Arctic GIS Workshop Poster Abstract

22-24 January 2001
Bell Harbor International
Conference Center
Seattle, Washington

The National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program in Alaska

George Dickison, Sara Wesser and Blain Anderson
National Park Service Alaska Support Office 2525 Gambell St., Room 107 Anchorage, AK 99503

The National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program is creating an important foundation for effective, long-term management of natural resources. Resource inventories constitute a critical first step; they inform park managers about the nature of the resources held in trust. The expertise gained through monitoring programs will allow park managers to more effectively detect changes and quantify trends in the condition of those resources, as well as understand the linkages between changes in resource condition and their cause. By developing this type of sound technical information on park resources and ecological processes, the Natural Resource Inventory and Monitoring Program will improve our stewardship capabilities and improve our ability to share information with park managers, the scientific community, and the general public. Inventory and monitoring efforts in Alaska Parks are focused on the following five goals:

Baseline inventories of basic biological and geophysical natural resources will be completed for all Alaska parks.

Long-term monitoring programs will be developed to efficiently and effectively monitor ecosystem status and trends over time at various spatial scales.

Decision Support: Geographic information systems, web based tools, and other standardized database approaches will be used to share information with park managers, the scientific community, and the general public.

Integration: Natural resources inventory and monitoring programs will be integrated with park planning, operation and maintenance, visitor protection, and interpretation activities in order to establish natural resource preservation and protection as an integral part of overall park management.

Cooperation: The National Park Service is actively engaged in cooperative efforts with other federal and state agencies to share resources and achieve common goals in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and expense. The National Park Service is building relationships with the university and research community to strengthen the role of parks for scientific research and inquiry.