Partners in Flight (a bird conservation effort among federal, state and local government agencies, professional and private groups, industry and the academic community) lists 29 different species that breed in one or more physiographic areas within the Heartland Network of parks in need of conservation.  Species are listed in need of conservation because of low population numbers and/or threats to the unique habitat they require.  National Park Service lands are well suited for avian species conservation as they are often managed to preserve unique habitats that are under-represented at the landscape scale but are vital to a species survival.

It is against a backdrop of vanishing or altered ecosystems, declining bird populations and the unique role that National Park Service lands can play in conserving threatened bird species that we monitor avian communities on National Park Service lands within the HTLN.  Long-term trends in the community composition and abundance of breeding bird populations provide one measure for assessing the ecological integrity and sustainability of ecosystems.  Long-term patterns in community composition and species abundance in relation to changes in the structural diversity of vegetation will improve our understanding of the effects of various management actions.

 

Since European settlement, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations in North America have experienced enormous changes in size and distribution.  Once abundant, deer numbers declined to near extinction by the early 1900s.  However, the ability of white-tailed deer to adapt to human disturbance has aided in the recovery of this species.  Urban sprawl benefits deer by fragmenting continuous blocks of forested lands into small sections with increased edge habitat favored by deer and rarely available for hunting.  Therefore, deer experience high rates of population growth as long as food is available in these small blocks of patchy habitat.  Deer become vulnerable to overpopulation, disease, and starvation in the absence of natural predators and hunting.  When deer occur in high densities, diseases are transmitted more readily as well. 

It is against a backdrop of urban sprawl, altered ecosystems, and concerns over visitor safety on National Park Service lands, we monitoring white-tailed deer populations.  Long-term trends in deer abundance provide one measure of assessing their potential as a problem for a park.  Documenting long-term patterns in deer numbers allows one to evaluate correlations with changes in vegetation.  With this information resource managers can more effectively identify and potentially mitigate damage caused to vegetation communities and endangered plant populations by deer.  Monitoring data also helps managers assess safety risks from deer-vehicle collisions and disease transmission.  Long-term monitoring of deer numbers is critical in evaluating any population control measures a park may implement.