Regional Ecosystem Planning and Management

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National Park Service Research Needs

TITLE: Regional Ecosystem Planning and Management

SUBMITTING BUREAU: National Park Service

Originating Offices: Midwest, Intermountain and Southeast Field Areas

DATE SUBMITTED: April 06, 1995

BIN NUMBER: NPS06CR98

BRD REGION: Central

DESCRIPTION OF NEED:

Management of natural resources in National Parks and other protected areas must be conceptualized, planned, and executed at a meaningful geographic scale. In many cases, the integrity of resources cannot be sustained without cooperation and compatible land uses outside park boundaries. Threats to park and natural area resources from regional development, land use change, and accelerated use can be much more pervasive than those predicted from global climate change. Planning and management at the landscape scale will require the cooperative efforts of Federal, state, county, and municipal governments and the private sector. It will require integrated studies of social, physical, and biological scientists. Finally, it will require effective interaction of science and management to adapt management as indicated by comparison of results to a priori criteria or to changing conditions. Our ability to collect compatible data, conduct integrated research, and apply information and social needs at a landscape scale will greatly influence our ability to sustain biodiversity, environmental quality, and a high quality of life.

MANAGEMENT PROBLEM WITH NEED:

No park or natural area is an island. All are influenced by activities outside their boundaries; some more than others. Adjacent land uses and the values of the land managers are often incompatible with preservation of the natural resources within a park. Prime examples of impacts from outside park boundaries are decreases in air quality, changes in water quality and quantity, and the invasion of exotic plants and animals. If these problems are not addressed at the proper geographical scale, they are doomed to failure. Small parks and riverways are prime examples of park areas having major effects from adjacent land uses. Some examples are:

Ozark National Scenic Riverway and Buffalo National River are river corridors at the bottom of the water shed in a porous karst topography. Activities long distances from the actual river can effect water quality and the associated aquatic biota. Impacts include lead mining, timber practices, grazing.and inadequate municipal water treatment. Resource management must be addressed at the water shed scale.

Noxious weeds do not recognize political boundaries. Many invasive exotics are adapted for long distance dispersal. Thus, management of exotics must be at the landscape scale. Many parks located within the Central Region have identified noxious weeds as a serious threat to park resources. Theodore Roosevelt has an active leafy spurge control program with cooperation from adjacent land owners. A project has been initiated to inventory and rank exotic plants for Theodore Roosevelt and Knife River in North Dakota and Wind Cave and Badlands in South Dakota. Additional support is needed to complete regional planning. Finally, the state of Colorado has volunteered to represent the western states in a noxious weed control program. Opportunities for cooperative efforts exist.

In areas like Yellowstone, large wildlife including buffalo, elk, and wolves roam in and out of park boundaries. Hunting is allowed on adjacent lands and some wildlife is viewed as an economic threat to landowners. At Voyaguers National Park, wolves cross the border into Canada where they are legally trapped or shot. Elk were reintroduced by the state of Arkansas adjacent to Buffalo National River. The elk have moved into to the park. A hunt is planned by the state in 1997. Cooperative and compatible management is required.

These are just a few of many examples where landscape level cooperative research, planning, and management are required for success. The BRD needs to work cooperatively with the NPS and other land management agencies to develop holistic ecosystem approaches.

BUREAU CONTACT: Ron Hiebert, 402-221-4856

Cluster Contacts:

Great Plains - Steve Cinnamon, 402-221-3437
Gulf Coast - Suzette Kimball, 404-331-3648
Desert Southwest - Nancy Skinner, 505-988-6862
Colorado Plateau - Janet Wise, 303-987-6678
Rocky Mountain - Tom Wylie, 303-969-2970

BRD PRIMARY CENTER: MESC

BRD CENTER CONTACT: Lee Lamb

RESULTS OF BRD-INITIATED COMMUNICATION (FY99): In FY1997, Mark Laustrup referred this BIN to the Social, Economic, and Institutional Analysis Section (SEIAS) of MESC because his initial contacts with R. Hiebert indentified this as social science research. Further contacts with J. Wise and S. Cinnamon confirmed the emphasis on planning and management including visitor management, relations with bordering jurisdictions, policy analysis, and changing demographics. The 1994-1998 SEIAS research on the Colorado Plateau (Work Unit 350)--conducted in partnership with the NPS and BLM--was a prototype for research under this BIN. Respondents expressed satisfaction about this BIN but indicated that there was no one currently coordinating their efforts on this research need. As a result of these conversations, SEIAS prepared a Budget Development document for the FY99 budget cycle. SEIAS has reconfirmed its commitment to complete Work Unit 350. Because respondents indicated a need to bring together the NPS groups interested in this BIN, the SEIAS participated in the Colorado Plateau Forum (February 1997) in Cedar City, UT and Farmington, NM (January 1998).

