PTAG members should be the initial point of contact for assistance with natural resources planning.

Table L.1: Planning Technical Advisory Group Contacts

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Natural Resources Program Center Directory

The directory (This website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.) contains NRSS/NRPC staff biographies and a listing of skills for each employee. The database can be searched by keywords.

All Natural Resources

The following websites provide general natural resource information from the NPS Natural Resource Program Center (NRPC):

• NRPC (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.)
• NRPC SharePoint (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.)
• Natural Resource Information Portal (NRInfo) (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.) This site is under development and currently provides information on park species lists, and publications, documents and data sets related to park natural resources. NRInfo is intended to develop into a one-stop-shopping site for NPS natural resource information. As of January, 2009, access is restricted to NPS staff; however, the goal is to make as much of this information as possible available to the public.
• Nature & Science
• Natural Resource Publication Series

Other information sources that cover all natural resources include:
NPS Impairment Guidance: (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.)
Tamara Blett (NRPC-ARD)

NPS Ecological Integrity Assessment Framework: Greg Eckert (NRPC-BRMD)
NPS Ecological Integrity Assessment Framework document

NPS Desired Condition Guidance: (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.) Greg Eckert (NRPC-BRMD)

Monitoring Program Lead: Steve Fancy, Steve_Fancy@nps.gov

Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Network. The 32 I&M networks have compiled and organized a wealth of information about the natural resources of 270+ parks as part of conducting basic inventories and designing an ecological monitoring program for each park. The map at the "Parks and Networks" link will lead you to the website for a particular park or network, through which dozens of documents, reports, and databases can be accessed.

I&M (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.)

Information on 12 core natural resource inventories can be accessed at Natural Resource Inventories in National Parks.

Monitoring Reports. As part of the several-year process of discovering and organizing what is already known about the natural resources in each park, these reports summarize a large amount of information that should be useful to planners. The Phase 1 reports provide an overview of each park and its natural resources; the importance of the park’s natural resources in a regional or national context; key management issues and scientific issues for each park; key agents of change and stressors that may cause changes in park resources; a summary of existing information and understanding of park ecosystems as determined by a literature review, identification and evaluation of existing datasets for park resources, review of park management plans (e.g., RMP, GMP), and other sources; and draft conceptual models to help explain our current understanding of ecological systems in the parks. The Phase 2 and 3 reports provide additional detail, including the development of indicators and standards for monitoring the condition of park resources.

Vital Signs Monitoring (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.)

NPSFocus

NPSFocus is a growing collection of thousands of images, documents, drawings, and maps about the cultural and natural resources maintained by the National Park Service.

NPS Natural Resource GIS and Data Store

The Data Store is an NPS-wide data and metadata clearinghouse for both spatial and non-spatial data sets. Users can search for and download GIS layers and map products, natural resource databases, boundary data, base data, GIS layer standards, and natural resource database table standards.

For general information about the natural resource GIS Program, see Natural Resource GIS Program.

Natural Resources Bibliography

The Natural Resources Bibliography (NatureBib) is the master bibliographic database for natural (and some cultural) resource references. Electronic copies of many of the references are directly linked through this site. NatureBib merges a number of previously separate databases dealing with natural resource related topics like air, natural sounds, geology and paleontology.

Natural Resources Overviews

The Natural Resource Program Center has publications online that include natural resources overviews. Topics include WRD has included a natural resources overview in their water resource scoping reports and management plans. Topics include climate, physiography, geology, soils, hydrology, water quality, air quality, and biologic resources (flora and fauna). Most of these reports are posted on the web and can be downloaded as PDF Files files.

Water Resources Scoping Reports
Water Resources Information and Issues Overviews
Water Resource Foundation Reports (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park
Service network.)

Table L.2: General Decision-Making Data Needs and Sources for Natural Resources

Air Resources (Including NIGHT Lightscape SKY and NAtural Soundscape)

General information:
ARD
ARD (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.)
Air Quality in National Parks 2002 report

Air Quality Monitoring

Program Lead: John Vimont, John_Vimont@nps.gov

Air Atlas is a Geographic Information System (GIS) that looks at spatially interpolated air pollutant data from the major national monitoring networks in which the National Park Service participates.

The NPS Air Monitoring Program consists of an extensive network of air monitoring stations in almost 70 national parks across the country. The Program has three primary components: visibility, gaseous pollutants (mainly ozone), and atmospheric deposition (wet and dry).

NPS Air Quality Monitoring and Data

Climate Change

NRPC contact: Leigh A. Welling, Leigh_Welling@nps.gov

USGS Global Climate Change
NPS Sharepoint site (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network and can only be accessed with a username and password.)

