Natural resource condition assessment: Badlands National Park

Dibner, Reilly; Korfanta, Nicole; Beauvais, Gary

In collaboration with the National Park Service, the University Of Wyoming Ruckelshaus Institute Of Environment and Natural Resources and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database completed the Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) for Badlands National Park. The purpose of the NRCA is to provide park leaders and resource managers with information on resource conditions to support near-term planning and management, long-term strategic planning, and effective science communication to decision-makers and the public. Badlands National Monument was established in 1939 and designated as a National Park (NP) in 1978. The purposes of the park include protecting the landforms of the White River Badlands; preserving, interpreting, and promoting scientific research of the geology and paleontological resources in the park; preserving the mixed grass prairie ecosystem; preserving the wilderness area and associated values in the park; and interpreting the history of use in the park, with an emphasis on use by the Sioux Nation and Lakota people. The assessment for Badlands NP began in 2015 with a facilitated discussion among park leadership and natural resource managers to identify high-priority natural resources and existing data with which to assess condition of those resources. Data were synthesized to evaluate each resource according to condition, trend in the condition, and confidence in the assessment. Natural resource conditions were the basis for a discussion with park leadership and natural resource managers, who then identified critical data gaps and management issues specific to Badlands NP. Resource experts, park staff, and network personnel reviewed this assessment. Priority natural resources were grouped into three categories: Landscape Condition Context, Supporting Environment, and Biological Integrity. The resources categorized as Landscape Condition Context included viewshed, night sky, and soundscape. At the time of this assessment, viewshed and night sky were in good condition, though soundscape warranted moderate concern due to high noise levels during the summer months. Supporting Environment—or physical environment—resources included air quality, surface water quality, geology, and paleontological resources. Air quality, surface water quality, and geology were of moderate concern; paleontological resources warranted significant concern because theft and vandalism of fossils were major concerns. The natural resources that composed the Biological Integrity category included vegetation, birds, black-tailed prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, bison, swift fox, bats, bighorn sheep, bobcat, mule deer, herpetofauna, and pollinators. Mule deer, bighorn sheep, and bobcat were in good condition; vegetation, bison, bats, herpetofauna, and pollinators were of moderate concern; and prairie dogs, black-foot ferrets, and swift fox warranted significant concern. Resource condition was not available for birds in the absence of specific management goals. This assessment includes a general background on the NRCA process (Chapter 1), an introduction to Badlands NP and the natural resources included in the assessment (Chapter 2), a description of methods (Chapter 3), condition assessments for 19 natural resources (Chapter 4), and a summary of findings accompanied by management considerations (Chapter 5).

Natural resource condition assessment: Badlands National Park

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