Thursday morning, March 17, 10:00–12:05

International Parks and Protected Area Research: Social Issues and Cultural Differences

Chairs: Robert Burns, Associate Professor, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

Eick von Ruschkowski, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität, Hannover, Germany

Session overview: Parks and protected areas share similar issues, problems, and potentially similar solutions. This session examines various methods of inventorying and finding resolution to social issues in parks and protected areas in the US, Europe and Asia. Different frameworks and management values are examined, along with a comparison of the social carrying capacity variables used to measure the impacts related to potential social impacts. Several case studies will be presented, along with a synthesis of the various methods used in each case study. Case studies will focus on social carrying capacity studies conducted in the US, Germany, Austria and Romania, and is Asia. Variables to be examined include identifying theoretical models of predicting behavior, cultural differences, crowding/conflict, and satisfaction with the recreation experience.
Differences in Values between US and Austrian Park and Protected Area Managers: A Qualitative Study

Robert C. Burns, Associate Professor, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

Arne Arnberger, Associate Professor, BOKU, Vienna, Austria

There is a continuing increase in recreational visitor use of public land on a global scale. This rise in visitation can be a good thing if there is a pro-active management plan utilizing strong cumulative methodology to anticipate potential impacts to their area and sustain its natural and social resources. Although vast spectrums of issues present themselves to each management, few of the issues are new to researchers and managers. A Delphi study was conducted in 2010 to identify possible levels on which managers could effectively communicate about management techniques on an international level. Managers from protected areas in Austria and the Pacific Northwest region of the US Forest Service were asked a series of questions on techniques and objectives, to determine this common level and also gauge the height of enthusiasm they have toward more collaborations with other managers.

Eick von Ruschkowski, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universitaet, Hannover, Germany

Robert C. Burns, Associate Professor, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

Harz National Park can be considered a representative example in regards to visitor use management efforts in Germany efforts. Previously, the Park had adapted “socio-economic management” into its existing national park plan. Since 2006, little effort has been put into this field, mainly due to the lack of resources. Between 2002 and 2004, a total of 15 counters (seven vehicle counters and eight infrared devices) were installed to generate visitor data in the National Park. The study came to the conclusion that annual visitation for the Brocken peak exceeds 1.17 million. A baseline of use was established, and the need to conduct further research focusing on sensitive management decisions was determined. Managers clearly determined that stakeholders deserve empiric evidence that justifies the decisions. Because of multiple access opportunities, the methodological challenge to provide reliable data in an efficient manner still awaits solution. Further funding will allow for additional research.

Natalia Buta, Lecturer, Frostburg University, Frostburg, MD, USA

Stephen Holland, Associate Professor, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

This study examined the visitation patterns of residents living adjacent to Retezat National Park (RNP) and a model positing relationships between protected area visitation, social interaction, community attachment and perceived environmental responsibility were tested. Data were collected from 260 residents in nine communities adjacent to RNP in 2009. The majority of respondents indicated they have been inside the park at least a few times during the last 12 months. Using Mplus 5.21, a structural model which included the proposed variables was tested. The model fit the data adequately ( 2/df=154.39/72=2.14; CFI=0.98; RMSEA=0.066; WRMR=0.963). Significant path coefficients were found between park visitation and social interaction, social interaction and attachment, and between attachment and perceived environmental responsibility. This study supports efforts to encourage residents’ visitation to adjacent protected areas, and that the managerial openness to such behavior will shape social interactions, attachments to the social and natural environment and perceived environmental responsibility.

