Monitoring

The Sonoran Desert Network uses remote wildlife cameras to monitor mammals in the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park. In 2023, we deployed 59 wildlife cameras and collected 3,967 photos of mammals. We analyze the photos using single-season occupancy models to find out how mammals use the park and to understand the pressures that affect mammal distribution across the landscape.

Because birds can be sensitive to habitat change, they are good indicators of ecosystem integrity. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network partners with the University of Delaware to assess breeding-bird species trends in three different habitats: low-elevation riparian, pinyon-juniper, and sage shrubland. Find out which species were increasing and declining at network parks as of 2023.

Climate and water dramatically shape ecosystems, especially in arid and semi-arid places like Amistad National Recreation Area (NRA) in Texas. The reservoir at the park receives drainage from water basins in the U.S. and Mexico, including the Pecos and Devils rivers and the Rio Grande. The park supports a wide variety of plants and animals because it is in a transition zone between major life and climate zones. We monitor climate and water to assess park ecosystems.

At National Park Service units across the Sonoran Desert and Apache Highlands, the Sonoran Desert Network is monitoring small and mid-sized mammals using remote wildlife camera traps. Find out what we're learning about wildlife occupancy at Chiricahua National Monument.

At National Park Service units across the Sonoran Desert and Apache Highlands, the Sonoran Desert Network is monitoring small and mid-sized mammals using remote wildlife camera traps. Find out what we're learning about wildlife occupancy at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Climate change may have direct and/or indirect effects on many elements of Southern Plains network ecosystems, from streams and grasslands to fires and birds.

Both the Clean Air Act and the National Park Service Organic Act protect air resources in national parks. Park resources affected by air quality include scenery and vistas, vegetation, water, and wildlife. Over the past three decades, the National Park Service has developed several internal and cooperative programs for monitoring various measures of air quality.

Because birds can be sensitive to habitat change, they are good indicators of ecosystem integrity. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network partners with the University of Delaware to assess breeding-bird species trends in three different habitats: low-elevation riparian, pinyon-juniper, and sage shrubland. Find out which species were increasing and declining at network parks as of 2021.

Because birds can be sensitive to habitat change, they are good indicators of ecosystem integrity. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network partners with the University of Delaware to assess breeding-bird species trends in three different habitats: low-elevation riparian, pinyon-juniper, and sage shrubland. Find out which species were increasing and declining at network parks as of 2022.

Across the Intermountain Region, Inventory & Monitoring Division ecologists are helping to track the effects of climate change, provide baseline information for resource management, evaluate new technologies, and inspire the next generation of park stewards. This article highlights accomplishments achieved during fiscal year 2021.