Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument: Natural Resource Condition Assessment.
Baril L, Valentine-Darby P, Struthers K, Whitefield P, Anderson K, Brunson M. 2018. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument: Natural Resource Condition Assessment.. Natural Resource Report. Natural Resource Report NPS/SCPN/NRR—2018/1837. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program, administered by the National Park Service’s (NPS) Water Resources Division, aims to provide documentation about current conditions of important park natural resources through a spatially explicit, multidisciplinary synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge. The workshop for the Flagstaff Area National Monuments (NM) NRCAs, which includes Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, and Sunset Crater Volcano, was held from May 17 - 19, 2016. This NRCA report is for Sunset Crater Volcano NM. Sunset Crater Volcano was established as a national monument in 1930 to preserve Sunset Crater Volcano and surrounding volcanic features, including the Bonito Lava Flow, ice cave, cinder fields, spatter cones, lava tubes, and squeeze-ups (NPS 2015a). The relatively young age of the volcanic eruption provides an excellent opportunity for scientists to study the ecologic succession of soils and plants in an arid and largely barren environment (NPS 2015a). For Sunset Crater Volcano NM’s NRCA, park staff selected nine natural resource topics for condition assessments and an evaluation of habitat connectivity between the three Flagstaff Area NMs. Sunset Crater Volcano NM’s resources were grouped into four broad categories: landscapes, air and climate, geology and soils, and biological integrity, which included vegetation resources. Most of the assessments resulted in a good or moderate concern condition rating, with two conditions of unknown for the unique vegetation resources. Like many national parks, the resources at Sunset Crater Volcano NM face many threats due to an ever-increasing human population within and surrounding cities, such as Flagstaff, Arizona, and increasing temperatures and erratic precipitation events due to climate change. The Flagstaff Area NM’s proactive science program will become even more important in influencing resource conditions and identifying necessary adaptations in a rapidly changing environment.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Baril, Lisa; Valentine-Darby, Patricia; Struthers, Kimberly; Whitefield, Paul; Anderson, Kirk; Brunson, Mark
- Date of Issue
- 2018-12
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- NRSS , SCPN , SUCR
- Keywords
- Arizona, Flagstaff Parks, Geology, Landscape, Natural Resource Condition Assessment, Sunset Crater, Volcanic