the national park service inventory & monitoring program ... act established a science program...

The National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring Program

Student Opportunities

NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program

Sara StevensProgram Manager


NPS Programs at URIOffices in Natural Resource Sciences Department

Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Monitoring Program

Sara Stevens, Program Coordinator

Dennis Skidds, Data Manager and Shoreline Change Monitoring Lead

Erika Nicosia, Salt Marsh Monitoring Lead

Dana Filippini, Marsh Bird and Marine Invasives Monitoring Lead

Offices in Coastal Institute Bay Campus, GSO

North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU)

Charles Roman, NAC CESU Program Coordinator

Amanda Babson, NPS Regional Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator


Background

During the 1980’s and 90’s the NPS was highly criticized by the scientific community about how the agency had been managing park natural resources.

Assateague Island, MD

‐But!!! for most of the 20th century, NPS managers practiced a combination of passive management of natural resources, with thefocus on becoming a superb visitor services agency

The NPS was established in 1916 with the main directive to‐“preserve, unimpaired, the natural and cultural resources of parks…”

The Act Established a science program in the Park Service‐

which lead to the Natural Resource Challenge in 1999‐A

written plan, funded by Congress, for preserving natural

resources in the parks

As a result new NPS programs were established including

the Inventory and Monitoring Program

This criticism lead to the NATIONAL PARKS OMNIBUS MANAGEMENT ACT ‐passing in 1998

Background


32 I&M Networks

NPS Inventory and Monitoring ProgramFor staffing and data collection purposes, 270 park units with significant natural resources were organized into Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Networks

Each I&M network links parks that share similar geographic and natural resource characteristics

Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network

Who works for the I&M NetworksEach Network has a Program Manager and a Data Manager

Each Network has a variety of other positions depending on type of monitoring being conducted: Botanists, Ornithologists, Geologists, Coastal ecologists, Wetlands Scientists, Hydrologists, etc…

What do we do?

Collect, analyze, manage, and report data on the condition of natural resources in the parks

Our goal is to provide scientifically sound information that will help guide management decision‐making, park planning, research and education

Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN)

8 parks4 large coastal parks• Cape Cod NS• Fire Island NS• Gateway NRA• Assateague Island NS

4 smaller cultural parks• Sagamore Hill NHS• Thomas Stone NHS• George Washington Birthplace NM

• Colonial NHP

NCBN Network Staff ‐‐ URI NRS Department

NCBN Monitoring Plan

•Available on our website to download:http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ncbn/index.aspx

•Significant ecological indicators identified for monitoring in the 8 parks

•Includes everything from conceptual models to sampling design and data collection methods


“Focus on most significant indicators of long‐term ecological trends and highest concerns among the parks in the network”


What do we monitor and how can you get involved?

Salt Marsh Monitoring


Vegetation

•7 parks

•Intensive plot sampling at all parks

•Monitoring plant community structure

Goal: To document changes occurring over time in marsh vegetation, nekton, marsh bird communities, and marsh elevation

NCBN Salt Marsh Monitoring Summer Field Crews (3 paid positions)Desired Skills:

• North Atlantic coastal vegetation or marine fish ID• Knowledge of vegetation or fish sampling methodologies• Boating Skills desirable, but not necessary• GPS skills desirable• Ability to travel and work in a boat in coastal waters• Field experience—hot, buggy and difficult terrain to walk in

Nekton

•5 parks

•Nekton sampled in marsh pools, creeks, and man‐

made ditches

•Monitoring nekton community structure

NPS Biological Science Technicians (paid positions‐park housing provided) posted on USA Jobs Jan or Feb

Sediment Elevation Monitoring

•7 parks

•Data collected twice a year for all parks

•Elevation changes measured using Sediment Elevation Tables (SET)

•Monitoring relative elevation and accretion of the marsh



Possible Internships or Grad Student Projects (NPS would pay for travel to the parks)

• Assisting with field data collection• Assisting with the development of the monitoring protocol

Desired Skills:• GPS skills desirable• Ability to travel and work in a boat in coastal waters• Field experience—hot, buggy and difficult terrain to

walk in



Marsh Bird Monitoring

•7 parks

•Call‐back surveys

•Volunteer‐based program

Possible Internships or Grad Student Projects (NPS would pay for travel to the parks)• Assisting with field data collection at Cape Cod NS and Fire Island NS• Assisting with the development of the monitoring database• Developing science communication documents for the parks/public

Desired Skills:• GPS skills desirable• Ability to travel and work in a boat in coastal waters, kayak• Ability to learn calls of common marsh birds• Field experience—hot, buggy and difficult terrain to walk in• MS Access database skills


Estuarine MonitoringGoal: To monitor estuarine eutrophication by documenting changes in water quality as well as seagrass condition and distribution

• 7 parks• park‐wide water quality sampling of estuarine habitat• intensive monitoring of selected seagrass beds• Bay‐wide seagrass mapping

Indicators: Water Chemistry Water Quality Water Clarity Sediment Organic Carbon Nutrient Inputs

