Glen Canyon National Recreation Area desert sand 2019 data summary: Southern Colorado Plateau Network integrated upland monitoring
Swan M, McCoy L, Veety C. 2020. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area desert sand 2019 data summary: Southern Colorado Plateau Network integrated upland monitoring. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/SCPN/NRDS—2020/1297. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
This report presents a single-year snapshot of the data collected by the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network (SCPN) in 2019 as part of integrated upland monitoring (IUM). Field crews collect data on soil stability and hydrologic function, biological soil crusts, and plant community characteristics, including abundance of functional groups, cover by species, richness and diversity, and frequency of nonnative species. In woodland and forested systems, density of seedlings, saplings and overstory tree species and canopy shading are measured. These data are summarized in a series of simple visualizations to provide a status overview for the year. Through this monitoring, SCPN seeks to increase understanding of upland systems and provide resource managers with valuable information they can use to help guide management decisions. In 2019 IUM crews sampled 12 plots in the desert sand ecosystem at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Six of these plots were located at Bullfrog and six were in the Escalante region, along Hole in the Rock Road. There was a stark difference between these two locations this year; the Escalante plots had more native forbs present and seemed generally in better condition than plots in the Bullfrog region. The nonnative annual grass Schismus had the highest percent foliar cover on average of any species at Bullfrog, while native shrub and forb species dominated in the Escalante area. No new species were encountered during sampling in 2019.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Swan, Megan; McCoy, Lee; Veety, Carrie
- Date of Issue
- 2020-11
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- GLCA , NRSS , SCPN
- Keywords
- Desert, Exotic species, Grassland, Monitoring, Plant community characteristics, Soil stability, Upland vegetation
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Soil Quality | Soil Function and Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic plants , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Grassland/Herbaceous Communities