In addition to park fire regulations:
. Smoking limited to inside a vehicle.
· No open fires (this includes wood, charcoal and/or gas fire pits) are permitted anywhere in the park.
· Use of gas canister stoves for cooking are still allowed at this time
From a Permian reef, to Ice Age forests, to today’s desert lowlands and high country woodlands, the Guadalupe Mountains have experienced dramatic changes. As a wilderness, change is recognized as a valuable and necessary process, but certain changes brought by humans present challenges to park management. Air quality has been monitored within the park since 1982. An analysis of the data gathered from 1990 –1999 indicates that visibility is degrading on the haziest days and slightly improving on the clearest days. There is still concern as urban populations continue to grow and the pollutants from as far away as Los Angeles are transported to the region. Nighttime visibility is also a concern. Currently, visitors to the park enjoy pristine nighttime skies. The National Park Service has retrofitted its facilities with light shields, high efficiency fixtures, and low-sodium lights to minimize light pollution and provide a leading example for nearby communities.
Returning fire to the environment as a natural part of change is another challenge park managers face. Very little is known about the historic role of fire in the Guadalupe Mountains. It is not clear whether Native Americans used fire here like they did in other parts of the country or to what extent the area’s ranching history changed the fire regime. Today, relict woodlands in the high country and canyons have accumulated dangerous levels of fuels, which could potentially burn at catastrophic levels. Scientists are currently studying scarring in cross sections of trees to determine fire history, so that all fire management decisions have a scientific basis. In order for park managers to allow fire to return to its natural role, fuels will be reduced (through prescribed natural fire, controlled burns, and mechanical removal) to prevent catastrophic fires from occurring. However, when lives, property, or unique resources are threatened fires will be suppressed.
Drawing lines on a map and protecting everything within the park boundaries is often not enough. Environmental factors like air pollution, light pollution, and fire don’t stop at the fence line. The greatest challenge is to cultivate a land ethic and encourage lifestyle changes that will guarantee that once people journey to the park’s wilderness, their experiences will not be marred by pressures from outside the boundaries.
Chihuahuan Desert Network scientists visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park every year to monitor climate, groundwater, and springs. By taking measurements of these key resources each year, we can better understand how they may be changing over time. This report summarizes the results from Water Year 2022.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Amistad National Recreation Area, Antietam National Battlefield, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Arches National Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Badlands National Park, Bandelier National Monument, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Hole National Battlefield, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Big Thicket National Preserve, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Biscayne National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Bryce Canyon National Park, Buffalo National River, Cabrillo National Monument, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Capitol Reef National Park, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Catoctin Mountain Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chamizal National Memorial, Channel Islands National Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Chiricahua National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Congaree National Park, Coronado National Memorial, Cowpens National Battlefield, Crater Lake National Park, Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Death Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Devils Postpile National Monument, Devils Tower National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Dry Tortugas National Park, Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Effigy Mounds National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Everglades National Park, Fire Island National Seashore, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Union National Monument, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Fossil Butte National Monument, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Glacier National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Golden Spike National Historical Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Jewel Cave National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, John Muir National Historic Site, Joshua Tree National Park, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Missouri National Recreational River, Mojave National Preserve, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Muir Woods National Monument, Natchez Trace Parkway, National Capital Parks-East, Natural Bridges National Monument, Navajo National Monument, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, Niobrara National Scenic River, Noatak National Preserve, Obed Wild & Scenic River, Olympic National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Padre Island National Seashore, Pecos National Historical Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Pipe Spring National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore, Redwood National and State Parks, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rock Creek Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, Tonto National Monument, Tule Lake National Monument, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tuzigoot National Monument, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Voyageurs National Park, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, White Sands National Park, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Wind Cave National Park, Wupatki National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Yucca House National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios.
Locations:Arches National Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, Big Bend National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Channel Islands National Park, Chiricahua National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Death Valley National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Fort Davis National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fossil Butte National Monument, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Golden Spike National Historical Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Pecos National Historical Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Pipe Spring National Monument, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Tonto National Monument, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tuzigoot National Monument, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, White Sands National Park, Wupatki National Monument, Yucca House National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change.
Locations:Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, Big Bend National Park, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Pecos National Historical Park, Washita Battlefield National Historic Sitemore »
Both the Clean Air Act and the National Park Service Organic Act protect air resources in national parks. Park resources affected by air quality include scenery and vistas, vegetation, water, and wildlife. Over the past three decades, the National Park Service has developed several internal and cooperative programs for monitoring various measures of air quality.
Climate and water dramatically shape ecosystems, especially in arid and semi-arid places like Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The Chihuahuan Desert Network monitors climate, groundwater, and springs at the park each year to detect changes that could be detrimental to park ecosystems. Climate change is an emerging stressor on springs in the American Southwest and a diverse array of plants and animals depend on these sparse water resources in the park.
