers to enhance visitors’ recreational experience and improve public awareness of invasive 

species impacts, and 2) leafy spurge removal 

along the Yampa River, several of its tributaries, and the Green River below the confluence 

as an early detection/eradication strategy. 

Twenty of 32 river camps were targeted for 

tamarisk removal; all 20 were completed. No 

leafy spurge was allowed to set seed in the 

river corridor in 2007. Dinosaur’s volunteer 

Weed Warrior Program completed an 11th successful season in 2007. Over the program’s 

11-year history 5,340 volunteers have contributed 20,824 hours with no reportable injuries.

Buck Island Reef National Monument. Visiting 

Researchers: The Monument hosts between 

5 to 10 visiting researchers per year. In 2007 

park staff assisted with several projects, logistics, and support of research activities. These 

projects included efforts to control invasive 

exotic plants, inventories of bats and marine 

invertebrates, several coral studies, and a 

video mosaic project. Each activity provided 

Buck Island staff with exposure and training 

to unique aspects of the park that will help the 

park more fully meet its goals of understanding the park resources and responding to the 

needs of park management for threatened and 

endangered species and exotic species.

San Juan Island National Historical Park. 

Education and Service Programs: Examples 

of specific programs include the park’s continuing “Habitat” educational program in 

partnership with Friday Harbor Elementary 

School, where park interpreters participate 

in classroom programs while students investigate natural processes at the park. The park 

also maintained a partnership program with 

the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 

(OMSI) to provide educational camps at the 

park that focus on marine and coastal environments. Students and mentors participating 

in the program assisted park staff in controlling invasive exotic plants, propagating native 

plants for prairie restoration, and monitoring 

oak health and regeneration. A variety of other 

groups assisted the park on similar projects, 

including Boy Scouts who completed service 

projects to remove exotic plants, home-school 

students who assisted with prairie restoration, 

and EarthCorps crews who worked with park 

staff to grow nearly 30,000 native plants and 
 National Park Service 23

plant approximately 15,000 native grasses at 

disturbed sites in the park in FY 2007.

Resource Protection and Restoration

Curecanti National Recreation Area. Cooper 

Ranch-Neversink Riparian Restoration Project: 

Restoration staff continued a project to restore 

a 155-acre hay field to its pre-existing riparian habitat condition by improving overland 

flow meanders, floodplain development, and 

wetland enhancement. This project is part 

of a basin-wide effort, initiated in 2005, to 

protect, restore, and enhance the wetland corridor associated with Tomichi Creek and the 

Gunnison River. The project involved treating 

invasive weeds including yellow toadflax and 

Canada thistle in an area approximately 30 

acres in size within the overall project area. 

Nearly 5,000 willow shrubs and cottonwood 

saplings were planted. Approximately 1.5 acres 

of riparian habitat was determined to be restored during 2007. The project area is the 

only publicly-accessible wetland-cottonwood 

gallery on the Gunnison River in the vicinity. 

The area has seen significant alteration as a result of past ranching activity. The project was 

made possible by NRC funding and a grant 

from the Colorado Department of Natural 

Resources, Division of Wildlife.

Channel Islands National Park. Island Fox Recovery: In 2007, island fox recovery at Channel Islands National Park achieved two major 

milestones as recovering fox populations on 

San Miguel and Santa Cruz Islands reached 

levels at which captive breeding and release 

were no longer required. Accordingly, the captive breeding facilities on those two islands 

were closed and all foxes released. In 2004 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed as 

Endangered the three island fox subspecies in 

the park (San Miguel Island foxes, Santa Rosa 

Island foxes, and Santa Cruz Island foxes) 

as well as the subspecies on Santa Catalina 

Island. Island fox populations had declined 

precipitously in the 1990s due to predation by 

golden eagles. The latter had never bred on 

the islands until the 1990s, and were supported by alien prey species: feral pigs on Santa 

Cruz, and mule deer on Santa Rosa. Although 

captive breeding might have been required for 

as long as a decade, releases can cease because 

A volunteer tends to native 

seedlings destined for Hopewell 

Culture National Historical Park.
24 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

golden eagle predation has been mitigated (44 

golden eagles were removed from the islands 

since 1999, feral pig removal and bald eagle 

introduction makes the islands less hospitable 

to golden eagles), and because fox populations 

have increased in the wild. Reproduction and 

survival of foxes in the wild is so high that fox 

recovery will now be accomplished more effectively by the wild population itself, rather 

than by captive breeding and release.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. 

Exotic Plant Control: Exotic plant control 

work expanded dramatically as a result 

of Natural Resource Challenge funding. 

In FY 2007 compared to FY 2000 (preChallenge), weed crews surveyed 9,715 more 

acres and treated hundreds of thousands 

more plants. In montane areas, 19.1 acres of 

bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) and 2.7 acres 

of woolly mullein (Verbascum thapsus) have 

reached maintenance level after three to five 

years of treatment. In foothill areas, 1.8 acres 

of Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor), 

0.6 acres Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) 

and 1.1 acres of Italian thistle (Carduus 

pycnocephalus) have reached maintenance 

level after three to five years of treatment. A 

number of highly threatening exotic plant 

populations that were still in an early phase 

of establishment were controlled, preventing 

a future population explosion that would be 

very difficult and costly to control.

Zion National Park. Peregrine Falcon: Zion 

continued to monitor peregrine falcons and 

implemented rock climbing closures during 

the critical breeding and brooding months. 

The park also managed aircraft used in management activities to avoid known nesting 

areas. These efforts have resulted in accurate 

assessments and successful recruitment of 

peregrine falcons. Of the 19 historical peregrine falcon territories, 11 were surveyed; 10 of 

the 11 territories had a breeding pair. Of the 10 

breeding peregrine pairs, 9 pairs successfully 

hatched eggs. A total of 16 young were counted 

as fledged from 9 territories. The productivity 

for occupied nesting territories with known 

outcome was 1.3 young/pair, which exceeds 

the goal of 1.25 young/pair proposed by U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service in the 1984 Peregrine 

Falcon Recovery Plan. Staff maintained a page 

on the park web site to improve timeliness of 

information exchange with the public climbing community. Each spring, 10 cliffs used by 

peregrine falcons for breeding are closed to 

recreational climbers at the beginning of the 

breeding season. Once the current eyrie location has been confirmed in a falcon territory, 

the climbing cliff is reopened if climbing activity will not disturb the falcons. If the eyrie 

is situated so that use of climbing routes on 

a cliff will disturb breeding, the cliff remains 

closed to climbers until breeding is complete. 

Each cliff opening was posted immediately on 

the web site, ensuring that recreational climbOnce absent from Great Basin 

streams, Bonneville cutthroat 

trout now can be found in five 

stream systems within the park.
 National Park Service 25

ers had sufficient opportunity to climb in the 

park, while protecting falcon nesting habitat. 

This has been well received by the public. 

Evaluation

Buck Island Reef National Monument. Posteradication Monitoring of Pests: Monument 

staff continued post-eradication monitoring 

for the exotic black rat (Rattus rattus) and 

monitoring of the house mouse (Mus musculus) populations. In FY 2007 Buck Island staff 

conducted biannual monitoring along five trap 

lines assisted by park volunteers to ensure 

there has been no accidental reintroduction of 

rats. Trap lines were set in October and April, 

2007, and only the exotic house mouse was 

observed. The park will continue to monitor 

for these non-native pest species to ensure no 

accidental reintroduction of the previously 

exterminated mongoose (Herpetes javanicus) 

or black rat and for potential impacts to native 

flora and fauna from the mouse population. 

During the recent rat trap survey in October 

2007 staff observed large quantities of seeds 

on trees had fallen uneaten to the ground. In 

years prior to rat control, seeds would have 

been eaten and never allowed to germinate.

Great Basin National Park. Extirpated Species 

Recovery: At the time of Great Basin National 

Park’s inception in 1986, all native fish species 

had been extirpated. Anthropogenic causes 

included: extensive nonnative fish stocking; 

large scale stream diversions on four fish bearing streams; and other land use practices. In 

2002, Resource Management staff initiated a 

multi-year program to restore all extirpated 

native fish species to selected stream systems. 

Reviews of historical information found that 

Great Basin waters contained suitable but 

vacant habitat for Bonneville cutthroat trout 

(Oncorhynchus clarki utah), speckled dace 

(Rhinichthys osculus), mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi), and redside shiner (Richardsonius 

balteatus). All four of these species have been 

restored to park waters. Bonneville cutthroat 

trout occur in five stream systems encompassing 18 miles of stream. Monitoring efforts in 

2007 found viable self reproducing populations with an average of 700 fish per mile in 

each system. As distribution expands into 

the habitat available over the next ten years, 

Bonneville cutthroat trout will inhabit more 

than 50 percent of their historic range within 

Great Basin. Sculpin, dace and shiner have 

been re-introduced to two stream systems and 

monitoring in 2007 found young of year.

Regional Resource Management

Activities

Alaska

The NPS Alaska Regional Science Strategy 2006 

and Beyond outlined five primary resource 

management challenges that were identified 

by NPS managers and scientists in Alaska: climate change, global and local contaminants, 

exotic species, increasing human use, and development within and surrounding parks. Science, resource management, and partnership 

building activities were underway in each of 

these areas in 2007, as the following examples 

indicate.

Climate change: The June 2007 issue of the 

Alaska Park Science journal was devoted entirely to scientific studies of climate change 

in Alaska’s National Parks. Two photographic 

studies of landscape change in Southwest 

Alaska Parks were also completed this year, 

and they showed remarkably clear evidence of 

shrinking glaciers and expanding vegetation. 

The NPS Alaska Region International Polar 

Year project site provides information about 

these and other NPS IPY projects: http://

www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/us_national_park_service_beringian_arctic

Contaminants: Large-scale mining occurs on 

lands adjacent to some NPS areas and has the 

potential to affect others. Ore concentrates are 

transported daily from the Red Dog Mine (the 

world’s largest lead-zinc mine) along a transportation easement through Cape Krusenstern 

National Monument. For many years, a small 

but significant portion of the lead/zinc/cadmium ore concentrates have escaped as fugitive 

dust, settling on NPS lands in Cape Krusenstern National Monument and potentially in

Noatak National Preserve. The National Park 

Service and U.S. Geological Survey are researching the ecological effects of heavy metal 

dust contamination from the Red Dog mine in 

Cape Krusenstern National Monument. The 

Park Service is also working with the mine’s 

owners, operators, and regulators to contain 

heavy metal releases and to mitigate impacts. 

Further north, the Alaska Region is participating proactively in the North Slope Science Initiative (NSSI). The NSSI is currently focused 

on oil and gas development north of Noatak 
26 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National 

Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, and Gates 

of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The 

National Park Service is also participating in 

reviews of pre-permitting studies related to 

the enormous Pebble Mine copper-gold prospect outside Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. The Western Airborne Contaminants 

Assessment Project (WACAP) released preliminary findings this year, indicating that remote 

arctic areas are not immune to contamination 

from distant global sources. Final WACAP reporting is expected during FY 2008.

Exotic species: Avian influenza preparedness 

and monitoring continued during 2007. Following intensive sampling of live and hunter 

killed birds by partners, and investigations of 

several suspicious bird mortality events, it remains unlikely that Asian H5N1 HPAI (highly 

pathogenic avian influenza) has reached 

Alaska or North America. During 2007, basic 

training and response kit supplies were again 

provided to the National Park Service and 

cooperating agency staff in Alaska. The NPS 

Alaska and Pacific West Regions jointly conducted an avian influenza tabletop exercise 

in Anchorage, with excellent participation by 

other federal and state agencies. The Park Service also participated in pandemic flu tabletop 

exercises organized by Alaska Department of 

Homeland Security. The Alaska Bird Mortality 

hotline (1-866-5-BRDFLU, a joint NPS/USFWS project at the Anchorage Alaska Public 

Lands Information Center) implemented use 

of a sophisticated GIS-linked bird mortality 

database developed by the Park Service during 

its second year of operation. Surveillance for 

unusual mortality and morbidity events continued in NPS units region-wide. Specimen 

retrieval and testing at the USGS National 

Wildlife Health Center was again based on 

screening criteria developed by the Alaska 

Interagency Avian Influenza Steering Committee. The NPS and Alaska Natural Heritage 

Program also initiated a study of distribution 

and movement of AI priority bird species in 

the Alaska NPS units.

Increasing human use: Working from the 

recommendations of an eight-member science advisory board and others, Glacier Bay 

National Park and Preserve continues to expand research and monitoring into potential 

impacts from cruise ships on physical, biological, and sociocultural resources. Results from 

several new studies will help to inform future 

management decisions regarding vessel numbers and operations.

Intermountain Region

Extending through an eight state area, the 

Intermountain Region (IMR) Natural Resource Park and Regional Programs consist of 

a wide range of park management issues and 

concerns, as well as, a substantial variety of 

ecosystems, staff sizes and acreage in its park 

units. The general state of IMR programs in 

the parks through 2007 has shown a continued loss of natural resource staff. Most affected are the small to medium size parks which 

have chosen either (1) not to refill natural 

resource positions when vacated, (2) to share a 

single natural resource position among several 

parks, or (3) natural resource positions have 

become diluted by having individuals assume 

part-time responsibilities for other park divisions in order to meet current budget levels. 

The result has been the loss of time available 

to cover basic natural resource program duties and/or the assignment of natural resource 

duties to individuals with little or no natural 

resource training or background. On a positive 

note, there has been an increase in parks relying on services provided by the NPS Inventory 

and Monitoring (I&M) Program. However, 

the I&M networks have defined roles and 

functions that do not allow for compensation 

of the loss of functional natural resource management personnel within the parks.

Both the parks and Intermountain Regional 

Natural Resource Program are suffering from 

significantly reduced travel funding. For 

regional staff this equates to a reduction in 

the ability to provide technical assistance to 

parks. For IMR parks, travel funding restrictions have meant a reduction in the ability of 

resource managers to travel to meetings or to 

trainings to increase their professional development or to assist with internal and external 

networking. Project funding remains minimal 

for natural resources. Parks report difficulty in 

finding partners for natural resource projects 

due to the requirement of project selections 

for three years out. Many potential project 

partners are hesitant to commit matching 

funds or their time for projects scheduled for 

three or more years out.
 National Park Service 27

Several significant resource issues have come 

to the forefront during 2007. A few examples 

are provided below:

Grizzly Bear Delisting: On April 30, 2007, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed grizzly 

bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem 

from the threatened species list under the 

Endangered Species Act. Yellowstone National Park grizzly bears were documented as 

doing well the first summer (2007) after this 

delisting. The IMR remains an active partner 

with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee 

(IGBC) on conservation of the grizzly bear in 

both the Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystems. The grizzly remains listed in the Northern Continental 

Divide, but funding for long-term monitoring 

of population health and trends remains critical to both ecosystems.

Energy Development: IMR parks experienced 

significant increases in new energy developments (e.g. oil and gas, coal, uranium) near or 

adjacent to park boundaries during 2007. This 

has raised concerns about the potential for 

undesirable impacts to park resources (particularly for air and water) and to visitor safety 

and the visitor experience. Regional and park 

staffs are beginning to work with Servicewide 

NPS programs and other land management 

agencies to help define strategies to minimize 

impacts to resources and park visitors.

Border Impacts: Border impacts have become 

an increasing issue in both the northern and 

southern portions of the region. Parks associated with international borders are experiencing difficulties in allocating staff time and 

funding to adequately address developing 

border issues. There is concern that border 

developments may have the potential to impact more sensitive park resources such as 

threatened and endangered species, fragile 

desert soils, and cultural resources. The IMR 

regional natural resource staff and border park 

staffs are beginning to develop interdisciplinary and cooperative multi-agency approaches 

to assist in addressing border park resource 

issues.

Avian Influenza Preparedness: During 2007, 

the IMR regional natural resources staff assisted priority parks in the development of 

preparedness and response plans for avian influenza in wildlife. Regional staff also worked 

with Servicewide programs to provide priority 

IMR parks with appropriate protective equipment for collection of suspicious wildlife carcasses.

Midwest Region

With the retirement of the regional Chief of 

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, 

the Midwest Region experienced a year of 

change. The region has sought to use this time 

of transition to look for ways to gain greater 

efficiencies and improve resource management.

The Science Advisory committee composed 

of park representatives and Natural Resource 

Stewardship and Science staff conducted a 

meeting in conjunction with the Midwest 

Fish and Wildlife conference held in Omaha, 

December 2006. Representatives discussed 

how to implement a pre-proposal process 

to improve the quality of projects that move 

forward from the Servicewide Comprehensive 

Call (SCC) to national competition. Through 

spring 2007, a process was developed and initiated. More than 170 projects were reviewed 

by panel members with pre-SCC results being 

submitted to the parks in August. The overall 

value or success of the effort will be determined as projects go forward for national panels in spring 2008.

The Midwest Region led the Service in distributing the Draft Resource Stewardship 

Strategy (RSS) handbook/reference manual 

and the Draft Herbert Hoover Resource Stewardship Strategy. A second project has been 

initiated at Effigy Mounds in conjunction with 

a General Management Plan (GMP). The 

MWR staff assigned to the RSS communicates 

well with the Water Resource Division to incorporate their needs into RSS efforts.

In the Great Lakes region, the exchange of 

ballast water in ships which transverse the St. 

Lawrence Seaway and locks at Sault Ste. Marie 

has triggered the region to consider how to 

protect native fisheries within a jurisdictional 

boundary surrounding Midwest Region park 

units.

Natural Resource Condition Assessments: 

The Midwest Region worked closely with the 

National Parks Conservation Association and 
28 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

their schedule of “condition assessments” 

which are the basis for their State of the Parks

reports. Two meetings were coordinated with 

NPS staff participating in a NPCA Scoping 

session for condition assessments and NPCA 

staff participated in an NPS Condition assessment effort for Mount Rushmore National 

Memorial and Niobrara National Scenic River.

The condition assessment effort is coordinated through the NRSS office and led by Carmen Thomson, Midwest Region I&M Coordinator. Staff are coordinating with the MWR 

Planning and Environmental Quality division 

to determine where parks may benefit from a 

Condition Assessment before initiating a GMP 

or where a GMP is completed and Resource 

Stewardship Strategies are needed. While a 

perfect planning cycle is not attainable, various parties need to be present to understand 

where and how Natural Resource Condition 

Assessments, Inventory and Monitoring efforts, Fire Effects Monitoring and Exotic Plant 

Management Team efforts may be integrated 

to maximize programmatic efficiency.

Pea Ridge National Military Park. Minimizing 

Impact of Utility Lines to Park Resources: The 

park has a long history of dealing with issues 

of power lines and utility right-of-ways (or 

lack of them) within the boundary. These issues were first documented in 1962, but until 

this year had never been resolved. Through 

negotiations with the power company, the 

Park Service was able to come to an agreement that was mutually acceptable by both 

parties. The park issued a Special Use Permit 

to the power company for right-of-ways that 

are outside of, and out of sight of any cultural 

landscape. The power company agreed to reroute certain power lines and abandon those 

that run through cultural landscapes. Besides 

developing this agreement, the park was able 

to remove 2,600 feet of power lines and poles 

from the Leetown Cultural Landscape and 

is in the process of removing 11,000 feet of 

power lines and poles in the Elkhorn Tavern 

Cultural Landscape area during winter 2008. 

Regional Block grant funds were used to contract with the utility company to remove lines 

and to treat exotic weeds in the utility rightof-way. The poles will be recycled to establish 

a working telegraph line along Telegraph Road 

from the Visitor Center to Elkhorn Tavern.

Wind Cave National Park. Black-footed Ferret 

Recovery Program: The black-footed ferret is 

one of the rarest mammals in the world and 

has been on the list of endangered species 

since 1973. In spite of 30 years of recovery 

efforts, the species is still imperiled due to 

a lack of suitable recovery sites. On July 4th, 

2007, Wind Cave National Park reintroduced 

the black-footed ferret. The successful release was the culmination of seven years of 

preparation by park staff. Several prerequisite 

documents had to be prepared by the park 

including a Prairie Dog Management Plan, a 

Black-Footed Ferret Management Plan, and 

associated environmental assessment. The 

Black-Footed Ferret Management Plan had 

to lay out a strategy for ferret reintroductions 

and long-term management that was consistent with other park and stakeholder needs. 

The document and project also had to comply 

with the administrative and legal requirements 

of restoring an endangered species. The Wind 

Cave reintroduction site has fewer acres of 

prairie dogs than what ferret reintroduction 

sites have historically had; therefore, the park 

approached the reintroduction effort as an 

experiment. The park successfully used these 

unique circumstances to innovatively reintroduce ferrets.

National Capitol

Integrated Pest Management (IPM): The regional coordinator and park representatives 

continue to participate in IPM. As gypsy moth 

began made a comeback in the National Capital Region, first noticed at Catoctin Mountain 

Park but now in at least three parks, the program worked cooperatively with USDA and 

state agencies to assure effective treatment. As 

always, a major part of the IPM program is the 

daily consultation between various divisions 

and the IPM coordinator regarding the best 

approach to managing pests of all kinds.

Wildlife: Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has 

not been found in any parks in the region yet, 

but due to its proximity to some parks in the 

western portion of the region Antietam and 

Monocacy National Battlefields are teaming 

with Shenandoah National Park to write an 

Environmental Assessment for various methods of monitoring for and managing the disease. Parks have been trained on identification 

and biopsy methods and are working cooperatively with both the NPS Biological Resource 
 National Park Service 29

Management Program and their respective 

state wildlife agencies. Public scoping meetings were held in February 2007 at Antietam 

and Monocacy National Battlefields. The Park 

Service and contractor Louis Berger Group 

produced a newsletter and several posters to 

share information with the public. A Shepherd 

University intern worked at Antietam this year 

conducting regular foot patrols for dead deer 

and opportunistic sampling continued with 

eight samples submitted for testing all with 

negative results during this period.

Sightings of coyotes and black bears are occurring with increasing frequency.

Invasive Exotic Plants: A new invasive exotic 

was discovered at Rock Creek Park during the 

National Geographic Bioblitz. An expert from 

the Brooklyn Botanical Garden found the 

large non-native plant, Japanese angelica tree 

(Aralia elata). It is very close in appearance 

to the native Hercules Club or Devils Walking Stick (Aralia spinosa). Cooperative efforts 

between the Botanical Garden and the Park 

Service confirmed it is an exotic species not 

previously identified in the area. The park, 

assuming it was the native plant, had been 

avoiding cutting it along Military Road where 

it is common at the edge of the woods and 

creeping into the forested areas. Aralia elata, 

although listed by the USDA Forest Service as 

an invasive exotic, is generally not understood 

enough nor widespread enough to fully know 

the potential impacts to park resources. The 

park and Exotic Plant Management Team are 

determining the priority of the removal of this 

plant as more is learned about its local growth 

habits.

Park Briefs:

Manassas National Battlefield. Restoring 

Historic Grasslands: In order to restore the 

historic vista, Manassas National Battlefield 

is cutting 130 acres of timber. This habitat will 

become a shrub/grassland which should benefit many species. Park managers are removing 

another section of tree line in the northeast 

area of the park with the overall goal of creating a large grassland in that section. The park 

resource manger continued to adjust hay lease 

schedule to better accommodate wildlife. 

Mowing now ends mid-September instead 

of October to allow for re-growth for winter 

wildlife cover. 

Antietam National Battlefield. Exotic Plant 

Control and Scenic Restoration: Emphasis areas 

for exotic vegetation control efforts in 2007 

were the Otto Farm, portions of the Roulette 

Farm, East Woods/Miller Farm, Mumma 

Farm, Sherrick Farm reforestation areas and 

riparian buffers. The park’s GIS/NR Specialist 

prepared a comprehensive reference this year 

on the plants of concern located in the battlefield. Antietam conducted its first prescribed 

burn of about nine acres in 2005. Several debris piles at the Otto and Spong Farms were 

burned under prescription in 2007 and were 

the result of some the mechanical removal and 

scene restoration discussed above. Prescribed 

fire planning for the Otto Farm and several 

other sites is underway for 2008.

George Washington Memorial Parkway. Potomac Gorge Conservation: A revision of the 

Vascular Flora of Great Falls Park, Fairfax 

County, Virginia, accounted for 1014 vascular 

plant taxa representing 1001 species. Eight 

varieties and 5 hybrids from 490 genera in 139 

families have been documented within the 

park. The total flora contains 593 taxa that are 

designated as rare, 148 that are common, and 

196 that are uncommon.

The park, in coordination with Chesapeake 

and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and 

The Nature Conservancy concluded an important phase of the Potomac Gorge Conservation Program, a five year program to address 

some key stressors to resources in the Gorge 

and to educate the public about methods they 

could assist in protecting this area of high biodiversity.

A two-year study of breeding birds at the 

Great Falls and Turkey Run areas of the 

George Washington Memorial Parkway was 

completed with a final report and GIS map 

showing sampling points and results. Warblers 

are of specific ecological interest because they 

are sensitive to both natural and human-induced environmental shifts, especially habitat 

fragmentation.

Northeast

Base-funded natural resource programs in 

parks have diminished in the Northeast Region over the past five years as a result of 

the majority of parks not receiving sufficient 

annual appropriations to fully cover staff 
30 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

cost-of-living pay increases, locality pay and 

other fixed costs. Most of the larger parks in 

the Region with natural resource programs 

have lost at least one or two full time natural 

resource management professionals over the 

past five years. Seasonal employment for natural resource programs has been reduced. With 

the loss of employees, the remaining park staff 

have assumed the responsibilities of the vacated positions.

Despite the overall diminishment of resources 

and accomplishments, some park superintendents have exhibited exemplary leadership 

by filling critical natural resource positions 

when funding became available. For example, 

the Superintendent of Shenandoah National 

Park made the commitment to replace a basefunded Air Resources Specialist position and 

a Physical Scientist position with one person 

to assume the duties of both. Also, the Superintendent of Valley Forge National Historical 

Park filled the park’s only natural resource 

specialist position that had been vacant for 

more than two years and is refilling a vacant 

biological technician position.

Ironically, the successes resulting from the 

hard work of park staff have added to program needs. For example, wetland restoration 

projects initiated by parks such as Cape Cod 

National Seashore and Gateway National Recreation Area also trigger the need to monitor 

improvements, a condition of the permits that 

were secured to initiate the projects. These 

restorations follow NPS policy and are ecologically critical but parks have not been successful in securing base increases for increased 

monitoring costs.

The Northeast Region has science base funds 

that have been used, since the early 1990s, for 

small resource management and science projects. Smaller parks that were not able to compete successfully for Servicewide NPS natural 

resource funding tended to be the primary 

recipients. Regional science funds were also 

used to provide immediate assistance for critical natural resource planning and research. 

Over the past several years, the total Regional science base funds have declined from 

$500,000 in the late 1990s to less than $50,000 

in FY 2007, due to growing personnel costs, 

inflation and a Regional funding base that has 

not grown to meet these needs. Regional science funds no longer are allocated through 

a fixed base, but through a park assessment 

process. This has resulted in an unpredictable 

fund source and fewer small-scale critical resource management and research projects being carried out in the Northeast Region parks 

than in previous years.

Shenandoah National Park. Preparing for 

Chronic Wasting Disease: Park staff, with assistance from Northeast Regional Office and 

A Parula Warbler (Parula americana) at the Great Falls area of 

the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

NPS Photo: Gerhard Hofman
 National Park Service 31

WASO staff, have engaged in the planning process for developing a Chronic Wasting Disease 

(CWD) Response Plan. The park held internal 

and public scoping meetings this year. Park 

staff also participate in an inter-regional science team that is addressing the CWD issue. 

Shenandoah National Park staff have conducted field surveillance of deer killed on roads 

in the park. The deer heads are collected, 

sampled and sent to a lab for testing. So far, 

15 to 20 deer have been sampled. All of those 

samples have tested negative for CWD.

Ocean Park Strategic Plan: Responding to the 

U.S. Ocean Action Plan and the NPS Ocean 

Park Stewardship Action Plan announced in 

December 2006, the Northeast Region formed 

an Ocean Stewardship Task Force consisting 

of 12 ocean park superintendents from the 

Region and Regional Office natural resource 

staff. In June 2007, the Task Force completed 

the Northeast Region Ocean Park Strategic 

Plan. The Plan identifies specific goals and 

action items associated with four major topics. Those are 1) Establish a seamless network 

of ocean parks, sanctuaries, refuges, and reserves; 2) Discover, map, and protect ocean 

parks; 3) Engage visitors and the public in 

ocean park stewardship; and 4) Increase technical capacity for ocean exploration and stewardship. Some of these actions will be completed within months, while others are more 

complex and will involve longer time frames 

to fully implement. It is intended that the Strategic Plan will be periodically revised as action 

items are completed and as additional tasks 

are identified.

Pacific West

The Natural Resource Challenge has greatly 

benefited parks in the Pacific West Region. 

The Pacific West Region also allocated 

$686,760 in Regional base funds toward natural resource projects.

The Cooperative Ecosystem Study Units (CESUs) continued to assist the Park Service in 

building partnerships with academia and other agencies and in leveraging outside funding.

This year parks received funding to cover the 

full amount of the cost-of-living increases 

approved by Congress. This was extremely 

important in reducing the erosion of parkbase 

budgets. As a result, a few of the Region’s 

natural resource parkbase programs were better off in FY 2007 than they were in the previous fiscal year, and more of them held steady. 

However, due to other inflationary pressures 

on their fixed costs and the demands of other 

park programs, more than half of the Region’s 

natural resource parkbase programs still lost 

ground again this year.

Pinnacles National Monument. Investigating 

Euproserpinus Sphinx Moth: In 2007, funding was obtained from NPS-PWR Rotating 

Resource Base to study a newly discovered 

primrose sphinx moth at Pinnacles National 

Monument in the Central Coast Range of 

California. This moth is in the same genus 

(Euproserpinus) as the only moth in the continental United States protected under the Endangered Species Act. Its short, unpredictable, 

and in some years nonexistent flight season 

makes it especially difficult to study. The goal 

of the project was to collect specimens of the 

moth for DNA analysis to determine its identity and to gather information on its distribution, abundance, and life history within the 

Monument.

Although 2007 was generally a poor flight 

year for this group of moths in California, the 

Pinnacles population had a strong flight at 

one site and limited numbers were recorded 

at several other sites. Time-lapse video was 

used to document behavior of resting moths 

and for the first time at Pinnacles female 

moths were observed laying eggs. A small 

mark-recapture study was conducted which 

indicated that simple visual surveys are likely 

to underestimate population size and that 

male moths do not have a strong fidelity to 

particular overnight resting areas.

Because moths were not observed in abundance at multiple sites, impacts on the population were minimized by collecting only three 

specimens for DNA analysis. Preliminary 

results from our partner at the University of 

Hawaii indicate that the Pinnacles population and another one located 80 miles to the 

southwest are distinct from all other populations and represent a new species to science. 

However, additional specimens will need to 

be collected and analyzed in order to further 

substantiate this conclusion.
32 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Yosemite National Park. Velvet Grass Removal: 

Velvet grass is a perennial bunchgrass native 

to Europe that has been quietly invading midelevation meadows in Yosemite. The grass 

can be a highly invasive species because it 

produces a large amount of seed and is a rapid 

colonizer of disturbed ground. Velvet grass 

has the potential to completely overtake the 

areas it invades. The park conducted an initial 

survey of velvet grass infestation in fall 2006. 

More than 2,500 acres were surveyed and 285 

acres of velvet grass mapped. Ten high-priority 

populations were treated using hand-pulling 

and mowing methods. 

Since little information exists about the success of velvet grass treatment in the western 

United States, the park initiated a study to 

gauge the success of various treatment methods. Two types of monitoring plots were installed at selected treatment sites. “Transect 

monitoring” measured velvet grass abundance 

as well as the presence of associated non-native species. This type of monitoring will show 

both the response of velvet grass to treatment 

and whether additional invasive species are 

colonizing the treated areas. The second type 

of monitoring compared hand-pulling to 

mowing in order to show the effect of treatment on velvet grass as well as the effects on 

other plants in the areas.

Southeast

In 2007, the Southeast Region (SER) continued to engage in initiatives that were outcomes 

from the Gulf of Mexico hurricanes of 2005. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 

continued with their mandate to develop the 

Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program 

(MsCIP). The MsCIP is a Congressionallymandated program led by the USACE to 

identify actions to protect the Mississippi 

mainland from future hurricane damage. Part 

of the program addresses restoring the Mississippi barrier islands in Gulf Islands National 

Seashore via several alternatives involving 

various sand placement, dune reconstruction, 

and vegetation restoration options. In cooperation with the USACE and other agencies, the 

National Park Service has led a multi-agency 

effort to develop a barrier island restoration 

alternative for Gulf Islands National Seashore 

based on science and compliance with NPS 

Management Policies. This alternative includes restoring East and West Ship Islands 

by directly placing compatible sand in the 

breach between the islands (“Camille Cut”), 

directly placing sand near cultural resource 

sites on East and West Ship Islands threatened 

by erosion, and adding compatible sand to the 

near-shore area of the islands to recreate the 

natural sand supply and island-to-island sand 

transport system that existed prior to navigation channel dredging activities conducted 

near the islands.

NPS staff have been extensively involved in 

the MsCIP planning process, and have closely 

coordinated with the USACE, U.S. Geological Survey, National Marine Fisheries Service, 

Environmental Protection Agency, National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the MS 

Department of Marine Resources in the development of a barrier island restoration alternative based upon scientific understanding of 

regional coastal geomorphic processes. While 

restoration of Ship Island and protection of 

significant cultural resources is the most pressing park management issue, the over arching 

recommendation is to restore the crucial barrier island sand supply and island-to-island 

sand transport system in the park to a natural 

state as much as possible given the realities of 

climate change (sea level rise, increased frequency of storms, etc.) and navigation channel 

dredging activities.

Park Service review of available scientific 

information indicates that the multi-agency 

barrier island restoration alternative is consistent with NPS mandates and Management 

Policies and represents a viable alternative for 

the USACE’s Draft MsCIP Plan/PEIS. Prior to 

implementation, any barrier island restoration 

action will be subject to additional research, 

monitoring protocols, adaptive management 

principles, and supplemental NEPA analysis.

A similar effort in Louisiana was of interest to 

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Congress directed the Army Corps of 

Engineers, New Orleans District, in partnership with the State of Louisiana, to prepare a 

report on coastal restoration and Category 5 

hurricane protection after hurricanes Katrina 

and Rita struck coastal Louisiana in 2005. The 

USACE has completed a preliminary report 

which identifies and describes a range of possible flood control, coastal restoration, and 
 National Park Service 33

hurricane protection measures for coastal 

Louisiana, which will be submitted to Congress in December 2008. The final alignment 

and design of a hurricane protection system, 

and measures taken to restore hydrological 

and ecosystem function in the Barataria Basin, 

could have a significant impact on the Barataria Preserve. The modeling demonstrated 

in the report looks at an array of alignments 

for a structural hurricane protection system. 

Some would be built on the inside boundary 

of the Preserve possibly requiring NPS property for expansion of the levee footprint, along 

the alignment of the current hurricane levee 

system. Others would be built gulf-ward of the 

Preserve, and could profoundly affect Preserve 

hydrology and ecosystem function, depending 

upon design and location.

The National Park Service submitted to the 

USACE in November 2007 a NPS Vision 

Statement for the LACPR (Louisiana Coastal 

Protection & Restoration) which outlines NPS 

concerns and proposals. The Park Service is 

participating in ongoing review of the LACPR 

as a member of the Habitat Evaluation Team 

and interagency group providing technical assistance to the Army Corps of Engineers.

In April, 2007, the Region released the Southeast Region Coastal & Ocean Park Strategy for 

the 24 units of the Southeast Region that border ocean/estuarine coasts or encompass marine environments. This document provided 

a framework for emphasizing critical areas 

to support the larger goals of the U.S. Ocean 

Action Plan and the NPS Ocean Stewardship 

Strategy. A steering committee comprised of 

senior leadership from the regional office and 

representative coastal and ocean parks was 

formed to provide guidance for the overall effort.

A significant regional initiative, the Gulf of 

Mexico Alliance, also began moving to the 

forefront as the Alliance and the Department 

of the Interior began to increase dialogue 

regarding the opportunities for additional 

collaboration. The Alliance, comprised of the 

Governors of the five states that border the 

Gulf of Mexico, has the objective of collaborating across the states to improve the overall 

health of the Gulf of Mexico. In November, 

2007, the Department of the Interior (DOI) 

and Regional Bureau leadership met with Alliance representatives in Tampa, Florida. The 

purpose of the meeting was to bring together 

representatives from the Gulf of Mexico 

States and DOI bureaus in order to develop 

a deeper understanding of each others’ missions, priorities, and resources in order to collaboratively address high priority areas.
34 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

If space allows, it is recommended that the text begin on the opposite page and that this page contain photographic or illustrative material. 
 National Park Service 35

Chapter III: Network Programs

Gulf Coast Network GIS Specialist Jeff Bracewell holds a large 

male Texas Tortoise (Gopherus 

berlandieri) discovered during the initial field survey for 

development of the network’s 

amphibian and reptile monitoring protocol. The Texas Tortoise, 

a Texas state species-of-concern, 

is a key faunal resource at Palo 

Alto Battlefield National Historic 

Site and will be monitored by 

the network at both Palo Alto 

Battlefield and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

Key to the Natural Resource Challenge are 

programs intended to serve the needs of 

biogeographically linked networks of parks. 

These network programs efficiently and effectively provide service to groups of parks 

that share common ecosystem characteristics. 

Thirty-two groups of parks are linked into 

networks including the Great Plains, Great 

Lakes, Pacific Islands, Sonoran Desert, Southwest Alaska, Gulf Coast, and Rocky Mountains. Through the network programs, these 

parks cooperatively accomplish far more than 

they possibly could individually without huge 

amounts of additional funding to park bases. 

Rather than stand-alone, these networks are 

integrated with park resource programs, the 

Natural Resource Program Center, state natural resource and wildlife programs, federal 

agencies, universities, non-profits, and other 

partners to accomplish shared goals. Yet they 

were established as separate entities so they 

remain accountable for fulfilling their purposes and accomplishing their goals. This chapter 

describes some of the accomplishments of 

the following network programs within the 

context of the process of discovery, learning, 

understanding, sharing, resource protection and 

restoration, and evaluation:

• Inventory and Monitoring Networks 

(I&M) provide parks with discovery 

through baseline inventories of key ecosystem indicators; learning through long term 

monitoring of trends of the indicators; and 

understanding through collaboration with 

scientists at universities and other agencies. 

By sharing information with park managers, 

other land managers, and the public, the 

information can, in time, be used to make 

science-based management decisions to protect the parks. Continued monitoring will 

provide for evaluation of the effectiveness 

of the actions.

• Exotic Plant Management Teams 

(EPMT) survey to discover invasive plant 

species in the parks, use the latest information to understand how to control them 

using principles of Integrated Pest Management, then take action to control problem 

species to minimize impacts on park’s native species. 

• Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units 

(CESU) link parks in with appropriate 

subject-matter experts at universities to aid 

in discovery, learning, understanding, sharing, and evaluation about park resources 

and processes through tactical research 

and technical assistance that will lead to 

scientifically sound resource protection and 

restoration.

• Research Learning Centers (RLC) provide support and assistance for scientists 

working through park programs, I&M, 

CESUs or the Natural Resource Program 

Center to discover, learn, understand, share 

and evaluate. The emphasis for RLCs is to 

aid in sharing knowledge gained with peers, 

partners, and the public.

Inventory and Monitoring Networks

Park managers across the country are confronted with increasingly complex and challenging issues that require a broad-based 

understanding of the status and trends in the 

condition of park natural resources as a basis for making decisions, working with other 

agencies, and communicating with the public 

to protect park natural systems and native species. To provide park managers with the information they need, the National Park Service 

has embarked on a new era of science-based 

management. The flagship of the Service’s efforts to revitalize the natural resource program 

and to improve park management through 

greater reliance on scientific information is the 

Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M), 

which provides funding, technical assistance, 

and coordination for parks to complete 12 

baseline natural resource inventories and to 

monitor the condition or “health” of key vital 

sign parameters.

The scientifically sound information obtained 

through natural resource inventories and 

long-term ecological monitoring will have 

multiple applications for discovering, learning, 

and understanding park natural resources; 

sharing information with the American people; resource protection and restoration; and 

evaluation. When combined with an effective 

education program, inventory and monitoring results can contribute not only to park 

issues, but also to larger quality-of-life issues 

that affect surrounding communities and can 

contribute significantly to the environmental 

health of the nation. As a direct result of fund-
36 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

ing through the Natural Resource Challenge, 

the I&M Program has become a significant 

component of the overall scientific and information management infrastructure and 

expertise of the National Park Service and has 

already resulted in numerous examples of improved management and greater efficiencies in 

natural resource stewardship.

For most parks, funding and staffing support 

from the I&M Program is the primary means 

of measuring the status and trends in the condition of park resources and is a central component of an effective natural resource management program. Network staff are involved 

in numerous activities such as organizing and 

cataloging data collected by network staff and 

others, data analysis and synthesis, modeling, 

providing data and expertise to park planners, 

providing data and expertise for occasional resource assessments and resource stewardship 

strategies, and contributing to performance 

reporting. In just a few short years, the I&M 

networks have become known as a key source 

and supplier of reliable, organized, and retrievable information about parks that was formerly unavailable, misplaced, or lost to managers and others who needed the information 

for sound decisions or sound science.

The primary responsibilities of the small staff 

of the 32 I&M networks are to (1) facilitate 

baseline inventories; (2) to collect, manage, 

analyze and report long-term data for identified vital signs (measurements of resource 

condition); and (3) to effectively deliver data 

and information on resource condition to 

park managers, planners, interpreters, and 

other key audiences. Parks in each I&M network share core funding and a professional 

staff that is augmented by funding and staffing 

from park base accounts and other sources 

to plan, design, and implement an integrated 

long-term monitoring program.

Two factors have been key to the success of 

the 32 I&M networks: (1) the strategy to leverage the limited funding and staffing through 

partnerships with other programs and agencies, and (2) the explicit link to park management and planning.

1. Partnerships and Leveraging:

• I&M is not a stand-alone program. The 

network strategy allows parks to include 

and augment long-term monitoring that 

was already being done by parks, other 

NPS programs, and other agencies.

• Funding and staffing are closely intertwined 

between parks and networks for most networks.

• Parks were able to identify their highest 

priorities for monitoring (as opposed to 

a top-down, “one size fits all” approach), 

which allowed them to take advantage of 

local partnership opportunities.

• Parks enlisted subject-matter experts from 

more than 150 universities, plus U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other agencies 

to design a scientifically credible monitoring program based on the best available 

information.

2. Explicit Link to Park Management:

• I&M staff began by asking park managers 

and planners what they needed and how 

best to deliver the information to them.

• Park superintendents and natural resource 

staff are fully engaged through each network’s Board of Directors and Technical 

Committee. Park managers, planners, and 

interpreters are key audiences and are provided with products they can use. Science 

communication and customer satisfaction 

are key to the success of the I&M program.

• I&M network data and expertise are a 

catalyst and a key data source for Natural 

Resource Condition Assessments, Resource 

Stewardship Strategies, and reporting to 

Land Health Goals and other GPRA goals.

Natural Resource Inventories

The Inventory component of the National 

Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program reports to the strategic planning goal on 

Natural Resource Inventories that states that 

by September 30, 2007, acquisition or development of 77.5 percent (2,145) of the 2,767 

outstanding data sets identified in 2002 of 

basic natural resource inventories for all parks 

will be complete. The I&M Program exceeded 

its performance goal for developing natural 

resource inventories in FY 2007 by completing an additional 238 datasets, bringing the 

total to 2,177 (79 percent) of the outstanding 
 National Park Service 37

datasets. The I&M Program has now essentially completed seven inventory data sets for 

all natural resource parks (natural resource 

bibliographies, vertebrate and vascular plant 

species lists, base cartography data, baseline 

water quality data, water body location and 

classification, air quality data, and meteorological data) in addition to making progress on 

the remaining five inventories.

The table bellow illustrates the number of 

baseline natural resource inventories completed or projected to be completed by the end of 

each fiscal year for 270 parks with significant 

natural resources. The number of inventory 

data sets that remain to be completed after 

FY 2008 reflects the number of parks Servicewide with outstanding needs (some parks have 

acquired some of these data sets and a few 

parks may not need all 12 sets).

The increased funding for natural resource 

inventories received through the Natural 

Resource Challenge since FY 2000 is allowing the National Park Service to significantly 

increase the rate at which the basic natural 

resource inventories are completed. By combining Natural Resource Challenge funding 

with funds previously available for inventories, 

the Service now estimates that it will complete 

the basic resource inventories for all 270 natural resource parks over a period of approximately 10–12 years, rather than the 20–25 years 

projected to complete the inventories prior 

to receiving the additional Natural Resource 

Challenge funding.

The natural resource inventories being conducted as part of the Natural Resource Challenge are revealing many new and exciting insights into the natural resources contained in 

parks. Not only are the investigations increasing our knowledge and understanding about 

park resources, but the information being 

provided is also being used to address a wide 

variety of resource management issues and 

activities. Profiled below are examples of how 

inventory results during FY 2007 were used to 

better understand, manage, and protect park 

resources.

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National 

Military Park. Bewick’s Wren Added to Species 

List: As part of its inventory and certification 

process, Cumberland Piedmont Network staff 

was able to add the Bewick’s wren (Thryomanes bewickii) to the park species list. This 

species, which was thought to be extirpated 

from the Appalachian region, has experienced 

precipitous declines throughout the eastern 

United States to the point where most states 

east of the Mississippi list it as “critically imperiled” or “possibly extirpated.” Reports of 

two adults feeding juveniles at the park represent the first breeding evidence in the region 

since the early 1980s.

Denali National Park and Preserve. One Hundred New Lichen Species Documented: The 

Central Alaska Network initiated a lichen survey in FY 2007 that resulted in as many as 100 

new species to the park and will likely result 

in at least 1 new species for the state of Alaska. 

This survey will continue in 2008–09 with Regional Block Grant funds.

Blue Ridge Parkway. Ecological Diversity: The 

Blue Ridge Parkway possesses one of the most 

diverse assemblages of ecologically significant 

communities in the eastern United States. 

