Overview

Natural resource monitoring is the long-term systematic repetition of a specific resource survey and the analysis of those data to predict or detect natural or human-induced changes in resource conditions, and to determine if natural resource condition objectives are being achieved. If properly designed, monitoring provides information on linkages between changes in resource conditions and their causes. Monitoring is designed to provide feedback related to management actions and can serve to trigger further actions and to evaluate their effectiveness. It provides a rational basis for management actions.

National parks are recognized as outdoor laboratories for studying ecological processes. As potential adverse impacts of human activities on the globe have become more widely recognized and politically acknowledged, national parks have become “canaries in the mine” for the biosphere. Natural systems in national parks provide the best indicators of ecological effects of anthropic perturbations such as air pollution, ozone depletion, and global warming. By developing sound technical information on park resources, the National Park Service is better positioned to actively participate in the management of those resources through its own actions and through broader state and Federal programs.

By clicking on the tabs displayed above, you will be taken to a series of pages that describe the specific information that pertains to resource monitoring here at Shenandoah National Park.

Shenandoah Inventory Program Main Page

Shenandoah Natural Resources Main Page

National Monitoring Program

National Inventory Program