NPS Natural Resource Condition Assessments:

Supporting a Condition-Based ApproachTo Resource Management in Parks

Webinar 1 (of 2) to Introduce & Showcase National Park Service (NPS) Natural Resource Condition Assessments (NRCAs)

Jeff AlbrightNational Coordinator – NPS NRCAs

August 23, 2012

NPS Natural Resource Condition Assessments(aka NR Condition Assessments or NRCAs)

Webinar 1 (today): Making the case– the “what and why” for NRCAs– guidance and products (intro)– linkage to other NPS programs

Webinar 2 (August 30): Making it work– guidance and products (closer look) – highlights and good examples– keys to a successful outcome

Both webinars will be recorded & posted to the NRCA web site

It’s the 21st century.

Do you know what condition your park resources are in?

Data vs. Information:

What the public expects from NPS: Strategic, Transparent, Accountable

DataAnalysisTranslationSynthesis

+ = Useful Information

It is a dynamic time of change and uncertainty.

Still, the basic questions haven’t changed.

What’s most important? …what are the conditions? …what are the condition influences? …what are we doing, what are we planning to do?

Similar questions have been raised before:1) In the 1990’s to help justify NPS “Natural Resource Challenge” funding2) at the 2003 GWS Meeting (“Integrating Science into Mgmt” session)

By whatever name you choose to give it…

A condition-based approach toresource management makes sense.

Adaptive Management

Ecosystem-BasedManagement

Fact (or Data) DrivenDecision Making

Adaptive Management Process

Natural Resource Condition Assessments (NRCAs)

Evaluate current conditions for a subsetof each park’s important natural resources.

Per guidance:

1) Use indicators and structured frameworks

2) Rely on existing data and expertise from varied sources

3) Identify or develop useful ‘reference’ conditions

4) Take a spatial approach to assessing conditions

1a) Use indicators and structured frameworks

Frameworks help guide discussion and identification of focal study resources/indicators.

Examples of framework options: NPS I&M or Heinz frameworks

Decision support (logic model) frameworks

NatureServe/TNC “Ecological Integrity” framework

Considerations:1) what does the park want?2) results can often be cross-walked from one framework to another

Use of an Ecosystem ManagementDecision Support Model (EMDS) for theWilson’s Creek National Battlefield NRCA

1b) Use indicators and structured frameworks, cont.

Choose a suite of resources/indicators that reflect a mix of physical, chemical & biological components.

Focal study resources/indicators might include: NPS Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) ‘Vital Signs’

Resources/Values from a park’s Foundation Document

Other things identified by park and resource specialists

Considerations:1) what’s most important?2) what things are “well suited” to include? (we have data/expertise)

Excerpt of Indicator Table from Capulin Volcano NRCA

2) Rely on existing data/ expertise – varied sources

NRCAs are about synthesis of existing data and knowledge, not new data collection.

Operative guidance: Look for multiple sources of data and expertise (not just NPS)

Use study methods appropriate to the situation

Document the data, methods, and level of confidence

Consideration:Each report is likely to include a range of “more qualitative” to“more quantitative” analyses across focal study resources/indicators

3) Identify or develop useful ‘reference’ conditions

Provides a logical, defensible context for evaluating and reporting on current resource conditions.

Types of reference that can be used: Legal, regulatory, or other “desired” (mgmt based) conditions

Historical data, comparison sites, models (potential conds)

Best professional judgment (as adequately documented)

Considerations:1) can be revisited over time; can be a point value, or a range of values2) can reflect conditions we want to achieve, or that we want to avoid

Excerpt of Indicator Table from Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites NRCA

BiologicalIntegrity

4) Take a spatial approach to assessing conditions

Do we have spatially explicit data to evaluate OR can we develop spatial inferences re: conditions?

Options: Overall ‘condition ratings or scores’ by park areas are an option if it fits the study framework and the park wants it

Otherwise, many parks still benefit from an informalsummary or synthesis of overall findings by park

areasConsiderations:1) Each report is likely to include analyses and reporting that is spatiallyexplicit (or inferred) for some resources/indicators, but not for others2) Parks ID ‘areas of interest’ for summaries (watersheds, habitats, or… )

Essential Habitat Connectivity at Varied Reporting Scales – from Pinnacles Natl Mon NRCA

What’s included in the final report?

All NRCAs use the standard report outline.

1. NRCA background information (boilerplate)

2. Park introduction and resource setting

3. Study scoping and design

4. Condition reporting (subset of resources/indicators)

5. Condition summaries (by park areas/topics of interest)

6. Appendices

Consideration: Chap 4 includes specific ‘condition reporting’ elements

a) Describes park setting, natural resources, and some existing resource management issues or concerns;

b) Provides credible reporting on current conditions (trend as possible) for the focal study resources/indicators;

c) Provides a more holistic interpretation or summary of overall condition findings by park areas and/or topics of management interest

How do we know it worked?

Each NRCA results in a written report that:

1) The report and findings are deemed accurate, reliable, and useful by the receiving park!

2) Among other uses, the NRCA proves especially helpful as that park engages in:

Strategic resource planning – for example, developing a park’s Resource Stewardship Strategy (RSS)

Resource condition reporting – for example, developing a park’s State of the Park Report (SoPR)

How we do we know it worked, cont.

Usefulness is measured at the Park level:

54 NRCA Reports Completed & Published; >100 park NRCAs In Progress

NRCA Regional Contacts

Alaska: Sara Wesser

Intermountain: Patrick Malone

Midwest: Carmen Thomson

National Capital: Pat Campbell

Northeast Region: Charles Roman & Pete Sharpe

Pacific West: Marsha Davis

Southeast: Dale McPherson

Guidance, products, examples (Albright) Highlights and examples from two experienced

investigator teams:– University of Maryland, Center for Environmental

Science (Dennison et al.) – Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Geospatial

Services (Drazkowski et al.) Group discussion

Don’t forget to join us for next week’s webinar:

“The Science (and Art) of a Successful Natural Resources Condition Assessment Project”

August 30, 2012

Questions?

To learn more about NRCAs, download guidance and completed reports, etc.:

http://nature.nps.gov/water/nrca/index.cfm