Videos
Watching these short videos is a great way to learn about our work in the Upper Columbia Basin Network, and about inventory and monitoring work across the country.-
Why We Monitor
Park staff and scientists show us why monitoring is important, and they take us to some intriguing places in parks so you can see their work.
- Duration:
- 5 minutes, 5 seconds
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Climate Change and High Elevation Parks
Learn how scientists are studying the effects of climate change on national parks and what some parks are doing to lower their carbon footprint.
- Duration:
- 8 minutes, 58 seconds
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Camas Lily Monitoring in the Upper Columbia Basin Network
Every year, fields of Camas bloom in pockets across the West. Camas lily was historically an important plant food of the Nez Perce people and remains so for many tribal members today. It's also a part of wet prairie ecosystems of the Columbia Plateau.
- Duration:
- 7 minutes, 35 seconds
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Pika Monitoring at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
Learn more about the American pika, a small cuddly-looking mammal that is in the rabbit family. Pikas are easily heard, difficult to see, and they may be early warning signs for temperature changes in western North America.
- Duration:
- 4 minutes, 44 seconds
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Pikas Living on the Edge: Monitoring a Species Facing a Changing Climate
Pikas have a high body temperature and they rely on crevices and cavities in rocks to provide cover and cool shade. Parks in different networks in the West are collaborating on Pika monitoring to learn more about the potential effects of a warming climate on pikas.
- Duration:
- 5 minutes, 9 seconds
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Bat and Cave Management at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
Bats are an essential part of park ecosystems. The crevices and caves in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve are an ideal habitat and also a source of subterranean water.
- Duration:
- 6 minutes, 19 seconds
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Bats: Tiny Creatures, Big Challenges
Although bats are small mammals, they face some large challenges. Learn more about what the National Park Service is doing to preserve bat populations in national parks.
- Duration:
- 10 minutes, 6 seconds
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Lemhi Penstemon Pollinators at Big Hole National Battlefield
Big Hole National Battlefield contains some of the largest remaining populations of Lemhi penstemon. A particular pollen wasp specializes in pollinating the Lemhi penstemon and is essential to the long-term persistence of the plant. Learn more about how the two species have evolved and support each other.
- Duration:
- 4 minutes, 31 seconds
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Monitoring the Sagebrush Steppe
Monitoring sagebrush steppe habitat on NPS lands helps NPS land managers know what is happening to that habitat over time, so that they can better manage and protect it for future generations.
- Duration:
- 8 minutes, 47 seconds
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Nature of the Night at Big Hole National Battlefield
By day, Big Hole National Battlefield is a beautiful landscape evocative of the historical events that took place there. When the sun sets, it takes on new life. Narrated by Tom Rodhouse, an ecologist with the National Park Service, this video showcases the "cast of characters" that daytime visitors to the park rarely see.
- Duration:
- 3 minutes, 18 seconds
Last updated: December 19, 2018