Basic Data Sets FY 2007 

Completed

FY 2008 

Projected

Remaining 

After 2008

Natural Resource Bibliographies 270 270 Completed

Base Cartographic Data 270 270 Completed

Species Lists 270 270 Completed

Species Surveys 200 270 Completed

Vegetation Maps 116 146 124

Soils Maps 140 160 110

Geology Maps 146 204 66

Water Body Locations 270 270 Completed

Baseline Water Quality Data 270 270 Completed

Air Quality Data 270 270 Completed 

Air Quality-Related Values 175 200 70

Meteorological Data 270 270 Completed
38 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

During vegetation mapping and plant inventories conducted by the Appalachian Highlands 

Network, 75 distinct plant communities (associations) were documented within the park; 

24 of these are considered globally rare and 

seven are considered globally imperiled. The 

variety of these communities ranges from very 

dry/xeric woodland slopes to cloud forests 

dominated by spruce and fir, to high-elevation 

wetlands that support boreal relict species as 

well as extremely rare southern Appalachian 

endemic species that occur nowhere else.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

New Species of Amphibians Discovered: Amphibian surveys revealed four species of reptiles and amphibians new to the park. This 

work was part of the design phase for longterm monitoring of amphibians at the park 

and was performed by herpetologists from the 

Chicago Field Museum.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation 

Area and Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Fish Inventories Document Rare 

Species: The Academy of Natural Sciences 

of Philadelphia conducted a fish inventory 

at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation 

Area and Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Several species that were previously considered to be rare or of uncertain 

status appear to be relatively widespread in 

the two parks (e.g., eastern mudminnow, gizzard shad, northern hog sucker, bluespotted 

sunfish, bluntnose minnow, comely shiner, 

swallowtail shiner, and satinfin shiner). Combining 2005 and 2006 observations, bridle 

shiners, a very rare species, have been found 

at sites within Delaware Water Gap National 

Recreation Area and in NJ wildlife management areas.

Craters of the Moon National Monument 

and Preserve. Pika Found to Be Using Historic 

Locations: In FY 2007, a pika inventory and 

occupancy modeling study was conducted in 

the park. Evidence of pika presence was detected at several historic locations and many 

new locations were recorded. This is significant given the growing evidence that pika may 

be vulnerable to climate change. Craters of 

the Moon may support a regionally significant 

pika population. 

Sand Creek National Historic Site. A New Park 

adds Natural Treasures to the NPS Chest: One 

of the newest additions to the National Park 

System is Sand Creek National Historic Site, 

dedicated on April 28, 2007. Various inventories are being completed in this area for the 

first time with some exciting results. Two prairie dog colonies, with 82 hectares under park 

protection, are also home to burrowing owls 

and mountain plover. Other species of concern found within park boundaries include 

the northern leopard frog, loggerhead shrike, 

and northern harrier hawk. Suitable habitat 

exists for swift fox and lesser prairie chickens, 

raising hope that an intact ecosystem may yet 

develop.

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National 

Military Park. Rare plants found: During vegetation mapping accuracy assessment, botanists 

from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation found a new occurrence 

of the federally threatened vascular plant, 

small whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides), 

in Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield. This 

perennial member of the orchid family is 

among the rarest members of its family due 

to habitat alteration, collecting, and browsing 

from herbivores such as deer. This plant may 

remain dormant underground for as many as 

10 to 20 years.

Assateague Island National Seashore. Bathymetry Inventories Conducted in Northeastern Parks: Assateague and the Northeast 

Coastal and Barrier Network partnered with 

the Maryland Geological Survey to collect 

bathymetry (underwater depth) and sediment 

data for the Virginia Coastal Bays. The state of 

Maryland collected these data on the Maryland side of the park in 2005. The project will 

enable Assateague Island National Seashore to 

manage and protect all of its estuarine waters 

holistically, across state lines, by providing 

the missing information on the National Seashore’s estuarine resources in Virginia. The 

information will be integrated into ongoing 

research efforts to address several specific 

management concerns. Already, the park is 

receiving a steady stream of requests for these 

data from various government agencies and 

academic institutions who want to incorporate the data into research on aquatic habitats, 

hydrodynamic circulation models, and water 

quality trends.
 National Park Service 39

Various inventories are revealing 

important information at Sand 

Creek National Historic Site.

Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, 

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, Capulin 

Volcano National Monument, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Fort Larned National 

Historic Site, Fort Union National Monument, Lake Meredith National Recreation 

Area, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, Pecos National Historical Park, and 

Washita Battlefield National Historic Site. 

Documenting Vegetation Communities across 

the Southern Great Plains: The Southern Plains 

Network has partnered with the U.S. Bureau 

of Reclamation, Colorado Natural Heritage 

Program, Natural Heritage New Mexico, Kansas Biological Survey, the Botanical Research 

Institute of Texas, and the Lady Bird Johnson 

Wildflower Center to create the first maps of 

the vegetation communities within network 

park boundaries. These “snapshots in time” 

provide a base-line inventory of the types and 

distribution of plant communities. This will 

enable scientists to determine how these areas 

change in future decades in response to climate change and management practices.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Kuhuku 

Plant Inventory: This inventory identified 

vegetation communities and located rare, 

threatened and endangered plants, as well as 

disruptive alien weeds. Forty-one kilometers 

of transects and 177 vegetation plots were 

ground-surveyed; 6.5 hours of helicopter surveys were conducted. A total of 455 vascular 

plant species were encountered, of which 

40 percent were native. Five endangered, 1 

threatened, 1 candidate endangered, 7 species 

of concern, and 26 locally rare native species 

were found. Results from this study will enable managers to develop a framework for 

long-term management priorities and strategies in Kahuku which was added to Hawaii 

Volcanoes National Park in 2003.

Vital Signs Monitoring

Fiscal Year 2007 marks a significant milestone 

in that for the first time in the history of the 

National Park Service, all parks with significant natural resources now have in place the 

minimum staffing, funding, and data systems 

to routinely collect, manage, analyze and 

report long-term data for a modest set of 
40 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

vital signs and to effectively deliver data and 

information on resource condition to park 

managers, planners, and other key audiences. 

The National Park Service received the final 

Natural Resource Challenge funding increase 

in FY 2007 to support the final two networks 

for vital signs monitoring. As of September 

30, 2007, all 270 (100 percent) of natural resource parks have identified their vital signs, 

197 (73 percent) have completed the design 

of their state-of-the-art monitoring plans and 

have implemented vital signs monitoring, and 

157 (58 percent) have completed at least one 

year of field data collection and are able to 

estimate current condition for specific vital 

signs (see table below). Four networks are at 

least one year ahead of schedule in designing 

and implementing their long-term monitoring 

program. The Service’s performance goals for 

vital signs monitoring have been met or exceeded every year.

The intent of park vital signs monitoring is to 

track a subset of physical, chemical, and biological elements and processes of park ecosystems that are selected to represent the overall 

health or condition of park resources, known 

or hypothesized effects of stressors, or elements that have important human values. The 

elements and processes that are monitored are 

a subset of the total suite of natural resources 

that park managers are directed to preserve 

“unimpaired for future generations,” including water, air, geological resources, plants and 

animals, and the various ecological, biological, and physical processes that act on those 

resources. The broad-based, scientifically 

sound information obtained through natural 

resource monitoring will have multiple applications for management decision-making, 

research, education, and promoting public 

understanding of park resources.

The table below illustrates the annual accomplishments of the 32 I&M networks in completing the planning and design of their longterm monitoring programs and implementing 

operational monitoring of vital signs. Data and 

expertise provided by the I&M networks are a 

key source of data for park Natural Resource 

Condition Assessments, Resource Stewardship Strategies, and other park planning and 

management efforts.

Because of funding restrictions, only the 

highest priority vital signs, or those that are 

already funded by some other source, can be 

monitored initially. However, many parks have 

augmented Natural Resource Challenge funds 

with personnel and funding from other sources and have established partnerships with 

numerous agencies and universities to leverage funds, and it is often possible to monitor 

several vital signs and parameters together. For 

example, a field crew may visit a stream segment and make numerous measurements on 

the physical and chemical parameters of the 

water (e.g., channel width, flow rate, pH, disAnnual Accomplishments of the 32 I&M Networks

Actual and Projected Accomplishments

Vital Signs Monitoring and Resource Assessments

# Parks Completed

by end of FY

# Parks

Projected

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Planning and Design Phase

Identify and Synthesize Existing Information 251 270 270 270 270

Prioritize and Select Vital Signs (Vital Signs 

identified) 222 250 270 270 270

Monitoring Plan Completed, PeerReviewed, and Approved—Operational 

Monitoring Begins (Monitoring Implemented)

104 157 197 253 270

Monitoring & Assessments Implemented

“Current Condition” Values Available for 

Specific Vital Signs—Operational Monitoring Ongoing10 104 157 197 253

Park Natural Resource Condition Assessments Completed 0 0 0 16 22

“Target Values” Identified and Compared 

to “Current Condition” for Specific Vital 

Signs as part of Resource Stewardship 

Strategy (RSS) Development

0 1 RSS 6 RSS # RSS # RSS
 National Park Service 41

solved oxygen) as well as measures of aquatic 

macroinvertebrate and fish communities (e.g., 

species occurrence, relative abundance), using funding from both the core vital signs and 

water quality monitoring components of the 

Natural Resource Challenge.

The number of networks and parks that 

expect to monitor a vital sign in various categories with currently-available funding is 

summarized below (this includes leveraging 

funding and staffing through partnerships in 

situations where the networks will routinely 

deliver data summaries for a particular vital 

sign to park managers and planners). The 

number of networks and parks for each vital 

sign category will change as each network 

completes the final design and testing of their 

sampling protocols and negotiate with partners on options for implementing the moniVital Sign Category Example Measures (varies by network)

# Networks 

(Parks)

Weather and Climate Temperature, precipitation, wind speed, ice on/off 31 (258)

Water Chemistry pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity 32 (237)

Invasive/Exotic plants Early detection, presence/absence, area 28 (226)

Land Cover and Use Area in each land cover and use type; patch size & pattern 28 (226)

Surface Water Dynamics Discharge/flow rates (cfs), gauge/stage height, lake elevation, 

spring/seep volume, sea level rise 28 (183)

Birds Species composition, distribution, abundance 30 (182)

Ozone Ozone concentration, damage to sensitive vegetation 20 (147)

Fire and Fuel Dynamics Long-term trend of fire frequency, average fire size, average 

burn severity, total area affected by fire 19 (121)

Forest/Woodland Communities Community diversity, coverage and abundance, condition & 

vigor classes, regeneration 18 (111)

Wet and Dry Deposition Wet deposition chemistry, sulfur dioxide concentrations 19 (110)

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Species composition and abundance 17 (106)

Mammals Species composition, distribution, abundance 22 (105)

Visibility & Particulate Matter IMPROVE network; visibility and fine particles 20 (98)

T&E Species and Communities Population estimates, distribution, sex & age ratios 18 (90)

Soil Function and Dynamics Soil nutrients, cover and composition of biological soil crust 

communities, soil aggregate stability 14 (90)

Stream/River Channel CharacteristicsChannel width, depth, and gradient, sinuosity, channel crosssection, pool frequency and depth, particle size 14 (90)

Vegetation Complexes Plant community diversity, relative species / guild abundance, 

structure / age class, incidence of disease 13 (90)

Air Contaminants Concentrations of SOCs, PCBs, DDT, Hg 15 (86)

Amphibians and Reptiles Species distribution & abundance, population age/size structure, species diversity, percent area occupied 17 (76)

Groundwater Dynamics Flow rate, depth to ground water, withdrawal rates, recharge 

rates, volume in aquifer 12 (76)

Nutrient Dynamics Nitrate, ammonia, DON, nitrite, orthophosphate, total K 11 (72)

Fishes Community composition, abundance, distribution, age classes, 

occupancy, invasive species 13 (63)

Insect Pests Extent of insect related mortality, distribution and extent of 

standing dead/stressed/diseased trees, early detection 8 (53)

Riparian Communities Species composition and percent cover, distribution and density 

of selected plants, canopy height, 9 (50)

Invasive/Exotic animals Invasive species present, distribution, vegetation types invaded, 

early detection at invasion points 11 (49)

Wetland Communities Species composition and percent cover, distribution and density 

of selected plants, canopy height, aerial extent 9 (41)

Microorganisms Fecal coliform, E. coli, cyanobacteria 6 (31)

Grassland/Herb Communities Composition, structure, abundance, changes in treeline 8 (33)

Soundscape Types and time periods of natural and anthropogenic sound; 

percent-time-audible 6 (31)

Coastal/Oceanographic 

Features & Processes

Rate of shoreline change, sea surface elevations, area and degree of subsidence through relative elevation data 7 (30)
42 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

toring in as many sites as possible with the 

limited resources available.

The table below shows the number of I&M 

networks and parks that will monitor each 

vital sign category using existing funding (including partnerships with others where the 

networks will deliver data summaries to park 

managers and planners). Vital signs that will 

be monitored in fewer than 30 parks are not 

listed.

Profiled below are a few examples of highlights from park monitoring accomplishments 

during FY 2007 that show successes in better 

resource understanding, better resource management, or better protection of park resources. These examples provide a sample of some 

of the exciting successes that can be achieved 

through a program of consistent, continuous 

long term monitoring of the natural resources 

the National Park Service is entrusted to protect.

Integration of Science and Management

Integration of Science and Management Workshops and Publications: I&M Staff from the 

Intermountain Region sponsored two workshops focusing on the topic of “Integration of 

Science and Management” and the effective 

delivery of inventory and monitoring results 

to park managers, planners, interpreters, and 

the general public. Workshop results were 

summarized in a special issue of the publication series, the George Wright Forum (Volume 

24, number 2) and are contributing to better 

resource communication tools and products 

throughout the National Park Service.

Integration of Natural Resource Data Systems: 

I&M staff at the Washington Office are designing and implementing an internet-based data 

portal to deliver inventory and monitoring 

information directly to park managers, planners, researchers, interpreters, and the general 

public. This portal will provide one-stop shopping for finding and downloading information 

needed to make sound decisions about park 

natural resources, and establishes an essential 

bridge between science and park management.

Blue Ridge Parkway. Monitoring and Modeling 

Protect Exploited Species: Poachers annually 

remove thousands of plants of multiple species from Appalachian Highlands Network 

parks for domestic and Asian/European markets, both for medicinal and horticultural uses. 

Rangers for the Blue Ridge Parkway are using 

the evidence and coordinates provided from 

I&M Network monitoring plots to target areas 

for surveillance. As part of efforts to monitor 

population dynamics and poaching of exploited plants along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the 

I&M network has partnered with the USDA 

Forest Service and NatureServe to develop 

models for predicting locations where exploited plant species occur in relatively high abundance. The Rich Hardwood Coves ecological 

community type is associated with particular 

geologic strata and soil mineral content, as 

well as topographic position and landform.

Capitol Reef National Park. Modeling and 

Adaptive Management of Endangered Cactus 

on the Colorado Plateau: The Northern Colorado Plateau Network and resource staff from 

Capitol Reef developed a simulation model 

of the population dynamics of the endangered Wright’s fishhook cactus (Sclerocactus 

wrightiae). Results of this simulation can be 

used by park management to test or modify 

management practices of grazing allotments in 

the park. The potential for the demise of these 

endangered populations due to trampling 

and other factors led the park to explore the 

conditions under which populations survive 

and go extinct to aid in determining the potential fate of existing populations. The model 

can simulate the birth, death, and growth of 

individual plants using precipitation obtained 

from weather station records.

Cape Cod National Seashore. Monitoring 

the Effectiveness of Salt Marsh Restoration: 

Monitoring has documented that vegetation 

changes resulting from the reintroduction of 

seawater to a restored salt marsh over seven 

years have strong spatial gradients and are 

correlated with marsh surface elevation, distance from the point of seawater entry, and 

porewater salinity. Common reed (Phragmites 

australis) has substantially declined within the 

floodplain, allowing native salt marsh grasses 

to proliferate. Since 1999, incremental increases in flow through a tide-restricting dike have 

facilitated the rapid decline of salt-intolerant 

vegetation while encouraging the expansion of 

native salt marsh species.
 National Park Service 43

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Effectiveness of Management Actions to Control 

Invasive Forest Pests: The park is monitoring 

the forest health of eastern hemlocks and 

comparing the effectiveness of three management treatments using an adaptive management approach. Ninety-three monitoring plots 

were established in treated (three treatment 

methods: biological control, systemic insecticide [imidacloprid] and foliar insecticidal 

soap) and untreated areas. Monitoring results 

showed that hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) 

numbers were significantly reduced in chemically-treated stands. Data from 2006 and 2007 

are being analyzed but field observations of 

several year old imidacloprid treatments show 

excellent HWA control and re-growth of infested trees.

Monitoring of Raptor Productivity—Raptor 

monitoring in the San Francisco Bay Area 

Network showed declines in the number of 

nests found and in productivity. In this 21st

year of monitoring, 9 prairie falcon nests were 

active this year, with 34 nestlings fledged. For 

the third year in a row, a peregrine falcon successfully nested produced fledglings within 

Pinnacles National Monument. Other nesting 

raptors observed this year included golden 

eagles, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, 

coopers hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, greathorned owls, a long-eared owl, a white-tailed 

kite, and a turkey vulture.

Point Reyes National Seashore. Elephant Seals 

at a Record High: The population estimate of 

2,285 elephant seals in 2007 marks an all-time 

high since their near extinction along the central coast during the mid 1970s.

Shenandoah National Park. Gypsy Moth Defoliation: Forest Monitoring revealed unusually 

high levels of defoliation in the spring of 2007 

that triggered an assessment of the area along 

Skyline Drive. Aerial reconnaissance and mapping conducted by the Virginia Department 

of Forestry staff in July verified the ground 

survey results. In September, USDA Forest 

Service staff gathered Gypsy Moth egg mass 

count data in the area of highest defoliation 

along Skyline Drive and found gypsy moth egg 

mass densities around 2800 egg masses per 

acre. This high density of egg masses suggests 

that control measures be pursued to reduce 

gypsy moth numbers next year. Park staff are 

using monitoring results as a basis for submitting a USDA-FS/FPM funding proposal for 

gypsy moth treatments in 2008.

Great Smoky Mountains. Effects of Deer Overbrowsing and Stilt Grass Invasion Documented 

by Monitoring: An analysis was completed of 

vascular plant cover in long-term vegetation 

plots installed in the late 1970s in the Cades 

Cove area. Cades Cove represents an area with 

a concentrated white-tailed deer population, 

which was compared with similar plots from 

Ranger Tim Francis and Appalachian Highlands Network 

Coordinator Robert Emmott examine sacks of Galax confiscated 

from poachers. Law Enforcement 

Rangers are using evidence and 

coordinates provided by the I&M 

monitoring plots to target areas 

for surveillance.
44 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

the same era located outside of the Cove in 

areas with fewer deer. The results indicate a 

significantly reduced number and diversity 

of herbaceous plant species over a 26 year 

period. Also in a portion of the Cades Cove 

vegetation study are deer exclusion plots. Reproduction of trees and success of seedlings 

were reduced compared to the exclusion areas. Another factor was the dominance of the 

aggressive Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium 

vimineum). This exclusion of tree seedlings 

occurred anywhere stilt grass dominated—

whether deer were excluded or not. However, 

during drought years tree seedlings successfully competed with the grass inside the exclosures, but seedlings outside the exclosures 

were unable to take advantage of the reduced 

cover of stilt grass. After 10 years, no tree 

seedling had been able to attain and maintain 

a height of 20 cm in unfenced plots; whereas, 

tree seedlings within exclosures made dramatic increases following drought years.

Partnerships / Leveraging

Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

Interagency Whitebark Pine Monitoring: After 4 years and more than 3,000 miles hiked 

in the mountainous regions of the Greater 

Yellowstone Area (GYA), field crews completed establishment of 177 transects for the 

Interagency Whitebark Pine Monitoring. The 

whitebark pine is a key indicator species in the 

Greater Yellowstone Area and monitoring has 

begun on blister rust infection and severity in 

4,731 tagged whitebark pine. The sample represents a statistical distribution for the entire 

GYA, encompassing 14 million acres. This area 

includes six National Forests and Grand Teton 

and Yellowstone National Parks. This major 

accomplishment is made possible through a 

collaborative effort with partners from the 

USGS Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, 

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, 

the Greater Yellowstone Coordinators Committee (six Forests in three USDA Forest 

Service regions), the USDA FS Forest Health 

Protection and the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Montana State University. Staff 

with the Greater Yellowstone I&M Network 

completed the design of the interagency sampling protocol, which has now been peer reviewed and approved.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Launch of 

the MEGA-Transect: During November 2006, 

the Northeast Temperate network funded and 

helped organize a workshop to explore the 

potential for using the Appalachian National 

Scenic Trail as an environmental monitoring 

mega-transect (the mega-transect idea has 

been popularized by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Michael Fay, who spoke 

at the workshop). The conference attracted 

more than 60 scientists, and resulted in the 

establishment of a new monitoring initiative, 

the A.T. MEGA-Transect. The A.T. MEGATransect seeks to attract a wide range of participants, including citizen scientists, students, 

academic researchers, and others who are 

interested in using the trail as a large scale 

environmental laboratory. Early examples of 

the kind of cooperation that will be possible 

include a water sampling initiative that relies 

on a program administered by the Water Environment Federation, and a mammal monitoring program developed by the Smithsonian 

Institution (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/

megatransect).

Learning Center of the American Southwest 

Established: Four I&M networks in the 

southwest (Sonoran Desert, Southern Plains, 

Southern Colorado Plateau, and Chihuahuan 

Desert) representing 48 NPS park units joined 

together to establish the Learning Center of 

the American Southwest in an effort to improve the communication of important park 

resource and monitoring information to decision-makers, staff, and the public. The partnership among the four networks and with 

other NPS programs will enable managers 

and the public to get a more comprehensive 

assessment of resources and to enable a more 

efficient effort that will minimize duplication 

and take advantage of shared resources. A 

draft web site can be viewed at http://www.

desertplainslearning.org/.

Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks. 

Collaborative Monitoring and Management of 

Fisheries Resources: Staff with the North Coast 

and Cascades Network conducted snorkel 

surveys of ten rivers in Olympic and one in 

Mount Rainier during 2005 to 2007 to monitor populations of salmon and other fish species of high ecological importance. Preliminary results indicate: 1) mountain whitefish is 

the most abundant fish species; 2) adult summer steelhead were scarce in all the coastal 

rivers; 3) hatchery steelhead were more abun-
 National Park Service 45

dant than wild steelhead in certain rivers; 4) 

and non-native fish species were observed in 

only one of the ten rivers. Results of the river 

monitoring are used by park managers to collaboratively manage fisheries resources with 

the State of Washington, local native tribes, 

and other stakeholders.

Early Detection of Invasive Plants Handbook 

Developed: The Klamath Network worked 

with many partners to cooperatively produce 

an Early Detection of Invasive Plant Species 

Handbook. The lead on the project was the 

USGS, with significant contributions by the 

Klamath Network staff, Pacific West Region 

I&M Coordinator, and university researchers. This valuable tool will present natural 

resource managers with a comprehensive, 

practical approach for detecting, prioritizing, 

and monitoring non-native plant species.

Credible Science

Cape Cod National Seashore. Wood Frog Population Expansion: Amphibian monitoring in 

2007 found that the population of wood frogs 

(Rana sylvatica) continues to increase and that 

the distribution of the species is expanding 

northward towards Wellfleet. The total number of egg masses found (260) far exceeds the 

previous maximum of 160 recorded in 2005 

and trend analysis of data from 2002 through 

2007 show a nearly significant, positive trend 

(slope=0.79, p=0.06).

Acadia National Park. Ecological Integrity of 

Northeastern Forests: The Northeast Temperate Network completed the first year of a fouryear rotational monitoring design to report 

on the ecological integrity of forests at Acadia 

National Park. The percentage of 82 stands 

showing late-successional structure and the 

volume of coarse woody debris were both 

lower than expected (and may reflect Acadia’s 

history of logging and fire), but standing dead 

tree (snag) density suggested good integrity. 

Likewise, soil chemistry showed mixed results. 

The C/N ratio, a measure of nitrogen saturation, was within the healthy range, but preliminary results indicate the Ca/Al ratio, a metric 

of acidic deposition impacts, may be below 

the range considered healthy for tree growth.

Snorkelers identify and count 

fish species in the Sol Duc River, 

Olympic National Park, as part 

of the North Coast and Cascades 

Network River Monitoring Program.
46 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Exotic Plant Management Teams

The Exotic Plant Management Teams (EPMT) 

are an integral part of the invasive species 

program for the National Park Service. They 

were established to provide a framework and 

a first response to exotic plant invasions in 

parks. The 16 teams are stationed across the 

country, each serving a biogeographically 

linked network of parks. While general direction and guidance is provided by the Invasive 

Species Branch of the Biological Resources 

Management Division, each team has a Steering Committee of representatives from the 

served parks. Team liaisons are generally 

supervised by the Committee or the regional 

EPMT Coordinator. Over the last 6 years they 

have treated more than 50,000 acres, worked 

in more than 200 parks and have treated more 

than 300 invasive plant species. In addition to 

project work, teams provide technical assistance to parks, regions, and the Inventory and 

Monitoring networks in invasive plant management. Following are some highlights: 

•	 In FY 2007 the teams treated more than

14,700 acres.

•	 Although invasive plant control and treatment remain the primary focus of the 

teams, the teams also play an important role 

in all aspects of invasive plant management; 

including inventory, monitoring, prevention, education and outreach. On average 

teams spend between 5–20 percent of their 

time on inventories, 5–20 percent on monitoring, 5–15 percent on prevention and cooperative efforts, 60–85 percent on control 

and less than 10 percent on assisting with 

research.

•	 In the last 6 year, the teams have inventoried more than 1,200,000 acres and more 

than 220,000 acres in FY 2007.

•	 In FY 2007 additional funding became

available to focus on invasive plant management in three geographic areas: the northern Great Plains, southern Florida and in 

the Rio Grande drainage. The Northern 

Great Plains EPMT used the additional 

funds to restore prairie sites in the badland country of North and South Dakota 

through controlling leafy spurge, Canada 

thistle, and other noxious weeds. In the Rio 

Grande the supplemental funds were used 

control invasive plants and restore native 

vegetation along river corridors for rare 

species like the willow flycatcher.

•	 Teams assist parks in strategic planning

through gathering information and through 

direct involvement in vegetation managing plans. Currently the Northern Rockies 

team is leading an effort to complete invasive management plans for ten parks.

•	 Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. 

Early detection and rapid response is an 

ecological based technique for detecting 

and treating small infestations before they 

can proliferate. The California Team discovered and then treated a small infestation 

of diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa), a 

highly invasive species and a plant of concern by the State of California. This species 

could have invaded hundreds of acres in 

the park if not detected and treated.

•	 San Juan Island National Historical Park.

The North Cascades Team has been working with an area fire and vegetation ecologist to restore Garry oak habitat. The restoration prescription calls for controlling 

invasive plants in conjunction with restoring natural fire regimes to the ecosystem.

•	 Colorado National Monument. The Colorado Plateau Team completed removal of 

tamarisk at all known sites. The team will 

continue to monitor these sites and treat 

any new plants over the next few years.

•	 Canaveral National Seashore. The team 

completed the initial treatment of the Brazilian pepper tree on the Western Mainland 

Tract. This 4,000 acre tract, jointly managed by Canaveral National Seashore and 

the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 

is habitat for the federally listed Florida 

Scrub jay. This species requires open pine 

flat woods. These flat woods were rapidly 

disappearing due to the encroachment of 

the invasive Brazilian pepper tree.

• The Gulf Coast Team assisted in the ongoing recovery efforts following hurricanes 

Katrina and Rita. Like many disturbances 

the hurricane provided pathways and habitat for the spread of invasive plants. The 

team continues to consult with parks and 

area groups on treatment within the hurricane zone.

Managing invasive species requires coordination across boundaries and jurisdictions. The 

EPMTs are leaders and active participants in 

local and regional cooperative efforts. Following are some examples of these cooperative 

efforts:
 National Park Service 47

The Alaska Team provides technical assistance and guidance to the region, working 

with interagency teams to coordinate management of invasive species across Alaska. The 

team is coordinating with regional and park 

staffs to create a regional management plan. 

The team has focused on prevention in Alaska 

parks which still have only limited populations 

of exotic and invasive plants.

The Great Lakes EPMT is a leader in the 

Midwest Natural Resources Group. The team 

was instrumental in the formation of the 

Northwoods Cooperative Weed Management 

Association.

The Pacific Island Team plays a pivotal role 

in the Maui Invasive Species Committee, leading a five year effort to control Miconia on the 

island. These efforts are now expanding to 

other species including highly aggressive pampas grass on Maui.

The National Capital Team has been instrumental in forming cooperative weed management areas in the Washington Metropolitan 

area. This is one of the first operational cooperative management areas in an urban environment. 

The Southeast, Florida and California 

Teams are in leadership roles in regional and 

national Exotic Plant Pest Councils. These 

roles facilitate cooperation across ownerships, 

increase visibility for invasive species and assist in management of invasive species adjacent to public lands.

The Lake Mead Team continues to play a 

leadership role in regional efforts to control 

salt cedar. In concert with other federal, state 

and local agencies the team provides coordinated control efforts in the area. Using scientific principals to prioritize control, the team 

concentrates in areas that can be maintained 

tamarisk-free.

The North Cascades Team has been instrumental in the formation of Cooperative Weed 

Management areas around parks. Coordination with area tribal governments had lead 

to more effective coordinated treatment of 

growing populations of knotweed along local 

rivers.

COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES UNIT 

NETWORK

In FY 2007, the National Park Service continued to support NPS participation in the 

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) 

network. CESUs are multi-agency partnerships with the nation’s universities and other 

institutions, organized around biogeographic 

areas. Seventeen individual CESUs are part of 

a national network competitively established 

with leadership from the National Park Service, USGS, and other federal agencies. The 

broad scope of CESUs includes the biological, 

physical, social, and cultural sciences needed 

to address natural and cultural resource management issues at multiple scales and in an 

ecosystem context. A total of 227 universities 

and other partners (including 47 minority 

institutions) now participate in the CESU Network. These partners collaborate with the federal agencies to provide local expertise for key 

local needs and priorities. Host universities 

provide office space, administrative support, 

and access to university faculty, students, staff, 

and resources. Host universities may also offer adjunct faculty status to NPS coordinators. 

The National Park Service is one of 13 federal 

agencies in the CESU Network. Participation 

enables the National Park Service to partner 

with other federal agencies and universities to 

obtain high-quality science, usable knowledge 

for resource managers, responsive technical 

assistance, continuing education, and costeffective research programs.

CESU funds from the Natural Resource 

Challenge provide salary and support for a 

coordinator at the host university in 12 of the 

17 CESUs. NPS coordinators are “brokers,” 

working with park managers to identify research, technical assistance, education needs, 

and to provide specialized expertise and assistance available from the universities and other 

federal agency partners in the CESU Network. 

Remaining available funds support research, 

technical assistance, and educational activities 

as well as operating expenses.

CESUs operate within all regions of the National Park System but Natural Resource Challenge funding to support NPS participation 

in 5 of the 17 CESUs is not currently available. 

Regional offices help support NPS participation in these five CESUs, through collateral 

duties, additional funding, or assigning addiStudent Conservation Association Volunteers controlling 

weeds at the Chesapeake and 

Ohio Canal National Historical 

Park. The National Capitol EPMT 

has worked to form cooperative 

weed management areas.

Researchers at with the Great 

Lakes-Northern Forest CESU are 

working to understand the genetics of the Pitcher Plant. More 

information about this project is 

found on page 50.

NPS Photo: Joy Marburger
48 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

tional responsibilities to existing coordinators. 

Information about Natural Resource Challenge funding for NPS positions is provided in 

the table below.

In FY 2007, a total of 848 NPS projects were 

administered through CESUs and supported 

by a diverse range of funding sources that 

totaled nearly $43 million dollars. In FY 2007, 

nearly half of the CESUs reported an upward 

trend in total funds obligated to projects and 

several benefited from national initiatives. For 

example, the South Florida-Caribbean CESU, 

with a 66 percent increase in funds obligated, 

benefited from the Critical Ecosystems Studies 

Initiative, a research program of Everglades 

National Park with ties to the national effort to 

restore the Everglades. In addition, the Great 

Basin CESU reported a substantial amount 

of funds originated with the sale of public 

lands in Nevada under the Southern Nevada 

Public Lands Management Act. Of the CESUs 

reporting a decrease in funds obligated in FY 

2007, most attributed the decrease to a shift 

from inventories to monitoring protocol development by the I&M Networks. Summary 

funding and project totals by NPS funding 

category for all 17 CESUs are provided in the 

Total Funding and Number of NPS Projects Administered through CESUs in FY 2007 table.

Through the efforts of NPS coordinators 

duty-stationed at CESU host universities and 

other staff with CESU responsibilities, NPS 

park and program managers across the system have become increasingly aware of the 

expertise and services available through this 

collaborative mechanism. NPS coordinators 

have been very effective in working with the 

universities and other partners to be responsive and efficient in meeting diverse National 

Park Service needs and priorities.

CESUs and NPS coordinators are providing 

key services to I&M Networks. For example, 

coordinators help locate expertise and facilitate projects to assist in conducting inventories, developing conceptual models, developing monitoring protocols, reviewing reports, 

and conducting peer reviews. Furthermore, 

most NPS research coordinators serve on the 

Board of Directors for one or more I&M Networks.

NPS coordinators continue to collaborate 

with each other to ensure that parks in their 

respective region get access to the best available expertise from across the entire CESU 

Network. Active NPS participation in the 

CESU Network is a key component of the 

Natural Resource Challenge. The Total Funding and Number of NPS Projects Administered 

through CESUs in FY 2001–2007 table shows 

trends in CESU activity since FY 2001.

Status of Funding for NPS CESU Positions

CESU NPS Position

in 2007 (Y/N)

FY 2001 or

2003 $

Californian N

Chesapeake Watershed Y $155,000

Colorado Plateau Y $155,000

Desert Southwest Y $155,000

Great Basin Y $155,000

Great Lakes-Northern Forest Y $153,000 

Great Plains Y $155,000

Gulf Coast Y $153,000 

Hawaii-Pacific Islands N

North & West Alaska N

North Atlantic Coast Y $155,000

Pacific Northwest Y $155,000

Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast N

Rocky Mountains Y $155,000

South Florida-Caribbean Y $155,000

Southern Appalachian Mountains Y $155,000

Upper & Middle Mississippi Valley N
 National Park Service 49

Yosemite National Park. Californian CESU. 

Sierra Nevada Forest Restoration Targets and 

Quantification of Forest Change Since 1911 

Based on Direct Re-measurement: Historical references are increasingly important in 

understanding how forests have changed as a 

result of forest management and impacts by 

wildfires and wildfire suppression activities. 

Researchers from the University of California, Berkley developed this project to assess 

demographic changes and spatial patterns 

in mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests 

within Yosemite National Park based on the 

re-measurement and analysis of a historic 

1911 timber inventory data to provide empirically defensible restoration targets that can 

be used by park resource professionals in the 

management of the park. The impacts of land 

management activities on Yosemite National 

Park include fire suppression, harvesting, and 

grazing from adjacent landscapes. The 1911 

transects were relocated and all plots georeferenced. Plots were then re-measured to 

compare changes in forest structure, stand 

dynamics, and fire histories during the nearly 

100 year intervening period since the original 

measurements were obtained. The last portion 

of this project connects long-period fire history to within park vegetation samples. Connecting centuries of fire history data through 

the acquisition of fire scar blocks to the 

vegetation reference plots provides the park 

with invaluable insights into fire regimes that 

have contributed to the present forest conditions displayed in the park. This project also 

contributes to park management in assessing 

future scenarios that could be expected to 

occur with certain changes in fire frequency 

and climate change models. The data obtained 

through this project will have direct benefits in 

how park management would alter under such 

environmental change.

Zion National Park. Colorado Plateau CESU. 

Linking Cougar Decline, Trophic Cascade, and 

Catastrophic Regime Shift in Zion National 

Park: The strength of top-down forces in 

food webs is highly debated starting with the 

publications of Aldo Leopold in the 1940s 

on the irruption of deer populations on the 

North Kaibab Plateau after eradication of 

large mammalian carnivores. There are few 

good examples illustrating the role of large 

mammalian predators in structuring abiotic 

and biotic systems. Based upon the results 

of this study, researchers from Oregon State 

University hypothesize that an increase in 

human use in Zion Canyon in Zion National 

Park has resulted in a catastrophic regime shift 

through pathways involving tropic cascades 

and abiotic environmental changes. Increase 

in visitation to Zion Canyon apparently reTotal Funding and Number of NPS Projects Administered Through CESUs in FY 2001–2007

Fiscal Year Total Projects Initiated Total $ # of CESUs in Network

2001 260 $10 million 8

2002 380 $15 million 12

2003 540 $19 million 16

2004 650 $27 million 17

2005 635 $32 million 17 

2006 728 $39 million 17

2007 848 $43 million 17

Total Funding and Number of NPS Projects Administered through CESUs in FY 2007.

Funding Source Total No. of Projects1 Total Funding

CESU Natural Resource Challenge 61 597,674

Park/Region 319 11,257,284

I&M 177 8,966,670

NRPP 63 2,364,538

Other Servicewide Funding 259 18,382,881

SUBTOTAL 879 41,569,047

+ regional funding of CESU personnel/operations 1,112,899

TOTAL 879 42,681,946

1 Total number of projects by funding source in each category; actual total is 848.
50 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

sulted in reduced cougar densities which led 

to higher mule deer numbers, higher browsing 

intensities resulted in reduced cottonwood 

tree recruitment, increased bank erosion, and 

reduction in both terrestrial and aquatic species abundance. These results can have broad 

implications to ecosystems managed by parks 

where large predators have been extirpated.

Chiricahua National Monument and Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Desert Southwest 

CESU. Bat Species Richness and Abundance at 

the Chiricahua National Monument and Fort 

Bowie National Historic Site (year 8 of a 10 year 

project): This project is a unique long-term 

project that is quantifying bat species richness 

and abundance at two NPS units in southeastern Arizona. Arizona has one of the richest bat 

faunas in the United States, but species ranges 

are only generally or broadly known across 

the desert southwest. Twenty-three of the 44 

bats species that occur in the United States 

have been documented in the Chiricahua 

Mountains. At Chiricahua National Monument and Fort Bowie National Historic Site 

the National Park Service partnered with a 

nationally recognized bat researcher from the 

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to document 

long-term use and trends of bats species in the 

Chiricahua Mountains, specifically in the two 

park units. Biologists from the University of 

Arizona and Bat Conservation International 

have also participated in this collaborative 

project. Documentation of bat species in these 

park units (time of year, important habitats, 

roost sites, presence of rare species, etc.) will 

provide park managers useful information to 

help inform management decisions on a host 

of park policies and actions from prescribed 

fire planning to visitor use activities. Also, 

these historic data will become more valuable for predictive modeling as resources in 

the park units change due to global climate 

change.

Craters of the Moon National Monument 

and Preserve. Great Basin CESU. Survey Plant 

Communities of Kipukas within Craters of the 

Moon National Monument and Preserve: Craters of the Moon was established to protect a 

variety of volcanic features and landscapes in 

the Great Rift Volcanic Rift System of Idaho. 

In 2000, the monument was expanded to include the source area for the lava flows. With 

this expansion, an estimated 570 kipukas were 

added to the previous 14 that were known 

within the original monument boundary. Kipukas are isolated islands of soil and vegetation 

formed when they were surrounded by lava 

flows. Given their isolation and remoteness 

from anthropogenic influences some of these 

islands represent virtually pristine habitat and 

have been designated as ecological benchmarks. Although research has been conducted 

at a few sites, very little is known about vegetation, soils and disturbance for most kipuka 

locations in the monument. In 2004, the 

National Park Service partnered with Idaho 

State University to conduct a two-year study 

to survey and describe vegetation and associated ecological attributes in 106 randomly 

selected kipukas at Craters of the Moon. 

Special emphasis was placed on documenting occurrence of non-native plant species in 

each kipuka. Data from this study suggest that 

kipukas of Craters of the Moon support a rich 

and highly variable flora. Statistical analysis 

also showed that kipukas nearer other kipukas 

had higher plant diversity, which supports the 

interpretation that the main source of species diversity on kipukas now may be other 

kipukas and their remnant sagebrush flora. 

More than 174 plant species were documented 

during the study, including 17 non-native 

species. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), the 

most abundant and widespread of the nonnatives, was present at 73 kipukas (78 percent 

of the sampled sites) and was often one of 

the most abundant species. Results from this 

study confirm the need for a more extensive 

inventory to ascertain the resource values and 

management needs contained within these 

unique islands. Information provided by this 

project will be used to: 1) guide inventory 

and monitoring efforts as part of the Natural 

Resource Challenge; 2) assist park staff with 

current management decisions with regard to 

fire management and noxious weed control; 

and 3) support interagency management plans 

designed to protect the natural values of the 

area’s unique island ecosystems and increasingly rare native plant communities.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Indiana 

Dunes National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Great Lakes-Northern Forest CESU. 

Determination of Genetic Diversity and Restoration Potential of the Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia 

purpurea) in the Lake Superior Watershed: The 
 National Park Service 51

objective of the project was to study current 

genetic diversity of the unique wetland species, the pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), 

to understand the best practices for conservation and restoration of the species. The project 

examined the genetic and morphological diversity of the pitcher plant within the wetland 

habitats of western Lake Superior and southern Lake Michigan. As our landscape becomes 

increasingly fragmented, so do the remaining 

wetlands become increasingly isolated ecosystems, creating unique challenges for restoration and causing plant populations to become 

isolated. Maintaining genetic diversity of the 

species is an important conservation goal. 

Genetic diversity provides the necessary foundation for plant species, such as the pitcher 

plant, to respond to environmental pressures. 

Application of sound, science-based management can help reduce the loss of plant diversity where species have been extirpated due to 

anthropogenic impacts. 

Big Thicket National Preserve. Gulf Coast 

CESU. All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) 

at Big Thicket National Preserve: The All Taxa 

Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) is a project that 

involves citizen scientists and taxonomists in 

the exploration of the biodiversity of the park. 

ATBIs promote civic engagement with parks 

and their resources and they also promote 

scientific understanding of biodiversity in the 

general public. Bioblitzes are the starting form 

where the public can participate in a marathon 

session to identify species, but the ATBI goes 

a step further combining scientific expertise 

and a solid data engine that allows park managers to use the new knowledge gained from 

the ATBI for resource protection. Several universities, nonprofit partners and community 

organizations worked together to develop the 

Thicket of Diversity under the umbrella of the 

Big Thicket Association. The Thicket of Diversity has since raised funds from several foundations matching the initial start from the NPS 

funding and has generated scientific proposals 

in the form of Taxonomic Working Groups. 

Eastfield College (a community college in Dallas) was another partner and through a National Science Foundation Grant, they brought 

20 students and volunteers to work with the 

Big Thicket and also brought high tech equipIdaho State University Graduate Student Cameron Pederson 

and field assistant conducting 

point-frame vegetation sampling 

in a kipuka at Craters of the 

Moon National Monument and 

Preserve.
52 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

A diver photographs coral cover 

along a transect in KalokoHonokohau National Historical 

Park.

ment including two new portable scanning 

electron microscopes. On the first day of the 

ATBI effort, one bird feather revealed three 

species of feather mites that were sent out to 

experts who currently think there may be a 

new species discovered. The fungal team discovered two new state records and potentially 

one undescribed species.

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. 

Hawaii-Pacific Islands CESU. Baseline Assessment of the Coral Reef Habitat Adjacent to the 

Shores of Kohanaiki Development in KalokoHonokohau National Historical Park: This 

project was designed to establish a statistically 

valid baseline for future monitoring of the status and health of coral reef habitat in KalokoHonokohau National Historical Park. Changes 

to underwater habitats may occur from landbased pollutants entering marine waters. Park 

waters are downslope from several large-scale 

existing and planned urban developments, 

including industrial parks, a golf course, 

housing developments, wastewater treatment 

disposal, and resort and marina development. 

The objectives of the study were to: 1) initiate 

a sampling design to enable identification of 

changes in total percent coral cover, algal cover, and coral health/survival change over time 

at two zones within Kohanaiki Reef, 2) identify differences in total percent coral cover, 

algal cover, and coral health/survival over time 

at Kohanaiki Reef versus reference (“control”) 

sites, and 3) identify changes over time in 

sea urchin (multiple species) and Crown of 

Thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) populations at Kohanaiki Reef and reference sites. 

Baseline data on benthic habitat cover and sea 

urchins and starfish were collected in Spring 

2006, Fall 2006, and Spring 2007 via underwater photographic surveys on 63 randomly selected, permanently-installed transects. Analysis of data is complete, and the baseline has 

been established in six reef habitat areas of the 

Park. Follow-up long-term monitoring of the 

benthic habitat in Kaloko-Honokohau will be 

funded by park base funds. Cooperators: University of Hawaii at Hilo Principle Investigator 

James Beets and benthic habitat specialist Lisa 

Merrack. Park agreement technical representative is Sallie Beavers.

Sitka National Historical Park and Glacier 

Bay National Park. North and West Alaska 

CESU. Eelgrass Habitat and Associated Fauna,

including the Grass Shrimp Hippolyte clarkia, 

in Sitka National Historic Park, Sitka, Alaska: 

The eelgrass study is a cooperative effort 

among University of Alaska, Harte Research 

Institute, Texas A&M University-Corpus 

Christi, and Sitka National Historical Park and 

Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. A survey 

to create a species list of macroinvertebrates 

within the Sitka National Historical Park was 
 National Park Service 53

completed on July 14, 2006, on a -2.0 ft. low 

tide. The results of this survey increased the 

total number of documented marine macroinvertebrates to 254 species in 9 phyla. Notable 

finds during the invertebrate surveys included 

several species which had not been recorded 

previously in Alaska. These include an amphipod (Thorlaksonius truncatus), a hermit crab 

(Orthopagurus minimus), and a chiton (Dendrochiton semiliratus). One find of particular 

concern were several shells (carried by hermit 

crabs) of the snail Batillaria attramentaria. 

This snail, originally from Asia, has established 

itself along the west coast of North America 

but has not previously been recorded in Alaska. This eelgrass sampling project allowed for 

many outreach opportunities. The Southeast 

Alaska Math & Science camp in particular 

involved Native Alaskan high school students 

interested in post-secondary education in the 

biological sciences. The students (while participating in project related activities) learned 

about tidal zonation, invertebrate and fish 

taxonomy, animal physiology, sampling procedures, field work methods, use of GPS (global 

positioning systems), and reporting study data.

