Inventories
An important function of the National Park System is that of protecting and maintaining the level of biological diversity found within parks. To protect and maintain that biological diversity, park managers must have an assessment of what species of biota occur within the park and the location of those species requiring special management consideration. In order for park managers to be able to manage for biological diversity in the parks, information on the occurrence and, where needed, the distribution and abundance of those species and habitats must be gathered, managed, and retrieved in a simple, standardized format that facilitates park management and resource protection. Species information is needed for protection of species having specialized legislative status and for use in interpretation programs and habitat management studies. In addition, species information is needed for park and servicewide applications such as planning and reporting activities and response to Congressional and public inquiries. The Inventory and Monitoring Program has provided parks with funding and technical assistance to undertake inventory efforts that focus on providing managers with that basic information.
Biological Inventory Highlights
- Pika surveys were completed at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in June and again in September, 2008, providing a 2nd season of data for the northern portion of the monument and new data from previously unsampled regions of the Monument and Preserve. Preliminary analysis suggests that pika are restricted to the northern portion of the Monument and are highly selective of particular kinds of lava flow environments. These data will be combined with forthcoming park vegetation maps to predict pika distribution throughout the park. Fecal pellets were collected from several different localities and, budget permitting, genetic analysis will be completed to describe genetic variability within the Craters of the Moon pika population(s) which will contribute to an analysis of the viability of pika population(s) within the Monument.
- The NPS vegetation mapping program funded the Upper Columbia Basin Network to collect vegetation plot data at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and accuracy assessment data for Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve and Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument for development of vegetation maps. The Network contracted with Northwest Management, Inc. to complete vegetation maps for Network parks.
- A rare plant inventory for Spalding’s Catchfly (Silene spaldingii) was conducted at Old Chief Joseph’s Gravesite in Oregon, a unit of Nez Perce National Historical Park. Students from the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps assisted in the project. The distribution and abundance of the species was mapped. The plant is listed as endangered by the State of Oregon; as threatened by the Washington Natural Heritage Program; and is considered to be rare and imperiled by Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centers in all states and provinces where the species occurs.
- The UCBN collected fairy shrimp specimens from several vernal pools at City of Rocks National Reserve. A sample of several individuals was identified as Branchinecta constricta, a species previously undocumented west of the continental divide. The shrimp were collected from pools perched on rock pillars 9-10 m above the ground. Identification of this species at City of Rocks National Reserve represents a significant range extension.
Status of Inventories and related data products
The following tables document the status of inventories. For Park and Network inventories, available electronic versions (pdf) of reports are linked in the tables below, as are certified species lists (.csv format, suitable for MS Excel) from the NPSpecies database. For service-wide inventory projects, the website links in the table below provide additional information and data products.
Park and Network Inventories
Fauna Inventories |
|||||||||
BIHO |
CIRO |
CRMO |
HAFO |
JODA |
LARO |
MIIN |
NEPE |
WHMI |
|
| Mammals | |||||||||
| Birds | |||||||||
| Amphibs | |||||||||
| Reptiles | |||||||||
| Fish | No_Spp_List |
- |
|||||||
| Inverte-brates | |||||||||
Flora Inventories |
|||||||||
BIHO |
CIRO |
CRMO |
HAFO |
JODA |
LARO |
MIIN |
NEPE |
WHMI |
|
| Vegetation Mapping | |||||||||
| Vascular Plants | |||||||||
| Rare Plants | In Progress |
- |
- |
- |
In Progress |
- |
- |
- |
|
| Invasive Plants | In Progress |
||||||||
Other Inventories |
|||||||||
BIHO |
CIRO |
CRMO |
HAFO |
JODA |
LARO |
MIIN |
NEPE |
WHMI |
|
| Ozone Risk | |||||||||
| Landcover Map (15m ASTER) | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
||||
| Paleo Resource | |||||||||
| Cultural Landscapes | In Progress |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Service-wide NPS Inventories
(Click on an Inventory Title for a website link with more information on that inventory and available data products, or click on a Park Name for a website link with more information on inventories within that Park and available data products.)
Service-wide Inventories |
|||||||||
MIIN |
|||||||||
| Natural Resource Bibliography | Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
- |
Complete |
Complete |
| Base Cartography Data | Complete |
Complete |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
- |
In Progress |
In Progress |
| Air Quality Data | Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
- |
Complete |
Complete |
| Air Quality Related Values | Planned |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
- |
Complete |
Complete |
| Climate Inventory | Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
- |
Complete |
Complete |
| Geologic Resources Inventory | In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
- |
In Progress |
In Progress |
| Soil Resources Inventory | Complete |
In Progress |
Complete |
Complete |
In Progress |
Complete |
- |
In Progress |
Complete |
| Water Body Location and Classification | In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
- |
In Progress |
In Progress |
| Baseline Water Quality Data | In Progress |
In Progress |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
- |
In Progress |
Complete |
| Vegetation Inventory | Planned |
Planned |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
In Progress |
- |
Planned |
Planned |
| Species Lists | Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
- |
Complete |
Complete |
| Species Occurrence and Distribution | Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
Complete |
- |
Complete |
Complete |