Ocean and Coastal Resources

The National Park Service (NPS) manages 88 ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes parks. These parks cover over 14,000 miles of coastline, 2.5 million water acres, and span across 23 states and four territories. These parks offer tremendous ecosystem, cultural, historic, and recreational value to the nation. Managing these parks requires specialized experience with shoreline, island, marine, and Great Lakes environments.

The NPS Ocean and Coastal Resources Program (OCRP) supports management and resource stewardship in ocean, coastal, and Great Lake parks. OCRP staff:

• offer technical expertise and policy guidance

• contribute to the development of national and regional strategies

• collaborate and partner with state and federal agencies, academic institutions, and local organizations

Read more about the work that OCRP does!

Aquatic Invasive Species

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are species that are not native to an ecosystem and whose introduction harms or is likely to harm human health, the economy, or the environment.  

Here are a few examples of how OCRP supports parks who are facing challenges with AIS: 

• provide information about common AIS in parks to help identify and control them 
• construct ship models that can be used in park interpretive programs that show how AIS can be spread by ship ballast water discharge  
• coordinate strategic planning efforts for high-priority AIS across parks 
• consult with parks on AIS prevention, early detection, and control 
• assist parks in obtaining environmental DNA (eDNA) services to detect threatened and endangered species, invasive species, and to determine presence/absence of other species of interest

Benthic Mapping

Coastal and underwater ecosystems are naturally complex and dynamic. Parks need to track what is changing and how, so they can continue to protect and preserve natural and cultural resources. 

Benthic maps provide information about seafloors and lakefloors. This data can be essential to help parks understand current conditions, monitor change, and anticipate future change. In this way, benthic mapping data guide a variety of NPS management and planning decisions. 

Here are a few examples of how OCRP supports parks with needs related to benthic mapping: 

• create awareness of existing mapping data, tools, and resources 
• develop new data products using existing data 
• conduct seafloor mapping surveys by collecting multibeam bathymetry data 
• create guidance for using mapping data to support management needs 
• provide technical assistance in response to requests from parks 

Changing Water Levels

Global sea level is changing at an accelerated rate. Park resources are vulnerable to rising water levels, storm surge, and increases in periodic high-tide flooding. Changing water levels may even affect recreational opportunities for visitors in the case of park closures or loss of facilities. 

Parks need to understand the range of possible future conditions related to changing water levels and storm surge. This information will enable parks to better address and plan for shoreline erosion, coastal flooding, salt-water intrusion, and other impacts.  

Here are a few examples of how OCRP supports parks with needs related to changing sea levels: 

• provide best available changing water level and storm surge data, projections, and tools 
• create park-specific briefs on changing water levels and associated impacts and challenges 
• provide technical assistance as parks consider sea-level adaptation options, including where to rebuild or relocate infrastructure or adopt mobile facilities, and how to best protect natural and cultural resources  
• identify and help parks pursue funding opportunities and research partners to conduct modeling and develop potential management options, especially those focused on nature-based solutions (NbS) 

Fisheries Management

NPS waters provide habitat for diverse fish species, more than half of which are found in marine and coastal waters. The NPS strives to manage fishing in a manner that conserves abundant native fish and maintains their role in healthy aquatic ecosystems while providing recreational opportunities. 

Here are a few examples of how OCRP supports parks with needs related to fisheries management: 

• Assist parks with conducting angler surveys, which are a tool to assess fisheries health  
• Provide technical expertise for fish surveys, marking and tagging studies, and fieldwork related to fisheries management 
• Help parks understand their fishing regulations, including writing content for park fishing pages using plain language  

Harmful Algal Blooms

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are caused by abundant growth of blue-green algae (called cyanobacteria). HABs produce toxins, deplete oxygen to create dead zones and create aesthetic, taste, and odor concerns that harm both marine and freshwater environments. In addition to producing toxins, HABs can cause disease or death in fish, wildlife, and pets, and they present a risk to human health.  

Here are a few examples of how OCRP supports parks who are facing challenges with HABs: 

• create partnerships to provide free toxin testing and cyanobacteria/phytoplankton identification for parks 
• organize meetings to increase coordination across the NPS and to address challenges related to HAB monitoring and response in parks 
• develop monitoring plans, with a variety of sampling and toxin analysis options 
• produce rapid response plans and management options 
• create outreach and communication products, including signage, public notices, and educational products 
• develop research or monitoring proposals

Restoration

Development, pollution, invasive species, and other human activities can harm coastal ecosystems. To address this degradation and habitat loss, parks can plan coastal restoration projects. Developing restoration projects requires significant investment including resources, funding, planning, and compliance. Parks need support to carry out these critical projects.  

Here are a few examples of how OCRP supports parks with needs related to restoration: 

• develop case study briefs about coastal restoration projects to facilitate information-sharing across parks 
• develop a coastal restoration needs inventory to fill a critical gap in restoration prioritization, funding, planning, and implementation 
• provide technical assistance as parks plan coastal restoration projects 
• help identify funding sources and partners for restoration projects   
• help write proposals for coastal restoration and resilience projects

Sediment and Shoreline Management

Parks are threatened by a range of coastal processes such as erosion, sediment deposition and overwash, island migration, flooding and changing water levels.  

Management action is sometimes necessary to reduce or mitigate unavoidable impacts to park resources. To inform these actions, parks need readily available resources regarding: 

• anticipated coastal and shoreline change and associated impacts 
• options to address these impacts 
• understanding of the trade-offs for various decisions 

Here are a few examples of how OCRP supports parks with needs related to sediment and shoreline management: 

• create awareness of available resources and data to support management decision making  
• encourage parks to assess and prioritize Nature-based Solution (NbS) options over hardened structures 
• collect new coastal data, including terrestrial LiDAR and multibeam bathymetry 
• help identify and write proposals for external resources, funding, and expertise to pursue site-specific projects, such as modelling or design work 
• provide technical assistance in response to requests from parks 

Learn more about our oceans!