Only 16 cows and 14 nursing pups remain at the Seashore! There are still 112 males scattered around, looking for their last chance to mate. This year’s weaned pup counts are higher than average. A total of 1063 weanlings were counted on 3/6.

Federally endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout are large, charismatic fish that play crucial roles in both stream and ocean ecosystems. The National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program and its partners began monitoring coho and steelhead in Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore in 1998.

Freshwater mussels help keep our waterways clean, among other benefits. But many mussel species are highly imperiled. Photo documentation is an important part of the work to rescue them.

El Programa de Inventario y Monitoreo está dedicado a aportar la información necesaria para que los directores de los parques tomen decisiones acertadas con base científica. Estas decisiones ayudarán a apoyar la misión del National Park Service, que es conservar los recursos de los espacios más especiales y valorados de América para las generaciones futuras.

For two weeks in October 2024, the San Francisco Bay Area Network fish crew travelled daily to Lake Sonoma’s Warm Springs Hatchery. There, we marked approximately 3,000 juvenile coho for release into Redwood Creek. This effort was time well spent, as these fish present unique research opportunities—as well as a chance to increase the future viability of the small wild population in Redwood Creek.

Northern Colorado Plateau Network’s long-term landbird monitoring program provides habitat-based updates for bird population status and trends in the parks in the Northern Colorado Plateau. These inform scientists and managers about changes in bird populations and about the health of the habitats they depend on. Learn more about which species were detected in the network parks for the first time and which landbird populations were increasing or declining between 2005 - 2024.

At national parks across the nation, the Inventory & Monitoring Program is dedicated to providing managers with the information they need to make sound, science-based decisions that will help support the National Park Service mission of preserving the resources of America’s most special and treasured places for future generations.

To provide park managers with necessary information, the National Park Service has embarked on a new era of science-based management. An essential component of this strategy is vital signs monitoring, an effort to characterize and determine trends in the condition of park natural resources. When combined with an effective education program, monitoring results can contribute not only to park issues, but also to larger issues that affect the environmental health of the nation.

In 2008, scientists from the Cumberland Piedmont Network found a concerning trend: E. coli levels were too high. The source needed to be identified and addressed for the health and safety of the thousands of humans and animals that enjoyed the park. The network's long-term water quality monitoring program not only helped to identify the issue, but it also provided the tools to evaluate the solution.

Good, clean water is essential for healthy ecosystems--for people, vegetation, and animals--making it one of the most important resources in the semi-arid west. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network and its partners monitor water quality in 8 national parks in Utah and Colorado to help scientists and managers conserve these resources. This article summarizes 2019-2022 water quality data and how they compare to state standards.