Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Project ID: P14AC01100
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Fiscal Year: 2014
Initial Funding: $24,000
Total Funding: $65,000
Project Type: Education
Project Disciplines: Biological
National Park: Carlsbad Caverns
Principal Investigator: Drazkowski, Barry
Agreement Technical Representative: Shorrock, Donna
Abstract: The project provides an assessment of natural resource conditions for Carlsbad Caverns National Park (CAVE). This project is intended to assist CAVE resource management staff to assess specific parkbased resource priorities and needs. Through compilation and synthesis of existing scientific information from multiple sources, and expert judgment from an interdisciplinary team of specialists, the project will assist NPS in defining specific park priorities. The project objectives include: characterize park biological and physical resource conditions at appropriate scales; define threat and stress factors and their relationship to identified resources; identify critical data gaps; and suggest data collection or resource investigations to address those gaps. The project will define resource conditions, threats, and stressors for CAVE. These factors are evaluated and depicted spatially (to the extent possible) to facilitate use of project findings in a wide variety of park decision and planning processes, and for use in park reporting to the Department of Interior’s Strategic Plan land health goals. The project will occur in three phases, and this Task Agreement funds Phase I and initial portions of Phase II. A project report will be publicly
available to provide information useful for understanding the current natural resource conditions at CAVE and for related partnership and educational efforts.