Natural Resource Condition Assessments for Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve

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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.

 

Pierce Mountain Trail.

NPS Photo.

A stunning landscape at the gateway to Puget Sound, with its rich farmland and promising seaport, lured early American pioneers north of the Columbia River to Ebey’s Landing. Today Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve preserves the historical, agricultural and cultural traditions of both Native and Euro-Americans while offering spectacular opportunities for recreation.

The Reserve, comprised of more than 17,000 acres, was created as a partnership between the local community and government agencies, with administrative management carried out by a Trust Board.

NRCA reports completed for this park:

Traditional NRCA: 2020

Traditional NRCA Report: 2020

In an effort to better understand the natural resources and processes present in Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, a Natural Resource Condition Assessment was conducted and published in 2020. National Park Service representatives, in partnership with the University of Washington, Oregon State University, and the Institute for Wildlife Studies, evaluated the park’s needs and available data. Nine resource topics and their associated indicators were assessed:

		- Air quality				- Birds
		- Climate				- Vertebrates
		- Freshwater				- Natural night skies and natural quiet
		- Wetland and nearshore vegetation				- Habitat connectivity and land use
		- Upland vegetation

Overall, the condition of natural resources at the reserve varied. Three resource topics were found to be in good condition (air quality, birds, and natural night skies); five topics were of moderate concern (freshwaters, wetland and nearshore vegetation, upland vegetation, vertebrates, and habitat connectivity and land use); and two topics, climate and natural quiet, were found to be of significant concern. The two resources that were determined to be in poor condition – climate and soundscape- also both appear to be experiencing a downward trend. Unfortunately, these are each resources affected at global and large regional scales and there is little managers can do in the short term to alter these trends. Managers may wish to pay particular attention to the focal resources where the condition has been assessed as moderate, using this report as a partial baseline against which future management actions and conditions may be compared.

Links to other 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.