National Capital Region Network Resource Brief: What We're Learning and Why it Matters: Long Term Monitoring in the National Capital Region
Chen HC, Matthews E, Nortrup M, Schmit J, National Capital Region Network, Inventory & Monitoring. 2022. National Capital Region Network Resource Brief: What We're Learning and Why it Matters: Long Term Monitoring in the National Capital Region. National Park Service
Knowing which natural resources are found in the national parks, and whether they're stable or changing, helps decisionmakers make sound choices. The National Capital Region Network is building that knowledge. After over fifteen years of monitoring, we've learned a lot about park ecosystems, how they're changing, and what they may look like in the days to come. Find out what we’ve learned and how it’s being used to help managers plan for the future. The National Capital Region Network (NCRN) is one of 32 Inventory & Monitoring networks building that knowledge. In 11 regional national parks, our scientists and partners collect long-term data on key natural resources—like plant communities, birds, and water quality—that we call "vital signs," because their condition can indicate the overall health of park resources. We analyze the results, track the changes, and provide information to decision-makers. NCRN parks are a mix of natural and cultural areas that provide a unique glimpse into forest ecosystem health. We maintain precious biodiversity within a broader urban setting. There's still plenty we don't know, but there's a lot we do know. Here are some common questions and answers.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Chen, Huiqi; Matthews, Elizabeth; Nortrup, Megan; Schmit, John Paul; National Capital Region Network, Inventory & Monitoring
- Date of Issue
- 2022-09
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- ANTI , BAWA , CATO , CHOH , GREE , GWMP , HAFE , MANA , MONO , NACE , NCR , NCRN , PISC , PRWI , ROCR , WOTR
- Keywords
- air quality, amphibian, amphibian monitoring, ANTI, Antietam National Battlefield, beech leaf disease, bird, CATO, Catoctin Mountain Park, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, CHOH, climate, climate change, climate change effects, contaminants, deer management, emerald ash borer, flood, forest, Forest Brief, forest pests, George Washington Memorial Parkway, grassland, grassland birds, GREE, Greenbelt, GWMP, HAFE, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, hemlock wooly adelgid, I&M, invasive, invasive plants, Inventory & Monitoring, landbird community monitoring, landbirds, living webpage, MANA, Manasass National Battlefield Park, marsh, MONO, Monocacy National Battlefield, NACE, National Capital Parks - East, National Capital Region, National Capital Region Network, nature, NCR, NCRN, PISC, Piscataway, plants, potomac, Prince William Forest Park, PRWI, research, resilience, Rock Creek Park, ROCR, salamander, science, stream biota, stream monitoring, streams, surface elevation table, trends, vegetation, vegetation and soils, vernal pool, water quality, wetland, wildlife, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, WOTR