Inventory & Monitoring Parks and Networks

Background

More than 270 parks with significant natural resources are organized into a system of 32 ecoregional networks linked by similar geographic and natural resource characteristics. Each network shares core funding and a professional staff to provide an efficient means of carrying out expanded inventory and monitoring activities.

Networks staff are involved in numerous activities such as organizing and cataloging data, 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. The I&M networks are a key source and supplier of reliable, organized, and retrievable information about parks that was formerly difficult to retrieve or did not exist.

The primary responsibilities of the small staff of the 32 I&M networks are to:

• facilitate baseline inventories
• collect, manage, analyze and report long-term data for a modest set of vital signs (measurements of resource condition)
• effectively deliver data and information on resource condition to park managers, planners, interpreters, and other key audiences.

More Information

• Search I&M Network Contacts
• Listing of Networks and Affiliated Parks
• Listing of parks in each network.
  
• Listing of coordinators and data managers for each network.
  
• Listing of abbreviations for all NPS park units.