Natural Resource Condition Assessments for Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

Learn about NRCAs

• How do parks use NRCAs?
• Learn more about the NRCA Program

The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program provides framework, funding, and publishing support to parks to aid in the synthesis and documentation of natural resource conditions. Condition assessment reports are a tool to describe selected park resources, and record a snapshot of their current condition, identify trends, and identify potential or current threats and stressors. Understanding the condition and trend of natural resources is key for parks and NPS planners to appropriately prioritize and allocate stewardship resources.

 

NPS/Victoria Stauffenberg.

Prior to the 18th century, the region of what is now Allegheny Railroad Portage National Historic site was occupied primarily by Native American groups and scattered European settlers who often fought each other for land. During a relatively peaceful period the land was cleared for settlement. The Allegheny Portage Railroad opened in March of 1834 and, although only in operation for two decades, is still regarded as an engineering marvel and symbol of America’s ingenuity and perseverance during the first steps toward western expansion.

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site is in southwestern Pennsylvania and protects the cultural resources that comprise the Allegheny Portage Railroad and tells the story of its influence on the nation. Although this small park was established for the preservation of cultural resources, these resources are embedded within the natural resources of the park, including forested mountains, streams and other natural areas supporting a variety of wildlife, including rare or regionally important plant and animal species.

NRCA reports completed for this park:

Traditional NRCA: 2013

Traditional NRCA Report: 2013

In an effort to better understand the natural resources and processes present in this Historic Site, a Natural Resource Condition Assessment was written and published in 2013. National Park Service staff examined available data and needs of the site, and chose 25 resource topics to evaluate:

		- Ozone				- Wet nitrogen and sulfur deposition
		- Visibility				- Mercury deposition
		- Night Skies				- Bat communities
		- Precipitation trends				- Bird communities
		- Temperature trends				- Amphibians and reptiles
		- Water chemistry				- Mammals
		- Aquatic macroinvertibrates				- Invasive animals: Hemlock wolly adelgid
		- Forests/woodlands/shrublands				- Gypsy moth
		- Grasslands				- Brown trout
		- Wetlands				- Crayfish
		- Species of special concern: American Bugbane and American Ginseng				- Invasive plants
		- Northern myotis (bat)				- Land use and fragmentation
		- Bat communities
		- Brook trout

The assessment showed that five resources (brook trout, bird communities, gypsy moth, crayfish, and land use and fragmentation) were in good condition; six resources (visibility, wet nitrogen and sulfur deposition, wet mercury deposition, northern myotis, bat communities, and hemlock wooly adelgid) warranted significant concern; and the remaining resources warranted moderate concern. Two resources (precipitation trends and temperature trends) were not assigned a condition status because they are drivers of change in other resource conditions. The park’s natural resources are under threat from fragmentation and invasive plant and animal species. Past land use activities, including extensive logging, burning, and mining followed by a long period of no physical disturbance to the landscape, have resulted in major shifts in forest community composition, some of which include dominance of undesirable species. Additional regional threats to the park include suburban development, Marcellus shale gas extraction and infrastructure, and wind turbines.

Links to NRCA Products
Materials produced by the park and the NRCA Program.

For other reports and natural resource datasets visit the NPS Data Store.

Source: Data Store Collection 7765 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.