Natural Resource Condition Assessments for Petersburg National Battlefield

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The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program provides framework, funding, and publishing support to parks to aid in the synthesis and documentation of natural resource conditions. Condition assessment reports are a tool to describe selected park resources, and record a snapshot of their current condition, identify trends, and identify potential or current threats and stressors. Understanding the condition and trend of natural resources is key for parks and NPS planners to appropriately prioritize and allocate stewardship resources.

 

Fall in Petersburg.

NPS photo.

Petersburg National Battlefield commemorates the last major confrontation of the Civil War, leading to General Lee’s surrender and the fall of the Confederacy. This unit is located in the Piedmont region of Virginia and supports upland coastal plains, piedmont forests, marsh, and riverine vegetation. Wildlife is abundant, and, in certain cases, very visible throughout the park. Deer, rabbit, skunk, groundhog, opossum, and raccoon are some of the most commonly seen species in the park. A variety of avian species frequent the park during different times of the year. Many species of fish, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals have also been documented within the boundaries of Petersburg National Battlefield.

NRCA reports completed for this park:

Traditional NRCA: 2013

Traditional NRCA Report: 2013

In an effort to better understand the natural resources and processes within this park, a Natural Resource Condition Assessment was conducted and published in 2013. Representatives from the National Park Service and the University of Richmond collaborated to determine park needs and available data. This team chose four resource topics and their corresponding indicators to evaluate:

		- Air quality
		- Water quality
		- Biological integrity
		- Landscape dynamics

Overall, the condition of natural resources within Petersburg National Battlefield varies. The water quality and landscape dynamics resource topics were in mostly good condition. Biological integrity was in good condition to moderate concern, and air quality was considered to have a condition of significant concern. Future priorities include the implementation of a noise and light pollution monitoring protocol. Additional data would be useful to further identify the potential scope of challenges in the park and to help resolve these biotic challenges.

Links to other NRCA Products
Materials produced by the park and the NRCA Program.

For other reports and natural resource datasets visit the NPS Data Store.

Source: NPS DataStore Collection 7765 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the NPS DataStore.