Science & Research

 
A woman in hip waders crouches uses a net to catch invertebrates from a stream.
NPS biologist Hope Dodd collects samples of aquatic life in Hoover Creek

NPS Photo

National Park Service staff and volunteers use current science, research, and management practices. Historical and archeological studies help park staff preserve, maintain, and educate others about the park's people, places, and stories. Natural sciences research builds a strong scientific foundation for the management and protection of natural resources.

National Park scientists at the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Network, fifteen national parks in the Midwest sharing resources and professional expertise, periodically inventory and monitor the park's natural resources. Trends in populations of birds, native plant communities, and exotic invasive plants may indicate changes in the overall health of the reconstructed tallgrass prairie. Park scientists assess the quality of stream habitat by inventorying Hoover Creek's physical characteristics as well as fish and aquatic invertebrate communities.

Research data, studies, and reports may be found using the National Park Service's Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA).

 

Historical Research

Showing results 1-2 of 2

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Historical Studies, Reports, & Plans

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    A 1970s photo shows park visitors following a female ranger in a tan uniform.

    The National Park Service publishes studies, reports, and plans for parks' historic structures, furnishings, and landscapes.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Herbert Hoover Family & Genealogy

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    In a 1908 studio portrait photo a young mother poses with her two small boys.

    Find a brief genealogy of Herbert Hoover's family, starting with his parents.

 

Natural Sciences Research

Showing results 1-10 of 16

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    • Offices: Geologic Resources Division
    hoover birthplace cottage

    Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports.

    • Locations: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Acadia National Park, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site,
    • Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northeast Temperate Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network,
    A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera.

    To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation.

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    • Offices: Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network
    A scientist kneeling in the water sorting through material in a large net.

    Fish and aquatic invertebrate communities can tell us a lot about the health of streams. We monitor the aquatic community in Hoover Creek at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site to help managers understand the condition of the creek and how it may be changing. Most of the fish and aquatic invertebrates in Hoover Creek are tolerant or moderately tolerant of poor water quality and habitat conditions.

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Homestead National Historical Park, Pipestone National Monument
    • Offices: Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network
    Two scientists looking at prairie plants next to a measuring tape and plastic plot rings.

    Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Homestead National Historical Park, and Pipestone National Monument all protect tallgrass prairie communities. We monitor the plants in these parks to understand how the prairies may be changing over time. Analyzing data from all three parks together helps managers understand how similar management actions at other parks are affecting prairie maintenance. Pipestone National Monument prairies have some unique geology that makes the plant

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    A black bird with red and yellow on its wings flies across and brown and green field.

    Monitoring breeding bird populations helps scientists and park managers evaluate the health of the prairie ecosystem at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
    • Offices: Wildland Fire Program
    A woman takes notes while standing near the edge of a fire at night.

    Sherry Leis, a plant and fire ecologist, shares her story about being a scientist and her love of prairie ecosystems.

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    A scientist in straw hat examines plant species inside a circular plot.

    Scientists monitor plant communities to measure changes in the tallgrass prairie at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. The studies help park managers to adapt their land management practices.

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    Red-winged blackbird in flight

    Beyond the pleasure that birds provide, they are a significant component of park ecosystems. The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors change in bird community composition and bird abundance to determine the health of bird communities. They accomplish this by surveying seasonal and year round resident birds in the park during the breeding season.

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    A foot-long fish with reddish fins spotted in a shallow creek from above.

    Fishes occur in Hoover Creek when the flow is stable. Visitors commonly see minnows like creek chub. Changes in water quality often affect fish species. Many species are intolerant of poor water quality so monitoring fish communities is a useful way to asses environmental conditions within a stream.

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    Two men walk through a grassland with a spray tank and other equipment.

    Park scientists monitor nonnative plants that threaten the native plant communities of the tallgrass prairie.

Tags: science
 

Source: Data Store Collection 4260 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

 

Source: Data Store Saved Search 3507 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

Last updated: February 2, 2021

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