Natural resource condition assessment: Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Jones, David; Cook, Roy; Sovell, John; Ley, Matt; Shepler, Hannah; Weinzimmer, David; Linares, Carlos

doi:10.36967/nrr-2279216

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 previous scientific endeavors, 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 where possible. Congress established Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (HOCU) in 1992, renaming the Mound City Group National Monument. HOCU is located in Ross County, Ohio, at six separate sites: Mound City Group, Hopewell Mound Group, Seip Earthworks, Hopeton Earthworks, High Bank Works, and Spruce Hill Works. Each site preserves the remains of mounds and earthworks in the Scioto River watershed that were constructed between approximately 1,600 and 2,000 years ago by the people of the American Indian culture today known as Hopewell. The park’s purpose is to preserve, interpret, and research the archeological record of the Hopewell, including earthworks, artifacts, the archeological context, the cultural landscape, and ethnographic information. The legislated boundary includes approximately 1,828 acres, of which approximately 1,188 acres are in NPS ownership. The NRCA for HOCU 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 seven focal resources were examined and are included here: four addressing system and human dimensions, one addressing chemical and physical attributes, and two addressing biological attributes. Landscape context—both system and human dimensions—included land cover and land use, night sky, natural sounds, and climate change. Climate change and land cover/land use were not assigned a condition or trend, but they provide important context to natural resource condition and management, and can be stressors. Some of the land cover and land use-related stressors at HOCU and in the larger region are related to the development of rural 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 at HOCU and in the region. The condition of night skies warranted significant concern and the condition of natural sounds warranted moderate concern. Both resources were affected by development and automobile traffic, and had a deteriorating trend. 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 sensitive biological resources. Air quality was the only chemical and physical environment resource examined for HOCU. Air quality conditions can affect human dimensions of the park such as visibility and scenery as well as biological components such as vegetation health. Air quality warranted significant concern with no discernable trend. Air quality in the region is significantly impacted by land uses outside the park boundary, and often from distant sources that degrade regional air quality. Water quality was briefly discussed but surface waters were not considered.....

Natural resource condition assessment: Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Series

Collections