Landbird Monitoring Protocol and Standard Operating Procedures for the Sonoran Desert Network
Powell BF, Flesch AD, Mau-Crimmons T, Angell D, Beaupré K, Halvorson WL. 2007. Landbird Monitoring Protocol and Standard Operating Procedures for the Sonoran Desert Network. Natural Resource Report. NPS/SODN/NRR—2007/021. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
The core mission of the National Park Service(NPS), as outlined in the agency’s 1916 Organic Act, is the protection and preservation of natural and cultural resources for future generations.Responding to criticism that it lacked basic knowledge of natural resources within parks,the NPS initiated the Inventory and Monitoring(I&M) Program to detect long-term changes in biological resources (NPS 1992). Parks with significant natural resources were assigned to one of 32 monitoring networks, each based on ecological similarity and geographic proximity. Each network was charged with developing a monitoring program capable of detecting long-term changes in physical and biological resources within each network. The Sonoran Desert Network (SODN) includes 11 parks in southern Arizona and New Mexico: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (CAGR), Chiricahua National Monument (CHIR), Coronado National Memorial (CORO), Fort Bowie National Historic Site (FOBO), Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (GICL), Montezuma Castle National Monument (MOCA), Saguaro National Park (SAGU), Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (ORPI), Tonto National Monument (TONT), Tumacácori National Historical Park (TUMA), and Tuzigoot National Monument (TUZI). These units range in size from 356 hectares (TUMA) to 133,882 hectares (ORPI; Table 1). Collectively, these parks are representative of most of the ecological communities present within the greater Sonoran Desert ecoregion (Mau-Crimmins et al. 2005). Recently, SODNI&M staff completed a monitoring plan that identified “vital signs,” or parameters, representing a diverse range of natural resources,including air, water, climate, soils, plants, invertebrates,and vertebrates (Mau-Crimmins etal. 2005). Within each of these categories, vital signs were chosen by a work group of between four and eight regional and national experts.The vertebrate workgroup evaluated 171 potential parameters and reduced them to 32 on the basis of ecological significance, feasibility,and relevance to management (Mau-Crimminset al. 2005). Landbird population parameters were considered among the most efficient and feasible vertebrate parameters for long-term monitoring.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Powell, Brian; Flesch, Aaron; Mau-Crimmons, Theresa; Angell, Debbie; Beaupré, Kristen; Halvorson, Willliam
- Date of Issue
- 2007
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CHDN , IMDP , NRSS , SODN , SOPN
- Keywords
- Apache Highlands, bird monitoring, Birds, Desert, landbird protocol, Sonoran Desert, Sonoran Desert Network
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Birds