The use of spatial modeling to evaluate park boundaries and delineate critical resource areas

Sundell, Ronald

This dissertation focuses on the development of a spatial model and associated decision-analysis processes to be used in determining appropriate park resource boundaries or areas. A major resource management problem currently facing the National Park Service and other land managing agencies is the continuing environmental degradation of protected natural and cultural resource areas. The problem, often most acute along designated boundaries, is caused by a multitude of internal and external environmental threats and natural resource utilization issues. It is postulated that more effective management of natural and cultural resources can be attained through the development and use of a park resource boundary model to assist researchers and managers in (1) identifying critical resources that need to be analyzed and monitored, (2) delineating the spatial extent of such resources inside and outside current designated park boundaries, and (3) determining the data gaps that need to be overcome to make informed interagency and interagency regional resource management decisions. A multiattribute decision-analysis technique and geographic information system using proximity analyses, Boolean logic, weighted overlays, and neighborhood processing procedures were used to model the spatial extent of critical park resource areas. To test the viability of the model, data were collected and analyzed from a portion of the North Fork of the Flathead River basin that includes the western half of Glacier National Park and the Glacier View District of the Flathead National Forest in Montana. A series of thematic maps identifying important natural and cultural resource areas and a composite map delineating the overall extent of the critical park resource boundary were produced. The results indicated that the use of data overlays and weighting procedures has substantial merit in defining, assessing, and delineating critical park resource areas on a macro-habitat/regional scale. The park resource boundary model described in this paper appears especially useful in identifying resource data gaps and providing a concise, documentable approach for determining critical resource areas. The model can provide the framework for integrating single-resource identification and suitability models into a larger, more comprehensive regional landscape or greater ecosystem approach for evaluating, managing, and monitoring park resources.

The use of spatial modeling to evaluate park boundaries and delineate critical resource areas

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