Natural Resource Monitoring at National Capital Parks - East

Two scientists stand to take measurements of water in a forest stream.
Water monitoring in Still Creek at Greenbelt Park.

NPS

The National Capital Region Inventory & Monitoring Network monitors air quality, amphibians, birds, forest pests, vegetation, invasive plants, stream water, and stream fish and macroinvertebrates at National Capital Parks - East. The results of that monitoring provide park managers with scientific information for decision-making.

National Capital Parks - East is made up of 13 individual parks that span 8,000 acres within the Atlantic Coastal Plain, stretching from Capitol Hill to the nearby Maryland suburbs. These sites protect a diversity of wildlife and vegetation in natural areas including tidal marshes, wetlands, stream valleys, and forests.

The park’s main natural resource management concerns are surrounding land use, regionally poor air quality, and overpopulation of deer. Stormwater management is a big concern for stream ecosystems. Regional air quality and land use patterns can have strong effects on park resources.

What's happening in National Capital Parks - East

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    NCRN Monitoring at National Capital Parks - East by the Numbers

    *Site numbers as of 2022. These can change over time.
    What We Monitor Sites at National Capital Parks - East* Monitoring Frequency Information We Collect
    Amphibians 113 known wetland pools Annual sampling on a subset of known wetlands

    Wetland sites are monitored twice per sampling period
    • Species occupancy and richness for salamanders, frogs, and toads in vernal pools
    Birds – forest only 30 (forest bird) Forest plots are monitored twice a year
    • Forest bird species and abundance
    • Bird habitat quality
    Forest vegetation 49 (forest vegetation) Approximately a quarter of plots each year on a four-year cycle
    • Deer browse
    • Fallen and standing woody debris
    • Targeted diseases and pests
    • Targeted invasive plant species
    • Trees, shrubs, vines, and specific non-woody plants
    Stream biota – fish and macroinvertebrates At streams listed below Periodic sampling 2007-2014, 2019-2023
    • Aquatic macroinvertebrates taxa and abundance
    • Fish species and abundance
    • Stream physical habitat including bank stability, stream shading, and distance from developed areas
    Stream water quality 3 (stream site) on Henson Creek, Oxon Run, and Still Creek Stream sites are monitored every other month
    • Acid neutralizing capacity
    • Dissolved oxygen
    • pH
    • Salinity/specific conductance
    • Stream width, depth, flow, and discharge
    • Total nitrate and phosphorus
    • Water temperature
    Marsh elevation 5 on Kenilworth Marsh
    5 on Kingman Lake
    Marsh elevation sites are monitored once a year
    • Marsh surface elevation

    Last updated: May 11, 2023