San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is located within an ecosystem of diverse and dynamic habitats for plants and animals. The region’s abundant plant life enhances our outdoor experiences, provides vital ecosystem services, and creates food, habitat, and shelter for wildlife. Even on protected lands like San Antonio Missions, these unique resources are threatened by human activities, environmental change, and the threats of the busy urban city. While the National Park Service monitors this environment to understand park health and to make informed decisions, it is up to all of us to help protect these habitats so that resources may be enjoyed, unimpaired, by future generations. Resource MonitoringThe National Park Service is tasked with managing park resources “unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Yet to achieve this, park managers must know the conditions of their park’s natural resources—past and present—over the long term. The Gulf Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network is one of thirty-two Inventory and Monitoring networks nationwide. The network monitors natural resources in eight national parks, including San Antonio Missions. You can see inventory reports on important park resources here: Inventory Reports (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Climate ScienceBased on scientific evidence, there are significant changes in our global climate patterns largely due to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, or CO2 gases mostly produced by human activities. As our global climate warms, the health of our planet along with everything that relies on it are at risk.We see impacts of climate change here in San Antonio and in our urban national park. Warming trends are intensifying already higher temperatures in heat island areas. San Antonio is a heat island, which is an urban area experiencing higher air temperatures than the rural spaces surrounding it. To learn more about Climate Change in San Antonio Visit SA Climate Ready (sasustainability.com) How do you take care of your waterways?
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How is climate change affecting our park?Effects on Historic Structures
Threats to Historic Irrigation
Extreme Weather
We're A Heat Island
Monarch Migration
More resources:Sustainability - San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)The first Climate Friendly Park in Texas - San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Fleet Management - San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) |
Last updated: June 1, 2022