Contents: Park Science 32(1)—Summer 2015

Introductory article about this issue of Park Science.

Expansion of introduced crayfish in Crater Lake has and likely will continue to cause declines in the abundance and distribution of the Mazama newt and ultimately could lead to the newt’s extinction.

Parks are responding to the effects of climate change using an active approach to wilderness stewardship. This study describes the level and diversity of the stewardship responses and the effects they have on wilderness character.

Explaining the spectacular scenery around Lake Superior resulting from the 1.1 billion–year–old Midcontinent Rift System gives park interpreters an opportunity to discuss some of the most important processes that shape our planet and influenced the region’s settlement and growth.

Night skies are an increasingly important but rapidly disappearing resource in many national parks, and this article describes a program of research to guide formulation of visitor-based indicators and standards for managing stargazing at Acadia National Park.

This article defines and describes abandoned mineral lands (AML). It also shares the results of a recent inventory of these features in national park units and the estimated costs associated with taking remedial action.

Protected areas such as national parks are recognized as important providers of ecosystem services, the benefits nature conveys to humans. However, some threats to these services, such as air pollution, can derive from outside a park’s boundaries.

Baseline values of physiological stress can be incorporated into monitoring plans for pikas, providing park managers with additional information related to the vulnerability of this climate-sensitive model species that occurs within a large number of western parks.

Resource managers of protected arid lands need to understand the ecological changes that may occur with the removal of artificial water sources, especially in light of climate change and predicted increase in drought frequency.

A pilot project in Everglades National Park examines visitor use of a park sponsored geocaching program and demonstrates interpretive benefits.

After installation of bat-compatible steel gates at an abandoned mine, video camcorder surveys of lesser long-nosed bat activity provide valuable insight into management of this species on National Park Service lands.

A study compares the occurrence of ticks in shelters and camping areas with that on the trailside along the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, where tickborne diseases are one of the greatest health hazards to hikers; the article also discusses preventive measures.

Monitoring data provide evidence of high vascular plant diversity in riparian environments. This surprising pattern indicates a high conservation significance of these park environments.