Natural resource condition assessment: Homestead National Monument of America

Jones, David; Cook, Roy; Sovell, John; Herron, Christopher; Benner, Jay; Decker, Karin; Beavers, Andrew; Beebee, Johannes; Weinzimmer, David

The National Park Service (NPS) Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program administered by the NPS Water Resources Division evaluates current conditions for important natural resources and resource indicators using primarily existing information and data. NRCAs also report on trends in resource condition when possible, identify critical data gaps, and characterize a general level of confidence for study findings. This NRCA complements historic resource assessments, is multi-disciplinary in scope, employs a hierarchical indicator framework, identifies and develops reference conditions/values for comparison against current conditions, and emphasizes spatial evaluation of conditions and GIS (map) products. Congress established the Homestead National Monument of America (hereafter referred to as HOME, Monument, or park) in 1936 under the stewardship of the NPS to “retain for posterity a proper memorial emblematical of the hardships and the pioneer life through which early settlers passed in the settlement, cultivation and civilization of the Great West.” On September 25, 1970, Congress added the Freeman School parcel to “further the interpretation and commemoration of the pioneer life of early settlers of the West.” The mission of the Monument is to maintain a memorial that commemorates and interprets the Homestead Act and its influence upon the country. The mission is to maintain the 160-acre original homestead and the Freeman School addition in a manner that provides visitors an approximate perspective of the influences and impacts upon the land in its transition from its natural state to cultivation and agriculture. The NRCA for HOME began in 2012. This study employed a scoping process involving Colorado State University, Park and NPS staffs to discuss the NRCA framework, identify important park resources, and gather existing information and data. Indicators and measures for each resource were then identified and evaluated. Data and information were analyzed and synthesized to provide summaries and address condition, trend and confidence using a standardized but flexible framework. A total of 19 focal resources were examined: six addressing landscape context – system and human dimensions, three addressing chemical and physical attributes, nine addressing biological attributes, and one addressing integrated natural/cultural resources. Landscape context – system and human dimensions included land cover and land use, night sky, soundscape, scenery, climate change and fire disturbance regime (Table 5.1-1). Climate change and land cover/land use were not assigned a condition or trend—they provide important context to the park and many natural resources, and can be stressors on resources. Land cover analysis incorporated spatial data for landcover classes, natural vs. converted landcover, impervious surfaces, population and housing trends and conservation (i.e., protection) status for buffer areas outside the park. Land ownership in the region is overwhelmingly private. Some of the land cover and land use-related stressors at HOME and in the larger region are related to the development of rural agricultural land and increases in population/housing over time. The trend in land development, coupled with the lack of significantly-sized and linked protected areas, presents significant challenges to the conservation of natural resources of HOME to also include dark night skies, natural sounds and scenery. Climate change is happening and is affecting resources, but is not considered good or bad per se. The information synthesized in that section is useful in examining potential trends in the vulnerability of several sensitive biological resources below. The fire regime is included here because in this region fire is a key natural process under which many biological components have evolved. Therefore, it is deemed a critical component of the long-term persistence of.........

Natural resource condition assessment: Homestead National Monument of America

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