Inventory & Monitoring Networks and Parks

The Network Concept

Across the country, more than 280 parks with significant natural resources have been grouped into 32 "networks." Network boundaries are based on geography and the natural resource characteristics parks have in common.

Parks within each of the networks work together to plan, design, and conduct inventories and long-term monitoring. Today, all Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) networks collect, analyze, and provide park managers with reliable scientific information about key park resources, known as "vital signs."

Information gathered by I&M networks is shared widely. Network staff produce technical reports, resource briefs, and journal publications, and each network has a website. Use the map below to start visiting network sites, or exploring network parks and vital signs.

Click on a network name to visit its website.

Appalachian Highlands 
Arctic 
Central Alaska 
Chihuahuan Desert 
Cumberland Piedmont 
Eastern Rivers and Mountains 
Great Lakes 
Greater Yellowstone 
Gulf Coast 
Heartland 
Klamath 
Mediterranean Coast 
Mid-Atlantic 
Mojave Desert 
National Capital Region 
North Coast and Cascades 
Northeast Coastal and Barrier 
Northeast Temperate 
Northern Colorado Plateau 
Northern Great Plains 
Pacific Island 
Rocky Mountain 
San Francisco Bay Area 
Sierra Nevada 
Sonoran Desert 
South Florida/Caribbean 
Southeast Alaska 
Southeast Coast 
Southern Colorado Plateau 
Southern Plains 
Southwest Alaska 
Upper Columbia Basin

I&M Networks and Affiliated Parks

A map and lists of networks and affiliated parks are also available in the NPS Data Store as a printable pdf or tabular spreadsheet. This list is current to May 2017.

List of Inventory and Monitoring Division Networks and Affiliated Parks, May 2017

Network Name	Network Code	Park Name	Park Code