Monitoring

APHN Vital Signs Monitoring Plan (PDF 4.6 MB)

APHN Vital Signs Monitoring Folio (formatted for 11x14" printing)

NPS MONITORING PROGRAM GOALS

The goals of the Appalachian Highlands I&M Network follow the Servicewide Goals developed for Vital Signs Monitoring for the National Park Service:

Knowing the condition of natural resources in national parks is fundamental to the National Park Service's (NPS) ability to manage park resources "unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations". All parks are open systems, vulnerable to threats such as air and water pollution and invasive specids, which originate outside the park's boundaries. Understanding the dynamic nature of park ecosystems and the consequences of human activities is essential for management decision-making aimed toward maintaing, enhancing or restoring the ecological integrity of park ecosystems and avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating ecological threats to these systems.

The Appalachian Highlands Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Network is one of 32 I&M Networks established throughout the Park Service to share funding and professional staff to plan, design, and implment an integrated long-term monitoring program. Great Smoky Mountains (GRSM) implemented a separate monitoring program over a decade ago when it was selected as one of a handful of prototype parks for this new program; the GRSM I&M program is administered separately from the rest of the Network.

MONITORING RESOURCE BRIEFS: