UCBN Monitoring
The overall purpose of natural resource monitoring in parks is to develop scientifically sound information on the current status and long term trends in the composition,
structure, and function of park ecosystems, and to determine how well current management practices are sustaining those ecosystems. Use of monitoring information will increase confidence in manager's decisions and improve their ability to manage park resources as well as allow managers to confront and mitigate threats to the park and operate more effectively in legal and political arenas. To be effective, the monitoring program must be relevant to current management issues as well as anticipate future issues based on current and potential threats to park resources. The program must be scientifically credible, produce data of known quality that are accessible to managers and researchers in a timely manner, and be linked explicitly to management decision-making processes.
The goals of the Vital Signs Monitoring Program are to:
- 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.
The Vital Signs Monitoring Program will:
- Enable managers to make better informed management decisions;
- Provide early warning of abnormal conditions in time to develop effective mitigation measures;
- Provide data to convince other agencies and individuals to make decisions benefiting parks;
- Satisfy certain legal mandates; and
- Provide reference data for comparison with more disturbed sites.
UCBN Monitoring Progress
The final UCBN Monitoring Plan (and Appendices) was finished August 2007. The Network is now focusing on writing and implementing vital sign monitoring protocols. Links to the Vital Signs Summary Tables for these protocols are provided in the table below.
| Park Vital Signs Summary Tables (Connect the Dots) | |
|---|---|
| Document | Date |
| BIHO Vital Signs Summary Table | October 2009 |
| CIRO Vital Signs Summary Table | October 2009 |
| CRMO Vital Signs Summary Table | October 2009 |
| HAFO Vital Signs Summary Table | October 2009 |
| JODA Vital Signs Summary Table | October 2009 |
| LARO Vital Signs Summary Table | October 2009 |
| NEPE Vital Signs Summary Table | October 2009 |
| WHMI Vital Signs Summary Table | October 2009 |