Natural Resource Condition Assessments for Katmai National Park and Preserve

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• 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.

 

View of Bay of Islands from Fure’s Cabin.

NPS Photo.

Katmai National Park and Preserve is located at the head of the Alaska Peninsula. The park encompasses nearly 500 miles of coastline and about 20 off-shore islands. The park is shaped by glaciers and volcanoes. The purpose of Katmai National Park and Preserve is to protect, study, and interpret active volcanism surrounding the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, extensive coastal resources, habitats supporting a high concentration of salmon and brown bears, and an ongoing story of humans integrated with a dynamic subarctic ecosystem.

The Alagnak Wild River corridor is located along Katmai’s northern boundary. These NPS units protect the river’s water quality and scenic landscapes, both dominated by natural processes.

NRCA reports completed for this park:

Traditional NRCA: 2015

Traditional NRCA Report: 2015

In an effort to better understand the natural resources and processes, a Natural Resource Condition Assessment was conducted and published in 2015. National Park Service representatives and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota collaborated to evaluate the park needs and available data. Katmai National Park and Preserve and the adjacent Alagnak Wild River were assessed together. The team chose 11 resource topics to assess:

		- Invasive and non-native species				- Native fish
		- Moose				- Seismic activity
		- Bear				- Climate
		- Passerines				- Human activity
		- Salmon				- Glacial extent
		- Water quality

Overall, the conditions in Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Alagnak Wild River, were of low concern or were not assigned condition ratings due to lack of data. Many of the park’s data needs involve the challenge of determining ways to effectively sample and monitor biological phenomena in order to increase statistical confidence and to ensure long-term monitoring techniques are possible. A consistent but opportunistic and flexible approach to population surveys is necessary to gather data and improve analyses.

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.