A Conceptual Basis for Natural Resource Monitoring
These pages are taken from the 36 page booklet with the same name produced by the Inventory & Monitoring Program, Center for Urban Ecology, National Park Service and the Integration and Application Network.
If you would prefer, you can access a PDF of the booklet from our reports page, or request a hardcopy by emailing Jane Hawkey with your postal details.
Locations of the National Parks (red) in the National Capital Region used in the integrated environmental assessment process:
1. Antietam National Battlefield;
2. Catoctin Mountain Park;
3. Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park;
4. George Washington Memorial Parkway;
5. Harpers Ferry National Historic Park;
6. Manassas National Battlefield;
7. Monocacy National Battlefield;
8. National Capital Parks–East;
9. Prince William Forest Park;
10. Rock Creek Park; and
11. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring
National Captial Region Network
Vital Signs Monitoring
Conceptual Diagrams
National Capital Region Network Vital Signs
National Capital Region Network Regional Issues
National Capital Region Network Resource Values and Stressors
Air Quality & Climate and Water Quality & Hydrology
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Pattern & Processes
National Capital Region Network Parks
Antietam National Battlefield (ANTI)
Park management maintains a diverse land use
Upstream and surrounding land uses impact water quality
Catoctin Mountain Park (CATO)
Protected head waters promote pristine water resources
Deer overgrazing degrades forest condition
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park (CHOH)
Dynamic river conditions influence canal environments
Forest edges are both highly valuable and vulnerable
George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP)
Park units connect in a fragmented landscape
Potomac Gorge is a unique natural heritage site
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park (HAFE)
Air quality impacts scenic vistas
Natural and anthropogenic disturbances threaten historic resources
Manassas National Battlefield (MANA)
Roads divide park and fragment habitat
Landscape habitat diversity supports an important bird refuge
Monocacy National Battlefield (MONO)
Water quality is impacted by agriculture adjacent and within park
Urban development is encroaching on park boundaries
National Capital Parks–East (NACE)
Restoring wetland habitat along a troubled river
Parks serve as species refugia and migratory corridors
Prince William Forest Park (PRWI)
Large intact forest provides valuable indicators of ecosystem processes
Continuous forest habitat protects watershed
Rock Creek Park (ROCR)
Urban pressures impact natural resources
Impervious surfaces surround park
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (WOTR)
Natural settings provide suburban green space
Summary
Conceptual Diagram Symbol Legend