Cape Cod National Seashore, Fire Island 

National Seashore, and Gateway National 

Recreation Area. North Atlantic CESU. Using 

Stable Isotopes to Assess and Monitor Anthropogenic Nutrient Inputs to Estuaries: Many estuaries are increasingly subject to high inputs of 

nitrogen from septic systems and wastewater 

treatment facilities. The use of stable nitrogen 

isotope ratios is one method that has been 

proposed to indicate anthropogenic nutrient 

enrichment in estuarine systems; however, the 

role of stable isotopes as a tool in long-term 

ecosystem assessment and monitoring has not 

been fully developed. Resident producer and 

consumer species were collected from Spartina alterniflora dominated marshes at Cape 

Cod National Seashore (MA), Fire Island National Seashore (NY) and Gateway National 

Recreation Area (NY). These marsh-estuarine 

systems represented a range of anthropogenic 

impact, with Hatches Harbor (Cape Cod) 

representing a relatively pristine system and 

Jamaica Bay (Gateway) within a highly urban 

landscape. Tissue isotope ratios of cordgrass 

(Spartina alterniflora), sea lettuce algae (Ulva 

lactuca), common mummichog (Fundulus 

heteroclitus), and ribbed mussel (Geukensia 

demissa) were analyzed. Power analysis was 

used to examine sample sizes necessary to 

detect change in nutrient source using the species sampled. Consumer species demonstrated 

lower within-site variability than producer 

species and would therefore require smaller 

sample sizes to detect changes in nitrogen 

source and loading. 

The data collected in this study demonstrate 

that stable nitrogen isotopes in resident estuarine organisms represents a useful tool for 

assessing nitrogen loading threats to estuarine 

systems from human sources and for longterm monitoring of system condition. It is 

expected that coastal parks in the Northeast, 

perhaps through the Network Monitoring 

Program or the Cape Cod prototype monitoring program, will periodically monitor stable 

N isotope values in estuarine organisms to 

determine if the influence of human-derived 

nitrogen in the system is increasing (due to 

development activities adjacent to the park) or 

decreasing (due to implementation of correction management strategies).

Pacific Northwest CESU. High Resolution 

Climate Maps for Pacific Islands, 1971–2000: 

Climate data, including maps of precipitation 

and temperature, are one of the 12 core inventory types of the Inventory & Monitoring 

program. At a national level, the National Park 

Service used the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate atlas 

to meet this inventory need. When the Pacific 

Island Network began conducting inventories, 

NPS staff quickly realized this resource was 

limited to contiguous North America, leaving 

the Pacific Island parks without a comparable 

product (a partial product was available). The 

Network subsequently partnered with the 

PRISM Group at Oregon State University who 

had prepared the original NOAA climate atlas 

products. The goal was to produce up-to-date, 

high resolution, digital maps for 1971–2000 

mean monthly and annual: minimum and 

maximum temperature, mean dew point, and 

total precipitation; encompassing the Hawaiian Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands 

(Saipan, Tinian, and Rota), Palau, American 

Samoa, and Federated States of Micronesia 

(Kosrae and Pohnpei).

For the first time, detailed and comprehensive 

climate maps, using consistent methods, are 

available for the State of Hawaii and the U.S. 
54 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

affiliated Pacific Islands. The free, publicly 

available products are being used for conservation purposes within the Pacific Island Network and by other DOI agencies such as the 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as well as in other 

contexts. The U.S. Geological Survey uses 

these maps for calculating hydrologic inputs 

and preparing water supply estimates. The 

maps also facilitate Office of Insular Affairs 

coordination responsibilities when providing 

U.S. federal assistance in the Pacific Islands. 

With the rising profile of climate change and 

sea levels, this baseline inventory serves as a 

key link when assessing and interpreting the 

status and trends of some of our nations more 

remote natural resources.

Congaree National Park. Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast CESU. Determine the Long-term 

Effects of Wind Disturbance on the Old-growth 

Forests and Lianas of the Congaree National 

Park: Congaree National Park encompasses 

the largest tract of old-growth bottomland 

hardwood forest in the southeastern U.S. 

Seasonal hurricanes and windstorms impact 

the forest. The shrub layer of the forest often 

shows the most dramatic response after a 

damaging windstorm. An interesting relationship between lianas (woody vine plants which 

climb up a tree) and tree composition has 

been observed but not investigated. In this 

project, the park collaborated with the Savannah River Ecology Lab (of the University of 

Georgia) and the School of Natural Resources 

at Ohio State University. The researchers set 

up a series of sample sites across disturbance 

and tree size class gradients. Using lianas as an 

indicator species of forest community structure and development, the researchers were 

able to show at what point along a natural 

successional trajectory certain old-growth 

characteristics are attained. The park is able to 

use the visible abundance of lianas as a simple 

indicator of the stage of forest community development.

Everglades National Park. South FloridaCaribbean CESU. Movements and Habitat Use 

of Burmese Pythons in the Southern Everglades: 

The recent colonization of Everglades National Park and adjacent areas by Burmese Pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) has created 

significant new challenges for restoration of 

this world-renowned ecosystem. The purpose 

of this project is to provide science support to 

evaluate the impacts of pythons on native biological diversity and development of control 

measures for Burmese pythons. Strategic field 

studies of python life history are underway 

to: 1) determine habitat use and movements 

of pythons; 2) synthesize results on natural 

history of pythons in an adaptive framework 

to evaluate relationships between ecosystem restoration and habitat modification on 

control of pythons; 3) provide a preliminary 

assessment of the impacts of pythons on native species; and 4) develop spatially explicit 

habitat suitability model to evaluate Everglades 

restoration alternatives on the spread and 

establishment of pythons. This information 

is critical for restoration of Everglades’ prepython conditions. If successful, this activity will benefit not only Everglades National 

Park, but also vulnerable conservation areas 

throughout southern Florida (Big Cypress 

National Preserve, water conservation areas), 

the remainder of the peninsula, and coastal 

southeastern U.S.

Research Learning Centers

Seventeen Research Learning Centers (RLCs) 

were created beginning in FY 2001 to foster 

new and cutting edge knowledge about park 

resources through research, education, and 

public engagement. Nearly 1000 research 

projects investigating park biology, physical 

sciences, social sciences, and other disciplines 

are facilitated through the RLCs each year, 

providing critical information quickly to park 

management. Twelve RLCs have been funded 

through the Natural Resource Challenge 

(NRC) and five through a combination of existing park base and partner support. The two 

newest RLCs, Crater Lake Science and Learning Center and Greater Yellowstone Science 

Learning Center, were established in FY 2006. 

The mission of the RLCs is to increase the effectiveness and communication of research 

and science results in the national parks by:

• Facilitating use of parks for scientific inquiry;

• Supporting science-informed decision 

making;

• Communicating relevance of and providing 

access to research knowledge; and,

• Promoting resource stewardship through 

partnerships.
 National Park Service 55

RLC staffs generally include research and education coordinators and, in some cases, other 

technical and administrative support personnel. While staffs are located at a host park, 

most RLCs serve multiple park units; more 

than 100 of the existing 390 National Park 

System (NPS) units are served in some fashion 

by RLCs. Basic facilities for research and education vary widely from one RLC to the next, 

but nearly all provide services to researchers 

including housing, office and meeting space, 

internet access, and a range of products and 

services that communicate science and research results to internal (NPS) and external 

audiences. In addition, some RLCs provide 

project funding and grant writing assistance 

as well as the logistical support in the form of 

wet and dry analytical labs (e.g. refractometers, microscopes, sieves, sample bottles, etc); 

field equipment; access to libraries, park data, 

and archives; transportation (including use 

of boats and research vessels for aquatic and 

marine research); and field assistants (student 

interns and citizen science volunteers).

Through the efforts of RLCs, the Park Service is effectively meeting managers’ needs 

for quality scientific information. In FY 2007, 

RLC research coordinators helped to establish 

and implement more than 930 research projects, many of which were critical to park management decisions. RLC housing accommodated more than 21,000 people-nights, saving 

researchers more than $1.2 million in lodging 

expenses. RLC staffs involved more than 450 

university students in park research. About 

one-half to one-third of the RLCs now offer 

internship and fellowship programs, generally 

in collaboration with other NRC programs 

such as Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units 

(CESUs) or nonprofit park partners. Seed 

money from these programs helps promote 

park research while providing modest stipends for future scientists. RLC efforts helped 

produce more than 70 peer-reviewed research 

papers in FY 2007. Such articles and ancillary 

products (e.g., presentations to staff, research 

briefs) are critical for park management to 

make the best possible science-informed management decisions.

Science communication and educational 

activities are integrated into many research 

projects to promote science literacy, scienceinformed decision making, and resource stewardship. RLC education coordinators created 

dozens of science communication products 

used by teachers, students, park staff, and the 

general public. These include on-line multimedia approaches such as digital video, audio 

recordings, and electronic field trips along 

with more traditional products such as project 

summaries, newsletters, brochures, resource 

and site bulletins, wayside and visitor center 

exhibits, and nature trail guides. Dozens of 

public workshops and seminars were held on 

specific topics, such as invasive species and 

wildlife conservation, as well as synthetic conferences highlighting a range of park research 

projects. Through RLCs, hundreds of teachers 

and thousands of students were engaged in 

hands-on science activities in and about parks. 

Internally, RLC staffs provided hundreds of 

hours of training for park resource managers, 

interpreters, and concessionaires. Because 

science communication is an important component to all Natural Resource Challenge 

programs, RLCs are currently involved in efforts to collaborate with other programs, such 

as the Inventory and Monitoring programs 

(I&M) and CESUs, to identify products that 

can be jointly produced to consistently convey 

high quality resource information to managers 

and the public.

Partnerships are the key to RLC success. In 

FY 2007, RLCs engaged hundreds of park 

partners including universities, schools, nonprofit organizations, community groups, federal, state, and tribal agencies, and a range of 

NPS programs. By involving partners in park 

research, scholarship, and educational activities, RLCs logged more than 20,000 volunteer 

hours and leveraged nearly $1 million in direct 

match and in-kind support. Additionally, millions more in research was supported solely by 

outside funding agencies in projects facilitated 

by the RLCs. Among the most successful volunteer efforts were citizen science programs. 

Some of these were “bioblitzes” (one or two 

day events to inventory one taxa or habitat 

such as aquatic invertebrates, moths, or beetles) while others represent longer-term programs to monitor the health of a species, such 

as the Common Loon, or a group of species 

such as butterflies.

RLCs are quickly realizing their potential as 

integral and essential components for using 
56 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

science to aid park management. Highlights of 

RLC supported activities for FY 2007 include:

The North Coast and Cascades Research 

Learning Network worked with partners to 

develop a residential science program for 5th 

graders from counties surrounding the park. 

The curriculum materials are rich in hands-on 

science lessons and activities that introduce 

students to park research. Interpreters teach 

in conjunction with North Cascades Institute 

staff, graduate students, and seasonal educators. Students learn about the formation, 

movement, and study of glaciers within the 

parks; participate in an activity that demonstrates the need for mammal diversity through 

which they learn about the park’s forest carnivore study; and use observation skills to 

become familiar with international migratory 

song birds and the park’s song bird monitoring program. Math and science hands-on 

activities are woven through this curriculumbased program.

The Old-Growth Bottomland Forest Research and Education Center supported 

several research projects in 2007 targeting hydrology, geology, geomorphology, and vegetative community dynamics related to periodic 

flooding from the Congaree River. Detailed 

ecological information is currently needed by 

park management to actively participate in the 

relicensing process of the Saluda Hydroelectric Dam, located approximately 30 miles upstream of Congaree National Park. The Center 

continues to be actively engaged in a sciencebased, stakeholder-inclusive, collaborative 

process to determine an appropriate, adaptive, 

and sustainable flow regime for improving and 

restoring the ecological integrity of the floodplain ecosystem protected by the park. Changes in the hydrology of the Congaree River and 

the associated flooding patterns within the 

park have occurred since the Saluda Dam became operational in 1930. The Saluda Dam has 

affected the timing, frequency, magnitude, and 

duration of flooding events within the park, 

with unknown effects to the unique floodplain forests the park is mandated to protect. 

As a privately-owned hydropower facility, 

the Saluda Dam is regulated by the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In 

accordance with the Federal Power Act, FERC 

issues 30–50 year licenses for the operation of 

all non-federal dams that must balance social 

and environmental concerns with the need for 

hydropower generation. These data sets are 

critical in developing recommendations for 

dam operations that will mitigate impacts to 

downstream ecosystem function, aquatic and 

riparian communities.

Ocean Alaska Science Learning Center: 

Collaborative efforts focused on studying harbor seal populations from Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve to Kodiak Island. In 2007 

a Steller’s Eider chick was hatched in captivity 

at the Alaska SeaLife Center. This achievement 

was made possible through Ocean Alaska collaborative efforts to maintain the only captive 

breeding colony of Steller’s Eiders in North 

America. 

Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center: The center assisted a team of 

researchers studying beetles, or Coleoptera, 

in writing a successful grant to the National 

Science Foundation. The multi-year grant 

blends documenting beetle diversity in Great 

Smoky Mountains National Park with educational efforts. The highlights included a 

week-long “beetle blitz” including 30 scientists, a family day at the Sugarlands Visitor 

Center that attracted hundreds of people, and 

a three-day intensive workshop for teachers 

titled “Beetlemania.” Via a grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund the Center provided 11 

high school interns to assist researchers with 

collecting data in the field or lab, averaging 

175 hours each worked during the summer; 8 

of these worked as assistants directly under 

4 researchers and the other 3 worked under 

NPS supervision collecting data requested by 

researchers. Seventeen permitted researchers 

utilized the interns for their work.

California Mediterranean Research Learning Center: At Cabrillo National Monument

in San Diego the Center installed two sets of 

cameras that show the highly valued rocky 

intertidal areas managed by the National Park 

Service. The cameras are deployed on two solar stations designed by partners. Views from 

the live webcams are available on the California Mediterranean Research Learning Center 

web site www.researchlearningcenter.org and 

at the High Performance Wireless Research 

and Education Network (HPWREN) web site 

http://hpwren.ucsd.edu/cameras/.
 National Park Service 57

Continental Divide Research Learning 

Center: The Rock Mountain Front Range is 

one of the loci of chronic wasting disease for 

the country. Chronic wasting disease is an illness similar to mad-cow and CreutzfeldtJakob (nvCJD) diseases. The Continental 

Divide Research Learning Center support of 

chronic wasting disease projects has contributed to the development of new testing methods; an understanding of the movement of the 

disease within the region; and the long-term 

knowledge of the relationship of genetics to 

the prevalence of this class of disease.

The Atlantic Research Center facilitated 

several studies that provided data for park 

managers to make informed decisions, leading 

to improved resource and visitor protection. 

At Cape Cod National Seashore park managers used results of ongoing research into 

spadefoot toad distribution and movements 

to reduce road mortality, and to select the best 

design for rehabilitation of a bike path through 

spadefoot habitat. The resulting bike path will 

result in increased recreation and access for 

visitors while protecting resources. The results 

of a study on the effects of hunting on cottontail rabbit populations at Cape Cod National 

Seashore and a related survey for New England cottontails on the outer Cape were used 

in a Final Environmental Impact Statement 

and Record of Decision for the hunting program at the seashore. Preliminary results from 

a study of macroalgae abundance, species 

composition, and growth rates in the tide-restoring East Harbor were used to address local 

resident and Town of Truro concerns regarding odor-producing algal blooms. Elevated 

levels of mercury in kettle pond fish tissues at 

Cape Cod led to issuance of a consumption 

warning. The sampling was conducted as part 

of a collaborative study of mercury deposition 

facilitated by the Center.

Crown of the Continent Research Learning 

Center: Climate change is increasingly gaining 

visibility as one of the most significant threats 

facing national parks and the Research Learning Center has made communicating the impacts of change one of its highest priorities. In 

2007, three wayside exhibits were installed and 

a site bulletin made available for park visitors. 

Seasonal interpretive training and resources 

were provided for the third consecutive year. 

Staff also supported several regional and national efforts to communicate climate change 

impacts by 1) spearheading development of 

“talking points” for ten different bioregions 

throughout the U.S.; 2) organizing speakers 

and discussants for a series of concurrent sessions at the biannual George Wright Society 

forum; 3) writing articles for NPS Sustainability News and Ranger Magazine; 4) coordinating a scenario planning workshop for Pacific 

West and Alaska Region managers; and 5) presenting overviews to a variety of audiences including the Natural Resource Advisory Group 

and the National Leadership Council.

The Great Lakes Research and Education 

Center worked with the Nature Conservancy 

for a second year on rearing of the Karner 

Blue Butterfly, a federally endangered species 

found in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. 

Brood-chamber rearing is part of a re-introduction program coordinated by The Nature 

Conservancy in state and federal lands in the 

Midwest. The Research and Education Center 

also supported a program connecting underserved high school students with Great Lakes 

research leveraging $59,000 of non-NPS funding.

Mammoth Cave International Center for 

Science and Learning continues to assist in 

the re-lighting of Mammoth Cave. The Center 

is assisting in choosing light types and placements to enhance the visitor experience while 

protecting the cave from impacts caused by 

lighting systems (exotic plant growth, modification of behavior of cave adapted invertebrates, and cave environmental change). This 

assistance includes both providing general 

direction and participating in on-the-ground 

lighting development. To support this lighting 

work, the Center is a lead on a cooperative 

project with Mammoth Cave, Carlsbad Caverns, Wind Cave, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, 

and Great Basin National Parks to study how 

the growth of exotic plants can be controlled 

in lighted caves through optimizing types 

and levels of lights. This project was funded 

through the Natural Research Preservation 

Program for FY 2008.

Murie Science and Learning Center 

(MSLC): Teaming with the University of 

Alaska Fairbanks and the Denali Education 

Center, park education staff worked with the 

Alaska Natural History Institutes to offer two 
58 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Alaska Summer Research Academy (ASRA) 

modules in the park. The modules last two 

weeks and are designed to give high school 

students from around the state an opportunity 

to learn professional skills. Additionally, in 

the Alaska Scientists of the Future program, 

nine high school students from three Alaskan 

school districts studied climate change indicators at Denali National Park and Preserve. 

Based at the MSLC Field Camp, several professional instructors added technology expertise to the existing high quality teaching staff. 

Students used the MSLC classroom as a base 

for downloading probe, photo and video data 

onto individual laptops. Students collaboratively produced a final video sample summarizing their findings.

The Pacific Coast Science and Learning 

Center is providing critical information for 

NPS engagement in California’s Marine Protected Area designations. The Center facilitated mapping more than 8,000 acres of NPS 

seafloor habitat. Working with partners, the 

Center is funding and designing Marine Protected Area monitoring programs. The Center 

also participated in the California Marine 

Protected Area stakeholder group to develop 

scientifically and economically viable Marine 

Protected Areas in or adjacent to NPS managed waters.

Urban Ecology Research Learning Alliance: 

In the fall of 2006, researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental 

Science-Appalachian Lab, a partner in the 

Chesapeake Watershed CESU, pulled a federally endangered Indiana bat from a mist net 

in a tunnel along the Chesapeake and Ohio 

Canal National Historical Park. This was the 

first sighting in the park of this endangered bat 

in 27 years. This exciting discovery presented 

the park with a big challenge because this is a 

stretch of the park being considered for part 

of the “Rail to Trail” Maryland State project. 

Facilitated by Urban Ecology Research Learning Alliance and the Chesapeake Watershed 

CESU, new bat monitoring started at the park, 

giving park managers valuable information to 

help them determine how to best protect park 

resources and provide recreational opportunities for visitors.

In Frozen Niagara Cave at Mammoth Cave National Park Dr. 

Kurt Helf monitors roosting 

cave crickets by measuring their 

distance from a permanent landmark.
 National Park Service 59
60 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

If space allows, it is recommended that the text begin on the opposite page and that this page contain photographic or illustrative material. 
 National Park Service 61

Chapter IV: Natural Resource Preservation Program 

(NRPP)

A researcher from North Dakota 

State University collects a benthic invertebrate sample using 

an Ekman Grab Sampler at Sand 

Point Lake in Voyageurs National 

Park. This is one component of 

an effort to monitor key indicators of the ecological effects of 

lake levels affected by regulatory dams on Rainy Lake and 

the Namakan Reservoir which 

are border waters of the United 

States and Canada.

When Congress created the National Park 

Service in 1916, it tasked the Service with 

preserving the parks unimpaired for future 

generations. Parks strive to fulfill this mandate 

in a dynamic world where parks face unpredictable challenges such as hurricanes, floods, 

and other man-made and natural disasters. 

Established in 1981, the Natural Resource Preservation Program (NRPP) provides funding to 

parks for natural resource management projects that are beyond the scope of base-funded 

park budgets. The NRPP supports park-level 

activities in a diversity of areas such as wildlife, 

fisheries, and vegetation management; specialized inventories; planning; mitigation actions; 

and restoration activities.

Through the Natural Resource Challenge, 

funding for NRPP projects increased from 

$5,432,000 in FY 2000 to $12,789,000 in 

FY 2003. However, since FY 2005 NRPP 

funding has been reduced by $4,066,000. 

These reductions translate into 20 or 25 fewer 

on-the-ground projects in parks per year and 

reduced performance outcomes. Funding for 

FY 2007 remained at $8,229,000, the same level as FY 2006. In addition to the above reductions, regions were allowed to assess NRPP 

projects up to 1 percent of their budget in order to provide funding for contingency uses.

The NRPP continues to serve as a comprehensive, accountable funding source for resource management projects. Pre-panel technical reviews, professional cost estimates, and 

new Servicewide Comprehensive Call guidance increase the accountability and efficiency 

of this funding source. More than half of 

NRPP funds are available for general natural 

resource management projects. The balance 

of the funds strategically target specific needs 

for small parks, disturbed lands restoration, 

threatened and endangered species, and funds 

that are distributed to the regions for natural 

resource projects in parks (see table below). 

Natural Resource Management

Projects

Natural Resource Management Projects make 

up the largest segment of the Natural Resource Preservation Program. Projects eligible 

for funding through this source include resource management actions; tactical biological 

studies; development of new physical science 

theory, management approaches, and protocols; and combined research and follow-up 

resource management or mitigation actions.

To receive NRPP-Natural Resource Management funding, regions must submit highpriority park project proposals which are then 

reviewed and ranked by a panel of subjectmatter experts. The panel provides project 

funding recommendations to the Associate 

Director for Natural Resource Stewardship 

and Science based on project quality, resource 

threats, and other factors. Not all highlyranked projects are funded as a result of this 

review. Projects must cost at least $50,000 but 

no more than $900,000 and be completed 

within three years. Many projects require at 

least two years to complete—most require 

three. Projects receive their funding annually 

and are subject to review and approval of an 

annual accomplishment report. Highlights 

from FY 2007 NRPP-Natural Resource Management projects are:

NRPP Funding Categories

Type of project Number of Projects Actual Allocation ($)

Natural Resource Management 31 3,190,000

Threatened and Endangered Species 12 474,000

Disturbed Lands Restoration 12 803,000

Small Park 60 948,000

Regional Block Allocation 72 1,324,000

Alaska Projects 8 474,000

USGS/BRD Technical Assistance Not Reported 240,000

Servicewide Projects 26 776,000

Total $ 8,229,000
62 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Canyonlands National Park, Natural Bridges 

National Monument, and Hovenweep National Monument. Acoustic Monitoring of Natural 

Soundscape: This project collected the acoustic data necessary to describe natural ambient 

sound levels in the primary vegetation types 

in the three parks, and to determine the primary sources of both natural and non-natural 

sounds. NPS Management Policies state that 

the natural ambient sound level is the baseline 

condition, and the standard against which 

current conditions in a soundscape will be 

measured and evaluated. Data collection and 

equipment specifications followed guidelines 

provided by the NPS Natural Sounds Program. More than 14,000 hours of acoustic data 

were collected at 13 locations representing the 

primary land cover types in the three units. 

This information will help park managers to 

make informed decisions related to the impact 

of noise on park resources.

Biscayne National Park. Assess the Conservation of Genetic Diversity of the Critically Endangered Sargent’s cherry palm: This one-year 

project assessed the conservation of genetic 

diversity of the endangered Sargent’s cherry 

palm (Pseudophoenix sargentii). The recovery 

goal is to preserve the species in its habitat, 

with genetically diverse and viable populations 

that can respond to natural habitat dynamics. 

Past joint conservation efforts (an ex situ conservation collection, propagation protocols, 

reintroduction, and monitoring) were used in 

measuring recovery success.

Voyageurs National Park. Assess the Impacts of 

International Lake Level Management by using 

an Interdisciplinary Approach: The purpose of 

the project is to determine the effects of new 

rules governing lake level management on the 

ecosystem of the large lakes of Voyageurs with 

objectives of measuring the responses of five 

carefully chosen ecological indicators (common loons, fish, wetland vegetation, benthic 

invertebrates, and fur bearers). These indicators were identified as the most likely portions 

of the aquatic ecosystem to be affected by 

fluctuation and timing of artificially-managed 

lake levels.

Olympic, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades 

National Parks. Atmospheric Pollutant Loading Linkages to Trans-Pacific Air Mass: Recent 

studies indicate that air pollutants originating 

in Europe and Asia remain airborne for thousands of miles and deposit in snow at relatively high elevations in North America. These 

contaminants may accumulate in annual 

snowpack. Many of these pollutants, particularly persistent organic pollutants, accumulate 

and concentrate in food webs, threatening the 

viability of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. 

Atmospheric scientists describe the U.S./

Canada border as the latitude most likely to 

receive these trans-Pacific air masses, suggesting that Olympic, North Cascades, and Mount 

Rainier National Parks are among the areas at 

greatest risk in the western U.S. The objectives 

of this study are to determine the seasonal 

flux, and spatial and interannual variability 

of semi-volatile organic compounds in snow 

deposition. The study is led by the U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources of Colorado 

and is coordinated with the Western Areas 

Contaminants Assessment Project. Probable 

sources of these pollutants will be linked with 

back-trajectory modeling and direct sampling 

of trans-Pacific air masses. At the conclusion 

of these studies, recommendations for longterm monitoring of contaminants in North 

Coast and Cascades Network parks will be 

made.

Acadia National Park. Characterize Rocky 

Intertidal Shorelines at Newly Acquired Navy 

Base Lands: The purpose of this work is to 

evaluate the Schoodic Education and Research Center (SERC) shoreline in Acadia 

National Park to provide a marine community baseline and to provide management 

recommendations based upon diversity and 

abundance indices, an experimental trampling 

study, and characterization of visitor use of 

the SERC shore. The community structure 

and visitor use of four similar shores in Acadia 

are being evaluated for comparison with the 

SERC shore. Marine community surveys were 

completed, as were video transects running 

across the intertidal zone.

Yellowstone National Park. Conservation of 

the Declining Yellowstone Pronghorn Population: This three year project established a 

monitoring program of abundance and key 

vital rates for pronghorn. Researchers studied 

the ecological interactions among wolves, 

coyotes, and pronghorn to determine if there 

is differential recruitment among pronghorn 

fawning areas in relation to wolf and coyote 

densities and use areas. Migration patterns 

and summer use areas of pronghorn were 
 National Park Service 63

determined to ensure they are not adversely 

affected by future infrastructure projects. 

Researchers mapped habitat characteristics 

among fawning areas and migration routes 

of pronghorn. Information from the study is 

contributing to production of an electronic 

field trip focused on the conservation of Yellowstone pronghorn. The study is a collaborative effort among Yellowstone National Park, 

Yellowstone Ecological Research Center, University of Idaho, Bernice Barbour Foundation, 

and Yellowstone Park Foundation.

Great Sand Dunes National Park And Preserve. Determine Grazing Ecology And Management Of Elk And Bison: In 2000 the U.S. 

Congress authorized the expansion of the former Great Sand Dunes National Monument 

by establishing a new Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in its place, and establishing the Baca National Wildlife Refuge. 

A new ungulate management plan to address 

the challenges brought about by the new land 

designations has not yet been developed. The 

new land areas have different management 

requirements, and the situation is predicted 

to result in elk seeking out the park and other 

protected areas as refugia. Elk are currently far 

in excess of agency goals and heavily impact 

fragile dune grasslands and sensitive riparian habitats within the national park, refuge, 

The Nature Conservancy lands, and private 

lands. Elk and bison both graze the Great 

Sand Dunes habitat, so the entire protected 

land complex needs to be managed as one 

ecosystem. This study will guide managers to 

a new grazing management plan for both elk 

and bison. 

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway. Document Habitat Requirements of the Winged 

Mapleleaf Mussel: Potential Habitat Degradation and Decline: The purpose of this study is 

to gather information on the habitat requirements of the federally endangered winged 

mapleleaf mussel. This information is needed 

in order to protect the existing population 

and establish new populations. The objectives 

are to describe the status of winged mapleleaf 

populations at three locations in the St. Croix 

National Scenic Riverway; describe winged 

mapleleaf microhabitat requirements; and 

monitor mussel community and habitat dynamics at several Riverway locations to assess 

habitat degradation. Thus far, study results 

show that mussel density, species richness, 

and sediment size are significantly greater at 

locations with the federally endangered species.

Gateway National Recreation Area. Efficient 

Surveillance, Targeted Management, Natural 

Transmission Dynamics of West Nile Virus: This 

project used field data on species composition 

and abundance and West Nile Virus infection 

levels in mosquitoes and birds through time 

at Gateway National Recreation Area in a first 

attempt to describe West Nile Virus transmission dynamics. The results will be used to (1) 

develop efficient surveillance programs that 

can be used in national parks to monitor mosquitoes and West Nile Virus to determine the 

level of risk to humans and wildlife, and (2) 

make reliable decisions about mosquito and 

West Nile Virus management. The final product will be a surveillance and management 

protocol, adjustable to local environmental 

conditions at different parks, that can be used 

as a guideline for surveillance and management of mosquitoes and West Nile Virus.

Channel Islands National Park. Establish Baseline Ecological Conditions of Newly Established 

Marine Reserves: This project will expand the 

park’s existing kelp forest monitoring program 

through establishment of 16 new fixed sites to 

ensure adequate inside/outside reserve baseline data to properly evaluate the effectiveness of the new marine reserves. This project 

collected 3 years of baseline data for 70 taxa 

or categories of algae, fish, and invertebrates 

from 24 fixed sites in and adjacent to 4 of the 

newly established Marine Protected Areas in 

Channel Islands National Park. This baseline 

data is currently being analyzed and will be 

used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Marine Protected Areas. 

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape 

Lookout National Seashore, Moores Creek 

National Battlefield, Congaree National Park, 

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, Fort 

Sumter National Monument, Kennesaw 

Mountain National Battlefield Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, 

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Ocmulgee National Monument, Fort Pulaski 

National Monument, Fort Frederica National 

Monument, and Cumberland Island National 

Seashore. Establish Exotic Plant Management 

Program for Southeast Coast Network Parks: 
64 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Over a three year period this project will establish a module to develop and implement a 

systematic exotic plant management program 

at 13 units within the Southeast Coast Network. The parks protect significant resources 

which are being threatened with habitat loss, 

displacement of native species, alteration of 

ecological processes, landscape degradation, 

and damage to historic structures. The parks 

currently do not have the capability to effectively confront the exotic species invasion. 

While the ultimate objective is to eradicate 

populations of exotic plants, the broader objective is to establish an effective program that 

each park can maintain after project completion. Components of the developed plans will 

include inventories, supporting databases, 

prioritization, treatment prescriptions, and 

monitoring protocols. The module’s full success will be achieved through treatment of 

each park’s most severe threat.

Glacier National Park. Evaluating the Prey Base 

for Lynx: Snowshoe Hare Abundance, Habitat 

Use, and Population Dynamics: A December 2002 court ruling mandated that critical 

habitat be designated for Canada lynx (Lynx 

canadensis), which were listed as threatened 

in the contiguous U.S. in 2000. Because lynx 

are critically dependent on snowshoe hares as 

prey, designation of critical habitat is likely to 

require assessment of snowshoe hare populations. Because lynx occur in the park, it is 

crucial for effective park management to understand the dynamics of their principal prey. 

Currently, nothing is known about snowshoe 

hares in Glacier, thus making it difficult to assess which habitats in the park are suitable for 

lynx. The results from this project will be valuable for Section 7 consultation with U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, management decisions, 

and protection of lynx under the Endangered 

Species Act.

Petrified Forest National Park. Excavation of 

Threatened Fossil Bone-bed: The purpose of 

the project was to conduct excavations of a 

fossil bone-bed with objectives of protecting scientifically relevant specimens being 

destroyed by erosion. Other components of 

this project include preparation and curation 

of fossils collected from the site as well as the 

publication and presentation of results. Initial 

and ongoing findings include salvage and recovery of several scientifically important specimens including partial skeletons of Triassic 

Period reptiles. The fundamental project goals 

of salvaging and stabilizing threatened fossils 

have been successfully completed.

Padre Island National Seashore. Protecting 

Endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Nests 

from Vehicular Traffic: The purpose of this 

project is to gather information vital to the 

development of management strategies for 

the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle at Padre Island 

National Seashore. From April 1 to July 14, 

2007, NPS staff and 105 volunteers conducted 

nesting patrols on North Padre Island each 

day, for a total patrol effort of 121,492 kilometers and 8,895 hours. A record number of 

128 Kemp’s Ridley nests were found during 

FY 2007. Kemp’s Ridley tissue samples were 

collected from adult nesting sea turtles, hatchlings and embryos found dead in the nest, 

and dead stranded turtles for genetic analyses. 

Data were collected on nest size, depth, sand 

compaction, and temperature. Study sites 

were set up around each natural nest after the 

eggs were removed and sites were monitored 

for disturbance by vehicles, pedestrians, and 

animals. Sand ruts caused by vehicle traffic 

were measured at sites where turtles were 

documented to have crossed them. Corrals 

were built at two locations in the park and 

sand temperatures monitored at these sites. 

Efforts to increase public awareness included 

13 public hatchling releases where more than 

2,200 people attended as well as 40 media interviews.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Support for Predator Beetle Facility Needed to 

Control Exotic Hemlock Woolly Adelgids: This 

project focuses on biocontrol for backcountry Hemlock Woolly Adelgids management. 

Currently P. tsugae is the biocontrol agent 

that is most available. University of Tennessee Beneficial Insects Lab produced nearly 

200,000 predator insects for control of nonnative hemlock woolly adelgid in Great Smoky 

Mountains and other cooperators, 150,000 of 

which were released in the park. This number 

exceeded expectations. Follow-up monitoring protocols have been developed and have 

already been initiated for the nine P. tsugae

releases that occurred in the park in 2002.

Buck Island Reef National Monument. Track 

Recovery of Overfished Ecosystem: This project 
 National Park Service 65

A record number of Kemp’s Ridley nests were found at Padre 

Island National Seashore during 

FY 2007.

Sasajiscymnus tsugae beetles 

feed on hemlock woolly adelgids 

in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

will provide sound scientific documentation 

of imperiled habitats and depleted species in 

the recently expanded Monument and notake reserve, and establish a long-term basis 

for evaluating their possible recovery. By leveraging more than $325,000 from National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean 

Science Biogeography Program in partnership with Buck Island Reef, this project will: 

1) provide missing information on benthic 

marine habitats and their use by vertebrate 

and invertebrate species, 2) yield chemical and 

oceanographic data to begin assessing marine 

water quality, and 3) provide information on 

previously harvested species of fish and marine invertebrates to document their condition 

and recovery. Transferable information could 

be applied to Dry Tortugas National Park and 

the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument.

Threatened and Endangered Species

Projects

A portion of the NRPP funding is allocated 

for projects focusing on threatened and endangered (T&E) species to assist in implementing the Natural Resource Challenge and 

in meeting related strategic plan performance 

management goals. The long-term goal of the 

T&E program is to increase the number of 

populations of listed species that are making progress toward recovery, and to restore 

these species where they have been extirpated 

from parks. The program funds on-theground T&E conservation efforts. In FY 2007, 

$474,000 was allocated specifically for these 

projects. Highlights of 2007 NRPP T&E projects:

Padre Island National Seashore. Determining Seasonal Movements, Habitat Use, and 

Abundance of Piping Plovers: The threatened 

Atlantic Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is 

a winter and stopover resident at Padre Island 

National Seashore. The objectives of this project were to determine seasonal movements, 

examine habitat use, and evaluate abundance 

in four sections of Padre Island’s Gulf of 

Mexico. Eight surveys found 824 piping plover 

in late FY 2005, 78 surveys found 3,477 piping 

plover in FY 2006, and 68 surveys found 2,578 

piping plover in FY 2007. The population 

fluctuated due to tidal variations, sampling 

frequency, man-made disturbances (including 

increased oil and gas activity), variations in 

migration patterns, and storm events. Piping 

plover density is the highest within the northern 10 miles of the park with the highest numbers distributed over a 4.5 mile coastal strip 

that is closed to vehicular traffic. Radio transmitters and bands were attached to two piping plovers. Both birds were located 45 times 

within 51 attempts during 2.5 months of study. 

Both birds had extreme site fidelity within a 

45 by 95 meter area. Despite many efforts, no 

successful captures have occurred since 2006. 

Additional analysis is currently underway to: 1) 

determine areas that consistently support the 

highest number of piping plover, 2) graphically 

demonstrate the distribution, 3) determine 

trends in habitat use, behavior, and distribution, 4) determine piping plover associations 

with other shorebirds, 5) determine the origin 

of banded birds and their distribution, and 6) 

analyze piping plover occurrence and distribution relative to weather.

Wind Cave National Park. Reintroduction of 

Black-Footed Ferrets: The three objectives of 

this project were to facilitate the establishment 

of a self-sustaining population of the federally endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela 

nigripes), test the viability of a reintroduction site with less than 5,000 acres of prairie 

dogs (Wind Cave National Park maintains 

two 3,000 acres sites of prairie dogs), and to 

provide surplus wild-born kits to other sites. 

On July 4th, 2007, seven ferrets were released 

back into the park after a 30 year absence. 

An additional 42 ferrets were released in 

2007 bringing the total up to 49 for the year. 

Sixteen of the 49 ferrets released were captive bred ferrets that came from the National 

Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in 

northern Colorado. The other 33 were wild 

born ferrets that came from the Conata Basin, 

60 miles east of the park on the USDA Forest Service’s National Grasslands in western 

South Dakota. This was the first year of a three 

to five year reintroduction effort with the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service.

Point Reyes National Seashore. Threatened 

Western Snowy Plover Recovery: Since 1996, 

the National Park Service and Point Reyes 

Bird Observatory Conservation Science have 

collaborated in a project to study, monitor, 

and protect the federally threatened western snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) 

within Point Reyes National Seashore. The 
66 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

main objective is to implement the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service’s draft Snowy Plover 

Recovery Plan and to restore 64 breeding 

pairs within Point Reyes. In 2007, the program 

increased chick hatching rates, nesting success, and chick fledging rates, as compared 

to 2006. In FY 2007, a total of 28 nests were 

found on Point Reyes beaches (22 were fenced 

to protect them from predators, dogs, and 

recreational disturbance), the breeding plover 

population was estimated at 30 to 32 pairs, 83 

eggs were laid (up from 69 in 2006), 64 chicks 

were hatched (up from 51 in 2006), and 24 

chicks survived to fledge (the highest number 

since 1999). A volunteer education program 

educates visitors about the plover life cycle, 

ways to reduce human impacts, awareness 

for the plover recovery program, compliance 

with area closures, and coastal restoration efforts. About 2,500 weekend and holiday visitor 

contacts were made by park employees and 

docents. Breeding plovers used newly restored 

coastal dune habitat, foretelling future larger 

program successes. Between 2001 and 2005, 

50 acres of non-native plants have been removed from important plover habitat, thus 

increasing fledgling success. For the first time 

since 1972, plovers nest in restored dune areas 

once dominated by the non-native European 

beachgrass. The restored site allows plovers to 

see approaching predators and provides protection and native food sources. Male plovers 

have moved chicks to the restored area from 

as far as 1.5 miles away.

Disturbed Lands Restoration Projects

In FY 2000 a portion of NRPP funds was 

established for projects related to disturbed 

land restoration. Disturbed lands are those 

park lands where the natural conditions and 

processes have been degraded, damaged, or 

destroyed by developments (e.g., facilities, 

roads, mines, dams) and/or by agricultural 

practices (e.g., cropping, grazing, timber harvest). Restoration is the process of assisting 

the recovery of disturbed areas through direct 

manipulation of degraded ecosystem components. Regions submit proposals for park projects, which a panel of subject matter experts 

review and recommend for funding based on 

project quality, resource threats, and other 

factors. Projects must cost at least $10,000 but 

not more than $250,000, and may last up to 3 

years. Parks receive their project funding annually. Some project highlights from FY 2007 

are:

Great Basin National Park. Reclamation of the 

Lincoln Cirque Mining Exploration Area: Disturbance associated with the Lincoln Cirque 

mining exploration area was affecting the 

hydrologic function of the north and middle 

forks of the North Fork of the Big Wash watershed. The Big Wash watershed was selected 

as a reintroduction site for the Bonneville cutthroat trout (Onocorhynchus clarki utah). The 

National Park Service entered into a conservation agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service in January 2001 to prevent listing of 

Bonneville cutthroat trout as a threatened 

species. Therefore, correcting impacts to the 

aquatic ecosystems from this mining exploration site and restoring watershed health were 

a high priority in assisting with the Bonneville 

cutthroat trout recovery efforts. Watershed 

conditions outside of the mining impacts are 

essentially pristine. The area is an important 

bighorn sheep lambing area and suitable for 

wilderness designation. The Lincoln Cirque 

exploration area consisted of 31.5 acres with 

associated mine-related features, including 

10 exploration trenches, 12 waste rock piles, 

and more than 1.7 miles of roads. The project 

included re-grading the main access road 

to preexisting natural drainage patterns and 

constructing an environmentally compatible 

hiking trail in the former road prism. All side 

roads, landings, trenches, and pits were regraded and/or de-compacted. Erosion control 

matting was used where needed and native 

seed used throughout the site. Hand crews 

then placed native mulch, large rocks, and 

down woody debris on the sites to assist with 

natural re-vegetation by creating microenvironments to intercept rainfall and wind-blown 

seeds, and to increase seed germination.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Complete 

Restoration of 500 Acres of Wetland at Derby 

Ditch-Great Marsh: The Great Marsh is an 

inter-dunal peat base wetland in a dune-beach 

complex less than one-mile from Lake Michigan. The wetland sits between two large dune 

systems. The southern perimeter is delineated 

by the Calumet Dunes, which are approximately 10,000 years old and the northern perimeter by the Tolleston Dunes, which are only 

3,000 years old. There is historical evidence 

that the Great Marsh once extended from 
 National Park Service 67

Gary, Indiana, east nearly to Michigan City, 

a distance of 20 miles. Industrial development eliminated the western half of the Great 

Marsh, and today the Great Marsh is only ten 

miles long and a half-mile wide. The goal of 

this project was to return the Great MarshDerby Ditch to a condition reflective of ecosystem processes and plant community types 

found in the pre-industrial period of southern 

Lake Michigan. This specific project builds 

upon work to restore the hydrology of Derby 

Ditch-Great Marsh, which was initiated in 

1998 in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and further funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service-North American Waterfowl Conservation Association, which enabled filling numerous portions of the ditch to reestablish native 

hydrological patterns. In FY 2007, the third 

and final year of funding, the following tasks 

were accomplished. Herbicide was applied to 

5 invasive species covering approximately 220 

acres representing an estimated 17 infested 

acres. The woody canopy was reduced on 

approximately 1-acre and 31,250 plant plugs 

representing 34-species were installed. Approximately 12 pounds of seed representing 

17 species were collected. Oversight was provided for off-site wetland mitigation in which 

fill from 1.4 acres of abandon home-sites was 

removed and native seed and plants installed, 

6 groups of volunteers, representing 68 volunteers, installed 1,550 plants and removed garlic 

mustard and cattail seedlings.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Restoration of Springs on Navajo Point: The 

enabling legislation for Glen Canyon National 

Recreation Area authorizes grazing by domestic livestock. Portions of Glen Canyon have 

been grazed since the late 1800s. In some areas 

overgrazing has occurred, resulting in soil erosion, changes in vegetation, increases in exotic 

plants, and losses of wildlife species. Some of 

the most severe examples of overgrazing are 

associated with high elevation springs. The 

Navajo Point springs occur at elevations of 

about 7,300 feet where groundwater emerges 

from shallow swales and intermittent stream 

channels at points of contact with underlying sandstone bedrock. This project sought to 

restore Cottonwood, East End, and French’s 

Springs in the Navajo Point area. NPS staff 

identified six objectives: eliminate feral animals from allotments; prepare plant species 

lists for restoration purposes; collect baseline 

data on sites prior to restoration; collect native 

plant materials and propagate for restoration; 

contract for physical rehabilitation and planting; and monitor progress of project in terms 

of water discharge, sediments, and vegetation and wildlife recovery for two years. In 

FY 2007 funding for this project enabled the 

physical rehabilitation, planting of native species, and monitoring of recovery. Physical restoration included installation of small check 

dams using natural on-site materials composed of fallen logs, boulders and rock to reduce soil erosion and runoff, and to dissipate 

flood energy. In some areas, staff used burlap 

and other biodegradable material to stabilize 

dams and other check points. Planting live 

willow stakes (Salix lutea) and dogwood (Cornus sericea) followed the physical stabilization 

at two of the springs where vegetation had 

been eliminated.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Complete Restoration of Salmonid Habitat at Banducci: This project implemented the second 

phase of a two-part project to restore natural 

processes and stream channel habitat for federally listed Coho salmon and steelhead trout 

in Redwood Creek where it flows through the 

Banducci site. The Banducci site is a 28-acre 

former flower farm where agricultural operations impaired natural processes along 3,800 

feet of the creek. Redwood Creek will be returned to natural processes that include floodplain overflow, expanded riparian habitat, increased channel complexity, reduced incision, 

and increased sinuosity; all of which enhance 

habitat for Coho salmon and steelhead trout. 

