Natural Resource Condition Assessment for the National Park of American Samoa

Project ID: P14AC01390

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: University of Vermont and State Agriculture College

Fiscal Year: 2014

Initial Funding: $88,000

Total Funding: $88,000

Project Type: Technical Assistance

Project Disciplines: Biological

National Park: National Park of American Samoa

Principal Investigator: Manning, Robert

Agreement Technical Representative: Clark, Tim

Abstract: Investigators with the University of Vermont (UVM) and National Park Service (NPS) resource managers will collaborate in conducting a condition assessment of important focal resources at the National Park of American Samoa (NPSA). Project collaborators will work together in identifying and prioritizing resources for investigation. The project will define resource conditions, threats, and stressors for NPSA: the specific 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 and information gaps; and suggest data collection or resource investigations to address those gaps. These factors will be evaluated and depicted spatially (as possible) to facilitate use of project findings in a wide variety of park decision and planning processes. The condition assessments will be based on review and synthesis of existing scientific information and combined with expert input from an interdisciplinary team of specialists. Results of this assessment will be documented in a peer-reviewed Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) report and posted to publically accessible NPS webpages. This report will provide an important resource to the scientific community, resource managers and the public in understanding current natural resource conditions at NPSA.