National parks protect a tremendous variety of natural and cultural wonders that provide countless opportunities for scientific research. Studying primary features at Canyonlands is only part of the picture. Since many parks prohibit activities that occur elsewhere on public and private lands (such as mining, grazing, and off-road vehicle use), they can serve as "control" areas to which scientists can compare the effects of these activities elsewhere. National parks in the American West often serve as the best model for what an undisturbed landscape should look like.
Over the years, Canyonlands has served as an outdoor laboratory for a variety of scientists. Given the landscape, it is no surprise that much of this research focuses on geology and soils. From the Island in the Sky’s Upheaval Dome to the Grabens area of The Needles, Canyonlands possesses many uncommon landforms. The fact that over 200 million years of geologic history are visible in the park draws scientists from all over the world.
Soil science has been a dominant research topic at Canyonlands for years. Since the 1970s, researchers have been uncovering the role biological soil crusts play in the high desert ecosystem. Since topsoil erosion and fertility have become issues of global importance, understanding the mechanisms which maintain healthy soils in deserts might benefit areas all over the world.
Much of the soil research has focused on the impacts of grazing and exotic grasses, especially the invasive cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). This European import has overcome rangeland throughout the western United States. Animals rarely eat it and it appears that native grasses cannot compete with it. Scientists at Canyonlands are studying how changes in soil chemistry affect the ability of cheatgrass to transform a landscape.
Beyond the natural landscape, cultural landscapes are important features of Canyonlands. Humans have visited what is now Canyonlands for millennia. They left behind crops, artifacts, and structures that fascinate modern visitors. Cultural researchers and archeologists monitor and study historic features from American Indians, cowboys, explorers, and early tourists. The park also maintains collections and archives that help tell the story of Canyonlands National Park.
Scientists have been implementing an integrated Inventory and Monitoring program. The first phase of the program is to verify records of what plants and animals exist in Canyonlands. To accomplish this, teams of scientists are conducting inventories of plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. The second phase of the program is the development of vital signs monitoring. Vital signs are measurable, early warning signals that indicate changes which could affect the long-term health of natural systems. Canyonlands, along with other parks, is planning a program to monitor biological and physical resources like air quality, water quality, exotic species, soils, and threatened and endangered species.
Research in Canyonlands aids park managers. Much like a physician monitors a patient’s heartbeat and blood pressure for diagnostic purposes, National Park Service officials need accurate information about the resources in their care. Specifically, they need to know how and why natural systems and cultural sites change over time, and what amount of change is normal, in order to make sound management decisions.
Locations:Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Zion National Park
Offices:Geologic Resources Division
The Utah Geological Survey has worked in partnership with the National Park Service to document the fossils of Utah’s national parks for 20 years, helping to bring to light and protect a wide variety of fossils.
Locations:Arches National Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, Big Bend National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Channel Islands National Park, Chiricahua National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Death Valley National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Fort Davis National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fossil Butte National Monument, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Golden Spike National Historical Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Pecos National Historical Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Pipe Spring National Monument, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Tonto National Monument, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tuzigoot National Monument, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, White Sands National Park, Wupatki National Monument, Yucca House National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change.
The results of a recent study may help land managers to prioritize grassland conservation and restoration efforts. Park managers can’t do much about climate, but with the right information, they can make choices based on how different grassland communities behave in different soil types. In this study, cool-season grasses showed more resilience to drought than warm-season grasses.
In 2005, visitors to the Great Gallery discovered a leather bag eroding from eolian sand. Fearing unlawful removal of the bag, a park ranger recovered the item on the day of its discovery. The authors, from the Navajo Nation Archeology Department obtained the bag and its contents on loan from the National Park Service to conduct the analysis reported here.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Amistad National Recreation Area, Antietam National Battlefield, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Arches National Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Badlands National Park, Bandelier National Monument, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Hole National Battlefield, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Big Thicket National Preserve, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Biscayne National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Bryce Canyon National Park, Buffalo National River, Cabrillo National Monument, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Capitol Reef National Park, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Catoctin Mountain Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chamizal National Memorial, Channel Islands National Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Chiricahua National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Congaree National Park, Coronado National Memorial, Cowpens National Battlefield, Crater Lake National Park, Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Death Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Devils Postpile National Monument, Devils Tower National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Dry Tortugas National Park, Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Effigy Mounds National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Everglades National Park, Fire Island National Seashore, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Union National Monument, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Fossil Butte National Monument, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Glacier National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Golden Spike National Historical Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Jewel Cave National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, John Muir National Historic Site, Joshua Tree National Park, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Missouri National Recreational River, Mojave National Preserve, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Muir Woods National Monument, Natchez Trace Parkway, National Capital Parks-East, Natural Bridges National Monument, Navajo National Monument, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, Niobrara National Scenic River, Noatak National Preserve, Obed Wild & Scenic River, Olympic National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Padre Island National Seashore, Pecos National Historical Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Pipe Spring National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore, Redwood National and State Parks, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rock Creek Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, Tonto National Monument, Tule Lake National Monument, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tuzigoot National Monument, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Voyageurs National Park, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, White Sands National Park, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Wind Cave National Park, Wupatki National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Yucca House National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios.
Locations:Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park
In response to climate change, park managers are having to rethink how they plan for the future. Climate Smart Conservation is a process that can help managers achieve goals in the face of coming changes. Under this framework, scientists and managers use their collective knowledge to anticipate problems and be proactive, rather than reactive.
Locations:Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
Pesticides, antibiotics, and personal care products are all being found in streams and rivers. But would you expect to find them in a national park? On the northern Colorado Plateau, scientists found that even in isolated areas, these "contaminants of emerging concern" are not uncommon. Find out what we found where--and how you can help.
Offices:Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
Long-term monitoring creates a record of the past—and a window into the future. Linking satellite observations of vegetation condition with climate data over time can help us understand what kinds of future changes may occur. The results can help park managers know what to expect over the next few decades, providing them with time and tools to plan for a range of scenarios.
Locations:Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument
Visiting a Southeast Utah park? These parks contain sacred areas and ancestral homeland of over 30 traditionally associated Native American Tribes. Learn how to be a respectful guest at cultural sites with these house rules.
Locations:Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park
In Moab, Utah, the Northern Colorado Plateau Network is helping to determine if improved methods of wastewater treatment can help reduce the presence of unregulated contaminants in effluent. The results have important implications for water quality in some of our nation’s most treasured rivers—and the news is good.
