Natural Resource Monitoring at Catoctin Mountain Park

Water monitoring in Owens Creek.

NPS/Nortrup

The National Capital Region Inventory & Monitoring Network monitors air quality, amphibians, birds, forest pests, vegetation, invasive plants, stream water, and stream fish and macroinvertebrates at Catoctin Mountain Park. The results of that monitoring provide park managers with scientific information for decision-making.

Catoctin Mountain Park sits on the eastern slopes of Catoctin Mountain in the northern Blue Ridge mountains. Its 5,890 acres of eastern deciduous forest includes cool mountain streams and rocky scenic outcrops.

The park’s main natural resource management concerns are invasive plants and diseases, overpopulation of deer, and surrounding land development. Climate change is predicted to negatively affect park resources, including raising the temperature of trout-supporting streams, changing forest composition, and favoring invasive species and forests pests and diseases.

Want To Know More?

Resource Briefs: Air & Climate, Amphibians, Forest Birds, Forest Vegetation, Stream Biota (Fish & Macroinvertebrates), Water and Other Vital Signs 

Reports: Air & Climate, Amphibians, Forest Birds, Forest Vegetation, Geology & Fossils, Small Mammals, Soil Data, Stream Biota (Fish & Macroinvertebrates), Water Quality 

Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Catoctin
Species Lists for Catoctin
View a Map of Catoctin

NCRN Monitoring at Catoctin by the Numbers

*Site numbers as of 2022. These can change over time.

What We Monitor	Sites at Catoctin*	Monitoring Frequency	Information We Collect
Amphibians	88 known wetland pools	Annual sampling on a subset of known wetlands Wetland sites are monitored twice per sampling period	Species occupancy and richness for salamanders, frogs, and toads in vernal pools
Birds – forest only	45 (forest bird)	Forest plots are monitored twice a year	Forest bird species and abundance Bird habitat quality
Forest vegetation	49 (forest vegetation)	Approximately a quarter of plots each year on a four-year cycle	Deer browse Fallen and standing woody debris Targeted diseases and pests Targeted invasive plant species Trees, shrubs, vines, and specific non-woody plants
Stream biota – fish and macroinvertebrates	At streams listed below	Periodic sampling 2007-2014, 2019-2023	Aquatic macroinvertebrates taxa and abundance Fish species and abundance Stream physical habitat including bank stability, stream shading, and distance from developed areas
Stream water quality	3 (stream site) on Big Hunting Creek, Blue Blazes Creek, and Owens Creek	Stream sites are monitored every other month	Acid neutralizing capacity Dissolved oxygen pH Salinity/specific conductance Stream width, depth, flow, and discharge Total nitrate and phosphorus Water temperature