The National Capital Region Network I&M program conducts long-term monitoring of selected natural resource indicators (vital signs) in 11 of the region's parks. Vital signs include stream water quality, forest vegetation including invasive plant species and forest pests and diseases, amphibians of streams and vernal pools, and forest birds. The National Capital Region Network (NCRN) I&M also provides data on air quality and landcover. In addition to baseline inventories of bats, birds, fish, small mammals, and other species (completed in 2007), the network has also periodically implemented targeted inventories of species of management interest (e.g., American chestnuts, Eastern hemlocks, and native orchids). The most recent phase of inventories, now underway, is focused on natural resource inventories that are intended to provide parks with the detailed data necessary for science-based management decisions.
The NCRN, is one of 32 I&M networks nationwide. It contains 11 park units in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia that share common natural resources.
Elizabeth Matthews, Program Manager, 202-339-8303. If you need assistance from Resource Stewardship and Science (RESS), you may submit a Solution for Technical Assistance Requests (STAR) request online (NPS Only).
Last updated: October 15, 2020