Science & Research

A Scientific Research and Collecting Permit is required for all activities that involve fieldwork, specimen collection, and/or have the potential to disturb resources or visitors, pertaining to natural resources or social science studies conducted within Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. Permits are required for all social science surveys, monitoring, collecting activities, and for traditional hypothesis-driven research.

Please visit the Research and Permit Reporting System to learn about the necessary procedures and requirements, and apply for a Scientific Research and Collecting Permit for all areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service within Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.

 

Scientific Research and Collecting Permits

• Please note that it takes at least 8 weeks to process a research permit request and conduct environmental and cultural compliance analysis.
• If a project takes place in designated Wilderness (managed by the Bureau of Land Management) or proposed Wilderness (managed by the National Park Serivce) additional review may be required.
• To discuss your project, please contact the research staff of Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.

 

 

Additional Resources for Applicants:

• Science and Research with the National Park Service.
• General information on applying to conduct scientific research in national parks.
• Park Specific Research Conditions | Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
• Help topics on the research permit application process (RPRS)

 

Acoustical Monitoring

Recording equipment set up in remote areas of Parashant National Monument captures 24/7 data on the acoustic environment, including natural and manmade sounds. Data collected creates a baseline for understanding natural sound conditions. Studying acoustic environment helps preserve visitor experience of wilderness characteristics like solitude and quiet.

 

Bat Research

Bats are carefully caught in mist nets to identify species, gender, age and health. So far, third party researchers collecting baseline data have identified nearly 20 bat species, including six sensitive species. Information gathered helps assess the health of Parashant bat populations, an indicator of overall ecosystem health.

 

Weather Stations

Ten weather stations situated across the Monument collect comprehensive data on weather and precipitation trends. Data sets reach far beyond the traditional scope of weather pertaining to fire operations in high elevation ponderosa pine forests. A focus on precipitation and soil moisture yields high quality, localized data that is much more specific than that provided by remote satelite weather reports.

 

Water Quality

Naturally occurring springs used heavily by grazing animals in the past are being monitoring and mapped. Site visits, surveys and mapping provide climate change indicators and useful data on aquifer health. Sites are revisited yearly to track the changing dynamics of recovering springs and the impact of climate change on adjusting riparian areas.

 

Relict Leopard Frog

A conservation agreement between Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument and a team of state and federal organizations allowed for the re-introduction of the relict leopard frog to Tassi Springs. This back-up population ensures the continued survival of a species that could be designated as "threatened" in the future. Currently, the population at Tassi is deemed "stable" to "declining" as the frogs adjust to their habitat.

 

Pakoon Springs Restoration

The largest spring system within Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Pakoon Springs was heavily modified for agricultural purposes in the past. Rehabilitating the spring has involved removing manmade structures, contouring the land to mimic natural flow patterns, and encouraging the return of native vegetation and animal use. Since the spring is open to the public, Pakoon is a great place to learn about the intricacies of healing altered and damaged ecosystems.

 

Invasive Plant Monitoring

This ongoing attempt to learn the locations and population sizes of invasive plant species involves collecting transect data and vegetation mapping. Since invasive species like cheat grass play a dangerous role in the fire cycle, this data has serious implications for preserving ecosystem health. It may also increase public awareness of the role people play in the accidental spread of invasive plant species.

 

Vegetation Mapping

The inventory and mapping of vegetation species and communities helps managers conserve plant biodiversity, manage challenges such as exotic species, insect outbreaks, and diseases, and understand resources and processes such and wildlife habitat relationships and wildland fires. The National Park Service portion of the monument was mapped from 2009-2015. See the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project for Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.

 

Vital Signs Monitoring

This project involves long-term monitoring of large springs and small, arid springs in the Mojave Desert. Researchers collect data on water volume, chemistry and flow. Since water in this area drains to the Colorado River, data collected may provide useful in gauging the volume of water in this critically important river. In addition to hydrology, researchers also inventory riparian plant and animal species like the rare Grand Wash springsnail.

 

Rehabilitating Mojave Desert Ecosystem

Efforts to restore the Mojave Desert ecosystem after catastrophic fires include regenerating native plant species and suppressing invasive species. The threatened Mojave Desert tortoise and the iconic Joshua Tree both stand to benefit from this important rehabilitation. Rebuilding the natural Mojave Desert and providing healthy habitat for threatened species will help to ensure that fewer new restrictions apply to land use in the future.

 

Rangeland Condition Assessments

In a long-term monitoring project of pinyon-juniper/shrub areas, researchers gather data on the current status of vegetation and soils. Plots are measured for soil stability, hydrologic function and biotic integrity. In the future, plots will be revisited to gauge trends related to grazing managment and restoration. These lots provide windows to see through time and determine how the environment is changing.

 

Dark Sky Monitoring

After receiving an International Night Sky Province designation in 2013, Parashant National Monument began efforts at long duration starlight monitoring. The first park unit to custom design software and instruments for measuring starlight, Parashant has erected three remote, solar-powered stations that use photometric instruments to measure the illumination for stars in lux units.

 

Viewsheds

Scenic quality of a wide variety of sites across the Monument is assessed by considering features like vistas, air quality and uniqueness. Inventories consider the impacts of activities that might occur on adjactent lands such as strip mining, billboard construction and wind farming and the effect on Parashant's viewsheds and visitor experience of wilderness.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

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Select a Species Category (optional):

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Species attribute definitions

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