The creek supports the United States’ southern-most genetically viable population of 

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) as well 

as a population of steelhead trout (O. mykiss), 

both federally listed threatened species in the 

North Central California Coast Evolutionarily 

Significant Unit. Project goals were reached by 

excavating about 2,000 cubic yards to create 

0.6 acres of new terraced floodplain along 550 

linear feet of incised channel. Six engineered 

log jams were also installed to induce a natural 

meander in a channelized reach with very little 

habitat complexity.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Platte River/Waterwheel Site Restoration: The 

Platte River flows through Sleeping Bear 
68 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Dunes National Lakeshore at a very low gradient, in a uniform sandy dune/beach substrate 

as it moves toward Lake Michigan. The Waterwheel Site is an approximately 300 foot long 

reach of the Platte River located immediately 

downstream of Platte Lake and upstream of 

Loon Lake and Lake Michigan. Park managers 

identified the Waterwheel Site for restoration 

because of the significant man-made impacts, 

visitor safety concerns, and high probability of 

success. Prior to restoration the right bank of 

the channel consisted of a concrete wall and 

the left bank had a wood retaining wall. Both 

artificial walls had fill material placed behind 

them. Both retaining walls had once served 

former canoe liveries; but were failing, causing unsafe conditions and degradation of the 

river habitat. The artificial channel walls encroached into the natural channel of the river, 

increasing flow depth and velocity, and preventing the channel from developing a natural 

stable cross-section form with natural vegetation. In addition to the wood retaining wall, 

the left bank also contained a 110 foot long, 30 

foot tall, and 1⁄4 inch thick steel sheet pile wall. 

The steel sheet was installed in the early 1990s 

to prevent hydrocarbons from entering the 

Platte River through groundwater migration 

during the clean-up of contamination caused 

by nearby underground fuel storage tanks. The 

steel sheet was covered with six-inch diameter 

cobbles. The steel sheet and cobbles were no 

longer needed and prevented the restoration 

of natural stable channel banks and vegetation. Park staff developed specifications to revegetate the site with the appropriate number 

and type of plant species. No erosion control 

measures were anticipated for the reconstructed channel banks, because the channel 

bank slope, the depth of flow, the shear stress 

and the flow velocity would be extremely low 

along the reconstructed channel banks. Park 

staff installed siltation control. The sheet pile 

and cobbles were removed from the left bank. 

The left and right banks were cleared and 

grubbed. Staff excavated and disposed of the 

left and right bank encroachments. The concrete wall was demolished and disposed of. 

Park staff seeded the area with native species.

Small Park Projects

NRPP funding is provided to regions to allocate to small parks for projects. Small parks 

are defined, for the purposes of this funding, 

as those parks that fall in the lower third of 

funding for all parks (Regional discretion regarding variances to this definition is allowed). 

These funds are provided to help small parks 

achieve some of their natural resource goals. 

The funds are allocated according to the natural resource management workload of these 

parks.

In FY 2007, 60 projects in at least 57 parks 

were funded. In total, $948,000 was allocated 

in FY 2007 to the regions for these projects. A 

complete list of the projects is included in Appendix B.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Control 

Exotic Flora: This project is part of ongoing annual efforts to eradicate exotic flora 

within the memorial. Seasonal staff worked in 

conjunction with the Northern Great Plains 

Exotic Plant Management Team. With the 

team, they utilized GPS, chemically sprayed, 

and manually removed exotic plants from the 

park. Approximately 60 acres were treated 

either chemically or manually to reduce exotic 

plants within park boundary. Continuous efforts need to take place to completely eradicate exotic plants from Mount Rushmore.

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site.

Control Invasive Phragmites australis for Saugus River Restoration: The purpose of this 

NRPP—Small Park Projects

Region Funding ($) Number of parks

Number of 

projects

Alaska 19,000 2 2

Intermountain 246,000 14 14

Midwest 173,000 13 13

National Capital 19,000 2 2

Northeast 118,000 8 8

Pacific West 164,000 7 8

Southeast 209,000 11 13

Total $948,000 57 60
 National Park Service 69

Anchialine pools are rare ecosystems. Protection of anchialine 

pool resources is a priority for 

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.

NPS Photo: Jessica Schwartz

project was to complete phase one of control 

of the invasive non-native common reed in 

three acres of floodplain wetland along the 

Saugus River in Saugus Iron Works National 

Historic Site. The objective was to manually 

cut the standing Phragmites and establish 

conditions that would allow access through 

the site by the Northeast Region Exotic Plant 

Management Team for phase two herbicide 

treatment. Phases one and two were accomplished in the summer of 2007. Phase three of 

control will occur as part of the project “Restore Saugus River Turning Basin and Dock” 

in 2008–2010.

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. 

Developing an Anchialine Pool Catalogue, 

Spatial and Temporal Database, and Collating 

“Lost” Pool Data: Anchialine pools are rare, 

unique ecosystems of brackish water that are 

tidally influenced but have no direct connection to the ocean. The pools are hydrologically 

connected to the groundwater and provide 

habitat for endemic, rare and candidate endangered species. Throughout Hawaii, and 

particularly Hawaii Island, anchialine pools 

are threatened by development, aquifer withdrawals, groundwater pollution, and exotic 

species. Protection of anchialine pool resources is a priority for Kaloko-Honokohau 

National Historical Park, which contains approximately 10 percent of the state’s pools. 

The purpose of this project is to improve the 

efficacy of anchialine pool management and 

research by individually identifying, mapping, 

and recording basic biological and physical 

data on each pool. These data are being collected at each tidal state and are entered into 

a comprehensive geo-spatial database that 

also incorporates water quality and biological inventory data from previous and ongoing 

studies. Researchers glean previous studies 

for data and cross-reference them into the database to enable comparison of the results of 

research on specific pools over time.

Congaree National Park. Identify Genetic Differences within the Rare Carolina Bogmint 

Populations: Researchers observed differences 

between two known populations of Carolina 

bogmint (Macbridea caroliniana), a globally 

imperiled plant species. This project col-
70 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

lected both genetic and habitat parameters to 

complement the existing baseline information pertaining to the spatial distribution and 

pollination of Carolina bogmint. Researchers 

collected leaves from 200 stems in the muck 

swamp east of Cedar Creek as well as 50 stems 

from the muck swamp west of Dry Branch. 

These samples will facilitate genetic work. Researchers prepared the field samples by fixing 

leaf tissue in extraction buffers, collecting proteins on paper wicks, preserving/storing wicks 

onto micro test plates for gel electrophoresis, 

and transferring specimens to the University 

of Georgia for analysis. The data analysis 

phase of the project will continue in FY 2008 

in order to meet the study objectives.

Arkansas Post National Memorial. Inventory, 

Mapping and Control of Exotic Plants: This 

project aimed to identify, record, and control 

exotic plant populations at both the memorial 

and Osotouy units. The first step in this process was to conduct a thorough survey of both 

the terrestrial and aquatic plant communities 

of both units, which encompass 758 acres. 

Location, area, cover density, and phonology 

were recorded. Researchers used this information to populate an exotic plant database and 

create maps. Once exotic taxa and associated 

attributes were identified and mapped, then 

staff could complete treatment prioritization of the various exotic plant populations. 

NPS staff considered the potential to alter 

resources, the potential for spread, and the 

feasibility of control when deciding where and 

how to control exotic plants. This project produced GIS data that resource managers will 

use to guide exotic plant control, reduction of 

invasive plants on the natural landscape, and 

reduced resource competition for native species. Eight gross-acres of parkland impacted 

by invasive plants were surveyed and treated. 

Youth Conservation Corps and NPS staff cut 

down and treated exotic trees and shrubs, 

including trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifolata), 

Chinese and European privet (Ligustrum 

sinense and Ligustrum vulgare), and Japanese 

honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). The invasive 

plants removed constituted 4.5 acres of the 8 

acres targeted for treatment. Mapping of the 

treated area was also completed.

Vicksburg National Military Park. Perform a 

Mussel Survey: The park contains upwards 

of 7.5 miles of streambed habitat that may be 

utilized by listed or non-listed mussel species. 

This project will allow for an intensive and 

comprehensive survey targeting mussel species that will provide park managers with definitive data regarding the presence or absence 

of mussel populations within the park. This 

information will then be available to park staff 

when making future management decisions 

that may affect streambed habitat. One issue 

that has the potential to adversely affect Vicksburg National Military Park streambed habitat 

is whether or not, and to what extent, the park 

proceeds with battlefield restoration. Restoring the battlefield more closely to its wartime 

appearance necessitates removing an undetermined quantity of forest cover. As forest cover 

directly influences stream ecology, knowing 

whether or not a stream contains T&E species 

(such as mussels) is imperative prior to restoration activities being undertaken. Researchers have begun preliminary work on the park’s 

mussel survey, and will continue the study 

through the fall 2007.

Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Restoring the Natural Cave Soundscape: There are 

35 timers located throughout the cave system. 

Each timer produces a distinct ticking noise. 

This ticking noise can be heard throughout 

the cave system, impacting both the natural 

soundscape and the visitor experience. This 

project will restore the natural soundscape of 

the cave which is vital to the functioning of 

the park. It may also provide indicators of the 

health of the cave ecosystem and will increase 

understanding of the impact of human noise 

on quiet places. Tour operations close for the 

winter season. This closure allowed the park 

to begin the on-site work. Two lighting control 

boxes were removed from the cave system to 

use as references for the new lighting control 

system. A contract was awarded for the design 

and components of 35 new lighting control 

timers. A second contract was awarded for the 

installation of the new timing control boxes 

once they are completed. The installation of 

the new timing control boxes is expected to be 

completed in early May 2008 after the winter 

snow melts and the caves are safely accessible.

Pipestone National Monument. Tallgrass 

Prairie Restoration/Exotic Weed Control: This 

project sought to restore 1 acre of agricultural 

field to native prairie and contain or eliminate 

1.7 acres of nonnative plant species throughout 
 National Park Service 71

the monument. In 1997, the monument identified 80 acres of targeted disturbed lands. The 

monument has restored 1 acre of this land 

every year since. Restoration activities include 

prescribed fires, seed collecting, spreading native seed, and exotic weed control. Eleven of 

the 90 non-native species are highly invasive, 

capable of causing adverse impacts, and require annual treatment to protect the existing 

tallgrass prairie plant communities. In 2007 

staff seeded 15.3 acres of recently acquired 

abandoned agricultural field with seed previously collected from the monument’s native 

prairie. Monument staff also treated 131 acres 

of exotic species during the field season and 

collected 50 pounds of seed for future restoration projects.

Regional Block Allocation Projects

NRPP funding is available to all NPS regions 

for park projects as a part of regional natural 

resource programs. Qualified projects are 

those that improve natural resource knowledge and condition, including projects such 

as specialized inventories (those currently 

outside the scope of the Servicewide I&M 

Program’s 12 databases) and mitigation actions (i.e., fossil inventories and invasive plant 

or invasive animal control). NRPP Regional 

Program Block Allocation funds are used for 

a wide variety of projects. For example, the 

Pacific West Region has funded several projects that are multi-park projects; meaning the 

same project is conducted in several parks in 

that region. In the Midwest Region the projects fall under several broad topical categories: 

Resource Inventories and Biological Surveys; 

Ecology and Species Management; Species 

Monitoring and Control; Impacts to Resources; and Ecosystem Restoration.

In FY 2007, a total of $1,324,000 was allocated 

to 72 projects in 50 parks. A complete list of 

these projects is included in Appendix B. 

Some 2007 highlights are:

Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Assess 

Spring Input and Water Quality: This project 

gives the park its first substantial park wide 

inventory of freshwater spring resources. The 

park contains more than 420 documented 

springs, one of the highest in the National 

Park System. Due to the large number of 

springs, the project accomplished approximately 7⁄8 of the inventory, with the uppermost 

portion of the Current River still to be surveyed. The accomplishments to date include 

individual site data assessing both hydrologic 

and cultural characteristics, GPS points, an 

ArcGIS layer with quality-checked attribute 

information, an assessment of spring distribution by geologic bedrock, photo documentation for each spring, and a characterization 

of previously unknown distribution of spring 

fauna within these hundreds of spring sites. 

This information will allow park managers to 

make better informed decisions about park 

springs.

Effigy Mounds National Monument. Control 

and Survey New Garlic Mustard Populations: 

This project allowed for a complete follow-up 

of previously treated garlic mustard infestations on the North Unit, South Unit and the 

Heritage Addition of the monument. Staff employed a backpack torch to incinerate the seed 

bearing plants and first growth of garlic mustard. This application was conducted in areas 

that have had substantial investments of time 

and effort with spraying, hand pulling by volunteers, prescribed fire and backpack burning 

earlier in the season. Due to the timing of the 

funding authorization the garlic mustard was 

NRPP—Regional Block Allocation Projects

Region Funding ($)

Number of 

parks

Number of 

projects

Alaska 190,000 2 10

Intermountain 189,000 10 9

Midwest 189,000 9 10

National Capital 189,000 7 16

Northeast 189,000 5 10

Pacific West 189,000 8 8

Southeast 189,000 9 9

Total $1,324,000 50 72
72 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

already into seed when the project started. 

This limited the treatment process to that of 

using a backpack burner to incinerate the seed 

heads and first year plants. This application of 

fire allowed for a control effectiveness to approach nearly 100 percent in the prevention of 

seed release. Due to the ability of each plant to 

produce hundreds of seeds, this level of treatment is necessary to control populations by 

drawing down the seed bank. This project also 

utilized Youth Conservation Corps personnel for hand removal of garlic mustard where 

there was no danger of seed dispersal.

George Washington Memorial Parkway. Create Digital Atlas of Breeding Wood Warblers at 

Turkey Run and Great Falls Parks: Researchers 

conducted a survey of breeding wood warbler 

species during the 2006 and 2007 breeding 

seasons at these two units. Bird diversity and 

abundance was estimated using point-count 

survey methods, standard breeding-bird atlas 

techniques, and nest finding. The survey will 

be used to generate a digital breeding bird 

atlas for natural resource managers. Warblers 

are of specific ecological interest because they 

are sensitive to both natural and human-induced environmental shifts, especially habitat 

fragmentation.

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Determine the Hydrologic, Geochemical, and Historical Factors that Influence Puccinellia howellii: The objective of this project was to develop 

a restoration, monitoring, and management 

plan for Howell’s alkali grass (Puccinellia howellii) and the salt springs that support the only 

known occurrence of this narrowly endemic 

grass. During FY 2007, hydrologic, chemical, 

botanical, and edaphic field data were collected and provided critical information on the 

complex requirements for P. howellii success. 

Additionally, 350 P. howellii seedlings were 

planted in areas that spanned the environmental gradients present on the site. Survival and 

seed production of the plantings were tracked 

for over a year. Extensive topographic survey 

data were collected and are being used to 

create detailed plans for removing unnatural 

features and to restore natural water flow patterns and soil processes. This information is 

being used as the basis for a restoration plan, 

which will outline the steps necessary to reestablish the natural hydrologic, geochemical 

and edaphic properties to support P. howellii. The restoration plan will provide: 1) the 

degree and extent to which P. howellii habitat 

has been impacted; 2) guidelines on how the 

habitat would best be restored; and, 3) a strategy for monitoring the success of restoration 

efforts. Implementation of the restoration 

will be conducted with NPS partners, which 

include the California Department of Transportation, California Department of Fish and 

Game, and USFWS.

Manassas National Battlefield Park. Habitat Preferences of Birds Wintering in Restored 

Grasslands of the Mid-Atlantic Region: Populations of many grassland bird species are in 

decline. Conservation activities at Manassas 

and other national parks have included grassland restoration to increase the quality of 

park habitat for wildlife. This study gathered 

information about habitat requirements of 

birds wintering in grasslands in order to aid 

in the development of management plans that 

will benefit these activities in national parks. 

The goal of the work completed thus far was 

to determine the influence of grass vegetation 

structure and hedgerows/tree lines on habitat 

use by birds, since these can be manipulated 

by land managers to improve habitat. Song 

sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and savannah 

sparrows (Passerculus sandwichiensis) were 

the focal species of the study. Savannah sparrows preferred shorter grasses and tended 

to stay away from edge, while song sparrows 

preferred taller vegetation near edges. However, both species utilize areas with more 

dense vegetation, possibly because it provides 

escape cover within the field. Based on this 

information, birds would benefit from a variety of grass heights and density within fields, 

as well as retention of some vegetated edges 

to provide cover. Future work will focus on 

determining how much land area is needed to 

provide adequate winter habitat, what foods 

are important to these species, and whether 

they return in successive years. Data gathered 

from this work will provide comprehensive 

recommendations for natural resources managers that will enhance the quality of parks for 

wildlife conservation. Improved habitat will 

also enhance wildlife viewing opportunities 

for visitors.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation 

Area. Implementation of a Three-Phase Containment, Eradication and Restoration Program 
 National Park Service 73

A sound monitoring station at 

Denali National Park’s Kahiltna 

Pass, 10,500 feet above sea level.

Resource managers completed 

field data collection for all parks 

within the Alaska Region containing active Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) trails adjacent to, or 

within park boundaries.

for Harding Grass: The purpose of this project was to eradicate Harding Grass (Phalaris 

aquatica) infestations on NPS lands within the 

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation 

Area. Ninety-eight infestations of Harding 

Grass over 33.5 acres were treated. Cover was 

reduced from 50–90 percent to 5–20 percent. 

Eradication goals defined in the implementation plan were met; however, third year plans 

to begin native plantings were delayed due to 

extreme drought. Implementation of these 

plantings will begin in FY 2008, rainfall permitting.

Canaveral National Seashore. Measure Sea 

Turtle Nest Predator Distribution and Abundance: This study assessed the effects of 

natural and anthropogenic environmental 

variation on raccoon (Procyon lotor) activity, 

ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) density, and 

the subsequent effects on loggerhead turtle 

(Caretta caretta) egg predation. During the 

2007 summer, researchers monitored 96 randomly located transects. Transects were sampled in sets of 24 on two-consecutive nights 

biweekly, from mid-March through October. 

On each sampling event, transect length was 

measured, and all mammal tracks were identified to species, counted and measured. Nest 

fates (predation, inundation, hatching success) 

have been monitored in 136 loggerhead nests. 

In fall/winter 2007 researchers will use multiple regression models to assess the effects of 

environmental variables (turtle nesting activity, GIS habitat coverage, recreational activity, 

etc.) on raccoon activity. Subsequently, the 

effects of raccoon activity on ghost crab density and marine turtle egg predation by both 

predators will be monitored. These analyses 

will allow researchers to identify factors affecting the likelihood of predation, assess the 

efficacy of current management, and make 

suggestions to improve the efficiency of future 

management.

Shenandoah National Park. Remove 

Non-native Plants From A Globally Rare 

Community—Monitor Rare And Nonnative Species Extent: This project aimed to 

protect the integrity of a rare wetland plant 

community from invasive plants. The project 

goals were to document the extent of invasive 

plants, to document the extent and status of 

rare plants, and to remove invasive plants. In 

FY 2007, student volunteers and NPS staff 

spent 700 hours hand-pulling invasive species. 

All stems of Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium 

vimineum), Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), 

and Oriental lady’s thumb (Polygonum 

caespitosum) were hand-pulled from a 1.62 

hectare area. To maximize effectiveness, 

pulling continued to focus on the two most 

pristine areas of the wetland. The invasive 

plant treatment area was located within and 

surrounding two quarter hectare areas that 

support numerous rare plant populations.

Alaska Special Projects

This funding category was established in 

FY 2003 to enable the National Park Service 

to undertake projects to better protect and 

manage Alaska’s National Park Service units, 

which are managed under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and 

other Alaska-specific requirements. Selection 

criteria for projects supported through this 

source included appropriations language, 

proposal reviewers’ recommendations, park, 

and regional priorities. In 2007, projects included mapping of off-highway vehicle routes, 

testing of landscape-scale acoustic profiling, 

and acquisition of high resolution satellite 

imagery for base cartography. Other projects 

supported through the Alaska Special Projects 

included baseline genetic research on salmon 

and brown bear populations and evaluation of 

international efforts to preserve the declining 

Chisana caribou herd.

Denali National Park and Preserve. Stratified 

Random Sampling for Baseline Soundscape 

Conditions in Large Alaskan Parks: The purpose of the project is to develop the methods 

and sampling protocols for effectively building 

a baseline soundscape inventory. The objectives identified for the 2007 fiscal year were 

to collect and analyze acoustical data at eight 

sites throughout the summer visitor season, 

and compile a representative sound profile for 

each site. An acoustical database was developed, allowing for effective implementation 

of the Backcountry Management Plan. A protocol for monitoring sound in large Alaskan 

parks is under development. The analyzed 

acoustical data is being used by park planners 

as an indicator of the frequency and intensity 

of man-made noise intrusions on the parks’ 

natural sounds. Other possible uses include 

biological habitat assessment and species 

identification.
74 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve:

Nesting and foraging ecology of Kittlitz’s murrelets in Icy Bay: Despite the relatively pristine 

environment of Icy Bay, the local population 

of Kittlitz’s murrelets (Brachyramphus brevirostris) has declined by 53 percent (18 percent 

per year) since 2002. To better understand and 

manage Kittlitz’s murrelets, the park hired 

three seasonal technicians to assist with a 

study in Icy Bay from May–August 2007. Researchers captured and attached radio-transmitters to 37 Kittlitz’s murrelets from 15–22 

May. During the breeding season staff located 

30 birds. Investigators recorded standard morphological measurements to compare with 

other populations and banded all birds with a 

USFWS band on the right leg. They also photographed the dorsal and ventral portion of 

each murrelet. Blood samples were submitted 

for sex identification and hormone analyses 

to determine number of fecund females in the 

population. The primary goal of this effort 

was to determine the efficacy of a modified 

mark-recapture study intended to provide information on local and over-winter survival in 

future years.

Alaska Parks. Mapping and Scientific Management of Off-Highway Vehicle Trails in Alaska—

Implementing Backcountry Management Plans: 

Resource managers completed field data collection for all parks within the Alaska Region 

containing active Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) 

trails adjacent to, or within park boundaries. Summer 2007 field data collection of trail 

centerlines and condition assessments were 

conducted for: Klondike Gold Rush, Katmai, 

Gates of the Arctic, Wrangell-St. Elias, and 

Denali. Final data sets (map products, tables 

and trail condition classifications) were produced for OHV trails inventoried during the 

summer 2006 field season. This included: Lake 

Clark, Aniakchak, Gates of the Arctic, Cape 

Krusenstern, Wrangell-St. Elias, and YukonCharley. State of the Trail Assessment was 

modified to adapt Trail Management Objectives from the USDA Forest Service TRACS 

methodology. Refinements to Evaluation of 

Management Options were also made with 

the development of standardized trail project 

reports that provide design, construction, and 

cost data for sustainable trail projects conducted in cooperation with the NPS-Alaska 

Region Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program. Previous completed data sets 

for Denali, Glacier Bay, and Wrangell-St. Elias

were used extensively by regional and park 

staff to respond to OHV related NEPA actions 

in those parks.

USGS Biological Resources

The U.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources Division and the National Park 

Service, through the Natural Resource Preservation Program, jointly support biological 

projects that provide exploratory research and 

technical assistance to parks. Information on 

the project topics and status reports are found 

in Appendix E.

Servicewide Projects

In addition to parks, there are often project 

needs outside specific Servicewide programs 

that require funding unavailable from other 

sources. These special needs are often interdisciplinary, and may include activities with 

professional organizations, certain publications, or work on Servicewide databases. 

Specific project needs that cannot be accommodated operationally are identified for funding by NRPP, fee monies, or other sources. A 

significant amount of the funding and projects 

provide assistance to parks, either through 

special topic workshops on issues affecting 

parks, or the development and support of 

tools to assist parks. Projects related to airborne contaminants, geo-hazards, emergency 

response, and ocean stewardship are examples 

of projects funded in FY 2007. For a complete 

list of funded projects see Appendix B.
 National Park Service 75
76 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress
 National Park Service 77

Chapter V: Servicewide Natural Resource Programs

Essential to the success of the Natural Resource Challenge and management of the 

National Park System were the development 

and strengthening of Servicewide resource focused programs. These Servicewide programs 

are a repository of wide-ranging expertise that 

provides invaluable assistance to parks in the 

areas of policy and legal advice, technical assistance, plan and proposal development, and 

education/outreach. The Natural Resource 

Challenge focused on strengthening four 

basic program areas: Air Quality, Biological 

Resource Management, Water Resources, and 

Geological Resources. In addition to these 

core programs, the Environmental Quality and 

Natural Sounds Programs also provide expertise and direct assistance to requesting parks. 

This chapter summarizes some of the results 

of effective partnerships between parks and 

these programs to improve natural resource 

protection through all aspects of discovery, 

learning, understanding, sharing, resource 

protection and restoration, and evaluation.

Air Quality Program

The National Park Service Air Quality Program is responsible for preserving, protecting, 

and enhancing air quality and air quality-related values (i.e., resources that are affected by 

air pollution, including, visibility, soils, aquatic 

systems, and vegetation) in the National Park 

System in accordance with the NPS Organic 

Act and the Clean Air Act. Air quality protection relies on acquiring information about 

air quality and Air Quality Related Values 

(AQRVs) in parks. To learn about the health of 

park air resources, the Park Service conducts 

air quality monitoring at numerous park units 

and supplements this in-park data with representative data from other nearby monitors. 

Data relevant to resources sensitive to air pollution are also collected at various parks. Data 

analysis provides understanding of the causes 

and effects of pollution on park resources, 

while also identifying sources of pollution that 

are likely contributing to pollution in parks. 

Trend tracking is used to measure and evaluate performance, identify problem areas, and 

allocate staff and fiscal resources.

Because the Park Service is not an air regulatory agency, information sharing and collaborative activities are used to promote development of plans, regulations, and permitting 

decisions that help improve air quality in 

parks. Information gathered from air quality 

monitoring and data analysis is shared with 

park managers, researchers, the public, and 

regulatory agencies. After more than 20 years 

of monitoring in numerous parks and through 

advancements in science, understanding, and 

collaborative relationships; in 2007 the Air 

Quality Program was able to produce its first 

“scorecard” characterizing air quality conditions and trends in 140 parks.

In 2002, the Natural Resource Challenge 

supplemented funding for the Air Quality 

Program and subsidized additional monitoring, including an assessment of airborne toxic 

contaminants in parks. Funds were also made 

available to augment professional expertise 

within the Program and at strategic locations 

to better serve specific local and regional resource management needs. As a result, there is 

an enhanced ability for the National Park Service to engage in external arenas where decisions regarding pollution control programs are 

being made. The quality and accessibility of air 

quality data, along with the improved ability to 

engage in collaborative activities with regulatory agencies and stakeholders have facilitated 

the achievement of NPS air quality goals.

Learning and Understanding

Air Quality Monitoring and Data Analysis: 

The National Park Service operates a network 

of ambient air quality monitoring sites in units 

across the system. Under the Gaseous Pollutant Monitoring Program the Park Service 

currently measures ozone, carbon monoxide, 

sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. As part of the Clean Air Status 

and Trends Network the Service monitors 

ozone and dry deposition. The Park Service 

tracks wet deposition as part of the National 

Atmospheric Deposition Program/National 

Trends Network. Via the Mercury Deposition 

Network the Service measures mercury in 

parks. The Park Service monitors visibility and 

Providing parks like Yellowstone 

National Park with detailed 

digital soil maps is one of the 

many services of the Geological 

Resources Program.
78 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

particulate matter as part of the Interagency 

Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments 

(IMPROVE).

Air quality monitoring provides data crucial 

to effective air quality protection and management. As a result of monitoring located in park 

units and numerous other parks with monitors 

nearby, the Park Service reports on air quality 

conditions in 141 parks. Funding for monitoring equipment, installation and data analysis is 

covered and obligated under Servicewide contracts or cooperative agreements and managed 

by the Air Quality Program. Partners, in particular the EPA, also contribute substantially 

to monitoring costs (approximately $2 million 

per year). Budget adjustments over past years, 

combined with increasing operational costs, 

resulted in a need to reduce the amount of 

monitoring in a few parks, to employ less expensive monitoring equipment in some areas 

(e.g., portable ozone samplers), and to solicit 

funding support from state and local agencies.

Through analysis of these and other monitoring data, the Program provides air quality assessments for most park units with significant 

natural resources. The Inventory and Monitoring networks are planning for long-term 

natural resource monitoring of vital signs, that 

is, indicators of ecosystem health. Many of the 

networks have identified air quality as a “vital 

sign” and are relying on this Program for guidance and support for air quality monitoring. 

Special monitoring and data analysis themes 

include:

Yellowstone National Park. Several years ago, 

winter snowmobile traffic was found to be 

producing carbon monoxide concentrations 

that were approaching the National Ambient 

Air Quality Standard at the West Entrance. 

The Program provided on-going air pollution 

monitoring at several locations and assisted 

in measuring the in-use emission levels of 

snowmobiles and snowcoaches. These data 

were used in models to test various scenarios 

for the Winter Use Plan and as part of the 

park’s adaptive management plan feedback. 

The Program provided air quality and vehicle 

emissions information, reviewed and advised 

on the modeling plans, advised the park on 

possible snowcoach Best Available Technology (BAT) emission controls, attended public 

stakeholders meeting on the Winter Use Plan 

Environmental Impact Statement, and provided information on air quality at a public 

meeting in Cody, Wyoming.

Night Sky Monitoring Program: One of 

the key tasks of the Night Sky Program is to 

inventory night sky quality in parks. In FY 

2007, inventories were completed in 3 more 

parks and initiated in 13 more parks bringing 

A map of air quality monitoring 

stations in national parks.
 National Park Service 79

the total completed to 30 with 24 in progress. 

Additionally, night sky data collection methods were peer reviewed and published. Other 

important tasks have been to retrofit lighting 

in parks, advise parks on new facility lighting, 

and compile a knowledge base of night sky 

friendly lighting standards. Partnership with 

the International Dark-sky Association (IDA) 

has resulted in the creation of a Dark Sky Park 

certification program. Natural Bridges National Monument was named the first IDA Dark 

Sky Park, and several other parks are currently 

pursuing this status.

Rocky Mountain National Park. RoMANS 

(Rocky Mountain Atmospheric Nitrogen and 

Sulfur Study): The park is experiencing a 

number of harmful effects due to atmospheric 

nitrogen and sulfur compounds. These effects 

include visibility degradation, changes in ecosystem function and surface water chemistry 

from atmospheric deposition, and human 

health concerns due to elevated ozone concentrations. The nitrogen compounds include 

both oxidized nitrogen (compounds derived 

from nitrogen oxide emissions) and reduced 

nitrogen (compounds derived from ammonia 

emissions). The effects of organic nitrogen 

compounds are not known at this time. The 

objectives of this study are to further our 

understanding of what will be needed in the 

longer term to address effects at the park and 

to reduce uncertainties for future planning efforts.

Ecological Effects Projects: The ecological effects program had two primary areas of 

focus in FY 2007: ecosystems indicators and 

thresholds. Natural resources vary in their 

response to air pollutants. The amount of 

pollution that causes a specific response to 

a resource is called the pollutant threshold, 

or critical load. The National Park Service 

is working cooperatively with university and 

federal scientists in Rocky Mountain, Glacier, 

Grand Teton, Sequoia, Yosemite, and Great 

Smoky Mountains National Parks to determine pollutant thresholds for resources considered very sensitive to air pollutants, including high elevation lakes and forests, and alpine 

plant communities. Information from these 

efforts will enable the Service to establish park 

management goals, to report and communicate more effectively on resource trends and 

condition, and to ultimately help protect sensitive resources in parks.

The Air Quality Program continued to support 

ongoing and new projects to assess air pollution impacts on park ecosystems in FY 2007. 

Accomplishments to date for these projects 

are:

Big Bend National Park. Impacts of Atmospheric Nitrogen and Climate Change on Desert 

Ecosystems: Completed in FY 2007, this project sought to understand: 1) the impacts of 

nitrogen deposition on microbial and soil nitrogen dynamics and plant productivity within 

the arid grasslands and high elevation oakpine forests, and 2) the impacts of changes in 

precipitation timing and amounts on plant 

growth, soil nutrient, and microbial dynamics 

in the arid grassland. Findings indicate that 

increased moisture and nitrogen input to the 

mid-elevation Sotol Grasslands will likely shift 

the systems to a fungal dominated one. Increase in fungal activity may lead to increased 

litter decomposition and increased fungal 

activity may result in an accelerated decline in 

soil organic matter with increased precipitation, with greater biodiversity implications.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic 

Site, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, and Mammoth Cave National Park. 

Assessing the Impact of Mercury Bioaccumulation in Cumberland Piedmont Park Units: The 

purpose of this project is to examine the fate 

and transport of mercury in four parks with 

karst ecosystems. In FY 2007, monitoring locations were identified for collecting bat hair, 

insects, water, and sediment for mercury analyses. At Cumberland Gap National Historical 

Park and Mammoth Cave National Park, bat 

hair collection was initiated and project technicians received training in collecting insect 

specimens for the project. This project is being 

conducted in collaboration with Western Kentucky University.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Determine the Impacts of Aluminum Toxicity and 

Calcium Loss on Threatened High-Elevation 

Spruce-Fir Forests: The purpose of this project 

is to determine how soil aluminum toxicity, 

calcium availability, and nitrogen saturation 

vary with modeled deposition, topography, 

and edaphic (soil) characteristics and how 
80 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

these factors influence the distribution of 

plant species in high elevation spruce-fir 

forests. This project is being conducted in 

collaboration with Michigan Technological 

University. 

Grand Teton National Park. Assess the effects of 

nitrogen deposition on alpine vegetation: The 

objective of this project is to assess the impact 

of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the 

structure and function of alpine ecosystems in 

Grand Teton National Park through the use of 

field measurements, experimental manipulation of nitrogen loadings in alpine sites with 

contrasting (wet/dry) edaphic (i.e., soil) conditions, and assumed nitrogen input regimes. 

Data were collected across alpine sites on nitrogen deposition loading, plant composition, and 

plant and soil nitrogen status. Early findings 

indicate a response in soil microbial activity due 

to small differences in nitrogen deposition, potentially representing early indicators of ecosystem change under increasing nitrogen deposition. This project is conducted in conjunction 

with Utah State University.

Joshua Tree National Park. Critical Levels of 

Nitrogen for Growth, Litter Persistence, and 

Germination of Invasive and Native Plants: 

The objectives of this research are to determine the impacts of nitrogen deposition on 

native plant species, and to what extent the 

response of invasive species to nitrogen is 

promoting vegetation type conversion. Two 

greenhouse experiments studied the impacts 

of nitrogen on plant growth, enabling the 

determination of a critical load value of soil 

nitrogen on plant growth. A litter decomposition study was also initiated to determine the 

longevity of potentially flammable exotic grass 

litter. This project is conducted by researchers 

at the University of California at Riverside.

Rocky Mountain and Glacier National Parks. 

Evaluation of Long-Term Species Changes and 

Response to Nitrogen Fertilization in Alpine 

Plant Communities: This research performed 

on-site experiments to establish critical nitrogen loads for alpine vegetation response 

(changes in species abundance and diversity) 

as well as soil chemical responses (inorganic 

nitrogen, cation species and total charge, and 

soil pH). In addition the research will provide 

a list of indicator plant species for terrestrial 

vegetation responses to nitrogen deposition 

within plant communities. This project is being conducted by researchers at the University 

of Colorado at Boulder.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. 

Development of Critical Loads for Atmospheric 

Nitrogen Deposition to High Elevation Lakes in 

the Sierra Nevada: This project seeks to establish critical loads for nitrogen deposition in 

the high Sierra Nevada, using reconstructions 

of past lake chemistry based on diatoms preResearchers at Rocky Mountain 

National Park are studying the 

effects of nitorgen on alpine 

vegetation.
 National Park Service 81

served in lake sediments. Using a sedimentcorer, 42 lakes were sampled. Additionally, 

chemical analyses of water samples and diatom enumerations of sediment cores were initiated. This project is a collaboration between 

the University of California at Riverside and 

Santa Barbara, and Yosemite National Park.

Assessment of Toxic Airborne Contaminants in Parks: In 2007, results began to 

emerge from a six-year assessment of airborne 

contaminants in western parks. Snow, water, 

sediment, vegetation, and fish samples were 

collected from eight primary parks in the West 

and Alaska. Of the 100 contaminants (e.g., 

pesticides, fertilizers, flame retardents, mercury) investigated, 70 were found in detectable 

amounts and a few were present in sufficient 

quantities to raise concerns for wildlife and 

humans. Many of the contaminants of concern have been banned in the United States 

for the past 20-plus years, with the highest 

concentrations in parks that were near areas 

where the chemicals were produced or used. 

The study also confirmed the influence of international transport.

Information Sharing

Interpretive and public awareness programs 

and activities promote public appreciation and 

awareness of air quality conditions and effects 

in NPS areas. The Outreach Program synthesizes data from NPS air quality monitoring 

programs and disseminates this information to 

parks. Glacier National Park received technical 

and funding assistance with wayside exhibits 

highlighting the effects of climate change in 

the park. Assistance was also provided with 

an air quality educational traveling exhibit at 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 

exhibit will provide information to the public 

about air quality concerns at the park and 

what the people can do to conserve energy. An 

informational sheet describing the air quality monitoring program at Petrified Forest 

National Park was also produced. Air qualityrelated interpretive projects and activities help 

to promote public understanding of highly 

complex issues facing parks.

To help disseminate air quality information to 

the public, 16 digital cameras (“web cameras”) 

operate in 15 park areas. These cameras often 

show the visible effects of air pollution. Because these cameras are typically located near 

air quality monitoring sites, the camera web 

pages display other information along with 

the photo such as current levels of ozone, particulate matter or sulfur dioxide air pollutants, 

visual range, and weather conditions. These 

popular web sites had more than 100 million 

visits in FY 2007.

Ozone air quality forecasting is supported 

through current data web pages, submission 

of data hourly to the EPA AirNow air quality web site (http://www.airnow.gov/index.

cfm) where it is used on pollution maps and as 

presentation of current conditions. The Program also participates in evaluating the NOAA 

ozone forecast model that is provided on the 

AirNow web site. Air quality forecasts and 

hourly monitoring data are used by several 

parks (e.g., Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, 

Mammoth Cave, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia 

and Kings Canyon National Parks) to provide 

public warnings of unhealthy air quality conditions for ozone and sulfur dioxide. Parks 

issue advisories when air pollution has the 

potential to reach unhealthy levels to alert 

park visitors and employees of potentially unhealthy conditions.

Information about air quality in parks is also 

shared with the scientific community. Eleven 

papers were published in professional, peerreviewed publications. Staff experts made 

more than 30 presentations at professional 

conferences, including organizing and chairing numerous sessions.

There was significant media coverage of the 

Night Sky Program. Key articles in High Country News, USA Today, and the New Yorker profiled the Night Sky Program. In parallel, public 

interest in park stargazing programs was very 

high, especially at parks like Carlsbad Caverns, 

Grand Canyon, Great Basin, Death Valley, 

and Bryce Canyon National Parks. The Night 

Sky Program assisted Bryce Canyon National 

Park in organizing an Astronomy Festival. The 

Festival drew nearly 6,000 visitors. The Night 

Sky Program also provided stargazing training 

programs for interpreters from 11 parks and 

loaned telescopes to Great Basin and Mesa 

Verde National Parks to jump start their stargazing recreation programs.

Air Resource Restoration and Protection

Armed with information acquired through 
82 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

monitoring, data analysis, and research conducted since the Program was established in 

1978, the National Park Service collaborates 

with state regulatory agencies, tribal governing bodies, the EPA, and various stakeholders 

to help develop strategies and plans that are 

needed to preserve and protect air quality in 

parks. The Prevention of Significant Deterioration program established by the Clean 

Air Act gives federal land managers and park 

superintendents an affirmative responsibility 

to protect air quality related values, including 

visibility, of Class I areas. The Clean Air Act 

defines Class I areas as national parks over 

6,000 acres, national wilderness areas and 

national memorial parks over 5,000 acres, and 

international parks. The Park Service manages 49 Class I areas. The Clean Air Act also 

establishes a national goal of restoring natural 

visibility to Class I areas.

In many cases, regulatory agencies are required to consult with the Park Service when 

they make decisions that might affect pollution 

levels in parks. To carry out our stewardship 

responsibilities, the Service also engages in 

various policy making arenas and stakeholder 

forums to enhance our ability to protect park 

resources from the adverse effects of air pollution. Continued participation in several collaborative efforts include:

Improving Visibility in National Parks: 

Since the 1980s, the Air Quality Program has 

had a leadership role in monitoring visibility, 

documenting various degrees of existing visibility impairment in Class I areas, assessing 

the causes and effects of visibility impairment, and alerting EPA and states to the need 

for installing pollution controls on specific 

older facilities that contribute to visibility impairment in parks. In 1999, bolstered by the 

wealth of data available regarding visibility 

impairment in national parks and wilderness 

areas, EPA expanded the visibility protection 

regulations and required all states to develop 

plans by 2007 (and subsequently in 10-year 

increments) to reduce regional haze, consistent with the Clean Air Act’s goal of restoring 

natural visibility in Class I areas. The Program 

assisted EPA in developing technical guidance 

for states regarding key aspects of the regulations—in particular, the requirement that 

certain major stationary sources install the 

Best Available Retrofit Technology. The National Park Service has been actively involved 

in regional planning efforts and has begun 

initial regulatory review of State Implementation Plans for regional haze. Although state 

plans have not yet been finalized, it is reasonable to anticipate fairly significant emission 

reductions will occur over the next decade to 

improve visibility in national parks.

Prevention of Significant Deterioration of 

Air Quality in Parks: Whenever a major new 

or expanding source of pollution wishes to 

locate near a Class I area, the Clean Air Act 

requires the National Park Service to assess 

whether its emissions would cause or contribute to an adverse impact on Air Quality Related Values (AQRV). Permit review activities 

involve an engineering analysis of proposed 

control technology to minimize emissions, 

review of the air quality impact analysis to 

determine whether air quality impacts will be 

within federal air quality standards and limits, 

and an AQRV analysis to assess potential impacts on sensitive park resources.

In FY 2007, staff reviewed 33 new source 

permit applications for projects proposing to 

locate near NPS-managed areas. A frequent 

recommendation included equipping new 

sources with better pollution control technology to minimize emissions, thereby reducing 

impacts on National Park System areas. Independent air quality impact assessments were 

conducted to help make informed decisions 

as to whether or not proposed new sources 

would adversely impact visibility and other air 

quality related values at NPS units.

The Park Service also reviews and provides 

comments on Environmental Impact Statements issued by other federal agencies for 

federal actions that may impact air quality 

resources in NPS units. Continuing interest in domestic energy development posed 

workload challenges. Extensive collaboration 

is needed with the responsible agencies and 

other affected jurisdictions (states and other 

federal agencies) to ensure air quality analyses 

are adequate to estimate potential impacts and 

mitigation measures are considered.

Rocky Mountain National Park. New Approach Developed for Restoring Ecosystem 

Health: Twenty years of monitoring and research at Rocky Mountain National Park have 
 National Park Service 83

documented adverse effects on the ecosystem 

from deposition of nitrogen. In collaboration with the Colorado Air Pollution Control 

Division and EPA, a Nitrogen Deposition 

Reduction Plan was developed that charts a 

course for reducing nitrogen deposition to the 

“critical load” established by the park. The 

Plan, which is the first of its kind in the country, was publicly supported by all the affected 

stakeholders including key sources of nitrogen 

emissions. It represents an important first step 

toward the implementation of voluntary and, 

if necessary, regulatory measures to control 

emissions of nitrogen in its various forms to 

reduce deposition harmful to park resources. 

The Plan is likely to serve as a template for addressing ecosystem impacts from deposition 

in other natural areas.

Regulatory Review: During FY 2007, Air 

Quality Program (through the NPS Director) 

provided comments on the EPA’s proposed 

changes to the National Ambient Air Quality 

Standards (NAAQS) for ozone. The proposed 

NAAQS will result in decreases in ozone levels 

compared with the current ozone NAAQS.

Restoration of Dark Night Skies: The National Park Service is a leader in night sky conservation and innovative approaches to lighting efficiency. Examples of assistance to parks 

regarding night sky values include: the development of Turtle Friendly Lighting Guidelines 

for Cape Hatteras National Seashore and 

working with National Park Foundation and 

Musco Lighting to develop new lighting technologies at Zion National Park.

Water Resources Program

The NPS Water Resources Program provides 

Servicewide leadership to preserve, protect 

and manage NPS water and aquatic resources. 

The Program works with parks, regions, and 

staff to continue the implementation of the 

water resources components of the Natural 

Resource Challenge. The diversity of the 391 

NPS units means that parks face a wide range 

of issues. Modern park managers address 

complex challenges such as water quality; 

water rights; floodplain management; ground 

water analysis; watershed management and 

wetlands protection; water resources management planning; fisheries management; ocean 

and coastal resources protection; policy, 

legislative, and regulatory analysis; information management; and training. The Water 

Resources Program provides a model for cost 

effective, centralized support for parks that do 

not have the range of technical expertise they 

need. 

In FY 2007, the Program continued to deliver 

the highest level of support possible to parks 

in addressing a wide variety of water and 

aquatic resources-related issues. The Program 

provides services directly to parks through 

a broad range of programs such as Water 

Resource Projects (Water Resource Protection, Competitive Projects, and Other), Water 

Quality Monitoring, Aquatic Resource Professionals, Technical Assistance, and Watershed 

Condition Assessments.

Water Resource Projects are divided into three 

categories: Water Resource Protection Projects, Competitive Projects, and Other Projects 

which are non-competitive. Water Resource 

Protection Projects are targeted toward development of scientific information that will 

contribute to decisions that protect or restore 

surface or ground water systems. The majority 

of FY 2007 project funds were used to support ongoing studies designed to characterize 

surface or ground water flow systems. These 

tools are needed by decision makers to understand the potential for impacts to park water 

resources in the future from a number of 

existing water development proposals. Competitive Projects support many park-based 

activities, including the design of information 

management systems, regulatory assessments, 

riparian/stream and watershed restoration and 

protection projects with water quality goals, 

or other water quality improvement projects. 

Competitive Project funding for FY 2007 totaled $507,800. The Program’s base funding is 

no longer adequate to sustain the competitive 

project program; therefore, it will become inactive after FY 2007. Over the past ten years, 

in order to meet increased salary costs per 

FTE (Full-time Employee) and budget rescissions, the Water Resources Program has 

reduced funding to its project programs by 

$1.4 million. This has resulted in an inability to 

support the Competitive Project program and 

reduced capability for Water Resource Protection projects.

The Water Resources Program also provided 

funds totaling $287,600 to support projects 
84 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

that addressed emerging, high-priority, park 

watershed condition issues that, because of 

the applicable time frames, could not be appropriately directed through the competitive project funding program. Examples of 

FY 2007 projects include assessing the condition of the Pecos River riparian corridor prior 

to implementing a public fishing program at

Pecos National Historical Park; support for an 

All Risk Incident Team to prepare a quagga 

mussel detection, prevention, and response 

planning guide for the Pacific West and Intermountain Regions; expanding an ongoing 

groundwater quantity investigation at KalokoHonokohau National Historical Park to include monitoring of water quality parameters; 

and, bottom sediment and water quality baseline for assessing removal of Cornell Dam on 

the Niobrara National Scenic River. Partnering 

with other federal agencies, state agencies, 

and/or local watershed groups in carrying 

out these projects was emphasized. Projects 

include a supporting study for a wetland improvement project at Minute Man National 

Historical Park, evaluation of the influence of 

riparian vegetation on channel bank stability 

at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, and 

an assessment of historic and functional conditions to support lake restoration at Ebey’s 

Landing National Historical Reserve. The National Park Service partners with other federal 

agencies and non-government organizations 

to manage NPS-owned water diversions in 

Grand Teton National Park to enhance stream 

flow in the Gros Ventre River.

