Importance / Issues

Bird communities were identified within the top 10 vital signs for the KLMN. Key reasons for monitoring landbirds in Network parks are (1) landbirds come under the legal mandate related to the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act; (2) they are specifically identified in the management objectives of the parks; (3) they are considered good indicators of the condition of park ecosystems because they respond quickly to changes in resource conditions; and (4) comparable regional and national datasets exist and there is a long history of monitoring landbirds within the KLMN and on adjacent lands in the Klamath region.

Parks Included

Crater Lake National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Oregon Caves National Monument, Redwood National and State Parks, and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.

Protocol Development & Status

The Klamath Network has contracted with the Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) to help develop the landbird monitoring protocol.

Preliminary Monitoring Objectives

1. Determine status and trends in breeding-bird species richness and density in KLMN parks.


2. Determine status and trends in habitat characteristics through habitat surveys at locations where bird observations are recorded.


3. Determine status and trends in demographic information (productivity, adult survival, recruitment) of selected landbird species in mixed-conifer and riparian habitats at ORCA.


4. Provide quantitative information about bird assemblages to aid in development of measurable indices of ecological integrity for terrestrial ecosystems of the parks.

Potential Measures

Presence / Absence, Abundance, Distribution, Productivity Rates, Age Class, and Capture Rates.

Contact Information

Project Manager

John Alexander
Executive Director
Klamath Bird Observatory
P.O. Box 758
Ashland, OR 97520

Network Contact

Sean Mohren
Network Data Manager
Klamath Network
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541-552-8576
Sean_Mohren@nps.gov