• A quiet summer walk through the Marching Bear Group of effigy mounds

    Effigy Mounds

    National Monument Iowa

Inventory and Monitoring

Restored Tallgrass Prairie

Effigy Mounds Restored Tallgrass Prairie

NPS Photo

Inventory and monitoring (I&M) builds a strong scientific foundation for the management and protection of natural resources in national park areas.



Effigy Mounds National Monument is a member of the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network, fifteen parks in the Midwest that share resources and professional expertise to inventory and monitor natural resources.



To verify records of which plants and animals live in the parks, teams of scientists from parks and universities inventory plants, mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles. Park managers use this data to monitor the vital signs--measurable, early warning signals of significant changes--to assess the long-term health of natural systems.

  • Alien Invaders Alien Invaders

    Garlic Mustard - an alien invader that threatens our park! Read More

Did You Know?

Fire Point Mound Group

Stephen H. Long, of the U.S. Army's Topographical Engineers, explored and described the Effigy Mounds National Monument region in expeditions undertaken in 1817 and 1823. Long was one of the first to document the presence of mounds in the Upper Mississippi River Valley.