In February of 1997, the SEIAS organized and conducted a meeting of representatives from BLM, NPS, FWS, and BOR to discuss the needed research under this BIN. That meeting resulted in the attendees agreeing to serve as an informal research guidance committee to SEIAS. A meeting with that committee was conducted in December of 1997. The meeting helped to direct SEIAS in planning its next set of studies. Jonathan Taylor of the SEIAS met in Cortez, CO with resource managers from Colorado Plateau Park Cluster to develop a long-term plan for research. His participation was at the request of NPS (April 21-22, 1997) and followed by assisting NPS with a survey on resource research needs for the Cluster. Lee Lamb and Lynne Caughlan met with BLM, NPS, and USFS personnel in Moab, UT (December 1997) to discuss ongoing research under this BIN.

SEIAS studies on the Colorado Plateau were adjusted to better reflect the research called for in the BIN. Especially, the resident-employed-photography study and the Institutional Atlas are aimed at satisfying this need. MESC scientists completed draft proposals for FY2000 funding initiatives in the areas of land use change, natural hazards, and riverine resources. All these proposals included elements to address this BIN. In addition, the SEIAS developed a proposal to address noxious and invasive weeds across jurisdictional. The noxious weed proposal was not funded.

Data collection for Work Unit 350 was completed in FY1998 and data analysis will be completed in FY1999. In 1988, SEIAS presented data briefings for partners on the Colorado Plateau at the U.S. Forest Service (Price, UT), Canyon Country Partnership meeting (Green River, UT) and to the joint BLM-USFS offices in Durango, Colorado. Anticipating the conclusion of Work Unit 350, SEIAS held a workshop with bureau partners-attended by representatives of FWS, BLM, BOR, and NPS-in March of 1998-to discuss this BIN. The workshop resulted in a new strategic plan for social science research, which was presented, to workshop attendees and others for peer review. The peer reviewed strategic plan was submitted to the MESC Center Director in September 1998. The strategic plan was submitted to the bureau contact (R. Hiebert and S. Cinnamon) in early November 1998. Conversations with Cinnamon underscored the need for research of the type proposed in the strategic plan and discussions continue on identifying appropriate cases. This BIN guided preparation of a FY1999 proposal under the Global Climate Change funding competition within BRD.

DATE SUBMITTED TO REGIONAL OFFICE: November 30, 1998

PREPARED BY: Berton Lee Lamb, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO; (970)226-9314; email lee_lamb@usgs.gov

RESULTS OF BRD-INITIATED COMMUNICATION (FY98): In February of 1997, the Social, Economic, and Institutional Analysis Section (SEIAS) organized and conducted a meeting of representatives from BLM, NPS, FWS, and BOR to discuss the needed research under this BIN. That meeting resulted in the attendees agreeing to serve as an informal guidance committee to SEIAS research planning. A meeting with that committee is scheduled for early December of 1997. The objective is to guide SEIAS in planning its next set of studies with a focus on this BIN.

Subsequently, Jonathan Taylor of the SEIAS met in Cortez, CO with resource managers from Colorado Plateau parks to develop a long-term plan for research. His participation was at the request of NPS (April 21-22, 1997).

As a result of these discussions and this BIN the SEIAS on-going studies on the Colorado Plateau have been adjusted to better reflect the research reflected in the BIN. Especially, the resident-employed-photography study and the Institutional Atlas are aimed at satisfying this need.

MESC scientists recently completed draft study proposals for invasive weeds. All these proposals address this BIN. The SEIAS proposal specifically attempts to address the issue of noxious and invasive weeds across jurisdictional boundaries by expanding the Institutional Atlas work, assessing economic influences, and documenting the responses of human communities to management efforts.

DATE SUBMITTED TO REGIONAL OFFICE: October 31, 1997

PREPARED BY: Berton Lee Lamb, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO; (970)226-9314; email lee_lamb@usgs.gov

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