Inventory & Monitoring

Vegetation field crew member conducting Integrated Upland Vegetation Monitoring in Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.

NPS / Alison Gause

Scientific research is key to protecting the natural and cultural wonders of our national parks. To make sound decisions, park managers need accurate information about the resources in their care. They also need to know how park ecosystems change over time, and what amount of change is normal. But park staff can’t do it alone.

Like a physician monitoring a patient's heartbeat and blood pressure, scientists with the Mojave Desert Network collect long-term data on the “vital signs” of Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. They monitor key resources, like bats, desert springs, integrated upland vegetation, and spring vegetation. Then they analyze the results and report them to park managers. Knowing how key resources are changing can provide managers with early warning of potential problems. It can also help them to make better decisions and plan more effectively.

Studying park vital signs is only part of the picture. Scientific research is also conducted by park staff, other state and federal scientists, university professors and students, and independent researchers. Because many parks prohibit activities that occur elsewhere, scientists can use the parks as areas for determining the effects of these activities where they do occur. With warming temperatures and more extreme weather events, which may range from drought and severe wildfires one year to heavy rain and flooding another year, it is more important than ever to track and better understand changes occurring in national parks and use this information to inform management decisions, share information with the public, and provide for safe and enjoyable park visits.

 

Learn more about monitoring projects

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  Aspen Monitoring

  Aspen stands are monitored for density of live and dead trees and differences in regeneration between stands.

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  Bat Monitoring

  Acoustic monitoring and disease surveillance for white-nose syndrome are the focus of this project.

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  Desert Springs

  Scientists measure water quality, water quantity, riparian vegetation, site disturbance, and wet and dry periods at a subset of springs.

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  Integrated Uplands Vegetation Monitoring

  Integrated Uplands monitoring focuses on the Sagebrush Shrub Steppe community, which represents a large proportion of the park.

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  Selected Large Springs Monitoring

  This project monitors spring discharge, water quality, water chemistry, benthic macroinvertebrates, and springsnails.

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  Spring Vegetation Monitoring

  Scientists monitor vegetation cover, composition, and structure in desert springs riparian areas.

 

Inventory and Monitoring Publications

The NPS DataStore archives studies and reports by MOJN scientists and the larger Inventory and Monitoring program. Explore these reports, journal articles, and briefs about long-term monitoring in MOJN parks below.

Source: Data Store Saved Search 5752. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.