Franziska Rom, BOKU, Vienna, Austria

Arne Arnberger, Associate Professor, BOKU, Vienna, Austria

Robert C. Burns, Associate Professor, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

Based on the assumption that history and cultural backgrounds form human perception, this study investigates differences of landscape preferences of protected area visitors in Austria and the United States. To scrutinize these variations on – site visitors to the Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area in Oregon (n= 100) and the Gesäuse National Park in Austria (n= 100) were questioned on their landscape preferences by means of the information-processing theory using the predictors variables (coherence, complexity, legibility, and mystery) by Kaplan and Kaplan (1989). The respondents rated the same set of eight images depicting Austrian landscapes with different human impact. A main objective of this study was to ascertain the relation between the predictors and preference. The results demonstrate a very strong explanatory power of the predictor variables, in particular for the Austrian sample (setting #3: R (AUT) .60; R (USA) .09). Significant differences will be discussed in detail.
Addressing International Management Capacity Building Needs for Marine Protected Areas

Thomas E. Fish, Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units Network, USA

Anne H. Walton, NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program, USA

Numerous challenges facing coastal and marine protected areas (MPAs) are exacerbated by limitations in local and regional capacity for planning and management. Effects of rapid economic development, consumptive resource use, water scarcity, and climate change require new approaches to maintain and safeguard ecosystem processes and ecosystem services, vital for ecological integrity and livelihoods in coupled human and natural systems. Targeting coastal and marine resource management professionals from protected areas, provincial agencies, and nongovernmental conservation organizations, the International MPA Management Capacity Building Training Program works with partners in several multinational regions (e.g., Mediterranean, South China Sea) to develop local and regional capacity in designation, implementation, and management of MPAs. While the program covers a range of protected area planning and management subjects, this presentation will focus on two topical areas – sustainable tourism and climate change adaptation – with example results drawn from needs assessments, group projects, and trainings implemented in several countries.

In Search of Relevance

Chair: TBD
NPS Comprehensive Survey of the American Public: Broad Trends between 2000 and 2008

Patricia Taylor, Professor of Sociology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

Burke Grandjean, Professor of Sociology and Statistics, and Executive Director, Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

James Gramann, Visiting Social Scientist, National Park Service, and Professor, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

In 2008 and 2009, the National Park Service conducted its second Comprehensive Survey of the American Public, a nationwide telephone interview with 4,000 respondents. Several questions from the first NPS comprehensive survey in 2000 were repeated in the second survey. Within limitations imposed by methodological refinements, several comparisons are possible. This presentation discusses broad trends in visitation rates, visitor satisfaction, barriers to more frequent visitation, and attitudes toward management of non-native plants and animals in parks. Despite refinements in methods and question content, the two data sets yield similar results. Differences that did occur could indicate a growing gap between visitors and non-visitors in willingness to participate in surveys about national parks. This may be a function of growing public resistance to telephone surveys or less interest in parks by non-visitors.
Inequalities in US National Park System Visitation: An Application of the Multiple Hierarchy Stratification Perspective

Timia Thompson, Research Assistant, Doctoral Student, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Myron F. Floyd, Professor & Director of Graduate Programs, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Demographic projections suggest that travel to federal lands, particularly National Park system units will be impacted by significant shifts in the population’s racial and ethnic, gender, age, and socioeconomic status (SES) composition. There remains, however, a paucity of social science research on visitation to national parks along these axes. As visitor and potential visitor populations to parks become more diverse, managers will need more evidence-based information to create more inclusive environments for visitors. Using the multiple hierarchy stratification perspective, this study examined the individual and cumulative effects of race and ethnicity, gender, age, and socioeconomic status on U.S. national park system visitation. We will present the results of this research and discuss potential policy and management implications associated with efforts to attract diverse populations to US national parks.

Gerard Kyle, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Jinhee Jun, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

James Gramann, Professor, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Patricia Taylor, Professor, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

Burke Grandjean, Professor, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

The National Park Service’s Comprehensive Survey of the American Public conducted by telephone in over 4,000 households in 2008 and 2009 explored public attitudes toward a number of NPS management issues. Among these were attitudes toward protection of selected natural resources in parks, including air, water, night skies, and natural soundscapes, as well as attitudes toward visitor facility development and motorized recreation. The findings displayed considerable homogeneity across the public on many issues, but polarization on others. In general, the public supported protection of natural resource quality in parks and providing visitor facilities, but was less supportive of removing non-native plants and animals and permitting jet-skiing or snowmobiling. In addition to the overall findings, we discuss attitudinal variations between sub-segments of the U.S. population, including geographic variation and differences between visitors and non-visitors to the National Park System."
Setting the Stage for Visitor Experiences in Canada’s National Heritage Places

