Rock Creek Park Natural Resource Condition Assessment
Carruthers T, Carter S, Florkowski LN, Runde J. 2009. Rock Creek Park Natural Resource Condition Assessment. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NCRN/NRR—2009/109. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Assessment of natural resource conditions within Rock Creek Park was carried out using two synthetic frameworks. Both were based on categories that addressed key structural and functional aspects of the ecosystem. The first framework was an ecological monitoring framework based on the Inventory and Monitoring vital signs categorization of metrics. These 29 metrics were synthesized in four categories: Air Quality, Water Quality, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Pattern and processes. The second framework focused 21 metrics in the three dominant habitat types present within Rock Creek Park, Forest Habitat (81% of the area), Wetland (Inland) Habitat (2% of the area) and Artificial-terrestrial Habitat (17% of the area). The synthetic assessment of condition was based on a comparison of available data collected between 2000 and 2008 to justified ecological threshold values. The assessment was then presented in a conceptual framework of desired to degraded condition.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Carruthers, Tim; Carter, Shawn; Florkowski, Lisa; Runde, Jeff
- Date of Issue
- 2009-05
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- NCRN , NRSS , ROCR
- Keywords
- Condition assessment, DC, natural resource condition assessment, Natural Resources, NRCA, Washington