US National Park Service Research Articles

Exploring drivers of success in partnerships that support federal trail management in the United States

The use of partnerships with external stakeholders to support federal land management objectives is a common practice amongst government agencies. At the US Forest Service and National Park Service, partnerships provide critical support to each agency’s recreation stewardship objectives. While partnerships help these agencies increase capacity and meet recreation objectives, literature on federal land management partnerships typically focuses on large-scale collaborations and single case studies. Little remains known about how inputs and processes relate to partnership success across multiple individual partnerships to support federal trail management objectives. This exploratory study examines the perceptions of agency and partner managers in a sample of 89 partnerships to support trail work at the US Forest Service and National Park Service. Using linear regression and relative importance analysis, results show that trust, capacity, and interdependence are the most salient factors to partnership success. Furthermore, our analysis reveals a secondary set of factors that should also be considered when attempting to improve partnership outcomes.

US National Park Service and concession staff perceptions regarding waste management in Yosemite, Grand Teton, and Denali National Parks

Each year, over 45,000 metric tons of waste are generated in US national parks through a variety of means, including park operations, visitation, and other sources. In an effort to address these impacts, the National Park Service (NPS) has partnered with commercial and non-profit organizations to implement the Zero Landfill Initiative (ZLI). The goal of the ZLI is to realize a steady decrease in waste generated in parks, and an increase in materials being sent for recycling. Through this initiative and aligning research, efforts to mitigate waste and recycling issues with visitors is underway; however, to date there have been no attempts to understand the perspectives of those individuals who manage these parks on a daily basis. This study explored Theory of Planned Behavior-based constructs regarding disposal of waste and recycling using surveys with NPS employees and park concession staff in Yosemite, Grand Teton, and Denali National Parks. Results indicate that perceived difficulty and moral norms related to disposal of waste and recycling are significant drivers of self-reported behavior and intent with NPS and concession staff. Generally, concession staff perceptions align with the goals of ZLI more than those of NPS staff. This research adds to the limited understanding of land mana­ger perceptions, and results provide justification for future messaging and trainings that could improve sustainable management of these and other NPS units in the future. Keywords: Park Management; Visitor Use; Recycling; Waste Management; Communication; Human Behavior; Leave No Trace

Implementation of a public use management model in Argentinian National Parks: Lessons learned

This year marks 200 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Argentina, which has involved cooperation across a wide range of fields, including tourism. In the interest of finding new approaches to improve the capacity of nation­al parks for public use planning and management and develop mutually beneficial ways to deliver higher-quality visitor experiences, the United States of America Embassy in Buenos Aires, the George Wright Society, the US National Park Service, and the Administration of National Parks in Argentina proposed the “Binational Exchange Program to Enhance Visitor Experiences in National Parks” as a co-learning exchange between the two countries. Through a critical review, this article focuses on the application and adaptation of the US Interagency Visitor Use Management Framework for public use management in five national parks in Argentina. The article offers an overview of the framework, summarizes the project developed with the parks, and, more importantly, discusses lessons learned and recommendations for future implementation of the model in Argentina and, possibly, other countries in Latin America.

How to define urban park relevance? Examining and integrating US National Park Service and partner views on the goal of “relevance to all Americans”

Park agencies must consider their engagement strategies’ relevance. Urban and local relevance are enduring foci. Agencies thus collaborate with partners serving urban, local audiences to bridge the park-community boundary. Yet, relevance is relative. How, then, can views on park relevance from an agency and its partners be reconciled for a collaborative view of parks’ cityscape contributions? We examined this conundrum within the Urban Agenda of the US National Park Service (NPS), which highlighted the agency’s substantial urban presence, acknowledged urban populations as critical stewards, and sought meaningful related partnerships. Framed with Collective Impact components, we sought to learn from 63 interviews with NPS staff and partners in Detroit, Tucson, and Boston about what “relevance to all Americans” entails. We found distinct differences between the views but that the agency-specific view can contribute to cityscape-wide goals. Detailing these definitions and alignments allows for strategic, scaled planning of related actions.

