Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

Archiving Historic Bird Checklists from Southwest Alaska’s National Parks

Project ID: J8W07090019

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: University of Alaska Anchorage

Fiscal Year: 2009

Initial Funding: $45,000

Total Funding: $58,347

Project Type: Technical Assistance

Project Disciplines: Biological

National Park: Southwest Alaska Network Inventory & Monitoring

Principal Investigator: Gotthardt, Tracey

Agreement Technical Representative: Thompson, Bill

Abstract: The Southwest Alaska Network (SWAN) of the National Park Service (NPS) is assessing status and monitoring long-term trends of key natural resources or “vital signs” in its five national park units, including Alagnak Wild River, Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. When available, historical data provide valuable insights into past conditions as well as an important context for future monitoring. As part of a previous NPS project, the Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP) at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) visited each of Alaska’s 16 park offices to gather records of historical bird observations for the NPS Avian Influenza (AI) database. Large amounts of this information were unsuitable to be entered into the AI database and are currently housed at AKNHP. These data are primarily comprised of bird checklists from established field camps, ranger trip logs, and visitor observation cards that contain a wealth of information on species presence and relative distribution. Furthermore, these bird observations only exist as hard copies in files so they are at risk of being discarded and lost if not properly archived. Alaska eBird is a database for recording and analyzing bird data that was developed jointly by Audubon Alaska and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Alaska eBird is part of the greater eBird database used by birders and scientists across the continent. The goals of this project are to compile historic bird records from SWAN parks, enter these records into an archival database (Alaska eBird) where they can be accessed by researchers and the general public, develop a standard operating procedure for NPS staff to enter bird observations into Alaska eBird, and develop a template for educational tools for park visitors and researchers so they will be encouraged to enter their historic and current bird observations into Alaska eBird.

Deliverables: