NPS Photo / Jessica Weinberg McClosky Scientific research is key to protecting the natural and cultural wonders of our national parks. To make sound decisions, park managers need accurate information about the resources in their care. They also need to know how park ecosystems change over time, and what amount of change is normal. But park staff can't do it alone. Point Reyes National Seashore, the Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center (PCSLC), and the San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network (SFAN) employ a talented team of scientists that lead various research projects. Like a physician monitoring a patient's heartbeat and blood pressure, scientists with SFAN collect long-term data on Point Reyes National Seashore's "vital signs." They monitor key resources, like coho salmon and steelhead trout, invasive plants, northern spotted owls, pinnipeds, plant communities, and western snowy plovers. Then they analyze the results and report them to park managers. Knowing how key resources are changing can provide managers with early warning of potential problems. It can also help them to make better decisions and plan more effectively. Studying park vital signs is only part of the picture. Park staff also conduct research, with support from the nine other divisions and programs of the NPS Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, other state and federal agencies, university professors and students, and independent researchers. Because many parks prohibit activities that occur elsewhere, scientists can use the parks as areas for determining the effects of these activities where they do occur. National park lands often serve as the best model for what a relatively undisturbed landscape looks like. From the study of endangered species to investigating the effects of climate change, the data collected from these projects supports park management and academia. Learn about some of the science and research occurring at Point Reyes in the articles below. You can also generate a park species list below. From 2006 to 2018, Point Reyes National Seashore and PCSLC staff and communication interns assisted scientists conducting research through the PCSLC and the SFAN to produce a series of Resource Project Summaries. These one- to eight-page summaries provide information about the questions that the researchers hoped to answer, details about the project and methods, and the results of the research projects in a way that is easy to understand. Source: Data Store Saved Search 5721 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store. Park Species ListSelect a Park:Select a Species Category (optional):
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Last updated: November 22, 2024