San Francisco Bay Area Network
Inventory and Monitoring Program
The Inventory and Monitoring Program is a major component of the National Park Service’s strategy to improve park management through greater reliance on scientific information.
Nationwide, 270 national parks have been grouped into 32 Vital Signs Networks linked by geographic similarities, common natural resources, and resource protection challenges. The network approach facilitates collaboration, information sharing, and economies of scale in natural resource monitoring. The San Francisco Bay Area Network (SFAN) encompasses eight park units.
The goals of Inventory and Monitoring networks are:
- inventory the natural resources under National Park Service stewardship to determine their nature and status;
- monitor park ecosystems to better understand their dynamic nature and condition and to provide reference points for comparisons with other, altered environments;
- establish natural resource inventory and monitoring as a standard practice throughout the National Park system that transcends traditional program, activity, and funding boundaries;
- integrate natural resource inventory and monitoring information into National Park Service planning, management, and decision making;
- share National Park Service accomplishments and information with other natural resource organizations and form partnerships for attaining common goals and objectives. >> read more
SFAN works closely with the Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center and each park's natural resources program to develop sound scientific resources that lead to improved management and preservation.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area Nature & Science
Inventory & Monitoring is working with park managers to track trends and changes in the park's natural resources. Golden Gate has a plethora of natural features and ecosystems as well as exciting animals and plants one may see while visiting the parks.
John Muir National Historic Site Nature & Science
John Muir National Historic Site preserves the Victorian home of the noted author and preservationist. Surrounded by almost 9 acres of fruit orchards and 326 acres of oak woodland, the site today is just a small piece of the original 2,600 acre ranch.
Muir Woods National Monument Nature & Science
The incredible diversity of flora and fauna at Muir Woods can be daunting some times, elusive at other times. Plants adapt to low light levels on the forest floor, while whole plant and
animal communities bustle in the canopy above our heads.
Pinnacles National Monument Nature & Science
Pinnacles is a refuge for species representative of the central California coast not only because of its many ecological niches, but also because of its long-term protected status. Established in 1908, the monument encompasses about 26,000 acres in the Central Coast Range.
Point Reyes National Seashore Nature & Science
As wildland habitat is lost elsewhere in California, the relevance of the Point Reyes Peninsula increases as a protected area with a notable rich biological diversity.