Evaluating the predicted eruption times of geysers in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the United States and is known for its geothermal features, consisting of many popular geysers such as Old Faithful. Geysers are fascinating to national park visitors because their eruptions range from small bubbles to jets of water hundreds of meters high, and their eruptions last from seconds to hours. To help tourists plan their visits, the US National Park Service and other independent groups (such as GeyserTimes) publish predicted eruption times of popular geysers. We hypothesized that the models developed by the US National Park Service are accurate with little discrepancy from our independent analysis, due to park rangers monitoring the geysers constantly and likely adjusting their models over time according to observed patterns and changing conditions underground. In our study, we focused on Old Faithful and Beehive Geyser by downloading eruption time data and conducting statistical regression analyses using linear, exponential, and logistic regression methods, with the ultimate goal of evaluating the accuracy of different statistical models. Contrary to our hypothesis, our results demonstrated that the official predictions from the US National Park Service are variable in accuracy. Specifically, we showed that the predicted eruption times for Old Faithful from the National Park Service and our own regression models are highly consistent, while the official predictions from the National Park Service for Beehive Geyser were less precise than our predictions.

Modeling and forecasting percent changes in national park visitation using social media

AbstractNational parks have tremendous cultural, ecological, and economic value to societies. In order to manage and maintain these public spaces, decision‐makers rely on detailed information about park use and park condition. Many parks, however, lack precise visitor counts because of challenges associated with monitoring large and inaccessible areas with porous boundaries. To facilitate better management, we propose a method to estimate percentage changes in park visitation without using any on‐site visitor counts. Specifically, using 20 national parks in the United States, we develop a time series model for forecasting future monthly changes in visitation based on the volume of social media images shared by visitors to parks. Forecasts are generated from historic park‐level and national‐level photo‐user‐days (PUD) of images posted to Flickr, using singular spectrum analysis (SSA). We further propose an approach for augmenting existing on‐site visitation data collected by the US National Park Service. Our model evaluations indicate that the proposed model that only uses social media data achieves competitive performance to the models which partially or fully utilizes on‐site visitor counts.

Human‐caused mortality triggers pack instability in gray wolves

Transboundary movement of wildlife results in some of the most complicated and unresolved wildlife management issues across the globe. Depending on the location and managing agency, gray wolf (Canis lupus) management in the US ranges from preservation to limited hunting to population reduction. Most wildlife studies focus on population size and growth rate to inform management, but relatively few examine species biological processes at scales aside from that of the population. This is especially important for group‐living species such as the gray wolf, for which the breeding unit is the social group. We analyzed data for gray wolf packs living primarily within several US National Park Service units (years of data): Denali National Park and Preserve (33 years), Grand Teton National Park (23 years), Voyageurs National Park (12 years), Yellowstone National Park (27 years), and Yukon‐Charley Rivers National Preserve (23 years). We identified two gray wolf biological processes that differed from population size – namely, pack persistence and reproduction – and determined that while human‐caused mortality had negative effects on both, pack size had a moderating effect on the impacts of mortality.

The Once and Future Advisory Board

In this "Letter from Woodstock," our columnist makes the case for why a revived and substantive National Park System Advisory Board is so important for the US National Park Service and the National Park System as a whole.

Time, place and theme in heritage conservation: configurations and applications

PurposeThis study examines the time, place and theme constructs from the viewpoints of their theoretical configurations and potential applications in heritage conservation. The examination taps on the relationship of time to chronology, place to geography and theme to the human agency. Time, place and theme pose challenges in delineating workable definitions and in corroborating the resolvability of the terms into real-world applications. The challenges stem from the metaphysical nature of the constructs and the conjectural interpretability of the associated connotations.Design/methodology/approachThe humanistic setting of the study supports qualitative research and information assessment methods. Information to support the theoretical objective (configurations) comes from the seminal literature on the very nature of time, place and theme and on their relationship with chronology, geography and human agency, respectively. The information to support the applied objective (applications) comes mainly from the works of the US National Park Service heritage programs, particularly the historic context strategy where the members of the triad are applied.FindingsThe theoretical knowledge about time, place and theme geared towards framing the constructs' configurations and applications in heritage conservation is lacking. Mediating time into chronology, place into geography and theme into argument provides a useful framework for understanding the constructs' configurations and applications.Originality/valueThe study adds knowledge on time, place and theme that helps delineate the configurations and applications of these constructs to the benefit of heritage conservation planning.

