Inventories

The basic goal of the NPS Inventory and Monitoring program is to provide park managers with comprehensive, scientifically-based information about the nature and status of selected biological resources occurring within park boundaries in a form that increases its accessibility and utility for making management decisions, for scientific research, and for educating the public. These inventories will lay the groundwork necessary for park managers to develop effective monitoring programs and to formulate effective management strategies for resource management and protection. To attain these basic goals, NPS biological inventories will be designed to meet three basic objectives:

• Document through existing, verifiable data and targeted field investigations the occurrence of at least 90 percent of the species of vertebrates and vascular plants currently estimated to occur in the park.
• Describe the distribution and relative abundance of species of special concern, such as Threatened and Endangered species, exotics, and other species of special management interest occurring within park boundaries.

Stemming from these goals, the Southern Plains Network has undertaken a series of inventories across it's park units for a range of natural resources. These include the presence and distribution of vertebrate animals and vascular plants. Results of these inventories can be found on the Reports and Publications page. A list of finished inventories by park is available on the Completed Inventories page.

Inventory Highlights

• Wetland inventory at Bent's Old Fort identified eight new fish species and eighteen new plant species.
• Five rare fish species have been identified at Washita Battlefield NHS.
• Fish inventory at Lyndon B. Johnson NHP identified a new species, the brook silverside (Labidesthes sicculus) for the Colorado River Draingage.
• Plant inventory at Lake Meredith NRA identified four species new to the state of Texas and documented six species new to the Panhandle region.
• Bird inventories at Sand Creek Massacre NHS deteced 16 species that are of conservation concern.

Inventories in Progress

• Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site - Rare Species and Vascular Plants
• Multiple Parks - Bat Inventory