The Upper Columbia Basin Network has identified 14 priority park vital signs, indicators of ecosystem health, which represent a broad suite of ecological phenomena operating across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Our intent has been to monitor a balanced and integrated "package" of vital signs that meets the needs of current park management, but will also be able to accommodate unanticipated environmental conditions in the future. Camas is one particularly high priority vital sign for two UCBN parks, Big Hole National Battlefield (BIHO) and Nez Perce National Historical Park (NEPE). Camas is a unique resource for these parks because it is both culturally and ecologically significant. Camas was and remains one of the most widely utilized indigenous foods in the Pacific Northwest and it is strongly associated with the wet prairie ecosystems of the region that have been degraded or lost due to historic land use practices. A long-term citizen science-based monitoring program for detecting status and trends in camas populations at BIHO and Weippe Prairie, a subunit of NEPE, will serve as a central information source for park adaptive management decision making and will provide essential feedback on any eventual restoration efforts of park wet prairie habitats. The involvement of student citizen scientists in this particular program has been effective both in terms of leveraging resources as well as in engaging communities in park stewardship and science education. This annual report details the status and trend estimates obtained from the first four years of monitoring, 2005-2008, at Weippe Prairie and BIHO.

The objectives of the 2002 mammal and herpetological inventory at the Big Hole National Battlefield were to: (1) Document at least 90% of the mammal species and reconfirm the presence of amphibian and reptile species expected to occur in the battlefield; (2) Gather baseline data for use in future monitoring; and (3) Collect and disseminate new information on the distribution, habitat association, and population status of the mammal and herpetological species of the region.

This report summarizes the results of the 2002-2003 inventory of birds, mammals, and herpetofauna, summarizes historic information, and contains brief accounts of each species present or expected to occur in the Whitman Mission National Historic Site (WHMI). Information on species that are possible but unlikely to occur in the mission is also included.

This report summarizes the results of the 2002 mammal (excluding bats) and herpetological inventory for the Nez Perce National Historical Park (NEPE). The mammal inventory did not include bats within its scope due to logistical constraints. The inventory was conducted by the University of Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service Northern Semi-Arid Network (now called the Upper Columbia Basin Network). The inventory is part of a nationwide inventory and monitoring (I&M) program initiated by the National Park Service Natural Resource Challenge.

This report summarizes the results of the 2003 inventory of birds, mammals, and herpetofauna, summarizes historic information, and contains brief accounts of each species present or expected to occur in the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument (HAFO). Information on species that are possible but unlikely to occur in the monument is also included.

This report summarizes the results of the 2003 inventory of mammals, summarizes historic information, and contains brief accounts of each species present or expected to occur at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (CRMO). Information on species that are possible but unlikely to occur at CRMO is also provided.

The UCBN recognizes the need to raise overall awareness about the work of the inventory and monitoring (I&M) program, the network's role and activities in I&M, and sharing monitoring status and trend results. Effective communication and outreach is a critical link in dissemination of I&M results. The success of the I&M program ultimately depends on whether park managers find the information produced by the UCBN to be useful in the management of natural resources in their park. In addition, to achieve that success, it is critical that park staff make their needs known to the UCBN. This comprehensive science communications plan addresses the need to raise awareness and inform internal and external audiences of the UCBN's scientific findings. This plan also reiterates the importance of a two-way exchange of knowledge between the I&M program and the parks that they serve. Essentially, this plan details the why, where, how, and when of the UCBN's science communications program. We have included descriptions of UCBN communication products such as resource briefs, informational posters, and a copy of our biannual newsletter. Our hope is that this communication plan will enable park staff to gain an understanding of the depth and breadth of the UCBN commitment to science communication. The intent of this plan is to ensure that a seamless and credible story about UCBN inventory and monitoring efforts is told to park managers and visitors.

The objectives of this study were: (1) to compile a comprehensive species inventory of at least 90% of all breeding, transient, and migratory bird species that, under normal circumstances, occur within the management units of interest; (2) to provide relative abundance measures for each of the documented species; and (3) to provide the baseline information needed to develop a general monitoring strategy and design that can be implemented by the park once inventories have been completed, tailored to specific park threats and resource issues.

The Natural Resource Publication series addresses natural resource topics that are of interest and applicability to a broad readership in the National Park Service and to others in the management of natural resources, including the scientific community, the public, and the NPS conservation and environmental constituencies. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and is designed and published in a professional manner.