Natural Lightscapes night sky

Program Lead: Chad Moore, Chad_Moore@nps.gov
Natural Lightscapes

Natural Soundscapes

ARD contact: Frank Turina, Frank_Turina@nps.gov
Additional contact: Vicki McCusker, Vicki_McCusker@nps.gov

The ARD Soundscapes Natural Sounds website includes a comprehensive list of publications and reports related to soundscape management.

Table L.5: Resource Data Needs and Sources for Natural Soundscapes (Click to view)

Climate Change

NRPC contact: Leigh A. Welling, Leigh_Welling@nps.gov
Climate in the Parks (CLIP) Tool: Julie Thomas McNamee
Climate Friendly Parks website
EPA Climate Change website
NOAA Office of Ocean & Coastal Resource Management website
U.S. Climate Change Science Program
USGS Global Climate Change
NPS Sharepoint site (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network and can only be accessed with a username and password.)

Biological and Ecosystem Resources

General information:
BRMD (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.)

Wildlife Management Program

Program Lead: Vacant
Deputy Chief for Operations: Elaine Leslie, Elaine_Leslie@nps.gov

Wildlife Health Program

Program Manager: Margaret Wild, DVM, PhD., Margaret_Wild@nps.gov

T&E Endangered Species Program

Program Lead: Dr. Peter A. Dratch, Peter_Dratch@nps.gov

Ecosystem Restoration Program

Program Lead: Greg Eckert, Greg_Eckert@nps.gov

Invasive Species Branch

Invasive Species Branch Chief: Rita Beard, Rita_Beard@nps.gov

Vegetation Mapping Program

Program Manager: Karl Brown, Karl_Brown@nps.gov

Integrated Pest Program

Program Manager: Carol DiSalvo, PhD., Carol_DiSalvo@nps.gov

Human Dimensions of Resource Management Program

Program Manager: Kristen Leong, Kristen_Leong@nps.gov

Online field guides of educational information for a large selection of species for each park will eventually be are provided at the Nature Guides website. The site includes species New-to-Science that were discovered in national park units and other significant finds such as range extensions and previously undiscovered populations.

A gateway to the Nature Guides that highlight species new-to-science and significant finds, such as range extensions and previously undiscovered populations that were discovered in national park units.

Species New-to-Science
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Table L.6: Decision-Making Data Needs for Biological Resources and Ecosystem Resources (Click to view)

Geologic Resources

General information

GRD (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service network.)

The Geological Resources website has geology-related links to technical reports, geology texts, theme books, images etc.
Each park has a geology website. Many of these sites have a geology write-up and links to park specific geologic documents.
Park-specific geologic information
Reference Manual #77: Geologic Resources Management

Caves and Karst

Program Lead: Dale Pate, Dale_Pate@nps.gov
NPS Reference Manual #77: Cave and Karst Management
Cave and Karst Program
Cave and Karst Resources (This intranet website is only available to computers within the National Park Service networ

Water Resources

WRD Planning

Planning Lead: David Vana-Miller, David_Vana-Miller@nps.gov

The WRD Planning public website includes most of WRD’s planning products, which can be read, downloaded, or printed.
These products include reports designed to integrate into specific elements of the park planning framework.

If there a water quality report exists for the park you are interested in, contact Dave Vana-Miller in WRD with assistance interpreting the data.

Water Quality Inventories

Horizon Reports Program Lead: Dean Tucker, Dean_Tucker@nps.gov

The NPS Baseline Water Quality Data Inventory and Analysis reports characterize baseline water quality at all NPS units containing significant natural resources.  The WRD Information Management website includes all the completed Baseline Water Quality Data Inventory and Analysis reports, which can be read, downloaded, or printed.

Designated Uses and Water Quality Standards

Planners should check with the appropriate state office / website for designated uses and water quality standards for water bodies in a park and water quality monitoring by the state in and around the park. A good resource is each state’s 305(b) report, which is done every two years per the Clean Water Act, section 305(b). It summarizes water quality and pollution abatement for a state, and it may have information on waters in a particular park.

Coastal and Watershed Condition Assessments

Coastal Condition Assessment Program Lead: Cliff McCreedy, Cliff_McCreedy@nps.gov Eva DiDonato, Eva_DiDonato@nps.gov

Natural Resource Watershed Condition Assessments Program Lead: Jeff Albright, Jeff_Albright@nps.gov

Fisheries

Program Lead: John Wullschleger, John_Wullschleger@nps.gov
Fisheries

Floodplains

Program Lead: Gary Smillie, Gary_Smillie@nps.gov
Procedural Manual DO #77-2: Floodplain Management

Marine Resources

Program Lead: Jeffrey Cross, Jeffrey_Cross@nps.gov Cliff McCreedy, Cliff_McCreedy@nps.gov
Marine Resources