Strategies for meaningful engagement: A commentary on collaboration in archaeological climate adaptation planning

There are calls from cultural resources professionals, academics, and diverse stakeholders for multivocality, co-creation of knowledge, and inclusion of local and traditional input in the management of cultural resources situated on public lands. Yet, associated communities often have little control or influence on management of their heritage sites beyond mandated consultation, particularly for archaeological sites. In a US National Park Service (NPS) context, managers are guided by standardized criteria, existing data management systems, and policy- and eligibility-based funding streams. The influences of these criteria, systems, and policies are particularly powerful when managers are prioritizing action for climate adaptation, as policy guidance focuses attention to cultural resources that are both significant and vulnerable to climate stressors. The results of a variety of engagement activities with Tribal Nations and NPS staff show that the co-creation of knowledge requires meaningful engagements, the valuing of Traditional Knowledges, and bridging the culture–nature divide. This paper highlights successful examples of such meaningful engagements and offers strategies for collaboration between NPS and citizens and staff of Tribal Nations in climate change adaptation planning for cultural resources on public lands.

The effects of terrorism events and changes in the US Homeland Security Advisory System on national park visitation

ABSTRACT The impacts of terrorism events and the subsequent Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) on visitation to US National Park Service (NPS) sites are examined. A spatial random effects model, using a panel of monthly site visitation (1979–2013), spanning the period between two major terrorism events, is applied. Results show increased visitation after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, but a decrease in visitation after 9/11. The decline in park visitation diminishes the farther the park site is from the twin towers, and the more time has passed since 9/11. Elevated terrorism threat levels under HSAS have a negative impact on visitation, but the impact of the warning decays over time. The interaction effect indicates that large visitation sites close to the Twin Towers may experience more visitation after the HSAS level increases. We suggest that the negative HSAS time effect may be due to some potential visitors choosing to stay home, while the positive interaction effect may indicate substitution towards visiting NPS sites.

Search and Rescue in the Pacific West States.

The training practices and the level of medical oversight of search and rescue (SAR) organizations in the US National Park Service (NPS) Pacific west region is not known. A database of SAR teams in the NPS Pacific west region was assembled using public sources. SAR team leaders received an electronic survey between May and December 2019. A descriptive analysis characterizing team size, technical and medical training protocols, and medical oversight was completed. Results are reported as median (interquartile range, range). Of the 250 SAR teams contacted, 39% (n=97) completed our survey. Annual mission volume was 25 (10-50, 1-200). Team size was 30 members (22-58, 1-405). SAR teams most frequently trained in helicopter operations (77%), low-angle rope rescue (75%), and avalanche rescue (43%). Nearly all teams (99%) had members with some medical training: first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (89%), emergency medical technicians (75%), registered nurses or midlevel providers (52%), and physicians (40%). SAR members administered field medical care (84%), often in coordination with EMS (77%). Medical direction was present on a minority of teams (45%), most frequently by a provider specialized in emergency medicine (68%). Expanded medical procedures were permitted on 21% of SAR teams. SAR teams across the NPS Pacific west region had composition and training standards similar to those surveyed previously in the US intermountain states. Healthcare professionals were present on most teams, typically as team members, not as medical directors. Few SAR teams use medical protocols in remote care environments.

