NPS
Scotts Bluff National Monument protects the geologic feature that towers 800 feet above the North Platte River and guided immigrants and frontiersmen along the Oregon Trail in their journey to the west. It is the most urban of all the parks in the Network with the town of Gering (population: 7,751) on its east boundary and the town of Scottsbluff (population: 14,732) to the northeast.
The natural vegetation of the 3,003-acre park is mixed-grass and short-grass prairie on the plains, pine/juniper woodlands scattered across the bluffs, sparse to no vegetation in the badlands topography, and riparian woodland along the North Platte River. Significant park natural resources include a prairie dog colony, the North Platte River which borders the north, and multiple state-listed plants of concern.
Vegetation management is a top priority for the park including the management and early detection of exotic plants such as cheatgrass, smooth brome, phragmites, and purple loosestrife. Water quality of the North Platte River is also of high concern to the park. We monitor landbirds, plant communities, prairie dogs, and weather and climate at this park.
Featured Information
Reports and Publications
Read more about our work at this park in the resource briefs (short summaries), protocols (monitoring procedures), monitoring reports (detailed results), or inventories (assessments and lists of natural resources) below.
Source: Data Store Saved Search 2425. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Saved Search 2426. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Saved Search 2352 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Saved Search 3387. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Quick Reads
Last updated: February 14, 2020