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The Southwest Network Collaboration

The Southwest Network Collaboration is a joint effort between three natural resource inventory and monitoring networks in the National Park Service: Chihuahuan Desert Network, Sonoran Desert Network, and Southern Plains Network. In total, these networks encompass 29 National Park Service units. The goal of our collaboration is to improve effectiveness and efficiency in monitoring natural resources across all three networks.

Although each network conducts its own protocols for monitoring certain unique vital signs, our networks share protocols, training, data management, field crews, and reporting responsibilities for the following shared vital signs: climate; invasive exotic plants; groundwater; streams; springs, seeps, and tinajas; and terrestrial vegetation and soils.

Learn more at our network websites:

Click on features of the map to discover which parks each network contains.

Chihuahuan Desert Network, Sonoran Desert Network, and Southern Plains Network boundaries and parks. Alt Map Description: This is a map of the range of the Southwest Network Collaboration (SWNC). It highlights the parks found within each network with pinpoints on the map. The Sonoran Desert Network spans the southern half of Arizona and cuts into the southwest corner of New Mexico. The Chihuahuan Desert Network spans central-southern New Mexico and the central-western region of Texas. The Southern Plains Network covers the most land of the three networks, and spans most of northern Texas, most of Oklahoma, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas. The base layer of the map shows the boundaries and names of all NPS park units. Each park highlighted in SWNC is clickable; when selected, a popup box reveals the name of the park. The map emphasizes the range of SWNC, and each park found within it.

Last updated: September 24, 2024