Conservation under uncertainty: Innovations in participatory climate change scenario planning from U.S. national parks

AbstractThe impacts of climate change (CC) on natural and cultural resources are far‐reaching and complex. A major challenge facing resource managers is not knowing the exact timing and nature of those impacts. To confront this problem, scientists, adaptation specialists, and resource managers have begun to use scenario planning (SP). This structured process identifies a small set of scenarios—descriptions of potential future conditions that encompass the range of critical uncertainties—and uses them to inform planning. We reflect on a series of five recent participatory CC SP projects at four US National Park Service units and derive guidelines for using CC SP to support natural and cultural resource conservation. Specifically, we describe how these engagements affected management, present a generalized CC SP approach grounded in management priorities, and share key insights and innovations that (1) fostered participant confidence and deep engagement in the participatory CC SP process, (2) shared technical information in a way that encouraged informed, effective participation, (3) contextualized CC SP in the broader picture of relevant longstanding or emerging nonclimate stressors, (4) incorporated quantitative approaches to expand analytical capacity and assess qualitative findings, and (5) translated scenarios and all their complexity into strategic action.

US national park visitor experiences during COVID-19: Data from Acadia, Glacier, Grand Teton, Shenandoah, and Yellowstone National Parks

The COVID-19 pandemic has uniquely impacted US National Park Service (NPS) units. This study seeks to help inform future visitor use management and planning by compiling data from five NPS units (Acadia, Glacier, Grand Teton, Shenandoah, and Yellowstone National Parks), focusing on how the pandemic influenced management and impacted visitor use. Data were collected from both park managers and visitors. Results provide understanding regarding managerial changes, user-capacity limits, and documented changes in visitation in 2020 compared to 2019. These results are coupled with park visitor data from 2020, including visitor demographics, motivations and perceived outcomes, information sources for visiting during the pandemic, potential behavioral shifts in response to COVID-19 while on-site, and intent to visit in the future. The results suggest that the distinct shifts in visitation patterns during 2020 impacted park managers’ ability to predict and efficiently respond to visitor use changes. This issue was exacerbated by staffing shortages attributed to the pandemic. Lessons learned regarding what worked well (e.g., respondents were able to achieve health-related outcomes), and what could be improved (e.g., knowing that visitors adapted behaviors to maintain personal safety, and future staffing allocations can be focused temporally and spatially based on these 2020 use trends) can be incorporated to help prepare park managers, surrounding gateway communities, and state tourism authorities for the future.

Fat bear measurements and piñata parties for papers

The bear necessities Some weeks are just bear-ter than others. Especially if you are a fan of Fat Bear Week , a US National Park Service event held in late September and early October to pick the best fat bear at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. The competition, in which the public votes for their favorite fat bear, draws attention to one of nature’s most incredible feats of survival—the weeks-long fish feast that brown bears partake in as they prepare to hunker down for one of the harshest winters on the planet. But how big do these bears get? The US Department of the Interior says these bears suppress the hormone that tells them they are full and estimates some bears gain up to 2 kg per day during their period of nonstop eating. These bears start out weighing as much as 900 kg, and they put on dozens

Using Citizen Science Observations to Develop Managed Area Watch Lists

Invasive species are a major threat to natural ecosystems. To combat the destructive potential of arriving invasive species, many natural resource managers have adopted an “early detection and rapid response” (EDRR) strategy. A key component of EDRR is a “watch list” of invasive species that have yet to be detected in a managed area and are prioritized for surveillance, reporting, and other responses. However, managed areas with limited resources may not have the capacity to develop useful watch lists. To address this need, we developed an automated process to use data from iNaturalist, a popular citizen science platform, and a United States national list of nonnative plant species to compile a provisional watch list of the 100 most frequently reported nonnative species within a 160 km buffer around a managed area. We demonstrated the application of the process using 36 US National Park Service units with relatively small operating budgets. Using Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Washington, as an example, we show how provisional watch lists can be refined by removing species that are unlikely to occur in the unit due to the absence of suitable habitat and prioritizing species from the state priority invasive plant list. The automated process has the advantage of being easily repeatable at regular intervals to alert managers of newly arrived species. Managers can readily modify this method for use anywhere if they have access to observation data from a citizen science platform and a list of nonnative species in the area of interest.