The Water Quality Monitoring program supports the Department of the Interior Strategic Goal to significantly reduce the number 

of stream and river miles and acres of lakes 

and marine areas that do not meet state and 

national water quality standards. Presently, 

about 120 park units have one or more water 

bodies that do not meet state water quality 

standards for one or more pollutants on approximately 1,800 miles of rivers and streams 

and 1,066,000 acres of lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, and marine areas. Since water quality 

is a key vital sign in determining overall ecosystem health, the Water Quality Monitoring 

program is fully integrated with the Vital Signs 

Monitoring Program. The integration of these 

two programs has realized considerable cost 

efficiencies in staffing, planning and design, 

administration, implementation, data management, and reporting.

The Water Resources Program additionally assists parks through the Aquatic Resource Professionals and Technical Assistance programs. 

In FY 2005 the National Park Service received 

$1,205,000 to support aquatic resources 

specialists in parks with significant need. In 

FY 2007, 15 positions were funded with 12 

positions duty-stationed in parks. The Water 

Resources Program also provides Technical 

Assistance to parks using a combination of 

its own staff and expertise acquired through 

partnerships. The Program assisted 160 parks 

with aquatic resource issues in FY 2007.

Since water quality is directly tied to the condition and health of its watershed, the Water 

Resources Program initiated the Watershed 

Condition Assessment Program as part of the 

Natural Resource Challenge. Parks receiving 

watershed assessments will be in an improved 

position to define natural resource conservation indicators and targets via park planning 

and report to “overall resource condition” 

performance accountability measures. As of 

FY 2007, the program initiated assessments in 

38 inland and 47 coastal parks. Reports from 

these assessments characterize the relative 

health or status of upland, wetland, riparian, 

marine, estuarine, and Great Lakes resources 

within the National Park System. Comprehensive assessments are achieved through 

academic partnerships in the Cooperative 

Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) networks and 

collaborations with other federal agencies.

These Water Resources Program programs 

support the natural resource management 

cycle of discovery, learning, understanding, 

sharing, and resource protection.

Discovery

In FY 2007 several important discoveries were 

made as a result of Water Resources Program 

supported projects. Some significant finding 

were:

Blue Ridge Parkway. Aquatic Inventory: Appalachian Highland Network staff, in conjunction with the Southern Appalachian Man and 

the Biosphere Foundation, sampled 50 sites 

on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Sites were chosen 

by overlaying prior records of rare taxa, plant 
 National Park Service 85

Amphibian monitoring at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park 

has revealed the presence of 

Chytrid fungus in southern twolined salamanders.

Understanding the impact of 

water diversions on potential 

habitat for cutthroat trout in the 

Gros Ventre River system is crucial for the conservation of the 

population.

community data, aquatic resource maps, and 

lithologic models at high elevations, where 

acid deposition is likely to be a factor affecting water quality. Several additional significant 

discoveries were made during limited aquatic 

macroinvertebrate sampling, including two 

genera and five species new to science. Combined with previous years’ results, the project 

has now yielded a total of 3 genera and roughly 20 species new to science.

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. 

Amphibian Inventory: The Southeast Coast 

Network detected Chytrid fungus in Southern 

Two-lined Salamanders at Horseshoe Bend 

National Military Park. This is the first time 

that the pathogen has been found in this species which is common to rocky streams. As 

monitoring continues, the known presence of 

this pathogen may aid understanding of amphibian population fluctuations.

Little River Canyon National Preserve. Development of Geo-Referenced Database to Identify 

and Inventory Wetlands: The purpose of the 

project is to complete the inventory and mapping of the wetlands at Little River Canyon. 

The Tennessee Technological University is 

conducting field research for this project. 

Researchers submitted an interim report detailing findings at the close of the 2007 field 

season. Sixty-eight individual wetlands were 

identified and mapped in accordance to project protocols. Significant discoveries include: 

9 wetlands contained rare plants, 4 contained 

exotic plants, and 13 were above average size. 

Approximately 50 percent of the park acreage 

has been inventoried and the project is ongoing in FY 2008.

Learning, and Understanding

Many Water Resources Program projects seek 

to provide science-based information to park 

management to enable them to make informed 

stewardship decisions. Some highlights from 

FY 2007 include:

Grand Teton National Park. Assessment of 

Cutthroat Trout Survival and Growth in Irrigation Ditches off the Gros Ventre River and 

Population Connections to the Snake River: 

Water diversions can influence the quantity 

and quality of habitat available to fish within 

a river system, and often may be a source of 

mortality. Adult trout habitat in the lower 

Gros Ventre River is limited by the effects of 

at least 13 irrigation diversions. Such a large 

proportion of the river flow is diverted that 

fish habitat (and flow) is often completely 

eliminated near the Highway 191 bridge. This 

may reduce the quantity and quality of trout 

habitat in the Gros Ventre River and serve as 

a barrier to fish movement between the Gros 

Ventre and the Snake River systems. A previous study examining water diversions in the 

Gros Ventre River found mountain whitefish 

(Prosopium williamsoni), cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki), speckled dace (Rhinichthys

osculus), and longnose dace (Rhinichthys

cataractae) in several of the diversion ditches. 

Understanding the role of these diversions on 

the potential habitat availability, mortality, and 

movement of cutthroat trout in the Gros Ventre River system is crucial for the conservation 

of this population. Initiated in FY 2007, this 

project is examining the growth and survival 

of fish entrained within the irrigation ditches 

and if cutthroat trout are moving between the 

Gros Ventre and Snake River systems.

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.

Determining Subterranean Groundwater 

Nutrient Input to Coastal Ocean Ecosystem: 

The purpose of this investigation was to help 

characterize the importance of submarine 

groundwater discharge to coastal habitats 

with the objectives of quantifying the flux 

of groundwater and associated nutrient 

into the nearshore of Kaloko-Honokohau 

National Historical Park and determining the 

transport and fate of these materials through 

the park’s coastal waters. These objectives 

were accomplished through chemical analyses 

(organic, inorganic and radiochemical) of 

nearshore and groundwater samples collected 

over six seasonal surveys and time-series 

measurements of hydrodynamic (tides, 

waves, currents, winds) and physical water 

property (temperature, salinity, turbidity) 

data by a team of USGS, Stanford University 

and NPS scientists. The results show that 

groundwater enters the Kaloko-Honokohau 

coastal ocean at high rates (several million 

gallons per day) and contains significantly 

higher concentration of nutrients than 

the surrounding ocean water. Nearshore 

circulation moves this nutrient-rich water 

generally northward at relatively slow rates,

leaving the coastal food web and endemic 

Hawaiian habitats vulnerable to adverse 
86 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

impact by excess nutrients. While some coral 

reef taxa (octocorals) flourish in areas of high 

submarine groundwater discharge, future 

increases in submarine groundwater discharge 

and/or land-derived nutrient concentrations 

could promote more favorable conditions for 

green and brown algae which have led to coral 

reef decline elsewhere, most notably Kaneohe 

Bay, Oahu, and Discovery Bay, Jamaica, in the 

1970s.

Big Hole National Battlefield, Devils Postpile 

National Monument, Hagerman Fossil Beds 

National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds 

National Monument, Kaloko-Honokohau 

National Historical Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Oregon Caves National 

Monument, Pinnacles National Monument, 

Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical 

Park, and Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. Map Wetlands in Small Pacific West 

Region Parks: This project created wetland 

inventories and condition assessments for ten 

small parks in the Pacific West Region. During FY2006 and FY2007 the project biologist 

traveled to each of these parks, conducted 

interviews with managers to assess wetland 

information needs, conducted wetland mapping fieldwork, evaluated the condition of the 

wetlands according to a standard protocol, 

and completed draft reports. The resulting 

maps and condition evaluations will help park 

managers with protecting wetland resources 

and reporting on resource condition goals.

Yellowstone National Park. Norris Geyser 

Basin Health and Safety: Effects of Shallow 

Ground-water System on Dynamic Ground 

Heating, Eruptive Behavior of Thermal Features and Threats to Visitor Safety: Changes in 

the geothermal system at the Norris Geyser 

Basin during the summer of 2003 led to closure of approximately half the developed trails 

(5,800 feet) in the geyser basin because of 

visitor safety concerns. Little is known about 

what causes these changes and whether the 

relocation of boardwalks and trails will be a 

long-term solution to visitor safety issues, but 

changes in hydraulic head in the shallow cold 

ground-water system may affect geothermal 

features and thereby the safety of the public. 

Forty samples were collected in 2007 and analyzed for major ion chemistry, selected trace 

elements, dissolved gases, CFCs, tritium, and 

oxygen isotopes. Major ion and trace element 

samples were analyzed by the USGS National 

Research Program Laboratory in Boulder 

Colorado. Continuous temperature monitoring has also continued in the Norris Geyser 

Basin on thermal features that exhibit changes 

in temperature and eruptive behavior with the 

analysis of these records conducted by Yellowstone staff to delineate the occurrence of 

thermal disturbances in the Norris area.

Sharing

The National Park Service works with partners to engage all Americans in caring for their 

national parks. Through interpretation and 

outreach the Water Resources Program seeks 

to share information with peers and the public. Through partnering with CESUs, state, and 

local governments the Program leverages its 

water resource funds. Examples from FY 2007 

include:

Great Basin National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Death Valley National Park. Hydrologic data collected by NPS

studies for these parks are shared with the 

Nevada State Engineer, southern Nevada water purveyors, and private developers, thereby 

contributing to the larger-scale knowledge of 

regional aquifers and ground water availability 

in southern Nevada. The Park Service also 

presented expert interpretation of the data 

to the State of Nevada at hearings and other 

meetings to inform the Nevada State Engineer 

about the water right and public interest needs 

of park units.

Servicewide Water Resources Data and 

Information Management: The Water Resources Program supports network water 

quality monitoring programs by providing national program administration and reporting, 

establishing baseline inventories and analyses 

of available water quality data, supporting 

digitization of legacy data from analog reports 

and other archival materials, maintaining a 

Servicewide water quality database in the 

EPA-STORET national water quality database, 

and enhancing the means to flow data from 

the Networks into STORET. The database 

facilitates the sharing of information with park 

managers, researchers, and other federal and 

state agencies.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Emergency Measures to Prevent the Introduction of 
 National Park Service 87

Quagga and Zebra Mussels: To prevent the 

spread of Quagga Mussels to Lake Powell, 

the park is reaching out and engaging visitors in stewardship. The park constructed 

“Mussel Free” self-certification stations for 

boats at each of six developed launch ramps. 

Signs were installed at six entrances and 

launch ramps to inform boaters of the selfcertification system. Boaters who undergo the 

certification process receive dashboard certificates. Other outreach materials such as selfcertification packets, Zap the Zebra brochures, 

and educational materials were distributed 

to approximately 100,000 boaters on Lake 

Powell in 2007. In addition to outreach activities, plans were created to respond to potential detection of larval zebra mussels in Lake 

Powell. Dive teams surveyed marina areas for 

adult mussels. A remotely operated submarine 

was used for depths more than 130 feet. The 

park acquired three plankton nets specifically 

designed for larval mussel sampling and purchased a cross-polarizing compound microscope with image analysis capability for veliger 

analysis in the Glen Canyon NRA Wahweap 

Laboratory.

Resource Protection and Restoration

In cases where credible science has shown 

resource impacts, the National Park Service 

seeks to protect and restore park resources.

Grand Teton National Park. Assisted the Environmental Quality Program on a damage 

assessment case involving the introduction of 

non-native plant species at the Snake River 

Gravel Pit reclamation site.

Isle Royale National Park and Mammoth Cave 

National Park completed Water Resources 

Management Plans. These plans will assist the 

parks in assessing current resource condition, 

discuss external influences impacting park 

water resources, and identify needs to fill critical data gaps.

Haleakala National Park. Provided overall coordination on a project to install an automated 

hydrologic monitoring system for natural 

resource management and visitor safety purposes.

Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Assisted 

with continuing a federal-state partnership 

to study the aquifer characteristics of the 

Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer which feeds spring 

flow at the park.

Zion National Park. Provided a professional 

hydrologist for the Intermountain Region 

Burned Area Emergency Restoration (BAER) 

Team for the Dakota Hills Complex. In addition to detailed watershed modeling and 

documentation, recommendations for BAER 

water source restoration treatments and human safety from flash floods were provided in 

the BAER Report.

Pacific West and Intermountain Regions. All 

Risk Incident Team to Prepare a Quagga Mussel 

Detection, Prevention, and Response Planning 

Guide: The purpose of this project was to develop a guide that would assist NPS managers 

in assessing the risk of quagga mussel introduction, developing and implementing early 

detection and prevention programs, and responding appropriately in the event an introduction occurs. The project was undertaken 

in response to the detection of quagga mussels 

(Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) in Lake Mead 

National Recreation Area in January 2007. In 

April 2007, Water Resources Program funded 

an All-Risk Incident Command System Team 

that was charged by the Director with developing a plan to assist NPS units in responding to the threat of quagga and zebra mussel 

introductions. The team was supported by 

subject matter experts from the National 

Park Service, other federal and state agencies, 

and the private sector. In one week, the team 

produced the Quagga/ Zebra Mussel Infestation Prevention and Response Planning Guide. 

The guide has been distributed to regional 

offices and at-risk NPS units and is available 

for download from NPS intranet and internet 

sites with a link on “Inside NPS.” Biological 

Resource Management Program and Water 

Resources Program staffs will work with other 

NPS staff and partners to update the guide as 

new information becomes available.

Niobrara National Scenic River. Bottom sediment and water quality baseline for assessing 

removal of Cornell Dam: The Niobrara National Scenic River is a riparian corridor of 

exceptionally high biological diversity and a 

popular destination for canoeing, fishing, and 

other recreational activities. Cornell Dam is 

located on this segment of the river near Valentine, Nebraska, within the Fort Niobrara 
88 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Wildlife Refuge and just upstream from one of 

the most visible and heavily-used recreational 

reaches. In 1986, the Nebraska Public Power 

District quitclaimed land to the United States 

that included the Cornell Dam and Power 

House. With the impoundment now largely 

filled by sediment, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service is considering decommissioning Cornell Dam. Currently, the quantity and quality 

of the sediment in storage behind the dam is 

largely unknown, as are the effects a release of 

this sediment would have on the river ecosystem upstream and downstream of the site. The 

U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a study 

to assess the physical and ecological effects 

of removing Cornell Dam. The transport of 

sediment through the system will be simulated 

based on measured data, and historical ecological data will be compiled to determine the 

potential for ecosystem alteration caused by 

a new streamflow and sediment regime. Accomplishments include surveying the channel 

geometry, hydraulic properties, and bed-sediment characteristics of the reach downstream 

from the dam.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Determine Factors Contributing to Recent LargeScale Outbreaks of Type E Botulism: In 2006 

and 2007, die-offs of native fish, fish-eating 

birds, and shorebirds have occurred in nearshore Lake Michigan waters, including those 

of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. 

Necropsy results from fish and birds continue 

to indicate type E botulism poisoning. During the summer and fall of 2007, researchers 

explored a potential pathway for botulism 

transfer to fish and fish-eating birds. Investigators deployed continuous water quality 

monitoring devices on the lake bottom and 

recorded temperature, pH, conductivity, and 

dissolved oxygen. They collected monthly 

samples of food web components suspected in 

botulism transfer (i.e., sediments, dreissenid 

mussels, benthic algae, and round gobies) and 

sent them to U.S. Navy collaborators for type 

E botulism toxin analysis. To evaluate trophic 

connections, on one sampling date researchers collected samples (i.e., phytoplankton, 

benthic algae, dreissenids, and round gobies) 

for analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable 

isotopes (with collaborators from the Great 

Lakes WATER Institute), and on several dates 

collected samples of live round gobies and 

dead birds for gut content analysis.

Biological Resource Management

Program

The NPS Organic Act of 1916 directs the National Park Service to “conserve the scenery 

and the natural and historic objects and the 

wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such 

means as will leave them unimpaired for the 

enjoyment of future generations” (emphasis 

added). In 2000 the National Park Service 

established the Biological Resource Management Program to provide a systematic and 

nationwide response to the increasingly complex task of managing biological resources on 

parklands. The Program provides professional, 

science-based support for vegetation mapping, invasive species management, terrestrial 

ecosystem restoration, threatened and endangered species protection, integrated pest management, and wildlife management. Beyond 

professional expertise, the program provides 

competitive funds to facilitate biological resource projects that address issues facing various park units and benefit multiple partners. 

These projects address a myriad of resource 

management needs for aquatic or terrestrial 

plants and animals throughout the National 

Park Service. This improved professional and 

financial capacity was the result of the Natural 

Resource Challenge.

Vegetation Mapping: As part of the Inventory and Monitoring Program, the Vegetation 

Mapping Program develops vegetation map 

inventories for the 270 National Parks in the 

program. Central to the Vegetation Mapping 

Program is adherence to established inventory mapping standards making the inventory 

products nationally consistent, appropriately 

detailed in scale and resolution, and quantitatively assessed for mapping accuracy. The 

Vegetation Mapping Program provides leadership and technical expertise to parks, regions, 

and the Natural Resource Program Center in 

the areas of the National Vegetation Classification Standard and taxonomic classification; 

imagery to render vegetation inventory data 

collection and characterization; field sampling 

design and stratification; partnerships to facilitate vegetation inventory; accuracy assessments; and protocol developments in fire and 

fuels, sparse vegetation sampling, and small 

park mapping.
 National Park Service 89

Invasive Species: The Biological Resource 

Management Program provides a wide range 

of innovative and science-based services and 

policy guidance to manage invasive animal 

and plant species on parklands. Services of 

this program include: policy relating to invasive animals and plants; as well as, technical 

assistance and training to parks on prevention, rapid response, and control of invasive 

animals and plants. The program provides 

guidance on managing the sources of new 

infestations, reducing the effects of existing infestations, and restoring native plant communities and ecosystem functions. To accomplish 

this task, the staff advises and assists parks, regions, and national leadership on management 

of invasive plants and animals and ecosystem 

restoration. Management of invasive species is 

a growing and expanding program within the 

National Park System. Virtually all park units 

have reported the presence of invasive species 

and most units are now actively working to 

manage these invasive species. The majority of 

Vital Signs networks have identified invasive 

species as a priority for monitoring.

Ecosystem Restoration: The Ecosystem 

Management and Restoration Program supports ecosystem approaches and consistency 

to policy and practices in parks. The Program 

continues to balance its role of national program management with direct support to 

park-specific needs. Staff provides support 

and technical expertise to parks, regions, and 

the Natural Resource Program Center in the 

areas of biostatistics, statistical modeling, data 

analyses, study design, species of management 

concern, risk assessments, and All Taxa Biodiversity Inventories. The Ecosystem Management and Restoration Program provides biostatistics support to parks and NPS programs 

through an agreement with the University of 

Wyoming.

Endangered Species Program: During the 

last ten years, the Endangered Species Program has made measurable progress in improving the condition of federally listed and 

candidate species in the National Park System. 

As of October 2007, there were 481 species 

with 1,179 populations listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 204 NPS units. 

Some vertebrate species, such as Chinook 

salmon, steelhead, and whooping cranes, are 

listed as distinct populations. The Endangered 

Species program funds conservation needs 

for nine taxa groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, 

fish, plants, invertebrates, amphibians, insects, 

and arachnids. Plants include flowering plants, 

lichens, fern and fern allies, conifers, and cycads. Invertebrates include corals, crustaceans, 

clams, and snails. Mammals and birds represent 24 percent of the listed species in parks 

and drew 55 percent of the 2007 NRPP funding. In FY 2008, the number of populations 

making progress toward recovery will change. 

This is due to the change in status of bald 

eagle (130 populations), gray wolf (12 populations), and grizzly bear (3 populations) whose 

populations will change to delisted/monitored 

and will be reported to Congress under the 

Species of Management Concern goal. Some 

grizzly bear and gray wolf populations remain 

federally listed in parts of their range.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Federal 

law directs all federal agencies to implement 

research, demonstration, and education 

programs to support adoption of Integrated 

Pest Management and to use these management techniques in carrying out pest management activities through procurement 

and regulatory policies, and other activities. 

The National Park Service implements a 

nationwide IPM Program to reduce risk 

from pests and pest related management 

activities affecting the public, employees, 

park resources, and the environment. The 

IPM process involves the coordinated use 

of science-based decision-making, pest 

biology, environmental information, site 

ecology, and available technology to prevent 

unacceptable levels of pest damage using 

cost effective means and posing the least 

possible risk to people and resources. IPM 

incorporates the concepts of adaptive management.

Wildlife Management: The Program addresses the complex tasks of wildlife management 

through three focal areas: Human-Dimensions 

of Biological Resource Management, Migratory Bird Program, and Wildlife Health.

Human dimensions research is the acquisition of information that explains human 

thought and action regarding wildlife, using 

the concepts and methods of social science. 

The biological dimensions of wildlife management have been a focus of inquiry for nearly 
90 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

a century, and while it is acknowledged that 

more biological science knowledge is needed 

in many cases, the greatest need in some situations is for knowledge about the human 

dimensions of wildlife management. The field 

of human dimensions seeks to understand 

human traits and looks at ways to incorporate 

that understanding into wildlife management 

planning and actions. Specifically, human 

dimensions of wildlife management refers to 

understanding: how and why people value 

wildlife, what benefits people seek and derive 

from wildlife, and how people affect and are 

affected by wildlife management.

The Park Flight Migratory Bird Program 

works to protect shared migratory bird species 

and their habitats in U.S. national parks. The 

program also develops bird conservation and 

education projects, and creates opportunities for technical exchange and cooperation 

between U.S. national parks and protected 

areas or parks in Canada, Latin America, and 

the Caribbean. Park Flight is a partnership 

between the National Park Service, National 

Park Foundation, American Airlines, National 

Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the University of Arizona. The program is made possible 

through the generous support of American 

Airlines, the Natural Resource Challenge, and 

the Park Flight partners. Technical direction is 

provided by the University of Arizona Desert 

Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies 

Unit and the NPS Biological Resource Management Program.

The Wildlife Health Program provides professional veterinary and wildlife management 

support to parks, regions, and the NPS Directorate on the policy and technical aspects 

of wildlife diseases and their management, 

preventive health actions, fertility control, 

field anesthesia, and animal welfare issues. It 

provides Servicewide leadership in addressing 

highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in 

wildlife and chronic wasting disease (CWD) 

on NPS lands. The Program provided technical assistance, consultation, and training to 

enhance the ability of park staff to meet the 

increasing demands of wildlife health issues 

including field anesthesia, sample collection 

and diagnostics, disease management, animal 

welfare, and fertility control, partnering with 

numerous other programs within the National 

Park Service, most notably the Office of Public 

Health and Risk Management Program.

Whether addressing flora or fauna, all of the 

Biological Resource Management Program 

areas seek to fulfill the mandate of the Organic 

Act. These stewardship activities follow the 

natural resource management cycle of discovery, learning, understanding, sharing, resource 

protection and restoration, and evaluation. 

Highlights from FY 2007 efforts are below.

Discovery

National parks are dynamic environments 

where discoveries are often waiting under 

rocks or leaves. Basic research, baseline inventories, or observation sometimes lead to exciting new information as in the example below.

Olympic National Park. All Taxa Biodiversity 

Inventory: A coordinated comprehensive All 

Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) was conducted at Olympic National Park to serve as a 

western prototype analogous to the successful 

effort at Great Smoky Mountains National 

Park in the eastern United States. An ATBI is 

an effort to survey as much of the invertebrate 

and non-vascular plant biota of a park as possible in a relatively short time. A successful 

effort requires the participation of both professional and citizen scientists to conduct the 

surveys and interpret the findings so that they 

can be included in management decisions. 

The results include early detection of invasive 

plants and animals, and documenting the distribution and abundance of rare, threatened, 

and endangered species.

Learning and Understanding

In order to preserve parks for the enjoyment 

of current and future generations, the National Park Service seeks to make stewardship decisions based on scientifically sound information. Natural resource projects provide park 

managers the tools needed to make informed 

decisions.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Bison Conservation: One of the primary data gaps in understanding the genetic 

architecture across North American bison 

conservation herds involves the lack of detailed genetic information from populations 

like the Medano-Zapata Ranch in the San Luis 

Valley of south central Colorado. This valley 
 National Park Service 91

also harbors the Great Sand Dunes National 

Park and constitutes the most biologically significant landscape of its size in Colorado. As a 

first step in closing this data gap, researchers 

evaluated levels of domestic cattle mitochondrial and nuclear introgression in this herd 

as well as other U.S. and Canadian government conservation bison herds. This work 

has been partially supported through grants 

and funds administrated through The Nature 

Conservancy. Archive DNA sources collected 

during this study will be extremely valuable 

in evaluating genetic diversity and relationships among different bison herds. Anticipated 

results will give managers of this bison herd 

baseline information for the establishment of 

successful long term management priorities 

and possibly provide guidance for increasing 

the size and geographic distribution of these 

animals outside their current boundaries.

Grand Canyon National Park. Collecting DNA 

from Mountain Lions: Gaining information 

through noninvasive techniques about wild 

animal populations has always been a logistical challenge, particularly with carnivores, 

which are generally secretive and costly to 

capture and study. DNA samples from fieldcollected hair, tissue, and feces yield insights 

and data about these elusive creatures. A fiveyear study of mountain lions within Grand 

Canyon National Park is proving that DNA 

sampling and analysis is an effective, low-cost 

method for detecting and identifying individual mountain lions, kinship, and population 

estimates. During the fifth year of this study, 

the mountain lion research team succeeded in 

humanely capturing and radio-collaring seven 

animals. Remote cameras photographed several others, including a female with three cubs. 

Because radio-collaring provides extensive 

information about mountain lion territories 

and predation sites, this data is particularly 

valuable and confirms how closely the movements of these animals intersect with humans 

in the park.

Greater Yellowstone National Park. Risk 

Assessment Models for Aquatic Invasive Species: Staff explored statistical risk assessment 

models that could efficiently and effectively 

evaluate the potential for establishment and 

spread of aquatic invasive species in national 

parks. The results provide information to park 

managers to assist in the allocation of limited 

resources to combat known invasive species 

with the highest potential for invasion, spread 

and harm. Initial application of risk assessment is planned for the greater Yellowstone 

National Park area. There is potential for risk 

assessments to be applied efficiently and effectively at a national scale.

The Vegetation Mapping Program has ongoing projects in 172 national parks. Of those, 127 

parks are GPRA goal complete (i.e. completion of a draft map). The program has completed 30 national park mapping projects, currently discoverable and downloadable from a 

joint USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping web site 

(http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/).

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Characterization of Changes Regarding 

the Inventory of Fish Populations at the Barataria Preserve: The objectives of this study 

were to assess changes in the composition 

and distribution of fish communities in the 

Barataria Preserve. The project documented 

the presence of newly introduced rare, threatened, endangered or non-native fish species 

that may require special management action. 

Scientists sampled 7,142 fish representing 

68 species. Habitat conditions within Lake 

Cataoutche have changed dramatically in the 

last few years. Freshwater entering the lake 

from the diversion has increased the amount 

of submerged aquatic vegetation which may 

have led to the increase in habitat for freshwater species. At the same time, there appears 

to be a greater diversity of euryhaline (able 

to adapt to a wide range of salinities) species than found in previous surveys. Despite 

this increase, there has been no change in 

salinity. Instead, the increase in diversity and 

abundance may be due to a broader base 

in the food chain from what appears to be 

greater primary productivity in the lake. An 

increase in nursery grounds has increased 

the number and diversity of species entering 

the lake and exploiting this food source. Park 

managers will use the scientific information on 

the changes in the fish fauna as a foundation 

for advising stakeholders of the Davis Pond 

Freshwater Diversion.

Zion National Park. Fire Management Effects on Native Bee Diversity and Abundance 

in Relation to Rare Plant Conservation: The 

objectives of this study were to inventory bee 
92 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

species within the park, assess affects of recent 

fire projects upon bee abundance and diversity, and develop protocols for use in fire planning and monitoring effects on bees as a critical component of the pollinator fauna. Bees 

were collected from 12 paired plots (burned 

and unburned) in similar habitats and from 

random collection points. More than 9,000 

bee specimens were collected in the 2007 field 

season and are currently being processed and 

identified at the USDA lab in Logan, Utah. 

Bees from the 2006 field season have been 

processed and 224 additional species were 

identified bringing Zion’s total number of bee 

species to 328. Plot data was analyzed and differences in abundance were detected between 

burned and non-burned plots (more abundance and diversity in burned plots).

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Investigate Causal Factors of Harbor Seal Decline: 

Harbor seals are an important apex predator 

and the most numerous marine mammal in 

Glacier Bay; however, harbor seals have declined by up to 75 percent in the park since 

1992. This project examined several causative 

factors as part of a multi-agency collaborative 

study to address hypotheses related to harbor 

seal declines. Scientists collected data to assess 

the behavioral effects of vessel disturbance at 

harbor seal haul outs, identify foraging areas, 

habitat use, and movements of seals during 

the breeding and non breeding season, and 

assess contaminant loads and disease status in 

harbor seals. The park initiated CESU agreements with San Jose State University to assess 

the effects of vessel disturbance on harbor 

seals, and University of Alaska Fairbanks to 

assess disease status and contaminant load in 

harbor seals. Two harbor seal capture trips occurred (n = 49 seals captured), 59 days were 

spent quantifying vessel use and the behavioral response of seals to vessel disturbance, 

and satellite tags were deployed (n = 15) to 

assess overwinter movements. Collection of 

samples and processing began for a systematic 

evaluation of serum antibodies to specific 

disease agents, assessment of concentrations 

of non-essential elements, and contaminant 

loads (e.g., chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, 

brominated flame retardants) in harbor seals. 

Presentations highlighting research were developed and given to park Interpretive and 

Resource Management Programs.

Sharing

The National Park Service works with partners to engage all Americans in caring for their 

national parks. Information is shared with 

scientific peers and the public through interpretation and outreach. Funds are leveraged 

through partnering with CESUs, state, and 

local governments. Examples from FY 2007 

include:

Biscayne National Park. Conserving Threatened and Endangered Sea Turtles: The objective 

of this two-year project were to increase nesting success of sea turtles by: (1) increasing the 

spatial coverage and frequency of monitoring 

efforts, and thus the number of nests protected from predators; (2) improving the quality of 

nesting habitat through beach cleanups; (3) to 

increase our knowledge of the number of sea 

turtles nesting annually in Biscayne; and (4) 

increase public awareness of sea turtle conservation issues through public outreach. During 

the summer nesting season, beaches were 

monitored and new nests were protected with 

wire screens to prevent predation by raccoons. 

Increased frequency of survey efforts allowed 

for early identification and protection of sea 

turtle nests. Beach clean-up events were critical in removing large amounts of debris from 

the beaches, so that beaches could be more 

easily accessed by nesting female turtles and 

traversed by newly emerged hatchlings. Summer interns were able to complete their duties 

across a large spatial area on a consistent basis 

and thus were better able to protect new nests 

while getting a more accurate estimate of the 

number of sea turtles nesting annually in the 

park. Biscayne staff recruited and trained summer interns in May so that they could more 

effectively monitor the beaches during June 

and July, when monitoring is most vital to nest 

success. In 2007, three Student Conservation 

Association (SCA) interns conducted daily 

surveys beginning in June, thus protecting five 

new nests from raccoons. The daily monitoring improved the ability to identify new nests 

and provide immediate protection from predation. By September, four of the five nests 

had hatched, and each was assessed for nest 

size, hatching success, and other nest variables. Objectives 1 and 3 were met by increasing beach monitoring efforts within Biscayne. 

Objectives 2 and 4 were met by the inclusion 

of the public, particularly volunteer organizations and individuals.

Yellowstone National Park. Boater Education 

Program: Staff assisted in obtaining a $25,000 

grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
 National Park Service 93

for Yellowstone National Park to implement 

a boater education program at Yellowstone 

Lake. The goal of the education program was 

to prevent the introduction of invasive aquatic 

plants and animals into Yellowstone waters.

Resource Protection and Restoration

In cases where credible science has shown 

resource impacts, the National Park Service 

seeks to protect and restore park resources. 

Highlights of FY 2007 include:

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Grand 

Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon 

National Recreation Area. Zebra Mussel Prevention and Control: Staff provided technical 

assistance to Lake Mead National Recreation 

Area, Grand Canyon National Park, and Glen 

Canyon National Recreation Area on zebra 

mussel prevention, control, and outreach. 

Staff facilitated access to international experts, 

chaired science committee for Lake Mead, 

and contributed to management discussion 

at respective workshops. Branch and Water 

Resources Program also participated in Lake 

Mead partnership monitoring and management workshop to discuss current and ongoing efforts by all parties in the Lake Mead area 

with regard to quaggas.

Rocky Mountain National Park. Integrated Pest 

Management Partnership with USDA Forest 

Service: The native mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is a cyclic pest found 

in the park and other areas. This native insect 

attacks lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, whitebark pine, limber pine, and western white pine 

on a cyclic basis. Recent infestations however, 

are more severe and may be linked to drought 

and possibly climate change. Egg laying on 

trees is synchronized to avoid temperatures 

lethal to the developing larvae. Climate change 

may alter the situation causing beetle activity 

to shift to higher elevations and have more 

generations/season. Damaged timber creates 

a great increase in available fuel loads and increases risk of fire near developed areas. Early 

detection and use of pheromone trap traps 

developed by the USDA Forest Service are being employed.

Harbor seal hauled out on glacial 

ice in Johns Hopkins Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park.

NPS Photo: Jamie N. Womble
94 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Evaluation

The need for credible data does not end with 

the restoration process. Once decisions have 

been made and actions taken, park managers need to know the impact of those actions. 

Long term monitoring and evaluation provide 

not only data on the success of past efforts, 

but also information to guide future stewardship.

Mount Rainier National Park. Assess Status 

Of Native Bull Trout & Cutthroat Populations: 

The purpose of this project was to confirm 

native char and trout stock presence in Mount 

Rainier National Park and to determine the 

extent of hybridization in three watersheds in 

the park. The specific objectives of this project 

were to obtain a baseline genetic profile and 

species delineation; provide a comparison of 

genetics within and among basins; provide 

information essential to meet National Environmental Policy Act mandates for specific 

construction projects; and to incorporate 

knowledge gained in this study into the statewide and regional information base to facilitate better understanding of the status of these 

species including native char distribution and 

the range-wide distribution of Dolly Varden 

and bull trout in the state. During the first year 

of this project Mount Rainier National Park 

field crews surveyed 81 streams throughout 

the park. Eighty-nine fin clips were obtained 

from native char in 14 streams. Two-hundredfifteen fin clips were obtained from trout in 

42 streams. Fin clips were preserved labeled 

and logged and shipped to the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Abernathy Fish Lab and to the U.S. 

Geologic Survey, Western Fisheries Research 

Center for char and trout identification, respectively, using DNA analysis.

Integrated Pest Management. Pesticide Use: 

Pesticides and biological control agents are 

two higher risk tools in the IPM toolbox. 

Other IPM tools include mechanical, physical, 

cultural pest management strategies. National 

Park Service tracks use of these tools through 

the Pesticide Use Proposal System. More than 

2,560 Pesticide Use Proposals (PUPs) were 

submitted in 2007. The Regional IPM Coordinators reviewed 2,360 PUPs and 202 PUPs 

required second level review from Washington 

Office IPM Staff. The second level of review is 

reserved and required for proposals that may 

affect threatened and endangered species, are 

restricted use pesticides, aerial application, applications to more than 400 contiguous acres, 

or that may affect aquatic systems.

Data on park-level populations of invasive 

animals are being collected as part of Servicewide GPRA accountability requirements. Information collected will assist in setting priorities and measure accomplishments on invasive 

animal management. This is a joint effort by 

the National Park Service and the Colorado 

Natural Heritage Program.

Geologic Resources Program

Since the designation of the very first national 

park in 1872, geology has played an important 

role in the establishment and appreciation of 

national parks. In the years leading up to its 

creation, explorers’ reports of Yellowstone’s 

geysers and other geologic wonders captured 

the imaginations and hearts of the American people. Recognizing the scientific value 

and natural wonders of the area, in 1872 the 

42nd U.S. Congress established Yellowstone 

National Park as the nation and world’s first 

national park.

Today, 136 years since Yellowstone’s designation and almost 100 years since the establishment of the National Park Service, geology 

continues to play an important role in the 

creation and management of parks. Of the 391 

NPS units more than 160 parks contain significant geologic resources. Scientifically important fossil deposits are found in 150 parks; 81 

parks contain 3,600 known caves; and another 

40 parks have known karst systems. Ninetyseven parks protect 7,000 miles of shoreline, 

52 parks contain geothermal systems, 38 

parks have volcanoes as a major feature, and 

37 have active glacial features. Park museum 

collections have more than 35,000 geological 

specimens and nearly 416,000 paleontological 

specimens. Equally important to preservation 

of parks are the active geologic processes that 

affect all park units. These processes could be 

as universal as weathering, erosion, and sedimentation, or may be as regional as major river 

systems, volcanism, glaciation, or earthquakes.

Despite the prevalence and significance of 

geologic features and processes to the National Park System; most parks, regions, and 

networks do not have specialized geologic 

expertise. In many instances, park managers 

must contend with geologic hazards and the 
 National Park Service 95

ongoing effects of human activities such as 

mining, energy, and urban development. Climate change and the increasing demand for 

oil, gas, and minerals confront park resource 

managers with a widening array of complex 

resource management issues.

In response to parks’ need for geologic expertise, the National Park Service established the 

Geologic Resources Program. The Program, in 

partnership with parks, regions, networks, and 

others, works to preserve, protect, enhance, 

and understand geologic features and processes and integrate this knowledge into resource 

stewardship within the National Park System. 

Geoscience, engineering, environmental protection, and policy specialists provide leadership and guidance to parks throughout the 

National Park System to integrate geologic resource information into the decision-making 

process.

The Program is well positioned to effectively 

and efficiently provide technical, scientific, legal, and policy information for parks, regions, 

networks, and the Directorate. However, since 

its inception the program has had limited 

funding with base budget essentially limited 

to professional staff personnel costs. The Program accomplishes many of its projects by utilizing partnerships with geologic organizations 

and leveraging funds from other NPS sources, 

such as the Recreational Fee and Natural 

Resource Preservation Programs (NRPP). 

In 2000, the program received a Natural Resource Challenge increase of $695,000 to add 

six geologic specialists. In the years following 

that increase; however, budget erosion due to 

an essentially flat budget and increasing costs 

have reduced that support capability to just 

two of those specialists. 

In FY 2007, the Program was actively involved 

in park management projects across the National Park System, ranging from coastal management and hurricane response to disturbed 

lands restoration, fossil resource protection, 

and the permitting of mineral operations. The 

Program has 24 permanent staff engaged in 

providing geoscience technical assistance and 

policy and regulatory support to park managers, as well as presenting NPS geologic education and outreach to the public. Through its 

professional staff and partnerships with the 

professional geoscience community, the program guides NPS endeavors to address geologic processes and features in park resource 

management and operations. Geologic and 

soils mapping and associated resource evaluations provide parks with key information for 

resource management. Other program efforts 

help parks to restore lands and remediate 

resource damage caused by previous human 

activities, including abandoned mineral operations, and to avoid or mitigate potential 

adverse effects from mineral development in 

and around parks. The Program also leads 

NPS involvement in the establishment of the 

National Cave and Karst Research Institute. 

Eight partner employees as well as numerous 

student interns and volunteers work directly 

with the Program to augment staffing.

Though the Geologic Resources Program’s activities span the natural resource management 

cycle of discovery, learning, understanding, 

sharing, resource protection and restoration, 

and evaluation; FY 2007 highlights focus primarily on learning and understanding, sharing, and resource protection and restoration.

Learning and Understanding

Coastal Geology. The Program’s coastal 

geology staff provides technical support and 

programmatic guidance to the almost 100 

NPS units with coastal and lakeshore geology 

concerns. Program staff also continued to coordinate the Servicewide “coastal team” to enhance communication and consistency across 

the Programs and improve assistance to parks, 

regions, and the NPS Directorate. Highlights 

include:

Coastal geology staff continued to provide 

support to parks recovering from the series 

of major storms in 2005, including Hurricane 

Katrina that made landfall on units of Gulf Islands National Seashore and Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Program 

staff coordinated with other agencies and 

university scientists to provide coastal process 

expertise to park managers, including serving 

as the NPS primary contact with the USGS 

on hurricane science, and providing baseline 

geologic information and remote sensing data 

to affected parks. Staff also provided extensive 

coastal geology and policy support to Gulf 

Islands and senior NPS management concerning alternatives for replacing hurricanedamaged roads in the park. This input helped 
96 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

shape the ultimate decision to replace the 

damaged roads with low-cost designs compatible with natural barrier island processes, consistent with NPS policy.

Coastal geology staff coordinated a Storm 

Hazard Project funded by the Recreation 

Fee Program. The project included a Coastal 

Engineering Inventory and an assessment of 

cumulative impacts from coastal engineering 

structures in ocean and coastal parks. USGS 

conducted new Storm Vulnerability Assessments at Cape Lookout, Cumberland Island 

and Fire Island National Seashores.

Staff also provided extensive technical support 

to Gulf Islands National Seashore on environmental and policy implications pertaining to 

the development of a science-based barrier 

island restoration strategy for inclusion in the 

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) proposed Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program Comprehensive Plan and Environmental 

Impact Statement which will be presented 

in a status report to Congress in December 

2007. The recommended restoration strategy, 

developed in close coordination with coastal 

resource specialists representing USGS, USFWS, NOAA, EPA, and USACE, addresses 

immediate and long-term actions to mitigate 

substantial erosion and land loss on the barrier islands.

Staff provided technical guidance with new 

tidal inlet formation in Cape Cod National 

Seashore as a result of an extratropical storm.

At a forum for discussing, “The state of the 

science for assessing and mapping coastal 

hazards” in July 2007, staff gave a presentation entitled “Storm Vulnerability Assessments 

and Management Implications in Ocean and 

Coastal National Parks.”

Staff worked closely with Inventory and Monitoring Networks to define coastal resource 

monitoring plans and inventory needs. Collaboration with the USGS continues to yield 

new protocols for integrating coastal geologic 

maps of submerged marine resources with 

map coverage of adjacent lands at KalokoHonokohau National Historical Park and Dry 

Tortugas National Park.

Staff served as the NPS advisor on a “Coastal 

Elevations and Sea-level Rise” Climate Change 

Science Program Federal Advisory committee. 

Assessments of vulnerability to sea-level rise 

were published for four parks as a result of the 

ongoing USGS-NPS “Vulnerability of Coastal 

Resources to Climate Change” project, undertaken with NRPP and Recreational Fee funds.

Geological Hazards. Staff provided technical 

expertise to seven parks concerning the assessment and evaluation of geologic hazards. 

Staff acquired scientific information about the 

nature of a park’s geologic hazards and the 

degree of risk they represent, then incorporated that information into the planning process 

and other park management decisions so that 

exposure of people and facilities to hazards 

is minimized. Since the control of naturally 

occurring geologic processes are generally expensive, often futile, and typically have harmful impacts that can outweigh their benefits, 

recommendations were provided to assist park 

management in taking the appropriate actions. 

Examples of technical support for the year 

included the assessment of a rock fall above a 

popular hiking trail at Devils Tower National 

Monument, the evaluation of a large landslide 

at the Drewry’s Bluff Unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park, appraisal of a rock fall 

that resulted in two fatalities at Glen Canyon 

National Recreation Area, and coordination 

with USDA-FS Geologists and Glaciologists 

on glacial outburst potential at Klondike Gold 

Rush National Historical Park.

Paleontology. Diverse fossil resources have 

been documented in 181 parks and include 

plants ranging from microscopic algae and 

pollen to leaves and petrified logs, and animals 

ranging from marine shells to dinosaurs and 

Ice Age mammals, as well as trace fossils such 

as vertebrate tracks, burrows, and coprolites. 

Many of these natural resources in parks are 

of international significance and critical to 

understanding the history of life on Earth. The 

Natural Resource Challenge provided funding 

to support a paleontologist to develop a Servicewide program to manage fossil resources 

in the National Park System, and to provide 

technical assistance to parks. In FY 2005, the 

incumbent vacated the position and it has 

remained unfilled due to funding constraints, 

resulting from increasing personnel costs and 

across-the-board budget reductions.
 National Park Service 97

The Program received Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program funding in 2007 to review and compile research literature and data 

on paleontological resources into summary 

reports for all parks in select I&M networks. 

Over a three-year period, this project will 

produce comprehensive summary reports for 

19 I&M networks, encompassing 168 parks, 

thereby completing such reports for all 32 

networks. The preparation of these summary 

reports is an initial first step to proper management of fossils in parks.

Technical support was provided to six parks 

and one national natural landmark on paleontological resources management issues in 

FY 2007.

Geologic Resource Evaluation. The Geologic Resource Evaluation (GRE), funded by 

the Natural Resource Challenge through the 

Inventory and Monitoring Program, provides 

digital geologic maps and geology-related 

information to parks. The Program helps 

park managers integrate the use of geologic 

resource information in resource management 

decisions. The GRE provides parks with three 

main products: an on-site scoping meeting 

with park staff and geologic experts to evaluate and discuss the park’s geologic resources 

and related resource management issues, 

along with investigating existing geologic 

research and paper maps; a comprehensive 

digital geologic map; and a comprehensive 

geologic report.

In 2007, scoping meetings to evaluate park 

geologic resources and issues had been held 

at 202 parks. In addition to staff and park 

resource managers, knowledgeable geologic 

experts from the USGS, state geologic surveys, 

and universities participate in these meetings 

and provide valuable insights and follow-up 

information and assistance. Six new geologic 

reports addressing park geologic resource 

management issues were distributed to their 

respective parks, networks, and regions in 

2007. Of the 270 parks characterized as natural 

area parks by the Inventory and Monitoring 

Program, staff and partners have completed 

digital geologic maps for 115 parks, which are 

served on the NR-GIS DataStore.