Possible Internship or Grad Student Project• Incorporate marine invasive species monitoring with our current seagrass

monitoring program


Shoreline, Beach, and Dune MonitoringGoal: To monitor the spatial and temporal changes in shoreline, beach and dune topography

• 5 parks

• shoreline monitoring collected via driving an ATV along

the wet‐dry line of the beach, 2‐3 times/year

• beach and dune topography monitored by taking

elevation measures along transects/profiles from the

water up over the dunes

• beach and dune topography extracted from remotely

sensed data

Possible Internships or Grad Student Projects• Interns hired through the GeoCorps America Program work in the parks• We have lots of shoreline data that could be analyzed• LiDAR data that can be analyzed to address many questions• Science communication products that need to be developed for this program (work at Gateway

with our collaborators from Rutgers U to develop products during the summer)

GeoCorps America Positions

National Park Servicehttp://rock.geosociety.org/g_corps/index.htm

• Short‐term (summer) positions park housing and a stipend provided

• 2‐3 positions within the NCBN‐Cape Cod National Seashore, Gateway National RA

• Advertised starting in December for summer positions

Desired Skills:• GIS and GPS • Ability to work long hours on the

beach


Marine Aquatic Invasive MonitoringGoal: To monitor the presence and distribution of marine exotic species in parks

•7 parks starting in 2013

•Salem‐sound Coast Watch Protocols

•Volunteer‐based program

Possible Internships or Grad Student Projects

• Data collection in the parks

• Development of a monitoring protocol‐we need someone to review

existing monitoring programs to help us identify the best and most

quantifiable approach to data collection

• Science communication products on marine invasives for the parks

• Develop primary and secondary school curriculum


Forest Health Monitoring

Goal: To monitor forest health through measurement of vegetation, invasive species, forest pests, white‐tailed deer herbivory, soil structure and composition

Forest Monitoring Summer Field Crews (4 paid positions)Desired Skills:

• Strong background in North Eastern Tree ID • Field work experience mandatory• Physically fit‐walking long distances daily carrying a

pack

•Field crew shared by 3 I&M Networks

•Sampling in 15‐20 parks/summer

•Crew travels park‐to‐park all summer

NPS Biological Science Technicians (paid positions‐park housing provided) posted on USA Jobs Dec, Jan or Feb


Northeast Temperate Network Biological Science Technician (paid position)(housing provided at Acadia NP, assists with vegetation, rocky intertidal and

estuarine WQ monitoring)Desired Skills:

• Strong background in North Eastern Tree ID • Field work experience • Physically fit‐walking long distances daily carrying a pack

Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network Forest Bird Monitoring Technicians (4 paid positions‐housing provided)Advertised through Penn State University‐

Posted on Texas A&M, Ecolog, OSNA jobsDesired Skills:

• Must know Eastern Forest bird calls• Field work experience desired• Familiarity with point count methodology

Other Summer Job Opportunities

National Park Service

Potential Graduate Student Projects:

• Assisting with the development and implementation of the NCBN Rapid Assessment Invasive Plant Monitoring Protocol

• Assisting with a study explore whether or not better estimates of nesting breeding bird colonies (gulls and cormorants) can be captured using photography vs observers standing on a boat counting nests. Field work conducted at Boston Harbor Islands

• Rocky Intertidal monitoring at Acadia and Boston Harbor Islands (photo scoring and reporting of percent cover of different types of organisms in photo plots or interpretation/analysis of vertical transect data (cover species by elevation)

• Working with Sonobat Recordings from Acadia National Park, identifying bat species and working with other existing data from parks

32 Inventory and Monitoring Networks



Jobs with the National Park Service

www.YouthGo.gov

Student Opportunities with the NPS

National Park Servicehttp://www.usajobs.gov/StudentJobs/

•New Program to provide students the opportunity to compete for jobs separately from professionals

•Employers can advertise positions for students only


Build Your Resume

Start getting experience during the summer months, apply for seasonal positions through NPS, SCA, GeoCorps America, USAJobs, StudentJobs.gov

Build up your skills and experience:• GPS/software• GIS• Statistics Software (NPS uses “R”)• Database and programming skills in MS Access and Excel (Lynda.com)• Field Taxonomy‐ Botany, Fish, Birds• Field sampling methods for plants, marine and/or freshwater fish, birds• Motor Boat Operator Training (Students applying to work in the coastal

parks who have boating experience are often placed at top of hiring lists)


Come See Us with Questions!

Sara Stevens‐NCBN Program Manager, [email protected]

Erika Nicosia‐NCBN Salt Marsh Monitoring Lead, [email protected]

Dana Filippini‐NCBN Marsh Bird Monitoring Lead [email protected]

Dennis Skidds‐NCBN Data Manager, [email protected]


LINKS:

Our Website‐The Northeast Coastal and Barrier Networkhttp://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ncbn/index.aspx

USA Jobs Website:http://www.usajobs.gov

NPS Pathways Program For Studentshttp://www.usajobs.gov/StudentJobs/

Student Jobs and Internships with the Governmentwww.YouthGo.gov

GeoCorps Americahttp://rock.geosociety.org/g_corps/index.htm

the national park service inventory & monitoring program ... act established a science program...

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