Identifying distinct metrics for assessing night sky brightness

ABSTRACT Studying light pollution is an interest to researchers in a wide range of fields including astronomy, biology, civil engineering, ecology, and social science. Consequently, numerous sky brightness metrics have been developed over the years. However, what metrics are truly representative of the night sky quality and unique to the measured feature? The US National Park Service Night Skies Program has collected more than 1500 sets of night skies data throughout the United States. For each data set, a maximum of 56 metrics were measured through the combination of the captured images, Sky Quality Meter readings, and visual observations. This paper analyses these measurements and identifies a distinctive set of night sky brightness metrics based on the principal component analysis. Three major findings emerge. First, the commonly used metrics, such as the zenith brightness, horizontal illuminance, maximum vertical illuminance, all-sky light pollution ratio, Bortle class, and limiting magnitude, are highly correlated. Secondly, the observed sky brightness often offers a good estimate of the artificial light level despite the natural varying night sky background. Thirdly, a set of six metrics that consists of the zenith brightness and sky brightness percentiles are more distinctive when used to concisely describe night sky characteristics. These findings suggest that long-term night sky monitoring can be efficiently carried out by measuring the sky brightness percentiles on the observed all-sky images.

Thinking and acting anew

Author(s): Diamant, Rolf | Abstract: A Letter from Woodstock editorial column on the US National Park Service's new Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework for addressing climate change.

Developing Petra: UNESCO, the World Bank, and America in the desert

ABSTRACT This article charts the nascent development agendas for archaeological heritage and tourism at Petra in Jordan. We begin with the early internationalism of UNESCO and its participation programme for Petra followed by the restructuring of American foreign policy interests to embed heritage tourism within USAID projects. A technocratic tourism-as-assistance model galvanised USAID and the World Bank’s interest in Petra, as it did the CIA, the American Schools of Oriental Research, the US National Park Service, and Jordan’s Department of Antiquities. Thus, we reveal how saving Petra was underwritten by an increasing American vigilance in the Middle East. Unlike the educational and humanitarian components of the United Nations programme, the USAID and World Bank initiatives at Petra were almost exclusively directed toward tourism development, generating hard-currency revenue, monetising the Nabataean ruins, and sowing the seeds of predatory capitalism. Our longitudinal study reveals that what has been sustained at Petra is not the preservation of heritage, nor support for local communities, but rather an overburden of international bureaucracy and consultancy culture.

Optimizing preservation for multiple types of historic structures under climate change

Cultural resources in coastal parks and recreation areas are vulnerable to climate change. The US National Park Service (NPS) is facing the challenge of insufficient budget allocations for both maintenance and climate adaptation of historic structures. Research on adaptation planning for cultural resources has predominately focused on vulnerability assessments of heritage sites; however, few studies integrate multiple factors (e.g., vulnerability, cultural significance, use potential, and costs) that managers should consider when making tradeoff decisions about which cultural resources to prioritize for adaptation. Moreover, heritage sites typically include multiple types of cultural resources, and researchers have yet to examine such complex tradeoffs. This study applies the Optimal Preservation (OptiPres) Model as a decision support framework to evaluate the tradeoffs of adaptation actions among multiple types of historic structures—wooden buildings, masonry and concrete buildings, forts, and batteries—under varying budget scenarios. Results suggest that the resource values of different types of historic structures vary greatly under a range of budget scenarios, and tradeoffs have to be made among different types of historical structures to achieve optimal planning objectives. Moreover, periodic, incremental funding and partial maintenance are identified as optimal funding strategies for preservation needs of cost-intensive historic structures. Also, adaptative use of historical buildings (e.g., building occupancy) can improve the resource values when budgets are constrained. The OptiPres Model provides managers with a unique framework to inform adaptation planning efforts for a broad range of historic structures, which is transferable across coastal parks to enhance historic preservation planning under climate change.