Increasingly, dry rangelands are being valued for multiple services beyond their traditional value as a forage production system. Additional ecosystem services include the potential to store carbon in the soil and plant biomass. In addition, dust emissions from rangelands might be considered an ecosystem detriment, the opposite of an ecosystem service. Dust emitted may have far-reaching impacts, for example, reduction of local air quality, as well as altering regional water supplies through effects on snowpack. Using an extensive rangeland monitoring dataset in the greater Canyonlands region (Utah, USA), we developed a method to estimate indices of the provisioning of three ecosystem services (forage production, dust retention, C storage) and one ecosystem property (nativeness), taking into account both ecosystem type and alternative states within that ecosystem type. We also integrated these four indices into a multifunctionality index. Comparing the currently ungrazed Canyonlands National Park watersheds to the adjacent Dugout Ranch pastures, we found clearly higher multifunctionality was attained in the Park, and that this was primarily driven by greater C-storage and better dust retention. It is unlikely to maximize all benefits and minimize all detriments at the same time. Some goods and services may have synergistic interactions; for example, managing for carbon storage will increase plant and biocrust cover likely lowering dust emission. Likewise, some may have antagonistic interactions. For instance, if carbon is consumed as biomass for livestock production, then carbon storage may be reduced. Ultimately our goal should be to quantify the monetary consequences of specific land use practices for multiple ecosystem services and determine the best land use and adaptive management practices for attaining multiple ecosystem services, minimizing economic detriments, and maximizing economic benefits from multi-commodity rangelands. Our technique is the first step toward this goal, allowing the simultaneous consideration of multiple targeted ecosystem services and properties.

The national parks within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) provide an opportunity to monitor amphibians within a relatively intact ecosystem, at spatial and temporal scales that can provide important insights about the status of regional amphibian populations and global declines of amphibians. The Greater Yellowstone Network (GRYN) amphibian monitoring program is the only long-term amphibian monitoring program in the GYE that consistently looks at multiple sites across the ecosystem.

This annual report details the status of key stream channel characteristics and riparian attributes obtained from the first season of monitoring in Doan and Mill Creeks within Whitman Mission National Historic Site (WHMI). This report is intended as a release of basic data sets and data summaries. Care has been taken to assure accuracy of raw data values, but thorough analysis and interpretation of the data has not been completed. More extensive analysis and discussion of stream channel characteristics and riparian will occur as part of the trend analysis, which will be available after 3 years of monitoring data become available.

the aim of this project was to create a vegetation map at the National Vegetation Classification alliance level or finer, with a minimum mapping unit of 0.5 hectares, thematic accuracy of 80% or better per map class, and spatial accuracy meeting U.S. National Map Accuracy Standards.

This annual report details the status of key stream channel characteristics and riparian attributes obtained from the first season of monitoring in Jim Ford Creek within the Weippe Prairie unit and Lapwai Creek within the Spalding unit of Nez Perce National Historical Park (NEPE). This report is intended as a release of basic data sets and data summaries. Care has been taken to assure accuracy of raw data values, but thorough analysis and interpretation of the data has not been completed. More extensive analysis and discussion of stream channel characteristics and riparian will occur as part of the trend analysis, which will be available after 3 years of monitoring data become available.

This annual report details the status of key indicators of water quality obtained from monitoring in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (JODA). Monitoring occurred in two units of JODA, Painted Hills and Sheep Rock. Bridge Creek flows through the Painted Hills unit and the John Day River flows through the Sheep Rock unit.

The Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site (site) conducted an invasive plant survey during the summer of 2003 to generate baseline data in order to manage and assess the spatial impact of invasive plants. The primary goals of this study: 1) determine which invasive plant species inhabit the site; 2) determine the percent cover and density of the dominant invasive plant species; and 3) map where the dominant invasive plant species occur within the site.

This CCP is the culmination of a planning process that began in January 1999. Numerous meetings with the public, the state, and conservation partners were held to identify and evaluate management alternatives. A draft CCP and Environmental Assessment (CCP/EA) was distributed in July 2003. This CCP presents the management goals, objectives, and strategies that we believe will best achieve our vision for the refuge, contribute to the National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) Mission, achieve refuge purposes and legal mandates, and serve the American public.

This document reports on analyses and other efforts to evaluate various aspects of the monitoring protocols relevant to the big river parks, and serves as an administrative history and record of decisions made during the revision process. The primary purpose of this report is to document evaluation of potential changes to the monitoring of fish and aquatic invertebrates at BUFF and OZAR. Changes that have been considered include sampling fewer sites, sampling less frequently, collecting fewer invertebrate samples per site, collecting data on fewer habitat variables, and not collecting data on fish lengths and weights. Based on this review, recommendations are made for revising the protocols associated with sampling and analysis of data from the big river systems of BUFF and OZAR.

The authors conducted a second year of invasive plant surveys at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. This allowed a comparison of invasive plant species found in 2006 to those found in 2011. their findings are detailed in this publication.

Throughout the world, freshwater ecosystems are considered to be among the most vulnerable systems. In the isolated Pacific islands there are a relatively small number of native freshwater species, which are mainly endemic to these locations (found nowhere else in the world). These species are characterized by an amphidromous lifecycle; reproducing in the stream, with larvae drifting to the ocean and eventually returning to a stream as juveniles and spending the remainder of their lifecycle there. Throughout the region, native flora and fauna face significant threats from species introductions and habitat destruction. The National Parks in the Pacific Island Network (PACN) protect some of the last relatively pristine stream systems. Monitoring based on this protocol: Pacific Islands Stream Monitoring: Fish, Shrimp, Snails and Habitat Characterization, will provide park managers with some of the information necessary to understand status and trends in biotic integrity within park stream systems.

This is the second progress for a multi-year study of glaciers in Alaskan national parks. The project will be completed in December 2013. The authors present results from mapping of all glacier extents in Katmai National Park and Preserve (NP&P) and Lake Clark NP&P and from measurements of surface elevation changes on select glaciers in Lake Clark NP&P. They also summarize field efforts to date associated with the focus glacier component of the project and present a sample focus glacier vignette.

This is the first progress for a multi-year study of glaciers in Alaskan national parks. The project will be completed in December 2013. Here we present results from mapping of all glacier extents in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (NP&P) and Denali NP&P, from measurements of surface elevation changes on select glaciers in Glacier Bay NP&P, and from focus glacier research on Brady, Margerie, and Muir Glaciers in Glacier Bay NP&P.

A series of natural resource inventories were conducted throughout the Boston Harbor Islands, including terrestrial, marine and estuarine ecosystems. The resource inventories enhance our appreciation for the habitats and species that occur within the Boston Harbor Islands landscape. These resource inventories provide a scientific foundation for natural resource management decisions, will assist in the design of long-term monitoring programs, and help identify areas requiring additional inventory.

The upper Yellowstone River was mapped from the northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park near Gardiner, Montana to the bridge which crosses the river at Springdale, Montana. The mapped area of approximately 85 square miles encompasses the majority of the area that has been flooded by the river in the last 300 years and therefore includes all wetland and riparian habitat adjacent to the river as well as surrounding land use. The study area covers all of the Paradise Valley where the majority of channel modifications have taken place.