Cave Monitoring: 2017–2018 Results from Lava Beds National Monument

Smith, Katrina; Dinger, Eric; Chung-MacCoubrey, Alice; Seiser, Patricia; Snyder, Allison; Ekblom, Ivan; Weiss, Amelia

doi:10.36967/2314909

The National Park Service Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network conducts long-term environmental monitoring in six national park units in southern Oregon and northern California. Park and network staff collaborate to monitor vital signs of cave environments and communities at Lava Beds National Monument (LABE) and Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve (ORCA). This protocol aims to detect changes in cave climate, water levels in subterranean pools (ORCA only), quantity of cave ice (LABE only), invertebrate community composition, hibernating bat populations, and entrance vegetation communities. In addition, we survey scat and other organic material to aid park management and also monitor human visitation to potentially explain variation in other parameters. Where appropriate, parameters are monitored in the entrance, middle, and deep zones within each cave. At LABE, we monitor a random sample of 30 deep caves (i.e., caves that contain a dark zone) to make inferences about the park’s population of deep caves. Furthermore, we sample six bat caves that contain the majority of hibernating Townsend’s big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii) in the park (three from the random sample plus three nonrandom additions) and five caves with significant ice resources (one randomly sampled cave plus four nonrandom additions). Monitoring frequency, timing, and location (i.e., zones) vary by parameter. Since several parameters are monitored biennially, biennial reports will summarize two years of data. Monitoring at ORCA follows a different sampling design and schedule; it will be detailed in a separate report. Monitoring protocols for cave environments and communities are somewhat experimental since these ecosystems are understudied compared to other natural resources. Consequently, initial years of monitoring were spent developing and refining methods. In addition, the scarcity of baseline cave data suggests that prolonged monitoring may be required to distinguish trends from background noise. This report summarizes data from the first two years of standardized monitoring (2017–2018) at LABE. Due to the quantity of data, in some cases we report summaries, subsets, or examples of larger datasets that are available in full upon request. Various data gaps reflect the logistical and technological challenges hindering data collection in 2017–2018. For example, a prolonged lapse in natural resources staff caused incomplete sampling of some metrics (e.g., ice in 2018) or delayed implementation, causing data loss (e.g., TRAFx visitation counters). Nonetheless, this first report provides a comprehensive overview of the biotic and abiotic monitoring at LABE and establishes a baseline for evaluating future data.

Cave Monitoring: 2017–2018 Results from Lava Beds National Monument

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