Taxonomy and Specimen Management for the Elwha Biodiversity Pilot Project

Project ID: J8W07100003

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: University of Washington

Fiscal Year: 2010

Initial Funding: $34,922

Total Funding: $34,922

Project Type: Technical Assistance

Project Disciplines: Biological

National Park: Olympic National Park

Principal Investigator: Pietsch, Ted

Agreement Technical Representative: Freilich, Jerry

Abstract: An earlier collaborative project engaged professional and citizen scientists in conducting biological surveys of invertebrates and non-vascular plants in Olympic National Park. Many thousands of insects, spiders, and plants were collected. Most of the insect material was sorted to taxonomic Order. Other material is pinned (ready to be identified), many specimens are stored in alcohol, and some remain unsorted. The purpose of this project is to provide the next stage in sorting, curating, and specimen management for that material. Recognizing that only taxonomic experts in particular groups can identify most insects to species, this project will prepare the bulk of the collected material for shipment to such experts. Plant materials will be processed in ways appropriate to those specimens. Much of the spider material has already been identified to species. The University of Washington (UW) and the National Park Service (NPS) will collaborate in combining expertise in plant and insect taxonomy to add value to the specimens already collected, including species identification. Taxonomy of those species determined will be posted on a website maintained by the UW, providing easy public access. Specimens in specific families will be sent to experts for further work on identification. A project summary will be produced to describe the effort and cost of this and the earlier project as part of an NPS guide for other parks attempting similar all-taxa inventories.