Partner Activities

The work of RLCs is enhanced through collaboration with hundreds of partners–universities, schools, conservation organizations, community groups, federal and state agencies, and diverse NPS programs. Partners provide in-kind and financial support, broaden the scope and understanding of national park science, and improve stewardship of some of our nation's most treasured landscapes.

Why are partnerships important and successful? For the simple fact that no single organization has all the capacity, creativity, or experience needed to support research and learning in national parks. Great things can happen by building collaborations among people like:

• Research scientists with cutting-edge methods and equipment.

• Graduate students using new research methodologies and communicating their findings.
• STEM teachers with a passion for innovative hands-on learning.

• Digital artists, filmmakers, and musicians who inform and inspire us about science.

• Local communities with deep connections and knowledge of lands and waters.

There are too many partnerships to list here. But a few examples include the following:

The Desert Research Learning Center has started a new partnership with University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation to monitor endangered jaguar and ocelot in 17 U.S.-Mexico borderland mountain ranges. Through the partnership, NPS and UA scientists deploy wildlife cameras across the landscape. Local residents volunteer to maintain the cameras and collect images for analysis. The partnership approach is invaluable because, by yielding information from outside park boundaries, it helps NPS understand cats whose home ranges are so large they are difficult to study within the agency’s limited jurisdiction. Early results to date indicate at least one jaguar uses park units as a habitat corridor as it ranges across the landscape.

At least 24 Indigenous archaeological sites have been documented within the boundaries of Acadia National Park in Maine. Only a few have been studied through archaeological methods, yet they are eroding and increasingly threatened by rising seas and intensifying storms. The Schoodic Education and Research Center is partnering with Wabanaki archaeologists from the University of Maine to re-examine and analyze collections and reconnect Wabanaki communities with their archaeological heritage. The project is led by Dr. Bonnie Newsom and funded by the Second Century Stewardship collaboration of Acadia, Schoodic Institute, National Park Foundation, and the David Evans Shaw Foundation. Thanks to this ongoing project, Wabanaki are regaining access to and knowledge of their cultural heritage in the park. They are joining with the NPS to develop new models of park management and shared stewardship.

Effectively communicating about climate change–its causes, impacts, and solutions–requires collaboration across many disciplines. The Great Lakes Research and Education Center (GLREC) worked with artists and scientists to help produce “Third Coast Disrupted,” a project of new artworks that examine climate change in the Chicago region, including Indiana Dunes National Park. The traveling exhibition and online events feature science-inspired sculptures, paintings, collages, and other media. It began with a yearlong series of conversations between leading-edge artists and scientists, from GLREC and other institutions. The conversations continue to inspire innovative artistic commentary on climate change and its impacts–something that cannot be achieved without reaching beyond disciplinary boundaries.

Fostering the next generation of diverse researchers and park stewards is a shared goal of many parks and long-term partners. At Rocky Mountain National Park, the Continental Divide Research Learning Center partners with the Rocky Mountain Conservancy to fund and coordinate a wide variety of science and stewardship activities every year. Through the Bailey Research Fellowship, graduate students are able to conduct research on high-priority park management problems so that managers’ decisions are informed by science. Additional funds support monitoring of a range of phenomena–from traffic congestion on park roads to the reintroduction of boreal toads. Most recently, the partners have hired a Diversity Internship Coordinator to help recruit, support, and provide professional development for park interns from historically marginalized demographic groups. 

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