Studying historical lake response to ecological changes.
Brenda Moraska Lafrancois 2006
The National Park Service is responsible for protecting the natural resources on its lands. Protecting these resources requires a full understanding that can be obtained only by the long term accumulation and analysis of data produced by science.
Summaries of the scientific research conducted at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore during this field season are listed in this section. Information from these studies will help managers make better planning, development, and conservation decisions.
Take a look at the Great Lakes Network website with park-specific resource briefs and reports on inventory and monitoring information.
Application Procedures to Conduct Research in the National Park To obtain initial permission to conduct field research and/or collecting of specimens within areas administered by the National Park Service, you are required to complete and submit materials that enable park staff to evaluate the proposed activities and potential impacts on resources, policy, and visitor experiences. These materials include:
application form,
study proposal, and
copies of existing peer-reviews or the names of individuals you recommend to review your proposal.
The RPRS website also contains instructions for the application process, frequently asked questions, links to other research-related websites, and links to submit or view Investigator Annual Reports (IARs)—reports detailing the accomplishments of ongoing or completed research projects.
Sites:Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Grand Portage National Monument, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshoremore »
A summary of amphibian monitoring data collected in seven Great Lakes Network parks as of 2019.
Sites:Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Grand Portage National Monument, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Voyageurs National Parkmore »
A summary of acoustic bat monitoring in Great Lakes Network parks from 2015 through 2019.
Sites:Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Grand Portage National Monument, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Voyageurs National Parkmore »
The Fall 2023 issue of the Great Lakes newsletter contains articles on planning for the future of the Inventory and Monitoring Division, retirement and departure of staff members, a summary of the Western Great Lakes Research Conference, a field season summary from each of our monitoring programs, and a list of new reports and publications.
Sites:Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
A flurry of activity early in the 2019 nesting season. Piping plovers spent time exploring the park early last spring looking for suitable nesting sites. Birds were reported on Cat and Michigan Islands at first but they ended up nesting on Long, Stockton, and Outer Islands.
Sites:Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Grand Portage National Monument, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Isle Royale National Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshoremore »
The National Park Service (NPS) will strengthen forest resilience in Midwestern parks.
The National Park Service will create two seed collection sites with plant propagation capacity within the Midwest Region that could be expanded with partner organizations, one at Wind Cave National Park and one at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Sites:Appalachian Highlands Inventory & Monitoring Network, Chihuahuan Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network, Cumberland Piedmont Inventory & Monitoring Network, Eastern Rivers and Mountains Inventory & Monitoring Network, Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network, Greater Yellowstone Inventory & Monitoring Network, Gulf Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network, Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network, Inventory and Monitoring Division, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network, Mediterranean Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network, Mid-Atlantic Inventory & Monitoring Network, Mojave Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network, National Capital Inventory & Monitoring Network, North Coast and Cascades Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northeast Temperate Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network, Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network, Rocky Mountain Inventory & Monitoring Network, San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network, Sierra Nevada Inventory & Monitoring Network, Sonoran Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network, South Florida Caribbean Inventory & Monitoring Network, Southeast Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network, Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network, Southern Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network, Upper Columbia Basin Inventory & Monitoring Network, Acadia National Park, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Amistad National Recreation Area, Antietam National Battlefield, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Arches National Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Badlands National Park, Bandelier National Monument, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Hole National Battlefield, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Big Thicket National Preserve, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Biscayne National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Bryce Canyon National Park, Buffalo National River, Cabrillo National Monument, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Capitol Reef National Park, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Catoctin Mountain Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chamizal National Memorial, Channel Islands National Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Chiricahua National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Congaree National Park, Coronado National Memorial, Cowpens National Battlefield, Crater Lake National Park, Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Death Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Devils Postpile National Monument, Devils Tower National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Dry Tortugas National Park, Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Effigy Mounds National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Everglades National Park, Fire Island National Seashore, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Union National Monument, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Fossil Butte National Monument, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Glacier National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Golden Spike National Historical Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Jewel Cave National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, John Muir National Historic Site, Joshua Tree National Park, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Missouri National Recreational River, Mojave National Preserve, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Muir Woods National Monument, Natchez Trace Parkway, National Capital Parks-East, Natural Bridges National Monument, Navajo National Monument, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, Niobrara National Scenic River, Noatak National Preserve, Obed Wild & Scenic River, Olympic National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Padre Island National Seashore, Pecos National Historical Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Pipe Spring National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore, Redwood National and State Parks, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rock Creek Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, Tonto National Monument, Tule Lake National Monument, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tuzigoot National Monument, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Voyageurs National Park, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, White Sands National Park, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Wind Cave National Park, Wupatki National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Yucca House National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios.