In addition to providing Yellowstone National 

Park with a digital geologic map, the GRE 

team also completed the geologically complex 

Great Basin National Park, the only geologic 

map available for that part of the country. The 

team provided Mammoth Cave National Park

with digital geologic coverage of its entire biosphere reserve.

The team also completed maps for Cape Hatteras and Padre Island National Seashores, the 

first in a series of national seashore maps. Unlike traditional geologic maps, shoreline maps, 

particularly along barrier islands, require 

mapping methodologies incorporating landforms, vegetation, soil, and coastal processes. 

No consensus among mapping agencies exists 

yet on the standards these maps need to meet. 

The national seashore maps are unique in that 

they are produced using new protocols developed by the National Park Service in collaboration with the USGS, state surveys, and academic institutions. Cape Lookout, Canaveral, 

and Assateague Island National Seashores

could follow in 2008.

The program has now produced digital geologic maps for most of the iconic geologic 

parks. Denali, Mount Rainier, Glacier, Yosemite, Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Teton, Rocky 

Mountain, Carlsbad Caverns, Everglades, Badlands, Wind Cave, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes and Great Smoky 

Mountains National Parks are completed and 

available for park resource managers and the 

public to use and enjoy. Death Valley, Grand 

Canyon, and Big Bend National Parks have 

new mapping underway that is expected to be 

completed by the end of FY 2008. Additionally, national monuments with a strong paleontologic theme such as Fossil Butte, Petrified 

Forest, and Hagerman Fossil Beds, Florissant 

Fossil Beds, and Agate Fossil Beds have completed maps. Cave and karst national monuments are represented on the list of completed 

maps with Jewel and Timpanogos Caves. Other geologic themed national monuments, such 

as Craters of the Moon, El Malpais, Scotts 

Bluff, and Devils Tower are also complete.

Soil Resources Inventory and Management. 

The Soil Resources Inventory and Management (SRI) project, funded by the Natural 

Resource Challenge through the Inventory 

and Monitoring Program, provides digital soil 

maps and soil resource management information to parks. Soils information including the 

physical, chemical, and biological properties 

is essential for park resource management and 
98 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

protection, as well as providing park managers 

with the ability to predict the behavior of a soil 

under alternative uses. The natural features 

and diverse plant and animal communities 

depend on maintaining soil functions that 

support plant growth and limit accelerated 

soil erosion.

The SRI operates extensively through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation 

Service (NRCS) and the National Cooperative 

Soil Survey to undertake soil surveys in parks. 

Through this partnership, the SRI helps parks 

secure the information needed to manage soil 

sustainability and to protect water quality, 

wetlands, vegetation communities, and wildlife habitats. The information also assists the 

control of exotic species and establishment of 

native communities, as well as management of 

potentially high-use or developed areas in the 

park (e.g., visitor centers, campgrounds, trails, 

access roads). The key SRI products are digital 

maps of the park soils; data about the physical, 

chemical, and biological properties of those 

soils; information on the use and management of these soils; metadata; and information 

products such as a soil survey manuscript, fact 

sheets, and image galleries. The information 

is in sufficient detail for application by park 

managers, planners, engineers, scientists, and 

researchers to specific areas of concern. As of 

the end of FY 2007, 141 NPS units have a completed soil resource inventories, with an additional 86 parks underway. In FY 2007, the SRI 

for Joshua Tree National Park was initiated. 

This project will contain soil interpretations 

that will provide ratings for Burrowing Habitat 

Suitability for Desert Tortoises, based upon 

identified soil physical properties. Biologists 

and other researchers can use these ratings as 

part of an overall ecological model to help determine critical habitat for these species. 

The SRI is also working closely with the Appalachian Highlands Network, the Chihuahuan Desert Network, and the Northern 

and Southern Colorado Plateau Networks 

to develop strategies to complete the SRI to 

support their ongoing vital signs monitoring activities that have identified soils as an 

important vital sign. Other examples of the 

Program’s soil resources management efforts 

in 2007 include:

Channel Islands National Park: Assisted the 

Water Resources Program in using information from the recently completed soil 

resources inventory to identify locations of 

hydric soils in a wetlands restoration project at 

Prisoner’s Harbor.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park: Provided technical assistance regarding issues 

for locating suitable “on site” and “off site” 

soil material for a proposed protective campground berms that would not conflict with 

native soils in the area and not affect the user 

experience in the campground, while at the 

same time minimize the potential for establishment of invasive plant species.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and John 

Day Fossil Beds National Monument: Provided technical assistance to Denver Service 

Center staff regarding the development of 

applicable Soils sections for the General Management Plans.

Sharing

Given the limited internal NPS geoscience 

capacity, assistance from the broader geologic 

community is important to supporting park 

resource management. Fortunately, the professional geoscience community has been very 

responsive to park needs. Through the Geologic Resources Program, the National Park 

Service has been able to channel this external 

professional interest to yield positive results 

for parks. Partner organizations, such as the 

American Geological Institute, Geologic Society of America, U.S. Geological Survey, and 

State Geologic Agencies have facilitated geologic research, education, and interpretation 

efforts and leveraged NPS funds for resource 

management projects in parks. These partnerships have lead to improved park geoscience 

information and associated resource management actions and better geologic information 

sharing with the public. Many of these partnerships are essential to the progress in accomplishing geologic inventory efforts under 

both the Geologic Resource Evaluation and 

the Soil Resources Inventory. The latter activity relies heavily on its partnership with the 

Natural Resources Conservation Service in 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Geologic Education and Outreach. Staff 

began education and outreach efforts in 
 National Park Service 99

Geoscientists-in-the-Parks (GIP) 

participants provide parks with 

technical expertise. GIP Kathryn 

Bernard collects a sample at Oregon Caves National Monument.

1996 to increase park and public awareness 

of the unique geologic resources in national 

parks and to engage the professional geology 

community and earth science educators in 

assisting parks with geologic resource management and research issues and using parks for 

teaching geology. Staff activities are designed 

to enhance learning and nurture people’s appreciation for significant geologic resources in 

parks, thereby helping preserve America’s heritage. Outreach conveys the knowledge gained 

through research and resource management to 

decision makers and the public. Many of our 

National Parks have depended on the Program 

and its expertise for assistance in developing 

and maintaining high quality geologic education and outreach materials and in collaborating with the geoscience community to assist 

park resource management.

Geoscientists-in-the-Parks. Staff manages 

the Geoscientists-in-the-Parks (GIP) program, 

working with professional geologic organizations and the academic community to meet 

the large backlog of park geoscience needs. 

The GIP program accomplishment in FY 

2007 included placing 26 geoscientist participants in 17 parks, receiving most assistance 

through volunteer experts and students and 

other support at greatly reduced cost. These 

partnerships realized more than a 4:1 direct 

and in-kind match to NPS funds, gaining 

more than $378,000 worth of expertise with 

$78,000 in direct NPS funding and in-kind 

contributions. Geoscientists-in-the-Parks park 

projects reached tens of thousands of park 

visitors with geologic outreach and education 

programs, and hundreds of thousands more 

benefited through web site visits. Participants 

in the GIP program helped parks meet critical needs in natural resource management, 

research, public safety, and both formal and 

informal education. 

National Cave and Karst Research Institute. 

The year 2007 was a transitional year in the 

development of the National Cave and Karst 

Research Institute (NCKRI). The legislation 

that directed the National Park Service to establish the Institute near Carlsbad, New Mexico, also included direction that the Service 

jointly administers NCKRI with another pri-
100 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

vate entity responsible for day-to-day administration. This management plan was brought to 

fruition in FY 2007 with the formal transfer of 

administrative responsibility to New Mexico 

Tech and the creation of a broad-based Board 

of Directors to guide the Institute. The NCKRI Executive Director position was transferred 

to New Mexico Tech, and their recruitment 

action resulted in the October 2006 selection 

the full time director.

During FY 2007, the Director undertook extensive outreach efforts to institutions, organizations and individuals to help foster awareness of the important mission of the institute 

and establish new partners. He has forged new 

working relationships with both national and 

international partners. He also has established 

a very effective working relation with the 

members of the Institute’s Board of Directors. 

The board is made up of more than a dozen 

key members of the academic, federal, and 

professional cave and karst communities that 

function as a cohesive group focused on helping to advance the Institute.

Excellent progress has been made toward 

construction of a NCKRI building that will 

incorporate sustainability features for energy 

efficiency and green building materials. Construction will begin in early summer 2008.

Resource Protection and Restoration

Cave and Karst. The National Park Service 

manages more than 121 parks containing karst 

and cave features. In FY 2007, the Program’s 

cave and karst program coordinator continued to support the efforts of cave conservation, management, protection, and science 

throughout the National Park System until his 

retirement in March. Technical support highlights for the year include:

Provided oversight to parks that received Fee 

Demo project money to survey and inventory 

caves. This included a last moment shuffle to 

assign project money to survey and inventory 

caves at Kalaupapa National Historical Park

on the island of Molokai.

Assisted El Malpais National Monument with 

technical advice on their cave survey and inventory program including updated software 

and other data storage and use recommendations.

Provided technical advice to Lava Beds National Monument on their cave management 

program and on specific infrastructure and 

ice-monitoring problems.

Disturbed Land Restoration/Abandoned 

Mineral Lands Reclamation. The Natural 

Resource Challenge established the NRPP 

Disturbed Lands Restoration fund ($850,000). 

The program annually allocates project funds 

to parks based on competitive proposals. Staff 

prepares the technical guidance, reviews park 

work plans for technical adequacy, and provides oversight on cost accounting and accomplishments reporting.

With the funding for Disturbed Lands in 

FY 2000, the Challenge also funded two new 

Geomorphologists positions. They provided 

three primary functions related to restoration 

and geomorphic issues: park project funding, 

technical assistance, and Servicewide coordination. Highlights include:

Disturbed land restoration program staff oversaw $795,000 in NRPP restoration project 

funding for six park projects. These projects 

restored nearly 752 acres of severely disturbed 

land.

Restoration and reclamation specialists responded to more than 24 technical assistance 

requests involving disturbed lands, abandoned mine safety, and geomorphic issues. 

Staff provided key technical assistance to park 

restoration efforts through site assessments, 

safety hazards analysis and mitigation design, 

geomorphic analyses and landform restoration 

designs, materials/equipment cost estimates, 

and project oversight assistance. Examples 

of technical support to parks include: assessment and development of trail management 

techniques to reduce erosion at Guadalupe 

Mountains National Park, assessment of site 

location of a low water ford at Jewel Cave National Monument, assessment of road design 

standards for roads across the fore-dune at 

Padre Island National Seashore, and development of closing hazardous mines to improve 

employee and visitor safety and protect bat 

habitat at Dinosaur National Monument.

Minerals Management. Currently, 30 NPS 

units contain nearly 750 active private mineral 

exploration or development operations, most 
 National Park Service 101

of which involve the production of oil and gas. 

Private entities that hold property rights to 

oil and gas and other minerals located inside 

parks must obtain NPS approval of development plans and performance bonds before 

initiating mineral related activities. Staff assisted park managers by reviewing 11 new oil 

and gas proposals covering 59 operations in 5 

parks. These reviews ensure that operations 

conform to NPS nonfederal oil and gas regulations, which require operators to use technologically feasible methods least damaging to 

park resources and to reclaim their sites after 

operations to prior conditions. Staff also help 

parks understand and apply the NPS permitting requirements pertinent to other types of 

nonfederal mineral operations in parks. An 

example occurred at Death Valley National 

Park, where the park responded to an inquiry 

from a mining company about reopening a 

mine on state school lands within the park.

Because mining claims located under the 

Mining Law of 1872 exist in 18 park units and 

near many other units, staff continued to be 

engaged in mining claim issues potentially affecting parks. Proposed legislative changes to 

the Mining Law prompted questions from the 

Department of the Interior legislative office 

about the numbers of and activities on mining 

claims in park units. Staff responded to these 

questions on behalf of the National Park Service.

On lands adjacent to parks, the National Park 

Service works with other federal, state, and 

local permitting agencies, along with project 

proponents, to have park protection measures 

incorporated in mineral leasing or other energy development decisions:

• The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

and USDA Forest Service Geothermal 

Leasing Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement;

• The Bureau of Land Management and Department of Energy’s West-Wide Energy 

Corridor Environmental Impact Statement;

• British Columbia’s proposed Lodgepole 

surface coal mine adjacent to Glacier National Park;

• Numerous BLM oil and gas leasing proposals adjacent to park units;

• Numerous state mineral leasing proposals 

adjacent to park units;

• Several proposed liquefied natural gas port 

proposals on the east and west coasts and 

the Gulf of Mexico; and,

• Assessments of mineral potential adjacent 

to NPS units in North and South Dakota.

Abandoned mining, and oil and gas exploration and production sites represent a substantial portion of the disturbed lands requiring 

restoration in parks. NPS lands currently 

contain an estimated 3,200 abandoned mineral 

development sites with more than 10,000 hazardous openings, at least 30 miles of streams 

with degraded water quality, and more than 

33,000 acres of disturbed land. Staff continued to assist parks address this outstanding 

reclamation need and augmented its efforts 

through partnerships. For example, staff assisted the Alaska Regional Office with regulatory questions associated with the cleanup of 

the Nabesna Mine in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Other examples of the Program’s minerals 

management efforts in 2007 include:

Big South Fork National River and Recreation 

Area. Program and park staff successfully secured funding to begin plugging abandoned 

wells and performing site reclamation. The 

history of oil and gas development at the park 

has left a legacy of dozens of orphaned oil and 

gas wells with no responsible party.

Big South Fork National River and Recreation 

Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River. Staff 

continued to play a pivotal role in the development of an Oil and Gas Management Plan 

for the two parks. Working with the park and 

the Environmental Quality Program, staff 

provided strategies to improve the efficiencies 

and effectiveness of the approach taken in the 

plan to assure it addresses the unique oil and 

gas management challenges facing these two 

parks.

Big Cypress National Preserve. Staff assisted in 

reinitiating their oil and gas management planning effort that was tabled in 2004 pending the 

possible acquisition of the nonfederal mineral 

rights in the park.

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. Staff provided a regulatory and environmental analysis of proposed rezoning of 
102 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

688 acres adjacent to the park for expansion 

of an existing limestone quarry. Due to NPS 

concerns of trans-boundary impacts and local 

community support of this important historical area, rezoning has been placed on hold 

and may not be approved. A final decision on 

rezoning is forthcoming.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Staff 

assisted the park in authoring a letter for the 

Superintendent’s signature informing BLM of 

NPS concerns about several potential oil and 

gas lease parcels directly adjacent to the park. 

The letter asked BLM to withdraw the parcels 

from a pending lease sale citing Chaco’s enabling legislation specifically addressing interagency coordination to protect park and area 

cultural and archeological resources. The final 

letter resulted in the parcels being withdrawn 

from consideration from leasing pending 

further environmental and cultural resource 

study.

Collaborating with other Servicewide offices 

and the NPS Utah State Coordinator, the 

Program prepared extensive comments on 

the Bureau of Land Management’s Notice of 

Intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Oil Shale and Tar 

Sands Leasing on Land Administered by the 

BLM in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. This 

new initiative under the Energy Policy Act of 

2005 could potentially affect eight park units 

in three states.

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Program staff helped respond to a spill of several 

tons of drilled material from an upstream gold 

mine into park waterways. Staff worked with 

the park and representatives of BLM, USGS, 

and the California Regional Water Quality 

Control Board to ascertain the various types, 

levels, and receptors of contamination currently entering the park from this mine and 

other mining sites surrounding the park, and 

to identify and initiate the enforcement and 

regulatory actions that should be taken to 

reduce contamination of Whiskeytown Lake, 

an important recreational area within the park 

and a drinking water source for several municipalities.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Staff 

continues to work with the Superintendent 

and the Solicitor’s Office who was analyzing 

the implications of restrictive easement deed 

language for proposed extraction of sand and 

gravel within the park.

Environmental Quality Program

The National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA) is landmark environmental legislation. NEPA requires all federal agencies to 

prepare studies of the impacts of and alternatives to proposed federal actions; use the information contained in such studies in deciding whether to proceed with the actions; and 

diligently attempt to involve the interested and 

affected public before any decision affecting 

the environment is made. The 1916 National 

Park Service Organic Act directs the National 

Park Service to “conserve the scenery and the 

natural and historic objects and the wild life 

therein and to provide for the enjoyment of 

the same in such manner and by such means 

as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Read together, the provisions of NEPA and 

the NPS Organic Act jointly commit the Service to make informed decisions that perpetuate the conservation and protection of park 

resources unimpaired for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.

The Environmental Quality Program provides 

technical assistance, national policy development and direct project assistance to parks 

in the areas of impact analysis and conservation planning under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related laws; 

implementation of the National Park System 

Resources Protection Act, and damage assessment and restoration activities under the Oil 

Pollution Act and CERCLA. The Program also 

provides training and guidance in environmental and conservation planning, impact assessment and analysis, economic valuation of 

park resources, recovery for and restoration of 

damaged resources.

Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program

Under the Park System Resource Protection 

Act (PSRPA) (16 USC 19jj), the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990, the Clean Water Act 

(CWA) as amended by OPA, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the National 

Park Service takes emergency actions and spill 
 National Park Service 103

response activities to prevent or minimize 

destruction or the loss of or injury to park 

system resources. Following incidents, the 

National Park Service conducts assessments 

to determine damages to park resources and 

develops and implements restoration of the 

impacted resources. The Resource Damage 

Assessment and Restoration Program supports: 1) Policy development and guidance; 2) 

direct technical assistance to parks in taking 

emergency response actions and conducting 

damage assessments following incidents, and 

in planning and implementing restoration 

projects; 3) outreach and training on emergency response and damage assessment for NPS 

personnel; 4) Case Management, and 5) Cost 

Recovery actions, and Project Management 

for Restoration support. In 2007, $504,512 in 

damages were collected and deposited into 

the DOI Restoration Fund for restoration of 

damaged park resources. On the restoration 

side, more than $1,208,242 was withdrawn 

from the DOI fund to initiate restoration 

projects in more than 22 different park units. 

Major restoration projects were finally initiated in and around San Juan National Historic 

Site following a lengthy planning and public 

review process using funds collected for the 

Morris J. Berman oil spill in 1994 including a 

coastal promenade and interpretive exhibits 

around El Morro Castle. In the collaborative 

state/federal effort, other restoration projects 

to conduct beach and reef restoration will be 

carried out by NOAA and the Commonwealth 

of Puerto Rico.

Natural Sounds Program

Early park managers intuitively understood 

the importance of a robust acoustic environment; many of the earliest laws for wildlife 

protection were developed by birders, hunters, and those versed in the fundamentals of 

animal husbandry. As the Park Service has 

matured during the last century, so too has its 

understanding of the critical role of sound in 

conserving both wildlife and scenery. Many 

animals depend upon sound for locating food, 

avoiding predators, or mating. Humans also 

rely on natural sounds; the linkages between 

hearing the sounds of nature and overall 

emotional and mental well-being is well documented. It is not coincidence that so many of 

the relaxation and exercise compact disks on 

the market incorporate the sounds of nature. 

After all, it is difficult to appreciate the beauty 

and reverie inspired by natural wonders such 

as Timpanogos Cave with the buzz of lighting systems overpowering the sounds of cave 

echoes or stalactites dripping.

The NPS Natural Sounds Program was established in 2000 to provide parks with assistance, guidance, and a Servicewide consistent 

approach to managing acoustic environments 

(or soundscapes) in a way that balances the 

myriad expectations of park visitors with the 

protection of park resources and values. The 

mission of the Natural Sounds Program is to 

protect, maintain, and restore soundscape resources and values by working in partnership 

with parks and others to increase scientific 

and public understanding of the value and 

character of park soundscapes. Specifically, 

the Natural Sounds Program provides technical assistance to parks by monitoring acoustic 

conditions, collecting and analyzing data, 

developing ambient acoustic baseline information, and providing planning assistance including drafting and reviewing park plans and 

NEPA documents. While the Natural Sounds 

Program contributes to each element of the 

natural resource management cycle; FY 2007 

highlights focus on learning, understanding, 

sharing, resource protection and restoration, 

and evaluation.

Learning and Understanding

Data were collected in ten park units (Great 

Smoky Mountains National Park, Bryce 

Canyon National Park, Lake Mead National 

Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Rainier National Park, 

Muir Woods National Monument, North Cascades National Park, Haleakala National Park, 

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and Minute 

Man National Historical Park); all of these are 

ATMP parks. The Program provided guidance 

for data collection in three additional park 

units (Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone National Parks); two of these are ATMP 

parks.

An integrated computer archive of acoustic 

monitoring data was established on a custom 

hardware platform. Data from 34 park units 

have been converted into standard file formats, totaling nearly 10,000 days of observations and more than 5 Megabyte data files. 

Data from an additional 6 park units (928 

days) have been obtained from the Volpe 
104 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Transportation Center, but they have not been 

converted yet. This computer system has eight 

processor cores in addition to nearly ten Terabyte of storage to enable comparative analyses 

of sound levels across park units.

Combined acoustic and social science studies were conducted at five park units (Hawaii 

Volcanoes National Park, Haleakala National 

Park, Muir Woods National Monument, 

Yosemite National Park, and Great Smoky 

Mountains National Park).

Draft acoustic monitoring reports have been 

completed for five park units and are being reviewed by the units (Yosemite National Park, 

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 

Devils Postpile National Monument, Muir 

Woods National Monument, and Great Basin 

National Park).

Sounds Program engineers designed and built 

a custom electronic circuit board to simplify 

and improve the automatic data collection systems. The digital audio recording component 

of these systems was improved to reduce the 

power consumption of this component by 60 

percent. Overall system energy consumption 

has been reduced from 14 watts to 2 watts. 

Data processing software was written to automatically generate scientific graphics that concisely summarize acoustic monitoring data.

The generic “compression” algorithm that 

enables adjustment of noise duration metrics 

to account for temporal overlap among noise 

sources (developed by the Natural Sounds 

Program) was used to develop an incremental planning tool for air tour management. In 

this framework, the Volpe Center’s INM 6.2 

aircraft noise modeling program is used to 

predict the noise footprint from a single aircraft flying on each route, and an interactive 

spreadsheet tool is used to calculate the aggregate effects of multiple flights on these routes. 

In addition to fostering intuitive understanding in park management staff, this tool enables 

flexible exploration of a wide range of alternatives without incurring additional modeling 

costs.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area. A baseline ambient acoustic data collection report 

was completed. Development of the Air Tour 

Management Plan will continue when the 

Grand Canyon Air Tour Plan is complete.

Badlands National Park. A baseline ambient 

acoustic data collection report was completed and a working Draft Air Tour Management Plan /Environmental Assessment was 

completed. Tiger Team meetings were held 

from April to June 2007 to review Chapters 1 

through 3 of the document.

Sound monitoring station at 

Hidden River, on the South side 

of the Alaska Range in Denali 

National Park and Preserve. Improvements to recording equipment resulted in 60 percent less 

power consumption.
 National Park Service 105

Great Smoky Mountains and Acadia National 

Parks. Acoustic monitoring was completed at 

both parks and data analysis and noise modeling is ongoing. Air Tour Management Plan development is scheduled to begin in 2008.

Statue of Liberty and Governors Island National Monuments: Acoustic Monitoring was 

conducted at the monuments in preparation 

for Air Tour Management Plan development 

in 2009.

Sound Management Plans (SMPs): The 

Sounds Program assisted parks with soundscape management by developing indicators 

and standards against which impacts to the 

acoustic environment can be measured pursuant to park management objectives, and 

establishing baseline acoustic ambients to 

characterize the overall acoustic environment 

(Minute Man National Historical Park, Zion 

National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, 

Hawaii parks, Mount Rushmore National 

Memorial, Muir Woods National Monument, 

etc). Acoustic monitoring was conducted for 

the development of the Minute Man Soundscape Management Plan and preliminary 

analysis of the data is complete. Results of the 

soundscape analysis were shared with Minute 

Man park managers and the SMP is currently 

being developed. Acoustic data previously collected for Zion National Park was re-analyzed 

to support the development of the Zion SMP. 

The draft SMP including soundscape indicators and standards was developed. Review of 

the draft Zion SMP is ongoing.

Sharing

Given the increased understanding of the 

important role the acoustic environment 

plays in overall ecosystem health as well visitor enjoyment and wilderness management, 

the Sounds Program has seen a significant 

increase in interest from parks and regions 

over the past year and therefore, a significant 

increase in workload and accomplishments. In 

2007, the Sounds Program was very successful in expanding productivity by leveraging its 

budget with various project partners including: acoustic monitoring for ATMPs with FAA 

and Volpe; park-based Social Science/Visitor 

Use research with various academic institutions and private sector partners, soundscape 

planning and workshops with various parks, 

model validation and improvement with the 

Federal Interagency Committee on Aircraft 

Noise (FICAN), and cooperation with the 

Acoustical Society of America (ASA).

In carrying out data collection and analysis, 

the Sounds Program employs four research associates with Colorado State University, which 

has allowed the Sounds Program to attract 

highly qualified individuals while augmenting research and educational capacity. These 

research associates have given several presentations on their work at the university and at 

professional meetings.

Military: Natural Sounds Program staff regularly attends regional Airspace/Military coordination meetings in order to promote and 

foster productive working relations with the 

various branches of the U.S. military. In 2007, 

staff established Air Force contacts for dealing 

with overflight issues at Kaloko-Honokohau 

National Historical Park, Yosemite National 

Park, and Chickasaw National Recreation 

Area. Attendance at regional Airspace/Military 

coordination meetings will continue in 2008 

as it facilitates continued cooperative relationships between parks and military airspace 

managers and allows issues to be dealt with in 

an efficient manner.

At the 2007 George Wright Society meeting 

(St. Paul, MN), Sounds Program hosted three 

concurrent sessions (acoustic monitoring 

technology, social science studies, soundscape 

planning). Sounds Program staff contributed 

six presentations and one poster.

Sounds Program staff participated in several 

professional meetings: Acoustical Society of 

America, Quiet Commotion conference, and 

the Vail Symposium. Sounds Program staff 

contributed three seminars and one guest lecture at Colorado State University.

The Sounds Program continued its successful jointly funded partnership (50/50) with 

Colorado State University employing a part 

time “Acoustic Fellow” graduate student in 

the field of acoustic ecology to assist primarily 

with social science research on the visitor values about the opportunity to hear the sounds 

of nature.

Sounds Program staff wrote a feature article 

and other submissions for a special sound-
106 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

scapes issue of Legacy Magazine published by 

the National Association for Interpretation, 

the Adubon Magazine, and American Hiker.

Sounds Program regularly participates in the 

Federal Interagency Committee (FICAN) on 

Aircraft Noise along with ten other federal 

agencies addressing technical acoustic issues 

that have broad federal agency interest.

Resource Restoration and Protection

An important element of the Natural Sounds 

Program mission is working with the Federal 

Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement 

the National Parks Air Tour Management Act 

(NPATMA) which comprises approximately 

65–75 percent of the Program budget and staff 

resources.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial. A working Draft ATMP/EA was completed in 2006. 

In 2007, the largest air tour operator informed 

FAA that he retired and is no longer conducting air tours over the park. In addition, the 

National Park Service determined that seven 

of the eight alternatives analyzed in the Environmental Assessment (EA) would result in 

“impairment” of natural resources. Consequently, alternatives for the Mount Rushmore 

ATMP are currently under revision. Upon 

internal review of the draft, several issues (e.g. 

speech interference analysis for rock climbers, national security/visitor safety analysis) 

were identified and various efforts including 

an elevation meeting with the FAA Assistant 

Administrator, Aviation Policy, Planning and 

Environment, and NPS Associate Director of 

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science 

were undertaken to identify acceptable methods for completing the analysis.

Hawaii Parks: A Notice of Intent to prepare 

an environmental impact statement for the air 

tour management plan for Haleakala National 

Park was issued in November 2006. Public 

and agency comments on the scoping document were received and numerous discussions 

and planning meetings took place regarding 

developing and refining alternatives. A Rapid 

Ethnographic Assessment was conducted as 

well as visitor surveys on soundscapes and 

air tours. The air tour management planning 

process for Kalaupapa National Historical 

Park was closed in January 2007 after all of the 

existing air tour operators withdrew their applications to conduct air tours over the park. 

The EIS alternatives development continued 

for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park using the 

Integrated Noise Model sensitivity modeling 

information and interactive spreadsheet tool 

process mentioned above. A visitor experience 

survey on soundscapes and air tours was also 

conducted.

Expedited NEPA: The National Park Service 

is continuing to work with FAA and air tour 

stakeholders to develop several methods for 

streamlining and expediting the ATMP/NEPA 

process including a programmatic ATMP and 

the use of the Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) process that would include FAA, 

National Park Service, environmental groups, 

the air tour operator, and possibly Native 

American Tribes. In cooperation with FAA, 

the Sounds Program identified several candidate parks for the expedited ARC process. 

However when the parks were contacted, it 

was determined that no air tours were occurring at the park or the operators agreed to 

fly outside the park and the half mile buffer 

thereby making the ATMP unnecessary.

Expedited Alternative Development process: FAA and the National Park Service 

continue to refine and improve an iterative 

process that is allowing for a much faster, less 

expensive, and responsive way of developing ATMP NEPA alternatives. The expedited 

Alternative Development process is currently 

being used to revise alternatives for Mount 

Rushmore National Memorial, Haleakala National Park, and Hawaii Volcanoes National 

Park ATMPs.

Legislative Amendments: National Park Service continued working with FAA and others 

on potential legislative amendments to the 

NPATMA through FAA authorizing legislation 

that would help streamline the ATMP process 

by increasing flexibility without compromising 

protection of park resources (e.g., voluntary 

agreements, modifications to IOA, discretionary exemptions to the ATMP process, etc).

Grand Canyon Alternative Dispute Resolution Process: Working with FAA and 20 

stakeholders, Sounds Program assisted in the 

development of NEPA alternatives, provided 

acoustic expertise on the Grand Canyon Technical Committee, and participated in 2 Grand 

Canyon Working Group (GCWG) meetings. 

To ensure that decisions related to Grand 

Canyon are based on the most current scientific knowledge, Sounds Program staff initiated the development of a multidisciplinary 

team of acoustic and wildlife experts to ad-
 National Park Service 107

dress technical issues and questions resulting 

from ADR activities.

Evaluation

The Sounds Program does not have any Government Performance Results Act goals of its 

own given the size and age of the program. 

However, with respect to the overall NPS and 

NRSS goals to assist parks in the protection of 

park resources and visitor enjoyment, in 2007 

the Sounds Program assisted more than 25 

parks in 49 specific projects related to the protection of park resources and values.

Sounds Program Activity—Number of Projects

Acoustic Monitoring 13

Airport Projects 8

Air Tour Management Plan 9

Military Assistance 3

Social Science Research re Visitor Use 5

Soundscape Mgmt. Plan/Obj. and Stds 7

Other 4

Total 49
108 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress
 National Park Service 109

Chapter VI: Financial Details

This chapter presents financial details for 

Servicewide natural resource programs. 

Information in Chapters II, III, IV, and V 

describe program accomplishments and 

highlight programs that have benefited from 

the Natural Resource Challenge funding 

provided between FY 2000 and FY 2007, and 

how the programs were affected.

The Natural Resource funding is requested 

as a series of discrete programs, including 

14 Servicewide programs, Everglades 

restoration elements, and the Glen Canyon 

Adaptive Management Program. Funding 

for the set of actions that make up the 

Natural Resource Challenge in some cases 

was requested as new programs, but also 

was requested under appropriate program 

budgets. Since many Challenge increases 

resulted in expansions of existing programs, 

only some of the Challenge budget increases 

are easily identifiable separate line items. 

In other cases, the Challenge funds are 

mixed with previous park or program bases. 

Therefore, the Challenge funding cannot be 

distinguished in most of the program-byprogram financial information. Details of the 

history of Challenge funding are included in 

Appendix A.

Likewise, parks receive a single allocation 

for their operations funding and neither 

Challenge funding, nor natural resource 

management generally, are separately 

identified. For parks, funding is shown only 

for parks that received Natural Resource 

Challenge funding; funding for their entire 

natural resource programs is reported by the 

parks.

Below are details of funding changes by 

program. In addition, where appropriate, 

additional detail is provided regarding how 

funding within these programs has been 

allocated.

Natural Resource (NR) Funding of Parks Receiving NR Challenge Increases

FY 01 or 

FY 02 

FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007

Park Challenge 

Increase 

NR Total NR Total NR Total NR Total NR Total NR Total

Acadia NP 345,000 849,827 794,395 755,087 752,395 695,273 726,254

Antietam NB 150,000 319,965 316,723 314,900 353,000 350,000 420,000

Appalachian 

National 

Scenic Trail

142,000 263,638 256,603 258,337 298,642 299,453 310,919

Big Cypress 

NPr1

399,000 1,033,640 1,010,000 1,108,140 1,108,140 1,085,907 1,104,663

Buck Island 

Reef NM2

100,000 270,000 216,450 216,000 216,000 216,000 216,000

Catoctin 

Mountain 

Park3

89,000 254,400 231,900 232,200 272,414 174,867 200,594

Channel 

Islands NP4

498,000 1,406,622 1,406,622 1,440,607 1,891,222 1,891,222 1,891,222

Coronado 

NMem

60,000 94,993 105,231 95,236 108,000 60,000 60,000

Curecanti NRA 141,000 657,500 690,600 719,300 724,000 731,700 741,900

Dinosaur NM 189,000 501,800 559,375 568,874 571,152 524,200 627,280

Gates of the 

Arctic NP & Pr

148,000 362,401 363,039 349,164 377,345 357,517 342,014

Great Basin NP 126,000 331,450 315,756 375,939 367,080 382,600 454,600

Coronado National Memorial is 

one of the 32 parks that benefited from Natural Resource Challenge base funding increases.
110 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Natural Resource (NR) Funding of Parks Receiving NR Challenge Increases

FY 01 or 

FY 02 

FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007

Park Challenge 

Increase 

NR Total NR Total NR Total NR Total NR Total NR Total

Great Sand 

Dunes NP

180,000 291,700 287,500 281,300 281,300 323,400 332,000

Great Smoky 

Mountains NP

402,000 1,245,100 1,152,700 1,003,200 1,231,700 476,000 353,200

Haleakala NP 480,000 1,561,660 1,372,200 1,196,400 1,196,400 1,404,882 1,458,403

Homestead 

NM of America 

82,000 104,500 104,500 81,198 82,460 82,353 87,731

Hopewell 

Culture NHP3

105,000 95,000 79,322 103,047 99,953 109,519 106,024

Jewel Cave 

NM

50,000 168,500 168,500 167,140 159,203 153,330 161,422

John Day Fossil 

Beds NM

95,000 129,000 130,000 115,000 127,101 119,000 129,000

Kalaupapa 

NHP

211,000 549,000 549,000 549,000 499,000 534,000 549,000

Lake Clark 

NP&Pr

147,000 321,500 319,810 250,000 262,600 245,800 261,032

Little River 

Canyon NPr5

85,000 182,426 174,027 112,900 171,275 95,898 96,371

Mojave NPr3 470,000 1,264,000 1,219,073 1,177,488 1,178,297 1,165,193 1,160,397

Monocacy NB3 118,000 120,000 116,000 116,000 116,000 116,000 116,000

Obed W&SR 195,000 245,000 193,318 188,775 188,775 188,775 195,000

Padre Island 

NS

95,000 408,000 403,825 543,000 471,896 600,200 589,492

Pictured Rocks 

NL

55,000 194,650 207,000 211,000 237,000 238,832 243,664

Rock Creek 

Park3

163,000 436,522 393,168 359,104 299,000 376,300 307,977

San Juan 

Island NHP

95,000 124,600 125,050 124,600 124,600 116,837 101,200

Saugus Iron 

Works NHS

58,000 58,000 58,000 69,900 58,000 58,000 58,000

Sequoia & 

Kings Canyon 

NPs3 & 6

112,000 1,446,000 1,424,400 1,424,400 1,457,400 1,563,600 1,590,600

Stones River 

NB

132,000 132,000 137,100 127,924 132,000 208,277 188,182

Sunset Crater, 

Walnut 

Canyon, & 

Wupatki NMs

100,000 166,762 171,227 186,341 191,683 196,426 208,661

Theodore 

Roosevelt NP

133,000 302,500 292,500 282,500 281,500 264,660 301,400

Virgin Islands 

NP7

399,000 1,077,234 1,002,726 941,500 877,234 877,234 399,000

Zion NP 246,000 536,300 515,872 518,774 485,274 518,774 467,101

Totals 6,595,000 17,506,190 16,863,512 16,564,275 15,047,667 16,802,029 16,556,303

1

 Part of increase to another program for contract support; part of balance of change from pre-Challenge increase due to realigned position 

2

 Also received $65,000 Coral Reef Initiative increase in FY 2001

3

 Information provided by parks for FY 2003 report included discrepencies with previously provided information 

or did not add or subtract correctly; attempts to resolve were unsuccessful

4

 Received NRC money in FY2002 ($498k for Santa Cruz Island restoration) and in FY2005 ($477k for island fox 

recovery).

5

 Figures shown for FY 2001 and 2002 reflect a correction to those reported in last year’s report.

6

 Also received a non-Challenge $367,000 base increase in FY 2001

7

 Also received Coral Reef Initiative base increase of $300,000 and Prototype Monitoring increase of $230,000 in 

FY 2001
 National Park Service 111

Air Quality Program

FY 2006 allocation 8,780,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease 88,000

Total Available in FY 2006 8,692,000

FY 2007 allocation 8,692,000

Classified Pay Increase 44,000

Net FY 2007 Decrease

Total available in FY 2007 8,736,000

Change from FY 2006 44,000

Air Quality Program Funding by Categories

Program Management & Implementation 1,694,000

Air quality monitoring, projects, and analysis 3,580,000

Collaboration & Outreach 1,208,000

Technical assistance 2,254,000

Total available in FY 2007 8,736,000

Biological Resources Management Program

FY 2006 allocation 8,475,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease -74,000

Total Available in FY 2006 8,401,000

FY 2007 allocation 8,401,000

Classified Pay Increase 44,000

Base adjustment8 368,000

Invasive species increase 750,000

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza 375,000

Total available in FY 2007 9,938,000

Change from FY 2006 1,537,000

Biological Resource Management Program Funding by Categories

Biological Resource Projects - National Level Support 668,400

Natives Branch 175,500

Ecological Restoration 275,000

Endangered Species Program 425,000

Exotic Plant Management Program 5,690,000

Integrated Pest Management Program 275,000

Invasive Animal Program 275,000

Invasive Plant Program 280,000

Migratory Bird Program 175,000

Quantitative Ecology and Biostatistics 125,000

Vegetation Mapping 250,000

Wildlife Management and Health Program 949,100

BRMD base funding in FY 2007 9,563,000

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza 375,000

Total available funding in FY 2007 9,938,000

Technical assistance

Collaboration & Outreach

Air quality monitoring,

projects, and analysis

Program Management

 & Implementation

Air Quality Program Funding 

by Categories

8

 Transfered from I&M Program funding

Vegetation Mapping

Quantitative Ecology 

and Biostatistics

Migratory Bird Program

Invasive Plant Program

Invasive Animal Program

IPM

Exotic Plant Management 

Program

Endangered Species 

Program

Ecological Restoration

Natives Branch

National Level Support

Biological Resource 

Management Program Funding 

by Categories
112 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Cave and Karst Research Institute

FY 2006 allocation 333,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease -5,000

Total available in FY 20069 328,000

Funding allocation in FY 2007 $328,000

Classified Pay Increase

Total available in FY 2007 $328,000

Change from FY 2006 No Change

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units

Total allocation/available in FY 2006 127,000

Total allocation/available in FY 2007 127,000

Change from FY 2006 No Change

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units Funding Distribution10

FY 2001 or 2003 funding

Californian CESU—no Challenge funding

Chesapeake Watershed CESU 155,000

Colorado Plateau CESU 155,000

Desert Southwest CESU 155,000

Great Basin CESU 155,000

Great Lakes-Northern Forest CESU 153,000

Great Plains CESU 155,000

Gulf Coast CESU 153,000

Hawaii-Pacific Islands—no Challenge funding

North and West Alaska CESU—no Challenge funding

North Atlantic Coast CESU 155,000

Pacific Northwest CESU 155,000

Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast CESU—no Challenge funding

Rocky Mountains CESU 155,000

South Florida-Caribbean CESU 155,000

Southern Appalachian Mountains CESU 155,000

Upper and Middle Mississippi Valley CESU—no Challenge funding

Geographic Information System Program

FY 2006 Allocation $1,273,000

Classified FY 2006 Pay Increase 2,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -20,000

Total available in FY 2006 1,255,000

Funding allocation in FY 2007 1,255,000

Base Change 0

Net FY 2007 Decrease 0

Total available in FY 2007 1,255,000

Change from FY 2006 No Change

9

 The FY 2006 net decrease is the sum of across-the-board reductions.

10 Distritbution of initial funding from Natural Resource Challenge increases for CESUs shown. Does not show 

changes to base that may have occurred to funds transferred to regions.
 National Park Service 113

Geologic Resources Program

FY 2006 Allocation 2,647,000

Classified FY 2006 Pay Increase 68,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -43,000

Total available in FY 2006 2,672,000

Funding allocation in FY 2007 $2,672,000 

Classified Pay Increase $40,000 

Base adjustment11 $150,000 

Total available in FY 2007 $2,862,000 

Change from FY 2006 190,000

Geologic Resources Program Funding by Categories

Cave & Karst $286,000 

Coastal Geology $292,000 

Disturbed Lands/AML $554,000 

Geologic Hazards $135,000 

Geologic Resource Evaluation $638,000 

Minerals Management $671,000 

Paleontology $129,000 

Soil Resources $157,000 

FY 2007 Total $2,862,000 

Inventory and Monitoring Program

FY 2006 Allocation 43,806,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -682,000

Total available in FY 2006 43,124,000

FY 2007 Allocation 43,124,000

Classified FY 2007 Pay Increase 169,000

Programmatic Increase 1,000,000

Net FY 2007 Decrease12 -518,000

Total Available in FY 2007 43,775,000

Change from FY 2006 651,000

Inventory and Monitoring Program Funding by Categories

Database Development 2,400,000

Monitoring Projects 101,500

Program Administration 2,704,200

Regional Coordinators 890,800

Resource Inventory Projects 10,449,800

Vital Signs Monitoring 27,228,700

Total available in FY 2007 43,775,000

11 Transferred from I&M Program funding.

12 Transfer of I&M funding to BRMD ($368K) and GRD ($150K).

Soil Resources

Paleontology

Minerals Management

Geologic Resource 

Evaluation

Geologic Hazards

Disturbed Lands/AML

Coastal Geology

Cave & Karst

Geologic Resources Program 

Funding by Categories

Vital Signs Monitoring

Resource Inventory 

Projects

Regional Coordinators

Program Administration

Monitoring Projects

Database Development

Inventory and Monitoring 

Program Funding by 

Categories
114 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Allocation of Funding among Basic Natural Resource Inventories

Air Quality Related Values 325,000

Base Cartography Data 108,740

Biological Inventories13 Completed

Geology Inventories 1,880,000

Meteorological Data 60,000

Soil Surveys 2,800,000

Species Lists 25,000

Vegetation Mapping—Alaska 500,000

Vegetation Mapping—Outside of Alaska 4,250,000

Water Resource Data 132,500

Other Natural Resource Inventories 368,640

Total 10,449,800

Allocation of Monitoring Funding among Networks and Prototypes14

Network FY First Funded FY 2007 Funding

North Coast and Cascades 2001 $751,100

Northeast Coastal and Barrier 2001 $782,000 

Heartland 2001 $709,400 

Sonoran Desert 2001 $676,900 

Cumberland/Piedmont 2001 $684,200 

Central Alaska 2002 $1,223,800 

National Capital 2002 $752,400 

Northern Colorado Plateau 2002 $977,000 

San Francisco Bay Area 2002 $758,600 

Greater Yellowstone 2002 $734,700 

Appalachian Highland 2002 $421,800 

Mediterranean Coast 2002 $308,000 

Southwest Alaska 2002 $1,455,100 

Northeast Temperate 2003 $786,700 

Southern Colorado Plateau 2003 $1,215,000 

Pacific Island 2003 $1,580,900 

Great Lakes 2003 $1,301,300 

Gulf Coast 2004 $933,100 

Rocky Mountain 2004 $639,000 

Sierra Nevada 2004 $662,000 

Eastern Rivers and Mountains 2004 $659,100 

Klamath 2004 $801,400 

Arctic 2005 $1,569,100 

Southeast Coast 2005 $1,275,400 

Upper Columbia Basin 2006 $527,200 

Southern Plains 2006 $392,500 

Mojave Desert 2006 $853,000 

Southeast Alaska 2006 $1,534,300 

South Florida/Caribbean 2006 $441,800 

Mid-Atlantic 2006 $303,100 

Chihuahuan Desert 2007 $740,000 

Northern Great Plains 2007 $778,800 

Total $27,228,700 

13 Biological inventories have been completed for the 270 parks.

14 Listed in the order that funding was received.
 National Park Service 115

National Natural Landmarks Program

FY 2006 Allocation 981,000

FY 2006 Program Change -495,000

Classified FY 2006 Pay Increase 17,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -7,000

Total available in FY 2006 496,000

FY 2007 Allocation 496,000

Classified FY 2007 Pay Increase 16,000

Other Increase 298,000

Total available in FY 2007 810,000

Change from FY 2006 314,000

Natural Resources Data and Information Program

FY 2006 Allocation 1,500,000

Classified FY 2006 Pay Increase 33,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -23,000

Total available in FY 2006 1,510,000

FY 2007 Allocation 1,424,000

Classified FY 2007 Pay Increase 19,000

Total available in FY 2007 1,443,000

Change from FY 2006 -67,000

Natural Resources Preservation Program (NRPP)

FY 2006 Allocation 8,312,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -83,000

Total available in FY 2006 8,229,000

FY 2007 Allocation 8,229,000

Base Change 0

Net FY 2007 Decrease 0

Total available in FY 2007 8,229,000

Change from FY 2006 No Change

Allocation of NRPP Among Project Categories and Projects Funded

Allocation Projects

Alaska Projects 474,000 8

Disturbed Land Restoration 803,000 12

Natural Resource Management 3,190,000 31

Regional Block Allocation 1,324,000 72

Service-wide 776,000 22

Small Park 948,000 60

Threatened & Endangered Species 474,000 12

USGS/BRD Technical Assistance 240,000 Not reported

USGS--BRD 

Technical Assistance

Threatened & 

Endangered Species

Small Park

Servicewide

Regional Block Allocation

Natural Resource 

Management

Disturbed Land 

Restoration

Alaska Projects

Allocation of NRPP Among 

Project Categories and Projects 

Funded
116 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Natural Sound Program

FY 2006 Allocation 1,413,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -14,000

Total available in FY 2006 1,399,000

FY 2007 allocation 1,399,000

Classified Pay Increase 5,000

FY 2007 Increase 2,402,000

Total available in FY 2007 3,806,000

Change from FY 2006 2,407,000

Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program14

FY 2006 Allocation 1,341,000

Classified FY 2006 Pay Increase 25,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -22,000

Total available in FY 2006 1,344,000

FY 2007 allocation 1,344,000

Classified Pay Increase 17,000

Total available in FY 2007 1,361,000

Change from FY 2006 17,000

Resource Protection Fund

FY 2006 allocation 290,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -4,000

Total available in FY 2006 286,000

FY 2007 allocation 286,000

Total available in FY 2007 286,000

Change from FY 2006 No Change

Water Resources Program

FY 2006 allocation 12,436,000

Classified Pay Increase 85,000

Net FY 2006 Decrease9 -196,000

Total available in FY 2006 12,325,000

FY 2007 allocation 12,325,000

Classified Pay Increase 74,000

Total available in FY 2007 12,399,000

Change from FY 2006 74,000

14 Combines two former line items: Oil Pollution Act and Resource Protection Act
 National Park Service 117

Water Resources Program Funding by Categories

Water Resource Projects

Water Resource Protection 954,700

Other Projects 14,500

Water Quality Monitoring 2,781,300

Water Resource Protection—Aquatic Resource Professionals 1,205,000

Watershed Condition Assessment Program 2,649,300

Competitive Projects 507,800

Critical Projects 306,600

Coastal Projects 422,000

Natural Resource and Watershed Condition Assessments 813,100

Marine Science Advisor 146,000

Other Projects 453,800

Water Resource Technical Assistance 4,794,200

Total 12,399,000

Allocation of Water Quality Monitoring Funding

Network number of parks FY 2007 funding

Central Alaska 5 95,700

Heartland 15 80,000

Northeast Coastal and Barrier 8 87,900

National Capital 11 69,300

Cumberland/Piedmont 14 57,600

Appalachian Highlands 4 68,300

Northern Colorado Plateau 16 105,400

Greater Yellowstone 3 69,300

Sonoran Desert 11 62,500

North Coast and Cascades 7 80,000

San Francisco Bay 6 68,300

Mediterranean Coast 3 74,200

Southwest Alaska 5 135,700

Northeast Temperate 10 58,600

Southern Colorado Plateau 19 121,000

Pacific Island 9 147,400

Great Lakes 9 120,100

Gulf Coast 8 86,900

Rocky Mountain 6 59,500

Sierra Nevada 3 61,500

Eastern Rivers and Mountains 9 61,500

Arctic 5 147,400

Klamath 6 74,200

Southeast Coast 17 118,100

Upper Columbia Basin 8 48,800

Southern Plains 10 28,300

Mojave Desert 6 78,100

Southeast Alaska 3 41,000

South Florida/Caribbean 6 143,500

Mid-Atlantic 11 43,000

Chihuahuan 6 71,300

Northern Great Plains 13 79,100

Servicewide Data Management 137,800

Total 272 2,781,300

Water Resource 

Technical Assistance

Other Projects

Marine Science Advisor

Natural Resource & 

Watershed Condition 

Assessments

WCAP Coastal Projects

WCAP Critical Projects

WCAP Competitive 

Projects

Water Resource 

Protection—Aquatic 

Resource Professionals

Water Quality Monitoring

Other Projects

Water Resource Protection

Water Resources Program 

Funding by Categories
118 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Sam Smyrk, biotech for the 

long-term vegetation monitoring project, permanently marks 

a vegetation plot at Saint Croix 

National Scenic Riverway.
 National Park Service 119

Challenge Elements Increase 

FY 2000

Increase 

FY 2001

Increase 

FY 2002

Increase 

FY 2003

Increase 

FY 2004

Increase 

FY 2005

Increase 

FY 2006

Increase 

FY 2007

Total 

through 

FY 2007

Inventory and Monitor Resources

Basic inventories (except vegetation mapping)7,309 1,987 9,296

Vegetation mapping (with 

USGS)

1,746 2,235 3,981

Park air emissions inventory 200 200

Monitor vital signs in park 

networks

4,191 4,200 6,855 4,939 3,068 3,931* 1,000 28,184

Monitor water quality in park 

networks

1,272 497 592 521 2,882

Watershed assessment 3,080 3,080

Expand air quality monitoring 

and related activities

2,600 2,600

Make natural resources data 

useable 

1,098 1,098

Fix Critical Problems

Natural Resource Preservation 

Program project funding

2,875 4,000 -3,931* 2,944

Alaska Natural Resource Projects497 497

Establish resource protection 

fund

300 300

Water resource protection & 

restoration/project funds

823 823

Water resource protection & 

restoration/ field specialists

1,000 200 1,200

Native/nonnative species mgt 

& Exotic Plant Mgt Teams

3,449 2,400 2,136 7,985

Implement Resource Protection Act/restore resources500 500

Protect geologic resources 696 696

Park invasive species control/

T&E species recovery 

3,395 3,200 6,595

Attract Scientists

Establish learning centers 898 1,800 2,698

Establish Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units1,596 397 1,993

Annual Increase 14,329 15,219 20,000 17,884 5,531 3,589 0 1,000 77,552

Total Annual Funding 14,329 29,548 49,548 67,432 72,963 76,552 76,552 77,552 77,552

Appendix A: Natural Resource Challenge Funding History1

1

 All funding shown in thousands of dollars.