Ed Jager, A/Director, Visitor Experience, Parks Canada, Gatineau, Québec, Canada

With increased urbanization, immigration and an aging population, Canada is undergoing significant demographic changes. The Parks Canada Agency is faced with the challenge of remaining relevant to Canadians in this dynamic context. To continue to be relevant to Canadians, Parks Canada strives to continuously take into consideration their needs and expectations. High quality visitor experiences are a key means by which Parks Canada can become relevant to Canadians and nurture their appreciation and support. This work must be done in a continually evolving fashion integrating the protection, education and visitor experience elements of Parks Canada’s mandate. Success will be achieved when Canadians see their National Parks, National Historic Sites and National Marine Conservation Areas as special places they want to protect, learn about and experience, and when these treasured places are a living legacy connecting visitors to a stronger, deeper understanding of the very essence of Canada.
Protection and Visitor Experience: Synergies in Support of Relevance

Kathie Adare, Senior Advisor to the Director General National Parks, Parks Canada Agency, Gatineau, Québec, Canada

Catherine Dumouchel, Senior Policy Analyst, Parks Canada Agency, Gatineau, Québec, Canada

The year 2011 will mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Parks Canada. To ensure continued relevance of national parks, Parks Canada facilitates meaningful visitor experience linked to the unique opportunities provided by protection and restoration initiatives in national parks. Through a series of examples from across Canada’s national park system, this presentation will explore key elements that help define and shape meaningful experiences (e.g., authenticity, connectedness, self-actualization etc.). We will describe how the Agency’s program elements within both the protection and visitor experience areas of our mandate are complementary and synergistic to ensure the relevance of these special places in the hearts and minds of all Canadians. In addition, we will demonstrate how such experiences can result in fostering a sense of personal connection to the unique biodiversity and special landscapes within parks, enhance understanding and appreciation of these places and enhance support and engagement with regards to their long-term protection and presentation.

NPS Safety Leadership Council Panel Discussion: Risk, Culture, and Safety in Natural Resource Management

Chairs: Cicely Muldoon, Superintendent, Point Reyes National Seashore, National Park Service; and Chair, National Park Service Safety Leadership Council, Point Reyes Station, CA

Samantha Richardson, Public Affairs Specialist and Communications Editor for NPS Safety Leadership Committee, Lakewood, CO

The National Park Service (NPS) has the highest accident and fatality rate of the agencies within the Department of Interior, and within the past few years, the Park Service has suffered two on-the-job fatalities in the natural resource management profession. NPS recognizes the often-hazardous activities associated with natural resource work, and is working to integrate safety into the mission, work ethic, and behavior within this field. This session will highlight the importance of employee health and safety in natural resource activities, and will engage natural resource managers in how to best incorporate operational leadership into the culture of natural resource management. The panel will also highlight suggested strategies for encouraging safer individual behavior within the natural resources field, and welcome discussions with the audience to better understand the concerns about the day-to-day realities of field work, and how to be safe in these varied environments.

Jon Jarvis, Director, National Park Service, Washington, C

Cicely Muldoon, Superintendent, Point Reyes National Seashore, National Park Service; and Chair, National Park Service Safety Leadership Council, Point Reyes Station, CA

Margaret Wild, Wildlife Health Program Chief, NPS, Fort Collins, CO

Jerry Mitchell, Chief, Biological Resource Management Division, NPS, Fort Collins, CO

Mark Herberger, Operational Leadership Program Manager, NPS, Washington, DC

Indigenous Women Exploring Biocultural Conservation and Cultural Alliances

Chair: Melia Lane-Kamahele, Management Assistant, NPS, Pacific West Regional Office, Honolulu, HI

This interactive session is proposed as an informal, moderated discussion based on a series of questions from the moderator to the panelists to explore indigenous women in conservation and their career experiences, challenges, successes and perspectives – and how their indigeneity has influenced and continues to influence their careers. Audience interaction and questions will round out the exchange of perspectives, observations and recommendations. This session follows a model and panel that was proposed and successfully executed at the 18th Annual Hawaii Conservation Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii in August 2010. The panel was composed of 6 Pacific Islander women actively engaged at international, national, federal, state, regional and local levels through their agencies and organizations.

