Natural Resource Monitoring at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Ecologists map amphibian habitat at Harpers Ferry.

NPS

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 Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The results of that monitoring provide park managers with scientific information for decision-making.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains and includes floodplains of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. 70% of the park is forested with various types of eastern deciduous forest.

The park's main natural resource management concerns are surrounding land use, regionally poor air quality, and overpopulation of deer. Climate change is predicted to negatively affect many of the natural resources of the park, including increasing ozone levels and particle pollution, raising the temperature of trout-supporting streams, changing forest composition, and favoring invasive species and forest pests and diseases. Regional air quality and land use patterns can have strong effects on park resources.

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 Harpers Ferry  
Species Lists for Harpers Ferry
View a Map of Harpers Ferry

NCRN Monitoring at Harpers Ferry by the Numbers

*Site numbers as of 2021. These can change over time.

What We Monitor	Sites at Harpers Ferry*	Monitoring Frequency	Information We Collect
Amphibians	35 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 and grassland	20 (forest bird) 29 (grassland bird)	Forest plots are monitored twice a year Grassland plots are monitored three times a year	Forest bird species and abundance Grassland bird species and abundance Bird habitat quality
Forest vegetation	21 (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	1 (stream site) on Flowing Springs Run	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