* Reflects reprogramming of $3,931,000 from Natural Resource Preservation Program to Vital Signs Monitoring in I&M networks.
120 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress
 National Park Service 121

Appendix B: NRPP Projects FY 2007

NRPP Natural Resource Management Fully Funded Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Acadia National Park Characterize Rocky Intertidal Shorelines at 

Newly Acquired Navy Base Lands

122,000 11,000

Apostle Islands National 

Lakeshore

Assess Economic Impact of Park Establishment 

and Wilderness Designation at Two Parks

98,000 98,000

Biscayne National Park Assess the Conservation of Genetic Diversity of 

the Critically Endangered Pseudophoenix Sargentii

60,000 60,000

Black Canyon of the 

Gunnison National Park

Survey Boundary to Protect Park Resources 180,000 84,000

Buck Island Reef National 

Monument

Test Effectiveness of Buck Island Reef NM 

Expanded Marine Reserve

300,000 94,000

Canyonlands National Park Acoustic Monitoring of Natural Soundscape 206,000 32,000

Channel Islands National 

Park

Establish Baseline of Newly Established Marine 

Reserves

564,700 108,700

Cumberland Island National 

Seashore

Establish Exotic Plant Management Program for 

Southeast Coast Network Parks

661,000 221,000

Gateway National Recreation 

Area

Efficient Surveillance, Targeted Management, 

Natural Transmission Dynamics of West Nile 

Virus

292,000 75,000

Glacier National Park Evaluate the Prey Base for Lynx: Snowshoe 

Hare Abundance, Habitat Use, and Population 

Dynamics

433,000 134,000

Great Sand Dunes National 

Monument

Determine Grazing Ecology and Management 

Of Elk and Bison

450,000 190,000

Great Smoky Mountains 

National Park

Support for Predator Beetle Facility Needed to 

Control Exotic Hemlock Woolly Adelgids

396,000 87,000

Olympic National Park Atmospheric Pollutant Loading: Link to TransPacific Airmass287,000 112,000

Padre Island National 

Seashore

Protecting Endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle 

Nests from Vehicular Traffic

295,000 96,000

Petrified Forest National 

Park

Excavation of Threatened Fossil Bone-bed 82,000 12,000

Saint Croix National Scenic 

Riverway

Document Habitat Requirements of the 

Winged Mapleleaf Mussel: Potential Habitat 

Degradation and Decline

219,000 75,000

Shenandoah National Park Identify and Assess Cliff Resources and Visitor 

Use, Develop and Implement Cliff Management 

Planning

520,000 59,000

Voyageurs National Park Assess the Impacts of International Lake Level 

Management by Using an Interdisciplinary 

Approach

899,000 74,000

Yellowstone National Park Conserve Declining Yellowstone Pronghorn 

Population

376,000 112,000

TOTAL $6,440,700 $1,734,700

NRPP Natural Resource Management New and Ongoing Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Amistad National Recreation 

Area

Survey and Monument 41 Miles of Impacted 

Park Boundary

123,000 42,000

Bryce Canyon National Park Protection and Restoration of Dark Night Skies 400,000 180,300

Canaveral National Seashore Create Hydrologic Model of Mosquito Lagoon 280,000 100,000

Channel Islands National 

Park

Eradicate Dense Fennel and Facilitate Eradication 

of Feral Pigs

456,000 107,000

Glacier Bay National Park & 

Preserve

Investigate Causal Factors of Harbor Seal Decline 300,000 165,000

Inventories at Channel Islands 

National Park are providing a 

baseline against which the effectiveness of the newly created 

marine reserves can be evaluated.
122 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

NRPP Natural Resource Management New and Ongoing Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Great Smoky Mountains 

National Park

Restore Rare Wetland Habitats Invaded by Exotic 

Plants

154,000 74,000

Jean Lafitte National 

Historical Park and Preserve

Assessing Fire for Control of Exotic Chinese 

Tallow in the Marshes of the Barataria Preserve

123,000 58,000

Kalaupapa National 

Historical Park

Exclude Ungulates From Northern Unit of Puu 

Alii Plateau

422,000 119,000

Point Reyes National 

Seashore

Control Exotic Deer 786,000 382,000

Saguaro National Park Remove Invasive Exotic Plants from Critical 

Habitats

196,000 40,000

Upper Delaware Scenic & 

Recreational River

Identify Threatened Bald Eagle Habitat and 

Develop Management Plan

145,000 22,000

Wind Cave National Park An Evaluation of the Movements and 

Distribution of Elk

176,000 88,000

TOTAL $3,561,000 $1,377,300

NRPP Threatened and Endangered Species Fully Funded Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Padre Island National 

Seashore

Determining Seasonal Movements, Habitat Use, 

and Abundance of Piping Plovers 

144,000 35,500

Point Reyes National 

Seashore

Threatened Western Snowy Plover Recovery 150,000 25,000

Wind Cave National Park Reintroduction of Black-Footed Ferrets to Wind 

Cave National Park - Phase II

146,000 70,000

TOTAL $440,000 $130,500

NRPP Threatened and Endangered Species New and Ongoing Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Big South Fork National River 

and Recreation Area

Propagate and Augment Federally Listed 

Mussels

144,000 64,000

Coronado National Memorial Protect Mine Roosts of Endangered Lesser 

Long-Nosed Bats

77,500 5,500

Ebey’s Landing National 

Historical Reserve

Implement Recovery Plan for Threatened 

Golden Paintbrush

96,397 36,500

Hawaii Volcanoes National 

Park

Begin Recovery of Mauna Loa Silversword in 

Park Addition

62,800 37,400

Kalaupapa National 

Historical Park

Habitat Use and Foraging of Endangered 

Monk Seal

95,531 62,900

Mojave National Preserve Lake Ecology and Population Dynamics of 

Mohave Tui Chub

150,000 39,700

Organ Pipe Cactus National 

Monument

Sonoran Pronghorn Captive Breeding 150,000 50,000

Presidio of San Francisco Restore Habitat for Two Federally Listed Plant 

Species

149,070 37,000

Santa Monica Mountains 

National Recreation Area

Investigate & Mitigate Pollen Limitation in 

Pentachaeta lyonii

65,200 10,500

TOTAL $990,498 $343,500
 National Park Service 123

NRPP Disturbed Lands Restoration Fully Funded Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Glen Canyon National 

Recreation Area

Restoration of Springs on Navajo Point 66,000.00 15,500.00

Golden Gate National 

Recreation Area

Complete Restoration of Salmonid Habitat at 

the Banducci site on Redwood Creek

244,000.00 188,000.00

Great Basin National Park Reclamation of the Lincoln Cirque Mining 

Exploration Area

90,000.00 44,700.00

Indiana Dunes National 

Lakeshore

Complete Restoration of 500 Acres of Wetland 

at Derby Ditch-Great Marsh

223,700.00 67,200.00

Joshua Tree National Park Reclamation of Elton Mine Site 37,000.00 37,000.00

Sleeping Bear Dunes 

National Lakeshore

Platte River/Waterwheel Site Restoration 63,200.00 63,200.00

TOTAL $723,900 $415,600 

NRPP Disturbed Lands Restoration New and Ongoing Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Big Bend National Park Restoring Grasslands 248,100 64,600

Big South Fork National 

River and Recreation Area

Plug Eight Abandoned Wells and Perform 

Associated Surface Reclamation

249,200 186,900

Glacier National Park Restore Severely Denuded, Eroding Parklands in 

Lunch Creek and Iceberg Lake High Visitor Use 

Areas

75,000 30,000

Hawaii Volcanoes National 

Park

Restore Kipuka Nene Campground 50,600 35,300

Mammoth Cave National 

Park

Restoration of Twenty-Six Abandoned Water 

Wells/ Cisterns and Three Dumps

115,900 18,000

Zion National Park Test Riparian Revegetation Methods along the 

Virgin River

157,800 44,600

TOTAL $896,600 $379,400

NRPP Alaska Special Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Alaska Regional Office Mapping and Scientific Management of OffHighway Vehicle Trails in Alaska—Implementing 

BMPs

200,790 74,151 

Alaska Regional Office Resource Baseline Update for Alaska Parks Using 

High Resolution Satellite Imagery

1,706,900 99,683 

Denali National Park & 

Preserve

Stratified Random Sampling for Baseline 

Soundscape Conditions in Large Alaskan Parks

69,972 34,636 

Gates of the Arctic National 

Park & Preserve

Past and Present Habitat use by Muskoxen 61,450 30,665 

Gates of the Arctic National 

Park & Preserve

Evaluating Nutritional Condition of Arctic 

Ungulates

48,480 23,998 

Katmai National Park & 

Preserve

Genetic, Phenotypic, and Life History Analysis of 

Sockeye Origins

155,000 77,168 

Wrangell-St. Elias National 

Park & Preserve

Evaluate Effects of International Caribou 

Recovery Program

148,950 49,154 

Wrangell-St. Elias National 

Park & Preserve

Identifying Nesting and Foraging Habitat of 

Kittlitz’s Murrelets in Icy Bay

197,005 97,733 

TOTAL $2,588,547 $487,188
124 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

NRPP Small Park Block Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Agate Fossil Beds National 

Monument

Emergency Recovery of Stenomylus Remain 9,870 9,870 

Arkansas Post National 

Memorial

Inventory, Mapping and Control of Exotic Plants 10,350 10,000 

Bent’s Old Fort National 

Historic Site

Assess Results and Refine Strategies During 

Implementation of an Integrated Pest 

Management Plan

22,272 18,200 

Black Canyon of the 

Gunnison National Park

Determine Effects of Modified Aspinall 

Operations on Hydroelectric Power Generation

40,000 40,000 

Boston Harbor Islands 

National Recreation Area

Provide Natural Resource Management Support 

for Small Parks

4,505 4,505 

Cape Hatteras National 

Seashore

Develop Outer Banks Group Predator 

Management Plan

296,500 14,000 

Carl Sandburg Home 

National Historic Site

Delineate and Restore Granitic Rock Outcrop 

Boundary

8,000 8,000 

Carl Sandburg Home 

National Historic Site

Manage Invasive Exotic Plants and Insects and 

Monitor Natural Resources

81,600 19,000 

Cedar Breaks National 

Monument

Survey Rare Plants and Establish Compliance 

with Conservation Agreement

39,981 20,000 

Congaree National Park Identify Genetic Differences within the Rare 

Carolina Bogmint Populations

15,765 15,000 

Cowpens National Battlefield Inventory & Plan for Threatened DwarfFlowering Heartleaf (Hexastylis naniflora)68,566 19,000 

Devils Tower National 

Monument

Control/Eliminate Exotic Invasive Plant Species 40,000 20,000 

Florissant Fossil Beds 

National Monument

Develop Database for Paleontological Collecting 

Localities and Upgrade Inventory-Monitoring 

Database

11,776 7,700 

Fort Bowie National Historic 

Site

Analyze and Rehabilitate Apache Spring 

Watershed

35,213 2,000 

Fort Necessity National 

Battlefield

Control Exotic Honeysuckle within a 25-Acre 

American Woodcock Habitat

338,910 20,000 

Fossil Butte National 

Monument

Understanding the Impact of Fire on Pygmy 

Rabbit Distribution, Abundance, and Movement

39,524 39,540 

George Washington Carver 

National Monument

Develop Vegetation Management Plan 14,000 2,494 

George Washington 

Memorial Parkway

Inventory Seven Groups of Insects in Turkey Run 

and Great Falls Parks, Virginia

29,800 9,000 

Grand Portage National 

Monument

Forest Vegetation Characterization and Analysis 19,975 18,577 

Grand Teton National Park Just the Tip of the Talus Field—Understanding 

Alpine Biogeochemistry in Grand Teton & 

Glacier National Parks

40,000 11,800 

Herbert Hoover National 

Historic Site

Creation of Database, Transfer of Legacy Data, 

and Analysis of Fire Effects

13,000 12,090 

Homestead National 

Monument of America

Analyze Water Isotopes to Determine Impacts of 

Burning in Mesic Burr Oak Forest

18,343 17,059 

Intermountain Regional 

Office

Inventory Rare and Listed Species at Sand Creek 

Massacre National Historic Site

36,372 6,600 

Jewel Cave National 

Monument

Install Video Security at Historic Cave Entrance 5,000 5,000 

John Day Fossil Beds National 

Monument

Distribution and Status of the Plants Endemic to 

the Paleosols of the Painted Hills Unit

27,142 4,000 

Kaloko-Honokohau National 

Historical Park

Developing an Anchialine Pool Catalogue, 

Spatial and Temporal Database, and Collating 

“Lost” Pool Data

27,800 27,800 

Kings Mountain National 

Military Park

Inventory and Treat Invasive Exotic Plant Species 124,910 18,000 

Klondike Gold Rush National 

Historical Park

Inventory Lichens 19,600 9,414 
 National Park Service 125

NRPP Small Park Block Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Knife River Indian Villages 

National Historic Site

Noxious and Exotic Species Control 10,000 9,300 

Lewis and Clark National 

Historical Park

Noxious Weed Control on Newly Acquired Lands 21,368 11,368 

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller 

National Historical Park

Develop Silvicultural Inventory System for Forest 

Management

45,800 17,000 

Morristown National 

Historical Park

Establish a Forest Demonstration Plot 40,065 34,065 

Mount Rushmore National 

Memorial

Control Exotic Flora 27,400 6,231 

Muir Woods National 

Monument

Control Invasive Plants to Protect Coast 

Redwood Ecosystems

32,050 15,750 

Northeast Regional Director’s 

Staff

Methods of Estimating Deer Abundance : 

Testing Model Assumptions and Logistical 

Feasibility

299,671 12,000 

Obed Wild & Scenic River Characterization of Ancient Red Cedar 

Communities in the Obed Wild and Scenic River

25,000 24,000 

Obed Wild & Scenic River Obed River Exotic Plant Survey and Eradication 

Project

15,000 8,000 

Pea Ridge National Military 

Park

Treat Disturbed site following Removal of 

Utility Lines, Poles, and Right-of-Ways from Park 

Interior

17,000 27,734 

Pipe Spring National 

Monument

Geophysical Investigations of the Groundwater 

System Feeding Pipe Spring

39,700 19,900 

Pipestone National 

Monument

Tallgrass Prairie Restoration/Exotic Weed Control 14,985 13,936 

Prince William Forest Park Determine Community Structure, Movement 

Patterns, and Conservation Concerns for 

Carnivores

29,900 10,000 

Pu’ukohola Heiau National 

Historic Site

Coastal Resources Threats, Inventory and 

Mapping for Multiple Parks

100,000 50,000 

Richmond National 

Battlefield Park

Conduct Biological Inventories at Newly 

Acquired Park Sites

51,325 23,415 

San Juan Island National 

Historical Park

Develop Protocols for Evaluating, Treating and 

Monitoring San Juan Island National Historical 

Park Forests

30,000 30,000 

San Juan Island National 

Historical Park

Implement Native Prairie Restoration at Multiple 

Parks

60,000 15,182 

San Juan National Historic 

Site

Update Integrated Pest Management Plan 40,000 5,200 

Saugus Iron Works National 

Historic Site

Control Invasive Phragmites australis for Saugus 

River Restoration

2,595 2,345 

Scotts Bluff National 

Monument

GIS Data Collection for Natural Resources & 

Physical Facilities

8,677 7,545 

Sitka National Historical Park Conduct Benthic Invertebrate and Algae 

Investigations to Determine Biological Water 

Quality Indexes

29,500 9,415 

South East Regional Office Exotic Vegetation Management through 

Partners at Guilford Courthouse National 

Military Park

3,500 3,000 

Stones River National 

Battlefield

Chinese Yam Eradication And Site Restoration In 

The Stones River Watershed

78,901 24,000 

Sunset Crater National 

Monument

Inventory & Map Unique Volcanic Features 39,482 20,000 

Timpanogos Cave National 

Monument

Restoring the Natural Cave Soundscape 9,897 9,900 

Timucuan Ecological and 

Historic Preserve

Feral Hog Impact Study 22,708 22,000 

Tonto National Monument Determine Lion Distribution in Southern Arizona 

Parks with High Potential for Human/Lion 

Conflicts

39,996 11,900 
126 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

NRPP Small Park Block Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Valley Forge National 

Historical Park

Development of Desired Conditions for 

Meadows at Valley Forge National Historical 

Park

2,500 2,500 

Vicksburg National Military 

Park

Perform a Mussel Survey within Vicksburg 

National Military Park

10,000 10,000 

White Sands National 

Monument

Map Tamarisk Park wide 16,000 16,000 

Whitman Mission National 

Historic Site

Control Invasive Reed Canarygrass 9,900 9,900 

Wilson’s Creek National 

Battlefield

Savanna Tree Rehabilitation 32,998 13,950 

TOTAL $2,644,692 $904,185

NRPP Regional Block Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Alaska Regional Office Alaska Park Cooperative and Technical 

Assistance Projects

131,150 16,830 

Alaska Regional Office Alaska Scientific and Technical Reports 54,000 6,930 

Alaska Regional Office Arctic Park Science Symposium 2007–2008 50,000 17,940 

Alaska Regional Office Implementing Effective Aversive Conditioning of 

Bears in Alaska’s National Parklands

31,950 31,631 

Alaska Regional Office Natural Resource Employees Professionalization 

and Technical Competency Enhancement

107,900 23,000 

Alaska Regional Office Produce Alaska Park Science Journal 216,885 30,000 

Alaska Regional Office Resource Baseline Update for Alaska Parks Using 

High Resolution Satellite Imagery

1,706,900 18,137

Alaska Regional Office Update the Alaska Natural Resources Program 

Strategic Implementation Plan

10,000 7,000 

Alaska Regional Office Volunteer Crew for Invasive Plant Removal in 

Multiple Parks

66,308 32,822 

Antietam National 

Battlefield

Characterization of Precipitation and Water 

Quality at Mumma Spring

20,000 10,000 

Big Cypress National Preserve Minerals Management Plan 298,000 15,000 

Big South Fork National 

River and Recreation Area

Mitigating Trail Development Impacts Through 

Preconstruction Floristic Surveys

24,850 23,000 

Boston Harbor Islands 

National Recreation Area

Restore Natural Biodiversity to Boston Harbor 

Islands

36,110 6,046 

Canaveral National Seashore Measure Sea Turtle Nest Predator Distribution 

and Abundance

25,000 24,000 

Cape Cod National Seashore Prepare Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Estuarine Restoration of Herring River

9,400,000 38,000 

Catoctin Mountain Park Investigate Ecological Succession in Forest 

Blowdowns Associated with Hurricane Ivan

26,600 8,400 

Delaware Water Gap 

National Recreation Area

Measurement of Land Cover/Use Change Trends 

in the Upper Delaware River Basin and Growth 

Projection

21,250 11,250 

Delaware Water Gap 

National Recreation Area

Tri-State Bend Watershed Scoping Summit 12,990 13,000 

Denali National Park & 

Preserve

Implement Regional Integrated Pest 

Management Program to Insure Health of 

Natural Resources

39,050 4,000 

Devils Tower National 

Monument

Control/Eliminate Exotic Invasive Plant Species 40,000 20,000 

Effigy Mounds National 

Monument

Control and Survey New Garlic Mustard 

Populations

14,950 15,000 

Fire Island National Seashore Impacts of Beach Scraping and Artificial Dune 

Creation on the Natural Resources

76,732 38,519 
 National Park Service 127

NRPP Regional Block Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Fire Island National Seashore White-tailed Deer Population and Herd 

Composition Monitoring

150,440 10,000 

Fort Pulaski National 

Monument

Shoreline Impacts of Vessel Generated Waves 7,976 15,000 

George Washington Carver 

National Monument

Develop and Implement Integrated Pest 

Management Plan

6,000 2,885 

George Washington 

Memorial Parkway

Assess Impacts of Deer/Invasive Plant Interactions 

on Native Vegetation at Potomac Gorge

59,600 20,000 

George Washington 

Memorial Parkway

Create Digital Atlas of Breeding Wood Warblers 

at Turkey Run and Great Falls Parks

19,500 9,600 

George Washington 

Memorial Parkway

Determine Pollination Biology of Three Rare 

Plants in Turkey Run and Great Falls Parks

20,000 10,000 

George Washington 

Memorial Parkway

Inventory Insects in Turky Run and Great Falls 

Parks

30,000 10,000 

George Washington 

Memorial Parkway

Inventory Seven Groups of Insects in Turkey Run 

and Great Falls Parks, Virginia

29,800 900 

Grand Portage National 

Monument

Site Assessment and Management 

Recommendations for Conifer Regeneration 

along Trail Corridor

17,995 11,617 

Grand Teton National Park Just the tip of the Talus Field—Understanding 

Alpine Biogeochemistry in Grand Teton & 

Glacier National Parks

40,000 28,200 

Great Basin National Park Re-establish Three Species of Extirpated Native 

Fish—Restore Entire Aquatic Community

73,639 25,900 

Great Smoky Mountains 

National Park

Protecting Rare Species in Cades Cove Through 

High-resolution Mapping

21,120 20,500 

Harpers Ferry National 

Historical Park

Conduct Resource Inventory of Rare Limestone 

Glade Habitat

15,000 8,500 

Harpers Ferry National 

Historical Park

Inventory of Ferns 4,800 4,800 

Isle Royale National Park Conduct a Pilot Survey of Forest Mustelid 

Populations Inhabiting Isle Royale National Park

49,203 22,344 

Isle Royale National Park Conduct an Inland Lakes Creel Census 12,437 4,450 

Jean Lafitte National 

Historical Park and Preserve

Control and Eradicate Exotic Plants at the 

Chalmette Battlefield

24,500 23,600 

Kings Mountain National 

Military Park

Conduct Survey of Odonata and Lepidoptera 37,560 12,100 

Lake Meredith National 

Recreation Area

Protect Natural and Cultural Resources by 

Constructing Boundary Fence in Urban Interface

39,516 19,800 

Mammoth Cave National 

Park

Eliminate Invasive Lamp Flora in Park Caves 24,975 24,000 

Manassas National 

Battlefield Park

Habitat Preferences of Birds Wintering in 

Restored Grasslands of the Mid-Atlantic Region

18,340 7,900 

Manassas National 

Battlefield Park

Post Clear Cut Plant and Aquatic Community 

Monitoring

12,200 4,900 

Midwest Regional Office Train Resource Management staff in New 

Resource Management Planning Guidelines

162,112 20,384 

Mojave National Preserve Wildlife Monitoring in Mojave National Preserve 92,920 22,000 

National Capital Regional 

Office

Augmenting and Enhancing Effective Park 

Management of Natural Resources

47,100 21,000 

National Capital Regional 

Office

Demonstrating Leadership: Providing 

Opportunities for Professional Development of 

NCR Natural Resource Managers

41,170 19,000 

National Capital Regional 

Office

Finalizing Vegetation Classification in the 

National Captial Region

131,180 34,000 

North Cascades National Park Status and Distribution of the Marbled Murrelet 65,425 25,350 

Ozark National Scenic 

Riverways

Assess Spring Input and Water Quality 18,000 16,573 

Pictured Rocks National 

Lakeshore

Determine Impacts of Spotted Knapweed on 

Wildlife

18,000 16,573 
128 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

NRPP Regional Block Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Pinnacles National 

Monument

Re-introduce Foothill Yellow-legged Frogs to 

Chalone Creek Drainage

132,277 44,850 

Prince William Forest Park Identify Orchid-Fungi Relationships for Isotria 

Medeoloides

30,000 10,000 

Prince William Forest Park Survey for Rare, Threatened, and Endangered 

Species Along Proposed New Access to 

Chopawamsic Backcountry Area

10,000 10,000 

Rocky Mountain National 

Park

Identify and Survey Habitat for the Mexican 

Spotted Owl in Rocky Mountain and Great Sand 

Dunes National Parks

40,000 15,600 

Saint Croix National Scenic 

Riverway

Evaluating the Habitat and Water Quality of the 

St. Croix NSR using a Chironomidae Community 

Survey

17,845 16,430 

San Antonio Missions 

National Historical Park

Control of Non-Native Vegetation 33,600 24,310 

San Juan Island National 

Historical Park

Implement Native Prairie Restoration at Multiple 

Parks

60,000 2,130 

Santa Monica Mountains 

National Recreation Area

Implementation of a Three-Phase Containment, 

Eradication and Restoration Program for 

Harding Grass

88,017 22,408 

Sequoia and Kings Canyon 

National Parks

Restoration of Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs 

in Upper Bubbs Creek of Kings Canyon National 

Park

77,941 21,362 

Shenandoah National Park Macroinvertebrate Sampling Associated with 

Headwater Streams Inventory

7,500 7,500 

Shenandoah National Park Remove Non-native Plants From A Globally Rare 

Community—Monitor Rare And Non-native 

Species Extent

43,500 16,000 

Shenandoah National Park Shenandoah Scientific Records Organization 8,000 8,000 

Shenandoah National Park Stop the Spread of Invasive Mile-a-minute Vine 24,892 36,815 

South East Regional Office NPS State of Science Workshop on Inventory 

Application to Management

24,600 23,900 

Tonto National Monument Research Ecology and Resource Requirements of 

Reptiles for Critical Resource Protection

39,992 20,000 

Voyageurs National Park Census Beaver Populations, A Biological 

Indicator of Aquatic System Health

13,291 12,237 

Walnut Canyon National 

Monument

The Influence of Water Availabilty on Wildlife 

Communities in Walnut Canyon

24,006 16,200 

Whiskeytown National 

Recreation Area

Determine the Hydrologic, Geochemical, and 

Historical Factors that Influence Puccinellia 

howellii

83,904 25,000 

Yellowstone National Park Is Extirpation of the Yellowstone Trumpeter 

Swan in our Immediate Future?

37,000 25,900 

Zion National Park Determine Impacts from Encroaching 

Development to the Threatened Desert Tortoise 

Population

34,605 17,100 

TOTAL $14,532,102 $1,258,123
 National Park Service 129

NRPP Servicewide Projects

PARK PROJECT TITLE TOTAL 

FUNDING

FY 2007 

FUNDING

Air Quality - Washington 

Office

Completion of Western Airborne Contaminants 

Assessment Project

78,837 78,837 

Assoc. Director, Natural 

Resource Stewardship & 

Science

Co-sponsor Natural Areas Conference 7,000 2,000 

Assoc. Director, Natural 

Resource Stewardship & 

Science

Director’s Annual Natural Resource Awards 95,000 30,000 

Assoc. Director, Natural 

Resource Stewardship & 

Science

NPS Support for International Coral Reef 

Symposium

20,000 20,000 

Assoc. Director, Natural 

Resource Stewardship & 

Science

Ocean Park Action Plan and Seamless Network 

Coordination

25,000 25,000 

Assoc. Director, Natural 

Resource Stewardship & 

Science

Professional Organization Support—George 

Wright Society

47,500 5,000 

Assoc. Director, Natural 

Resource Stewardship & 

Science

RLC Support FY 2007 30,000 30,000 

Assoc. Director, Natural 

Resource Stewardship & 

Science

Serving as NPS Senior Scientist for ADNRSS and 

Director

150,000 50,000 

Assoc. Director, Natural 

Resource Stewardship & 

Science

Support to World Commission on Protected 

Areas Steering Committee Meeting

5,000 5,000 

Assoc. Director, Natural 

Resource Stewardship & 

Science

USGS-Park Oriented Biological Support 259,000 4,000 

Environmental Quality 

Division - Washington Office

Continued Implementation of Emergency 

Response Function

100,000 100,000 

Geologic Resources 

Division—Washington Office

Geologic Resources Management Technical 

Support for Parks

150,000 50,000 

Natural Resource Program 

Center OCD, WASO

Advance NPRC Web Presence and Related 

Internal and External Communications

35,000 35,000 

Natural Resource Program 

Center OCD, WASO

Make Essential Adjustments to RPRS to Meet 

new Security Requirements

51,000 51,000 

Natural Resource Program 

Center OCD, WASO

Natural Resource Year in Review 70,000 70,000 

Natural Resource Program 

Center OCD, WASO

NPS Nature & Science 22,500 22,500 

Natural Resource Program 

Center OCD, WASO

Park Science 60,000 60,000 

Natural Resource Program 

Center OCD, WASO

Production of a “Views of the National Parks” 

module on the Chesapeake Bay

35,000 45,000 

Natural Resource Program 

Center OCD, WASO

Support for National Council Science and The 

Environment

10,000 5,000 

NRSS Biological Resource 

Management Division

Ecological Integrity Assessment Framework 20,000 20,000 

Social Science Division - 

Washington Office

Comprehensive Survey of the American Public to 

Assist in Park Management Planning

62,600 31,250 

Social Science Division - 

Washington Office

Fund Regional Atlases of Socioeconomic Trends 

at Non-Fee Park Units

330,000 45,000 

TOTAL $1,663,437 $784,587 
130 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress
 National Park Service 131

Appendix C: Biological Resource Projects—National 

Level Support

Park Project Title 2007 Funding

Acadia NP Winter Site Fidelity of Purple Sandpiper $15,300

Biscayne NP Conserving Threatened and Endangered Sea Turtles in 

BISC

$11,700

Big South Fork NRRA Exotic Plant Control in Biologically Sensitive Big South 

Fork Riparian Habitat

$13,700

Buck Island Reef NM Re-introduce Endangered St. Croix Ground Lizard to Buck 

Island Reef NM

$46,000

Congaree NP Quantify Change in the Old-growth Forests of Congaree 

National Park 

$25,000

Craters of the Moon NM Locate and Control Leafy Spurge in Wilderness Study Area $30,300

Glacier NP Effects of 2003 Fires on Fire-Dependent Bird Species $25,000

Glacier NP Control Backcountry Invasive Weeds $21,500

Golden Gate NRA Establish Endangered Tidewater Goby Population $20,000

Great Basin NP Survey Invertebrate Cave Endemics $23,100

Great Basin NP Sage Steppe & Fuels Management: Building the 

Knowledge Base

$28,400

Grand Canyon NP Supplemental feeding station for improving wild condor 

reproduction & reducing lead poisoning

$20,000

Great Smoky Mountains. NP Protection of American Chestnut Landscape through 

Detection and Development of a Native Resistant Strain

$25,000

Grand Teton NP The invasive New Zealand mudsnail vs the candidate 

threatened Jackson Lake spring snail in GRTE 

$36,600

Indiana Dunes NL Enhance State Listed Species Through Habitat 

Modifications and Introductions

$12,100

Jean Lafitte NHP&P Characterize Changes in the Fisheries Population at the 

Barataria Preserve

20,000

Lake Clark NP&P Conserving Sustainable Northern Pike Populations $39,700

Mammoth Cave NP Restoration of Tall Grass Prairie $28,000

Mammoth Cave NP Protect Rafinesque Bat Maternity and Hibernation 

Habitat

$49,900

Mount Rainier NP Assess Status Of Native Bull Trout & Cutthroat Populations $24,000

Ozark NSR Genetic analysis of the hellbender (Cryptobranchus 

alleganiensis), a candidate endangered species

$49,100

Prince William Forest Park Investigate Pollution-sensitive Subterranean Fauna of 

Vulnerable Habitats in NCR

$25,000

Voyageurs NP Improve Limited Knowledge of Ecology and Population 

Status of Threatened Canada Lynx

$30,100

War in the Pacific NHP Develop Techniques to Restore Tropical Savanna 

Grasslands

$23,900

Zion NP Fire Management Effects on Native Bee Diversity & 

Abundance in Relation to Rare Plant Conservation

$25,000

Total $668,400

Sampling sockeye salmon at 

Lake Clark National Park and 

Preserve.

NPS Photo: Dan Young
132 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress
 National Park Service 133

Appendix D: Water Resource Protection Projects

Water Resource Protection Projects—FY 2007

Park Project Title(s) FY 2007 

Funding 

$(000s)

Servicewide Support to the Office of the Solicitor 183.2

Chickasaw NRA Hydrologic Data Collection 10.0

Wind Cave NP Groundwater Study 46.6

Montezuma Castle NM Hydrologic Data Collection for the Verde River Adjudication 47.4

National Parks in 

Montana

Implementation of the Montana-NPS Compact 1.5

Saguaro NP Investigation of Hydrology and Water Related Values 1.2

Arches NP Hydrologic Data Collection 18.1

Kaloko-Honokohau NHP Investigation of Hydrology and Water Dependent Values 65.0

Great Sand Dunes NP & Pr Hydrogeologic Data Analysis 39.6

Theodore Roosevelt NP Collection of Hydrologic Data 4.3

Death Valley NP Participation in Groundwater Model Development 12.0

Grand Teton NP Investigation of Hydrology of the Gros Ventre River 6.2

Great Basin NP Investigation of Hydrogeology and Hydrologic Data Collection 81.6

Tuzigoot NM Hydrogeology Study 23.5

Niobrara NSR Investigation of Water Dependent Resources 50.0

Black Canyon of the 

Gunnison NP

Monitoring of Riparian System 30.0

Obed WSR Investigation of Water Dependent Values 17.6

Servicewide Technical Support to All Projects and Technical Assistances 226.0

Servicewide Administrative Support to Projects and Technical Assistances 91.0

TOTAL 954.7

Water Resources Division Competitive Projects—FY 2007

Park Project Title FY 2007 

Funding 

$(000s)

Kaloko-Honokohau NHP Determine Subterranean Groundwater Nutrient Input to KalokoHonokohau NHP’s Coastal Ocean Ecosystem27.0

Buffalo NR Map and Characterize the Geology of Tomahawk Creek, Buffalo 

National River

50.0

Mount Rainier and 

Olympic NPs

Pre-Disaster Preventative Planning in MORA/OLYM 45.0

Yellowstone NP Norris Geyser Basin: Effects of the Shallow Groundwater System on 

Visitor Safety

50.0

Multiple Pacific West 

Region

Assessment of Groundwater Resources in the Mojave Network 69.9

Cuyahoga Valley NP Biological Assessment of Primary Headwater Streams 47.2

Saint Croix NSR Manage Nonpoint Pollutants Through Watershed Modeling 69.5

Grand Teton NP Baseline Water Quality of Four Western Tributary Streams in the 

Upper Snake River Basin

23.9

Multiple Pacific West 

Region

Map Wetlands in small NPW Parks 48.7

Big Bend NP Determine the History of Channel Change of the Rio Grande River 

at Big Bend NP

41.6

Ebey’s Landing NHR Conduct Hydrologic Assessment of Ebey’s Prairie, Ebey’s Landing 

National Historical Reserve

35.0

Total 507.8

The octocoral Anthelia edmonsoni is pervasive in KalokoHonokohau National Historical 

Park, especially in areas of high 

subterranean groundwater discharge.

Photo: Eric Grossman, USGS
134 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress
 National Park Service 135

Appendix E: USGS—Biological Resources

Title of Project FY07 Report

Distribution, population dynamics, and herbivory impacts of a 

pioneering elk herd on Chaco 

Culture National Historical Park

Elk colonized the greater Chaco Culture National Historical Park area, 

a desert grass/shrubland in northwestern New Mexico, in January 2000. 

Most (63 percent) of the park has been protected from grazing by domestic livestock since 1948, the remainder (37 percent) since 1995, and 

no wild grazers were believed to occur on the land historically. Because 

of this, Chaco Culture provides a valuable baseline for essentially ungrazed desert/grassland in the Colorado Plateau eco-region. Colonization by elk raised questions over the suitability of these habitats for elk, 

and concerns over potential impacts of elk grazing on the park’s grasslands because of prior absence of grazing. Project goals were to determine the health and population dynamics of this herd, assess habitat relationships, and determine any potential grazing impacts to the system.

All cows in this population were captured each autumn and late winter 

from 2003 to 2006, and kept radio-collared for the duration of the project. Levels of body fat of lactating cows were measured to determine. 

Adult pregnancy and survival were high; whereas, calf survival was 

variable. Calf survival was positively related to maternal size, maternal 

condition, and cumulative annual precipitation through parturition, and 

all calf mortality occurred at or near parturition.

Cover of live plants and species richness were greater on areas receiving 

more use by elk, and no grass species were used above recommended 

residual leaf height levels. In fact, relative elk use was positively related 

to residual biomass of the most common and palatable grasses, blue and 

black grama, suggesting possible herbivore optimization of grassland 

productivity by elk grazing in Chaco Culture. Similarly, water infiltration 

rates either did not differ among use or control sites, or were faster in 

use sites, indicating no soil compaction due to elk use. Since colonization, elk have increased from approximately 20 to greater than or equal 

to 53 individuals, a mean rate of increase of 15 percent per year, with 

annual increases limited only by variation in calf survival. At elk densities seen during this project (0.13–0.15/km2), no deleterious impacts to 

plants or soils were seen on Chaco Culture, whereas visitor interest in 

elk has been high. Further, the high sustained population growth rate 

indicates that desert grass/shrubland habitats are capable of supporting 

a productive elk population and merit consideration for elk management in the desert Southwest.

Producing wolf-elk population 

model for Yellowstone National 

Park

Due to a large-scale ecological linkage between the northern Yellowstone elk herd and the recently reestablished Yellowstone wolf population, wolf-elk ecology may greatly affect the park’s ecological structure 

and function. Since wolves were reestablished into Yellowstone in 1995 

and 1996, they have preyed primarily on elk, and the Greater Yellowstone population increased rapidly to about 300 wolves, currently. In 

Yellowstone, elk numbers dropped from an estimated 20,000 in 1995 to 

about 9,000. Thus there is a strong need to examine critical aspects of 

wolf-elk ecology, especially the effect of wolf predation on elk numbers 

and population trend.

To understand specifically how wolves affect the elk population and to 

supply inputs for a wolf-elk population model, researchers tagged 85 

cow elk and 151 neonate calves with mortality-sensing transmitters and 

measured their survival and causes of death. Adult cow survival averaged 80 percent per year. Human hunters (outside the park) and wolves 

caused equal amounts of cow mortality. Annual calf-survival was 22 

percent per year, with bears accounting for 59 percent of deaths and 

wolves 14-17 percent. During FY 2007, attempts were made to use these 

figures to develop a wolf-elk population model. Researchers tested the 

Eberhardt (1987), the White and Lubow (2002) model, and the Cooper 

et al. (2003) models. However, none of these efforts accommodated the 

survival rates derived at Yellowstone. Analysis of why the models would 

not work led researchers to conclude that Yellowstone elk population 

abundance had been substantially underestimated in several years. Thus 

although it was not possible with existing elk demographic data to 

develop a cogent wolf-elk model, this research resulted in the valuable 

finding that there is a strong need to improve the demographic monitoring of Yellowstone elk, specifically by developing a sightability index 

for aerial censuses.

At Ozark National Scenic Riverways, USGS Researchers are 

studying non-lethal sampling 

techniques to test fish for mercury.

NPS Photo: Chuck Bloomingburg
136 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Title of Project FY07 Report

The development of a quantitative decision model for 

evaluating the effects of river 

regulation and water use on native fishes in the Chattahoochee 

River National Recreation Area

Identifying and quantifying the effects of river regulation and water 

development on native fish communities in the Chattahoochee River 

National Recreation Area are crucial for evaluating potential conservation and restoration strategies. During 2007, researchers built empirical 

models predicting the reproductive success of native stream fishes in 

the recreation area in response to changes in the hydrologic and thermal regimes of the river. The model was built using long-term data sets 

from regulated and unregulated warm-water streams. The final model 

predicted that native fish species richness in the Chattahoochee River 

under historic discharge and temperature regimes (i.e., before construction and operation of two upstream hydroelectric dams) was almost two 

times greater than under current (post dam) conditions. To verify these 

model predictions, researchers sampled fishes in the recreation area 

using a quadrat sample design to estimate native fish community structure at each study reach. Researchers found that model predictions of 

current native fish species richness in two sections of the river were, on 

average, within 20 percent of the measured values. Two versions of the 

model, each representing different sections of the river, were created in 

a user-friendly probabilistic decision model network format to allow the 

National Park Service to evaluate the influence of various water management scenarios on the abundance and distribution of native biota in 

the river.

Development of methods to improve trapping of free-roaming 

cats in National Parks

Free-roaming cats (Felis catus) are non-native predators and competitors 

of native fauna in units of the National Park System (parks). The adverse 

impacts of cats on wildlife have been well documented globally and cat 

control strategies range from local ordinances and public education to 

eradications involving trapping, poisoning, and hunting. Whereas cat 

control in remote parks may be accomplished via lethal means, these 

methods are not practical for the more urban parks because of the public’s safety and concern for the animals’ welfare. Therefore, cat removal 

in these parks primarily involves live trapping. Because cat populations 

in parks are sustained by reproduction and immigration from surrounding areas, cat trapping is a perennial activity. Traps are usually baited 

with food items which also attract native mammalian scavengers (e.g. 

raccoons, opossums, skunks, etc.). These native animals may be more 

likely to be trapped than cats because, in general, the scavengers are 

more abundant than cats and they also have a better sense of smell 

than cats, allowing them to locate the bait from greater distances. Parks 

have limited resources to devote to cat trapping and unintended trapping of non-target animals can strain the parks’ cat removal efforts. 

The objective of this study is to develop a trapping scheme that will 

maximize cat trapping by minimizing non-target mammal catches. In 

2007, researchers tested three trapping schemes (platform, live mice, 

dummy) at four parks within National Capital Parks East and at Catoctin 

Mountain Park. Researchers also videotaped the animals at these sites to 

observe their activity in response to the trapping schemes. Preliminary 

testing of methods (several models of video cameras, infrared illuminators, and trapping schemes) was conducted at two Maryland-National 

Capital Park and Planning Commission’s parks, USFWS National Conservation Training Center, and the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 

but not on parks to avoid biasing park animals prior to the actual study. 

Thus far, researchers have trapped nine cats (four cats using live mice 

and five cats using the platform method). The videotapes have been 

invaluable in documenting trap-selection behavior by cats. Raccoons, 

skunks, and opossums were observed on the videotapes, however no 

non-target species has been trapped. In FY 2008, testing will continue at 

Prince William Forest Park, National Capital Parks East, and/or Catoctin 

Mountain Park. The findings will benefit park resource managers by 

providing them with a more efficient cat trapping method.
 National Park Service 137

Title of Project FY07 Report

Fishes and riverine habitat of 

Badlands National Park, with 

emphasis on the sturgeon chub 

and other imperiled species

The fish assemblage and aquatic habitats within Badlands National Park 

are unique because of harsh conditions (e.g., high turbidity, conductivity, intermittency, and temperature). The purposes of the study are: 

1) document habitat and fishes present in aquatic habitats in the park; 

2) compare habitat conditions at selected sites from a previous study; 

and 3) investigate the ecology of the sturgeon chub (Macrhybopsis gelida), including spawning periodicity, age, and growth. Study results will 

identify possible issues related to biodiversity conservation and habitat 

management, bring focus to NPS lands where unique management opportunities may exist; and increase understanding of the status and ecology of imperiled species, particularly the sturgeon chub.

Fieldwork was completed in August 2007. Researchers surveyed ponds 

(bison watering ponds), streams, and river habitats within Badlands and 

found 27 species of fish—16 species in the White River and 23 species in 

the Cheyenne River. Plains minnow and flathead chub were the dominant species. Researchers also recorded the presence of amphibians, 

reptiles, and aquatic plants. They made observations on the one-species 

fishery (largemouth bass) in bison ponds and the pond limnological conditions and zooplankton populations. Stable isotope analysis of several 

White River fish species is being conducted to determine the source of 

energy inputs to the river system. Sturgeon chub specimens from the 

White River and Cheyenne River main stems were used to compare 

various population metrics (age, growth, fecundity, diet). Droughts 

and floods hampered sampling somewhat both years, but all objectives 

were accomplished. The study will complete analysis and final report in 

FY 2008.

Assessment of upland ecosystem 

conditions in the Salt Creek Watershed, Canyonlands National 

Park

The purpose of this project is to assess the condition of upland ecosystems in the Salt Creek watershed and surrounding portions of Canyonlands National Park using a suite of quantitative and qualitative indicators related to the functioning of key ecosystem processes. Salt Creek 

is the only perennial stream in Canyonlands other than the Colorado 

River itself, and riparian and aquatic ecosystems associated with the 

Salt Creek drainage may be affected by upland watershed conditions 

impacted by past land-use practices (e.g., livestock grazing), visitor-use 

activities, or drought. This study is in conjunction with a companion 

project funded by The Nature Conservancy that was initiated on Bureau 

of Land Management (BLM) lands adjacent to Canyonlands in 2007. 

Both projects use identical sampling strategies and field methods, and 

combined analysis of both data sets will greatly improve the capacity to 

understand patterns of ecosystem condition in relation to past and ongoing land-use activities, climate, and soil properties. Preliminary analyses suggest that soil stability and ground cover both tend to be higher 

in Canyonlands than on BLM lands. Emerging patterns also suggest that 

particular soils and types of ecosystems are highly susceptible to longterm dominance by invasive exotic plants. Results of this project will allow NPS staff to evaluate current conditions in relation to management 

objectives and “desired future conditions,” as well as to establish priorities for restoration or other management actions. Data collected on NPS 

lands will help BLM managers better understand the condition of lands 

they manage, and data for both companion projects will be used by the 

NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program, the USDA Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, TNC, and USGS to better understand ranges of 

variability in indicators of ecosystem condition and to develop hypotheses concerning the resistance and resilience of particular soils/ecological 

sites to interactive effects of climate and land-use activities.
138 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Title of Project FY07 Report

Development and validation of 

a potentially non-lethal sampling strategy for environmental 

contaminants of concern in the 

Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Trace metals emanating from mining and other sources have been identified as a high priority concern of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways 

of southeastern Missouri. Ongoing and proposed mining represent 

sources of lead, cadmium, and other metals to park waters. Smallmouth 

bass and other predatory fishes inhabiting waters of the Ozarks and 

other Missouri streams also contain comparatively high concentrations 

of mercury.

Fish for contaminants monitoring in the Scenic Riverways and elsewhere 

in Missouri are collected by the Missouri Department of Conservation 

(MDC). The current protocol requires the periodic sacrifice of large 

numbers of fish to obtain fillet samples for analysis. Researchers are 

evaluating methods that may reduce or eliminate the need to sacrifice 

fish solely for estimating health risks associated with fish consumption 

by humans. Two fish species commonly sought by anglers (northern hog 

sucker and smallmouth bass) were collected by electrofishing at four 

sites in the Ozarks and two sites outside the park in September 2005. Fillet, blood, and muscle tissue (biopsy) samples were obtained from smallmouth bass. Blood and fillet samples were obtained from suckers.

The mercury study has been completed. All the sub-lethal sampling 

methods yielded accurate and precise estimates of fillet mercury concentrations in smallmouth bass. Concentrations in the biopsy samples 

were directly comparable to the fillet values whereas the blood mercury 

concentrations were substantially lower. As a result of these findings, 

researchers assisted MDC in conducting a follow-up study of smallmouth 

bass survival after biopsy punch sampling. Twenty fish from each of 

three sites on the Eleven Point River (one of which was a 2005 site) were 

collected in September 2007 and transported to the Mammoth Spring 

(AR) National Fish Hatchery. Biopsy punch samples for mercury analysis 

were obtained from ten fish from each site and the other ten fish were 

handled identically but not sampled (controls). All fish were retained 

at the hatchery for 60 days for observation. After 60 days only one fish 

from each group had died and the punch wounds had healed. The fish 

were returned to their sites of capture and released. Based on these results, USGS will assist MDC to implement mercury biopsy sampling statewide (including the waters of the Ozarks) beginning in 2008.

Chemical analyses of the 2005 sucker samples have been completed. All 

concentrations were low in samples collected within the park, and relations between sample types were difficult to discern. Additional samples 

from two sites contaminated to differing degrees by mining were collected in October 2007 for inclusion in the data set. Analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results are scheduled for 2008.

Baseline Analysis of Floodplain 

Soils Prior to Dam Removal, 

Elwha River, Olympic National 

Park

During FY 2007, researchers completed field data collection, initiated 

laboratory analyses, and engaged in new collaborations, which has 

leveraged the value of this project. Soil, forest floor, and related information were collected from 56 permanent vegetation quadrats along 

the Elwha River. The quadrats were selected to represent commonly 

occurring riparian vegetation patch types within each of three river 

reaches: downstream of the two large dams on the river, between the 

dams, and upstream of the dams. Within each quadrat, two points were 

systematically selected for subsampling and the two soil samples were 

composited. Samples were divided into four groups, for different physical, chemical and biological analyses. Soil texture, chemistry, and mycorrhizae are being analyzed.

The primary utility of this work for the National Park Service is in the 

context of the planned dam removals on the Elwha River. These removals were delayed another few years (most likely to occur in 2012 at the 

earliest). This work will quantify baseline conditions, to which future 

sampling can be compared. Following dam removal, resampling within 

the same permanent plots will reveal changes to the physical, chemical and biological character of the soils. Also, the soil characterization 

will prove useful to NPS resource managers as they plan and implement 

revegetation of the lands that are currently submerged beneath Lake 

Mills.
 National Park Service 139

Title of Project FY07 Report

Effects of Invasive Exotic Plants 

on Habitat Conditions and 

Performance of the Federally 

Endangered Shivwits Milkvetch 

(Astragalus Ampullarioides),

Zion National Park

The purpose of this project is to provide Zion National Park with scientific information to inform conservation of the federally endangered 

Shivwits milk-vetch (Astragalus ampullarioides)—an edaphically restricted species that is endemic to southwestern Utah. In fall 2006, researchers initiated field experiments in Zion to evaluate effects of the invasive 

exotic grass red brome (Bromus rubens) on growth, reproductive output, 

and mycorrhizal status of Shivwits milk-vetch. As a result of drought, the 

field experiment is being repeated during fall 2007 through spring 2008. 

Experimental plots were re-established in September 2007. Precipitation 

and soil moisture will be monitored throughout the fall-winter-spring 

period, and efforts will be made to water plots if necessary to maintain 

the experiment.

In 2007 researchers also built upon their improved knowledge of milkvetch—habitat relations to develop a GIS-based spatial predictive model 

of potential habitat for the species based on substrate (geology) and 

climatic parameters. During spring 2007, preliminary model results were 

used to select 60 field sampling locations for comparing soil and vegetation conditions between areas of predicted potential habitat and areas 

of known milk-vetch occurrence. Soil samples currently are being analyzed. Results will be analyzed and the predictive modeling effort will 

be completed during winter 2007–2008. In addition to the predictive 

model, soil samples were collected in spring 2007 to determine densities 

of milk-vetch seeds in the soil seed bank. Soil samples were collected 

and will be processed during winter 2007–2008 to quantify milk-vetch 

seed densities. Results of descriptive studies conducted in 2006, field 

experiments, predictive habitat modeling, and soil seed-bank studies 

will be used to inform the development of management strategies and 

recovery efforts conducted by Zion National Park, the Bureau of Land 

Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Shivwits Band 

of the Paiute Indian Tribe.

Experimental control of invasive 

ant species in Hawaii Volcanoes 

National Park.

Approximately 20 species of invasive ants have been recorded in Hawai‘i 

Volcanoes National Park. The ecological impacts of these species in 

Hawai‘i are poorly documented, but Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), big-headed ants (Pheidole megacephala), and long-legged ants 

(Anoplolepis gracilipes) are widely regarded as serious invasive pests 

outside their native ranges because they form large colonies and are 

highly aggressive towards other arthropods. Populations of these ant 

species in the park are discontinuous and interspersed with one another, 

and their capacity to disrupt native arthropod communities raises concerns about potential impacts on park ecosystems and special ecological 

management units. Few options are available to park managers for 

controlling ant species. The primary goal of our research is to develop 

control methods for Argentine ants and big-headed ants in the park. 

To develop tools for controlling Argentine ants, researchers tested the 

efficacy of three baits in FY 2007. None of the baits eradicated ants, but 

Xstinguish® and Maxforce® performed the best, decreasing ant abundance 99 percent and 92 percent, respectively, after one week, and 98 

percent after eight weeks. In contrast, Distance® decreased ant abundance 82 percent after one week but ants rebounded to at least 39 percent of control levels after the ninth week. While ant abundances were 

dramatically reduced, our results indicate that further work is needed 

before this species can be eradicated even on a relatively small scale. 

In FY 2008, researchers will test baits to control big-headed ants using 

a similar experimental design. Results will help park managers protect 

critical populations of native arthropods (e.g., native pollinators) from 

invasive ants and will provide managers with new tools for removing or 

reducing incipient populations of ants from special ecological areas.
140 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Title of Project FY07 Report

Movements and activities of cougars in high visitor use areas of 

Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park and neighboring communities have experienced increased sightings of cougars (Puma concolor) near people and residences 

during the last seven years. Park managers requested that USGS provide 

them with an understanding of cougar movements and ecology in the 

park so that they could better ensure human safety and better address 

concerns of non-park stakeholders that the park was a source of problem animals. Researchers initiated an investigation of cougars in and 

near Zion during 2006 with the objectives of documenting movements 

and locations of ranges relative to Zion boundaries, and of documenting 

and modeling habitat use relative to human facilities. During February 

2006–January 2007 researchers deployed four GPS collars on cougars 

along the northwestern and eastern boundaries of Zion, one each on 

an adult male, a subadult male, and two adult females. Two of these 

collars delivered locations daily via Argos satellite uplinks and were 

deployed on an experimental basis for one year to determine how well 

the Argos feature performed in Zion’s steep topography. The other two 

collars stored GPS locations “on board” to be retrieved when the collars 

were recovered after a planned deployment of two years. Researchers 

obtained 986 good-quality GPS fixes from an Argos-fitted female that 

was harvested by sport hunters after 11 months of collar deployment. 

The collar from the other Argos-fitted animal, a subadult male, provided 

1,356 good fixes when recovered after a full one-year’s deployment. 

Researchers visited 18 sites defined by clusters of Argos-delivered GPS 

locations and found remains of cougar kills at 15 of them, including 14 

adult mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and one adult male elk (Cervus 

elaphus). Researchers determined that the Argos feature performed well 

in the study area and so will deploy GPS-Argos collars on an additional 

two cougars planned for capture during the winter of 2007–2008. The 

two currently deployed store-on-board collars will automatically release 

during March–April 2008. Researchers plan to integrate data from cougars monitored during this study at Zion with data from an additional 

three cougars monitored around Capital Reef National Park, 28 cougars 

monitored in Grand Canyon National Park, and 23 cougars monitored 

in and near the Flagstaff Area National Monuments to produce robust 

spatially-explicit models of habitat use and vital rates applicable to the 

southern Colorado Plateau. These models would be based on an anticipated c. 60 animal-years of survival data and c. 80,000 GPS locations. 

Researchers also plan to integrate the kill data from Zion with the c. 

1,200 documented kills anticipated from our other southern Colorado 

Plateau studies to describe and model cougar foraging behaviors. These 

anticipated analyses and related products will be published in scientific 

journals after the broader cougar-focused research program on the 

southern Colorado Plateau concludes during 2009–2010.

Using Acoustic Sampling of Bat 

Assemblages to Monitor Ecosystem Trends in Yosemite National 

Park

In November 2006, researchers deployed eight newly assembled and 

four previously operational solar powered bat monitors in triangular 

arrays in four Yosemite meadows to evaluate variability in species detection among monitors at the same station with differing orientation. 

Winter bat activity at these elevations is generally low. The detection 

configuration was maintained into early summer 2007 to capture a 

sample of increased warm season activity. In early July 2007, after road 

access across the Sierra Nevada reopened, all monitors were recovered, 

and sensitivity calibration checked. One monitor was reinstalled in each 

of the four previously sampled meadows for seasonal continuity and 

eight were redeployed individually to higher meadows in non-wilderness areas (i.e., four detectors each in three elevation strata). The high 

and mid-elevation monitors were removed prior to winter road closures 

in late October 2007. Researchers are exploring and modifying data 

management options. Analysis of nightly presence-absence patterns in 

the two data sets is in progress, with the winter data set requiring more 

extensive one-time investigator review. While there are expected trends 

toward lower nightly duration of activity with increasing elevation, individual meadows within elevation strata may show marked differences 

in activity for less common species. In FY 2008 (with the project ending 

June 2008), investigators will 1) redeploy monitors for winter 2007 to 

assess within and among meadow variability at an intermediate spatial 

scale (low and mid elevation strata, lower between-meadow distances), 

and 2) focus on methods for data management and analysis, using the 

two prior data sets both as binary coded nightly presence/absence data 

and as continuous activity variables by species or acoustic guild.
 National Park Service 141

Title of Project FY07 Report

Assessing the Distribution and 

Effects of Chytrid Fungus on 

Amphibians in Grand Teton National Park

Chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

(Bd), has been linked to amphibian declines worldwide. Boreal toad 

(Bufo boreas) populations in Colorado have declined markedly from 

Bd while those in Grand Teton National park, Wyoming, appear stable. 

Research last year determined that boreal toads from the area surrounding Grand Teton were susceptible under laboratory conditions to a Bd 

isolate that originated from the same area as the toads in Wyoming, 

indicating that the Bd in this area is pathogenic to boreal toads. The results of these challenge studies suggest environmental factors may play 

an important role in the manifestation of chytridiomycosis in the Grand 

Tetons and surrounding area. Last year, researchers determined that Bd 

was present at all known boreal toad breeding sites within or surrounding Grand Teton.

In the summer of 2007, investigators compared the effect of relative 

humidity and skin wetness on the manifestation of chytridiomycosis. Boreal toads from Colorado were exposed to Bd and housed under either 

high or low relative humidity. Half of the individuals in each of these 

humidity groups were provided with a ramp to permit them to dry off. 

None of the exposed toadlets died of chytridiomycosis; however, they all 

became infected, and individuals housed in containers with high humidity and no ramp to dry off were more infected than individuals housed 

in containers with low humidity and ramps. Furthermore, toadlets that 

were moved from the high humidity containers with no ramp to low 

relative humidity containers with ramps after infection with Bd had a 

reduction in the level of Bd in their skin sheds. The results suggest availability of dry basking areas and relative humidity may play a role in the 

ability of Bd to propagate on the skin of boreal toads.

Human/black bear interactions in 

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona: development 

of a cooperative management 

strategy with the Navajo Nation

Human/black bear conflict in Canyon de Chelly National Monument is 

a long-term, unresolved problem that raises concern for human safety; 

however, no demographic information for the resident bear population 

is available to inform a strategy to deal with the issue. Additionally, 

Canyon de Chelly is currently in the middle of a 10-year restoration 

project aimed at removing all of the invasive Russian olive (Elaeagnus 

angustifolia) along the canyon bottoms. Cursory data suggest bears rely 

on Russian olive as a food source in the monument, thus removal of the 

olive could potentially increase conflict as bears, in response to the loss 

of this food source, adjust their feeding habits and movement patterns 

potentially relying more on human crops and livestock. To understand 

how bears will respond to the loss of Russian olive in Canyon de Chelly, 

this project was designed to collect information on population size, 

feeding habits, movement patterns, and habitat use of bears in the 

monument. During 2007, researchers began collecting scat and vegetation data throughout Canyon de Chelly to determine food habits and 

availability. Despite a variety of bear foods found in vegetation plots, 

scat data suggest bears are using Russian olive disproportionately to its 

availability in the monument. Nearly 80 percent of scats contained Russian olive, suggesting that the presence of the exotic Russian olive in 

Canyon de Chelly could be maintaining the bear population at a higher 

density than could be maintained by natural foods alone. Further study 

will reveal if the bear population can persist on natural foods alone 

(once the olive is removed), and the degree to which bears will turn to 

crops and livestock (thus creating increased bear/human conflicts) as alternative food sources. Researchers also developed a database for monitoring and tracking bear sightings and conflicts to understand the exact 

nature of bear/human interactions in Canyon de Chelly. Initial results indicate that local residents have misperceptions about bear ecology and 

behavior, and that accurately informing and educating these residents 

about bears and bear behavior in Canyon de Chelly may help to resolve 

many conflicts. Research efforts next summer will focus on live-trapping 

and fitting bears with GPS collars to better track their movement patterns and habitat use. Researchers also will continue to collect scat and 

vegetation data and continue discussions with local residents and park 

managers to develop acceptable and appropriate strategies for dealing 

with human/bear conflicts in Canyon de Chelly. Results of this research 

will be used by natural resource managers to develop a bear management strategy for the monument.
142 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Title of Project FY07 Report

The sugar pine dilemma: prescription burning and the management of a declining speciesSugar pine (Pinus lambertiana Douglas) in the Sierra Nevada of California is in decline due to high post-fire mortality coupled with the 

ongoing effects of an introduced pathogen (white pine blister rust). This 

project aims to tease apart the effects of both causes of decline and test 

a simple, cost effective method for mitigating fire effects (i.e., fuels removal). Field data collection continued for this project in 2007, with the 

installation of two additional sampling sites in Yosemite National Park. 

Researchers are now tracking the fates of more than 1,200 individual 

stems at five locations. The high-fire risk status of the 2007 burn season 

prevented additional plots from being burned during the study period. 

A one-year post-fire forest health assessment was conducted for two 

previously burned sites. Researchers have presented the rationale and 

initial results of the work to NPS resource managers.

During winter 2007–2008, investigators will analyze preliminary data 

using structural equation models. Assuming two more sites are burned 

in late fall of 2007, researchers also anticipate a substantial amount of 

time in the field conducting the immediate post-fire forest health assessments. The field season of 2008 will see our final site burned (and the 

execution of the post-burn surveys). Two-year post-fire evaluations will 

also be done on the previously burned plots.

National Park Service Wildlife 

Disease Reporting Technical Assistance

Project delayed with no additional progress in 2007.

Snowy Plovers at Point Reyes National Seashore: Unraveling the 

Mystery of Mercury

Environmental mercury may compound problems, such as human disturbance or predation, affecting survival of the federally listed snowy 

plover at Point Reyes National Seashore. This study of food web sources 

of mercury may provide managers with criteria to mitigate exposure 

of snowy plovers to elevated levels of mercury. Researchers reported in 

FY 2006 elevated mercury in invertebrate prey of snowy plovers at all 

sites sampled at Point Reyes compared to similar habitat at Coal Point, 

just north of Santa Barbara in southern California. Invertebrates infesting marine mammal carcasses had mercury concentrations two to four 

times higher than other shoreline invertebrates at Point Reyes. Mercury 

concentrations in eggs of snowy plovers from Point Reyes were greater 

than that reported in eggs from San Francisco Bay, California, known for 

elevated mercury because of contamination from historic hydraulic mining runoff in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

In FY 2007, researchers sampled invertebrates from snowy plover habitat 

at gradients just north and south of Point Reyes in order to establish the 

extent of mercury contamination in this region. Researchers continued 

monitoring mercury in addled snowy plover eggs from Point Reyes and 

also from the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in order to 

confirm the pattern of high mercury concentrations at Point Reyes. No 

marine mammal carcasses were present for sufficient time in spring or 

summer 2007 to collect invertebrates; thus, monitoring will continue 

through fall 2007 for carcasses. All tissue samples collected this fiscal 

year have been processed and are currently being analyzed for mercury. 

Researchers are also analyzing all samples for stable isotopes to determine which invertebrate prey may be more important to snowy plovers.

Mercury is elevated at Point Reyes compared to other snowy plover 

habitat in California. In years when marine mammal carcasses are abundant efforts may be necessary to bury carcasses to keep them from the 

invertebrate/avian food chain. Further study of snowy plover productivity relative to elevated mercury is crucial to understanding potential 

impacts at Point Reyes.
 National Park Service 143

Title of Project FY07 Report

Developing a coral conservation 

strategy for the global warming era in the National Park of 

American Samoa

Coral reefs are endangered by the dual threat of global warming and 

local human impacts. However, some coral colonies and coral reef habitats possess biological and physical features that increase the tolerance 

of corals to global warming. This project carries out experiments to 

identify such features within the National Park of American Samoa, with 

a special emphasis on areas where biological and physical features overlap, as these may be the most resilient to global warming. Delineation 

of biological and physical features can create “target areas” for applying a coral conservation strategy to counter global warming. Reduction 

of localized human impacts on the target areas will increase the likelihood that the corals in them will survive, or recover from, bleaching 

events so they can provide seed populations for reefs on which corals 

have been killed.

Study results indicate that reef habitats with highly fluctuating factors of the physical environment such as the Ofu back reef pools may 

maintain resilience of broadcast-spawning, reef-building corals to disturbance such as warming events because: 1) the pools usually provide 

a high growth environment, with low growth conditions (elevated 

seawater temperatures and high irradiance levels) moderated by environmental factors such as semi-diurnally intermittent flow and possibly 

temperature fluctuations; and 2) host coral exposure to these relatively 

extreme conditions maintains capacity to tolerate them in the population (via plasticity) or in the species’ gene pool (via polymorphism); and 

3) for some coral species, flexibility in the symbiosis between host coral 

and symbiont (i.e., the number and diversity of zooxanthella genotypes 

within a given host colony) is maintained by exposure of the host coral 

colony to diurnally and seasonally fluctuating back reef conditions. This 

information can help identify desirable criteria for conservation target 

areas. Reef areas meeting some or all of the criteria can be prioritized 

according to how many criteria they meet, thereby identifying the highest priority areas for current or future conservation efforts.

Demography of Sea Turtle Nesting Populations in the Caribbean.Most sea turtle species are listed under the Endangered Species Act as 

threatened or endangered. The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is the most endangered sea turtle in the Eastern Caribbean. Management to recover sea turtle populations includes conservation management, protection of nesting females and their nests, and restrictions on 

associated critical nesting, developmental, and foraging habitats, such 

as coral reefs and mangrove areas. Whereas monitoring of sea turtles 

consists in most places of simple counts of nests, in some places, such as 

Buck Island Reef National Monument in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, intensive tagging studies are conducted. Such studies can more directly inform management decisions related to sea turtles, because tagging data 

can better determine whether changes in population status are due 

more to changes in mortality or recruitment. The purpose of this project 

is to conduct a demographic analysis of the tagging data from Buck 

Island, and then use this information in developing guidelines useful to 

the NPS sea turtle monitoring program in general. In FY 2007 researchers visited the field site to see how data were being collected (study 

design, field procedures) and discuss management questions, analysis 

needs, and database structure. The FY 2007 field season represented the 

20th year of the program. In FY 2008 researchers will receive the final 

20-year dataset from the Park Service, conduct the demographic analysis, and conduct simulations for developing recommendations for future 

monitoring.
144 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Title of Project FY07 Report

Soil Chemistry Changes Affected 

by Pine Trees and Exotic Plants in 

Native and Disturbed Pine Rockland, Everglades National Park

South Florida pine rockland is considered a globally imperiled habitat 

and is one of the centers of vascular plant diversity in Florida. While 

Everglades National Park contains the vast majority of the extant Miami 

Rock ridge pinelands, it also contains a sizeable area of former pine 

forest destroyed before the land was acquired by the federal government. Approximately 200 ha (494 acres) of the 2,000 ha (4,492 acres) 

of abandoned farmland known as the Hole-in-the-Donut was originally 

pine rockland. This project deals with efforts to restore some semblance 

of pine rockland vegetation in disturbed areas within Everglades. The 

results should be applicable to restoring areas in Miami-Dade County 

outside the park where remnant pinelands adjoin farmland. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of pine trees and non-native 

vegetation on changes in soil chemistry. Study funding arrived late in 

FY 2007 and a cooperative agreement with the University of Florida 

through the University of Miami CESU was completed in September. A 

post-doctoral associate has been identified to work on the project, and 

substantial work on the project will begin in FY 2008. Researchers will 

examine changes in nutrient availability by sampling former pineland 

soils that have been fallow for 40 plus years to see if they are continuing to trend toward characteristics of native pineland soils. They will 

assess soils down to bedrock in several areas within the Hole-in-theDonut, compare the results to earlier data, and also assess soils from undisturbed pine rockland for reference. They will test the hypothesis that 

pine trees hasten these changes by sampling soils beneath pine trees 

planted in formerly farmed areas. Soils will be sampled along four radii 

extending from next to the trunk to several meters away, where there 

should be no influence of the pine canopy.

An Evaluation of the Impact 

of Two Introduced Cichlids on 

Native Fish Communities in Everglades Wetlands

Understanding the ecological effects of non-indigenous species is a 

critical element in managing and conserving NPS lands because nonindigenous species presently represent a major threat to biodiversity. In 

the three south Florida parks, more than 12 species of non-indigenous 

fishes have established, but little is known about their potential impact 

on native biota. Managers also know little about how interactions 

among the non-indigenous species may affect their relative invasiveness 

and impact. The jewel cichlid (Hemichromis letourneuxi) is one of the 

most recently established non-indigenous fishes. This cichlid is a highly 

aggressive omnivore, whose relative abundance and invaded range continue to increase since its first appearance in the Everglades wetlands 

in 2002. Researchers are assessing the effects of H. letourneuxi and the 

Mayan cichlid (Cichlasoma urophthalmus) on the aquatic community of 

longer-hydroperiod marshes through an in situ enclosure experiment. 

The experiment started later in the wet season than originally planned 

because of low rainfall. Once the wet season experiment is completed, 

researchers plan to repeat the experiment at the beginning of the dry 

season to examine the influence of water depth on predation. Field 

work should be completed this calendar year. Researchers are using a 

combination of multivariate and univariate statistical techniques to assess variation in community composition and species densities among 

treatments. Data collected in this study will be used to assess the potential effects of H. letourneuxi throughout the greater Everglades ecosystem, and determine if those effects may be influenced by the presence 

of previously established non-indigenous fishes. Insights from this study 

may have broad implications for the management of aquatic habitats 

faced with repeated introductions of non-indigenous fishes.
 National Park Service 145

Title of Project FY07 Report

An Ecological Approach to Sustainable Control of Italian ThistleThe Italian thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus L.) is a rapidly spreading 

noxious weed in and around Sequoia National Park. The park’s current 

management strategy for this weed is to contain it like a wildfire at the 

head and flanks and then work on long-term restoration of the interior. 

The objective of this study is to test two thistle reduction methods and 

two restoration methods to determine their individual and combined 

effects on both weeds and native plants. The thought is that long-term 

control may only be possible where native plants take the place of 

invasive thistles. The experimental design is a matrix that couples one 

thistle reduction method (no treatment control, herbicide, or clipping) 

with one restoration method (no treatment control, sowing native forb 

seeds, or planting native grass plugs). In spring 2007 researchers completed a pre-treatment inventory of the plants in each plot and then applied the thistle reduction treatments. In winter 2007–2008 researchers 

will apply the restoration treatments and in spring 2008 and spring 2009 

will re-inventory the plots. The effectiveness of the thistle control and 

native plant restoration methods will be assessed both in 2008 and 2009. 

The park’s Division of Natural Resources is actively involved in planning 

and implementing the project. In FY 2007 both USGS and NPS provided 

equipment and personnel to collect and grow native seeds and apply 

the thistle reduction treatments. This arrangement will continue in 2008 

and 2009. Both agencies have a vested interest in this project’s success.

Seagrass Condition Assessment 

Within the NPS North Atlantic 

Coastal Parks: Site Selection, 

Training, and Integration with 

National Programs

The NPS Northeast Coastal and Barrier and Northeast Temperate Networks have identified seagrass condition indicators as a critical component of Vital Signs monitoring within northeastern national park 

units. Investigators are developing a hierarchical approach to seagrass 

assessment that will be applicable to northeastern parks with extensive 

seagrass resources (Acadia National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, 

Fire Island National Seashore, and Assateague Island National Seashore). 

Work in FY 2007 focused on developing a prototype monitoring program for system-wide implementation, training NPS cooperators, and 

developing mechanisms for data input, management, and integration.

Development of a Prototype Monitoring Program Researchers conducted a preliminary bay-wide survey of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in Little 

Pleasant Bay, Cape Cod, during midsummer 2006. Repeated measures 

analysis of variance revealed an increase in eelgrass cover between 

2006–2007 that is correlated with formation of a new inlet and increased tidal flushing of the system. Based on these results, researchers 

will recommend a rapid-assessment protocol incorporating fixed stations 

with four subsampling locations per station. This bay-wide survey approach yields reliable estimates of seagrass status and trends that can be 

accomplished in a time of approximately 1 week. Within the hierarchical 

monitoring framework, this bay-wide survey forms a link between largescale mapping and high-resolution monitoring of index sites.

Site-Selection and Training USGS assisted NPS in recruiting and training 

a cooperator to implement bay-wide and high-resolution seagrass monitoring at Fire Island to ensure future consistent implementation of Vital 

Signs protocols.

Data Management and Integration Researchers collaborated with NPS 

data managers and database developers to create a database for seagrass data entry and management. Researchers also initiated collaboration with data managers for the global seagrass monitoring program, 

SeagrassNet, to develop an automated mechanism to link NPS seagrass 

data with the global network, thus allowing interpretation of data from 

northeast regional parks within a broader context.

FY 2008 Plans Researchers will test our Cape Cod seagrass monitoring 

prototype within two small estuaries at Acadia to ensure regional applicability. Based on results gathered at Cape Cod, Fire Island, and Acadia, 

researchers will finalize a protocol for monitoring system-wide seagrass 

resources within Northeastern Region national parks. They will also synthesize the monitoring data collected during this protocol development 

study into a baseline assessment of seagrass condition at these three 

parks. USGS will continue the collaboration to complete the NPS seagrass monitoring database and facilitate integration of NPS data with 

other networks. Results of the project will allow NPS to assess seagrass 

condition on regional scales for reporting to the nation on NPS marine 

systems health, and to contribute to regional, national, and global assessments of coastal habitat condition.
146 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress
 National Park Service 147

Park Index

A

Acadia National Park 45, 62, 81, 105, 109, 121, 

131, 145

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument 97, 

124

Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument 

38

Amistad National Recreation Area 121

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve 74

Antietam National Battlefield 28, 29, 109, 

126

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore 50, 98, 

121

Appalachian National Scenic Trail 44, 109

Arches National Park 97, 133

Arkansas Post National Memorial 70, 124

Assateague Island National Seashore 38, 97, 

145

B

Badlands National Park 97, 104, 137

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site 38, 

124

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve 26

Big Bend National Park 79, 97, 123, 133

Big Cypress National Preserve 10, 54, 101, 

109, 126

Big Hole National Battlefield 86

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area 79, 101, 122, 123, 126, 131

Big Thicket National Preserve 51

Biscayne National Park 62, 92, 121, 131

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National 

Park 97, 121, 124, 133

Blue Ridge Parkway 37, 42, 84, 85

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation 

Area 124, 126

Bryce Canyon National Park 81, 103, 121

Buck Island Reef National Monument 11, 22, 

25, 64, 65, 109, 121, 131, 143

Buffalo National River 133

C

Cabrillo National Monument 56

Canaveral National Seashore 46, 73, 97, 121, 

126

Canyon de Chelly National Monument 84, 

141

Canyonlands National Park 62, 97, 121, 137

Cape Cod National Seashore 30, 42, 45, 53, 

57, 96, 126, 145

Cape Hatteras National Seashore 63, 83, 97, 

124

Cape Krusenstern National Monument 25, 

26, 74

Cape Lookout National Seashore 63, 96, 97

Capitol Reef National Park 42

Capulin Volcano National Monument 38

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site 

9, 124

Carlsbad Caverns National Park 10, 57, 81, 

97

Catoctin Mountain Park 9, 20, 28, 109, 126, 

136

Cedar Breaks National Monument 124

Chaco Culture National Historical Park 98, 

102, 135

Channel Islands National Park 11, 23, 63, 98, 

109, 121

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site 63

Chattahoochee River National Recreation 

Area 63, 136

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park 5, 9, 29, 58

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National 

Military Park 37

Chickasaw National Recreation Area 38, 87, 

105, 133

Chiricahua National Monument 50

Colorado National Monument 46

Congaree National Park 54, 56, 63, 69, 124, 

131

Coronado National Memorial 109, 122

Cowpens National Battlefield 124

Craters of the Moon National Monument 

and Preserve 38, 50, 97, 131

Cumberland Island National Seashore 63, 

96, 121

Curecanti National Recreation Area 23, 109

Cuyahoga Valley National Park 133

D

Death Valley National Park 81, 86, 97, 101, 

133

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation 

Area 38, 126

Denali National Park and Preserve 37, 57, 

58, 73, 74, 97, 123, 126

Devils Postpile National Monument 86, 104

Devils Tower National Monument 96, 97, 

124, 126

Dinosaur National Monument 20, 22, 100, 

109

Dry Tortugas National Park 10, 11, 65, 96

E

Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve 

84, 122, 133

Effigy Mounds National Monument 27, 71, 

126

El Malpais National Monument 97, 100

Everglades National Park 15, 16, 48, 54, 97, 

109, 144

F

Fire Island National Seashore 53, 126, 127, 
148 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

A

Acadia National Park 45, 62, 81, 105, 109, 121, 

131, 145

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument 97, 

124

Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument 

38

Amistad National Recreation Area 121

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve 74

Antietam National Battlefield 28, 29, 109, 

126

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore 50, 98, 

121

Appalachian National Scenic Trail 44, 109

Arches National Park 97, 133

Arkansas Post National Memorial 70, 124

Assateague Island National Seashore 38, 97, 

145

B

Badlands National Park 97, 104, 137

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site 38, 

124

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve 26

Big Bend National Park 79, 97, 123, 133

Big Cypress National Preserve 10, 54, 101, 

109, 126

Big Hole National Battlefield 86

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area 79, 101, 122, 123, 126, 131

Big Thicket National Preserve 51

Biscayne National Park 62, 92, 121, 131

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National 

Park 97, 121, 124, 133

Blue Ridge Parkway 37, 42, 84, 85

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation 

Area 124, 126

Bryce Canyon National Park 81, 103, 121

Buck Island Reef National Monument 11, 22, 

25, 64, 65, 109, 121, 131, 143

Buffalo National River 133

C

Cabrillo National Monument 56

Canaveral National Seashore 46, 73, 97, 121, 

126

Canyon de Chelly National Monument 84, 

141

Canyonlands National Park 62, 97, 121, 137

Cape Cod National Seashore 30, 42, 45, 53, 

57, 96, 126, 145

Cape Hatteras National Seashore 63, 83, 97, 

124

Cape Krusenstern National Monument 25, 

26, 74

Cape Lookout National Seashore 63, 96, 97

Capitol Reef National Park 42

Capulin Volcano National Monument 38

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site 

9, 124

Carlsbad Caverns National Park 10, 57, 81, 

97

Catoctin Mountain Park 9, 20, 28, 109, 126, 

136

Cedar Breaks National Monument 124

Chaco Culture National Historical Park 98, 

102, 135

Channel Islands National Park 11, 23, 63, 98, 

109, 121

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site 63

Chattahoochee River National Recreation 

Area 63, 136

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park 5, 9, 29, 58

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National 

Military Park 37

Chickasaw National Recreation Area 38, 87, 

105, 133

Chiricahua National Monument 50

Colorado National Monument 46

Congaree National Park 54, 56, 63, 69, 124, 

131

Coronado National Memorial 109, 122

Cowpens National Battlefield 124

Craters of the Moon National Monument 

and Preserve 38, 50, 97, 131

Cumberland Island National Seashore 63, 

96, 121

Curecanti National Recreation Area 23, 109

Cuyahoga Valley National Park 133

D

Death Valley National Park 81, 86, 97, 101, 

133

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation 

Area 38, 126

Denali National Park and Preserve 37, 57, 

58, 73, 74, 97, 123, 126

Devils Postpile National Monument 86, 104

Devils Tower National Monument 96, 97, 

124, 126

Dinosaur National Monument 20, 22, 100, 

109

Dry Tortugas National Park 10, 11, 65, 96

E

Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve 

84, 122, 133

Effigy Mounds National Monument 27, 71, 

126

El Malpais National Monument 97, 100

Everglades National Park 15, 16, 48, 54, 97, 

109, 144

F

Fire Island National Seashore 53, 126, 127, 

145

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument 

97, 124

Fort Bowie National Historic Site 50, 124

Fort Frederica National Monument 63

Fort Larned National Historic Site 39

Fort Necessity National Battlefield 124

Fort Pulaski National Monument 63, 127
 National Park Service 149

Fort Sumter National Monument 63

Fort Union National Monument 39

Fossil Butte National Monument 97, 124

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National 

Military Park 38

G

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve 26, 74, 109, 123

Gateway National Recreation Area 30, 53, 

63, 121

George Washington Carver National Monument 124, 127

George Washington Memorial Parkway 29, 

72, 124, 127

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve 26, 

52, 56, 74, 92, 121

Glacier National Park 26, 52, 56, 64, 74, 79, 

80, 81, 92, 97, 101, 121, 123, 124, 127, 131

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 67, 

87, 93, 96, 123

Golden Gate National Recreation Area 67, 

103, 123

Governors Island National Monument 105

Grand Canyon National Park 81, 91, 93, 97, 

103, 104, 105, 106, 131

Grand Portage National Monument 124, 127

Grand Teton National Park 44, 79, 80, 84, 

85, 87, 97, 124, 127, 131, 133, 141

Great Basin National Park 6, 20, 25, 48, 50, 

57, 66, 81, 86, 97, 104, 109, 112, 123, 127, 

131, 133

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve 63, 90, 97, 110, 121, 128, 133

Great Smoky Mountains National Park 5, 

42, 43, 56, 64, 65, 79, 81, 90, 97, 103, 

104, 105, 110, 121, 122, 127, 131

Guadalupe Mountains National Park 10, 100

Gulf Islands National Seashore 32, 95, 96

H

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument 

86, 97

Haleakala National Park 87, 103, 104, 106, 110

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park 9, 

127

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 39, 103, 

104, 106, 122, 123, 139

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site 27, 

124

Homestead National Monument of America 

110, 124

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park 

19, 22, 110

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park 63, 

85

Hovenweep National Monument 62

I

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore 50, 57, 

66, 123, 131

Isle Royale National Park 50, 87, 127

J

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and 

Preserve 8, 32, 91, 95, 122, 127, 131

Jewel Cave National Monument 100, 110, 124

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument 

86, 98, 110, 124

Joshua Tree National Park 80, 98, 123

K

Kalaupapa National Historical Park 20, 100, 

106, 110, 122

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical 

Park 52, 69, 84, 85, 86, 96, 105, 124, 133

Katmai National Park and Preserve 74, 123

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield 

Park 63

Kings Mountain National Military Park 124, 

127

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical 

Park 7, 74, 96, 124

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site 125

Kobuk Valley National Park 26

L

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve 26, 

74, 110, 131

Lake Mead National Recreation Area 5, 86, 

87, 93, 103, 104

Lake Meredith National Recreation Area 

39, 127

Lava Beds National Monument 100

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park 

86, 125

Little River Canyon National Preserve 85, 

110

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park 

39

M

Mammoth Cave National Park 57, 79, 81, 87, 

97, 123, 127, 131

Manassas National Battlefield 29, 72, 127

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park 125

Minute Man National Historical Park 84, 

103, 105

Mojave National Preserve 21, 110, 114, 117, 122, 

127, 133

Monocacy National Battlefield 19, 28, 29, 110

Moores Creek National Battlefield 63

Morristown National Historical Park 125

Mount Rainier National Park 11, 44, 62, 94, 

97, 103, 131, 133

Mount Rushmore National Memorial 28, 

68, 105, 106, 125

Muir Woods National Monument 103, 104, 

105, 125

N

National Capital Parks East 136

National Park of American Samoa 143

Natural Bridges National Monument 7, 62, 

79
150 Funding the Natural Resource Challenge FY 2007 Report to Congress

Niobrara National Scenic River 28, 84, 87, 

133

Noatak National Preserve 25, 26

North Cascades National Park 62, 103, 127

O

Obed Wild and Scenic River 101, 110, 125, 133

Ocmulgee National Monument 63

Olympic National Park 44, 62, 90, 121, 133, 

138

Oregon Caves National Monument 86, 99

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument 122

Ozark National Scenic Riverways 5, 6, 71, 

127, 131, 138

P

Padre Island National Seashore 64, 65, 97, 

100, 110, 121, 122

Pea Ridge National Military Park 28, 125

Pecos National Historical Park 39, 84

Petrified Forest National Park 10, 64, 81, 97, 

121

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore 50, 102, 

110, 127

Pinnacles National Monument 31, 43, 86, 128

Pipe Spring National Monument 125

Pipestone National Monument 70, 125

Point Reyes National Seashore 43, 65, 122, 

142

Presidio of San Francisco 122

Prince William Forest Park 125, 128, 131, 136

Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical 

Park 86

Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site 86, 

125

R

Richmond National Battlefield Park 8, 96, 

125

Rock Creek Park 20, 29, 110

Rocky Mountain National Park 9, 15, 79, 80, 

81, 83, 93, 97, 114, 117, 128

S

Saguaro National Park 122, 133

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway 63, 

118, 121, 128

San Antonio Missions National Historical 

Park 128

Sand Creek National Historic Site 38

San Juan Island National Historical Park 22, 

46, 110, 125, 128

San Juan National Historic Site 103, 125

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 72, 73, 122, 128

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site 

19, 68, 69, 110, 125

Scotts Bluff National Monument 97, 125

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 

19, 24, 57, 79, 80, 81, 104, 110, 128

Sequoia National Park 145

Shenandoah National Park 28, 30, 31, 43, 73, 

121, 128

Sitka National Historical Park 52, 125

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore 

38, 67, 88, 123

Statue of Liberty National Monument 105

Stones River National Battlefield 110, 125

Sunset Crater National Monument 110, 125

T

Theodore Roosevelt National Park 19, 21, 

22, 110, 133

Timpanogos Cave National Monument 70, 

125

Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve 

125

Tonto National Monument 125, 128

Tuzigoot National Monument 133

U

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational 

River 38, 122

V

Valley Forge National Historical Park 30, 

126

Vicksburg National Military Park 70, 126

Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument 65

Virgin Islands National Park 11, 65, 110

Voyageurs National Park 6, 62, 121, 128, 131

W

Walnut Canyon National Monument 110, 

128

War in the Pacific National Historical Park 

131

Washita Battlefield National Historic Site 39

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area 46, 

72, 102, 128

White Sands National Monument 126

Whitman Mission National Historic Site 126

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield 126

Wind Cave National Park 28, 57, 65, 97, 122, 

133

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve 9, 73, 74, 101, 123

Wupatki National Monument 110

Y

Yellowstone National Park 27, 62, 63, 78, 86, 

91, 92, 94, 97, 103, 121, 128, 133, 135

Yosemite National Park 32, 49, 79, 81, 97, 

103, 104, 105, 140, 142

Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve 74

Z

Zion National Park 24, 49, 83, 87, 91, 92, 105, 

110, 123, 128, 131, 139, 140
 National Park Service 151
USGS scientist, Dr. Eric Grossman, installs sensor to measure 

time-series of nearshore water 

temperature and salinity at KaloHonokohau National Historical 

Park.

Photo: Josh Logan, USGS

U.S Department of the Interior

The mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and provide access to our nation’s natural and cultural 

heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to tribes. We:

• encourage and provide for the appropriate management, preservation, and operation of the nation’s public lands and 

natural resources for use and enjoyment both now and in the future;

• carry out related scientific research and investigations in support of these objectives;

• develop and use resources in an environmentally sound manner, and provide an equitable return on these resources to 

the American taxpayer; and 

• carry out trust responsibilities of the U.S. Government with respect to American Indians and Alaska Natives.

National Park Service

The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. We preserve unimpaired the natural and 

cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future 

generations. We also cooperate with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and 

outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science

1849 C Street, NW

Washington, DC 20240

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

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