Panelists: Nathalie Gagnon, Parks Canada, Gatineau, Quebec

Jeanette Pomerenke, National Park Service

Integrating Wilderness Character into NPS Planning, Monitoring, and Management

Chair: Wade Vagias, Natural Resource Specialist, Wilderness Stewardship Division, Washington Office, NPS, Washington, DC

Session overview: The Wilderness Act of 1964, and all subsequent wilderness legislation, instructs the agencies responsible for managing wilderness to preserve wilderness character. The recently published “Keeping it Wild, An Interagency Strategy to Monitor Trends in Wilderness Character Across the National Wilderness Preservation System,” is a promising new tool to understand, articulate, and protect wilderness character and several new initiatives are making substantial inroads on integrating the concept of wilderness character into NPS planning, monitoring, and management.

Peter Landres, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute

Introduction to the concept and utility of the wilderness character concept for NPS planning, monitoring, and management.
Introduction of the Wilderness Character Integration Team

Suzy Stutzman, Wilderness Coordinator, Intermountain Region

The Wilderness Character Integration Team (WCIT) has been assembled to integrate wilderness character into National Park Service planning, management, and monitoring. The intended outcome from the work of this team will be for all NPS wilderness parks to understand how the idea of wilderness character applies to their park and how wilderness character informs and guides their day-to-day and on-the-ground activities that occur within a wilderness park.
Wilderness Fellows Program

Wade Vagias, Natural Resource Specialist, Wilderness Stewardship Division, Washington Office

The Wilderness Fellows Program was initiated by the Wilderness Stewardship Division in partnership with the SCA, to meet two specific outcomes; 1) provide capacity to NPS wilderness parks to assist with addressing wilderness stewardship planning and associated tasks and 2) provide recent graduates of conservation-oriented programs the opportunity to work in a NPS unit. Seven wilderness fellows were placed in six NPS units. Fellows met at Everglades National Park for a 3-day wilderness planning workshop with park staff before reporting to their respective units. Weekly conference calls ensued throughout the duration of the 6-month program to address topics and issues of mutual interest. Outcomes of this effort included the development of baseline wilderness character assessments, wilderness character narratives, and inroads on operational-level details including wilderness education for both staff and visitors and forming of wilderness committees. This proposed presentation will focus reviewing outcomes of the program as well as advice and guidance for others considering developing similar program.
Mapping Wilderness Character in Death Valley National Park: New Tools for New Concepts

James Tricker, Research Scholar, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute / University of Leeds, Missoula, MT

Peter Landres, Ecologist, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Missoula, MT

Sandee Dingman, Natural Resource Specialist, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Boulder City, NV

With the emergence in recent years of an interagency strategy to monitor trends in wilderness character, there is now a need to develop standardized toolsets to make the concept of wilderness character spatially explicit. A new GIS-based approach for mapping wilderness character was developed for Death Valley Wilderness. Using data layers that are already available and several modeling techniques, a spatially explicit assessment for the natural, untrammeled, undeveloped, solitude or primitive and unconfined recreation, cultural, and tribal qualities of wilderness character is presented. A multi-criteria evaluation, with user-defined weights for each quality, provides an overall index of wilderness character. This GIS-based approach to mapping wilderness character allows managers to understand which locations within the wilderness are most vulnerable to impairment, which locations are most important to preserving wilderness character, and how different planning alternatives will affect wilderness character. The approach presented here is robust and adaptable to any wilderness.
Keeping the “Wild” in Wilderness: Establishing a Wilderness Character Monitoring Framework at Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and Curecanti NRA

Julie Sharp, Environmental Protection Assistant, National Park Service, Denver, CO

Kerri Cahill, Visitor Use Technical Lead, National Park Service, Denver, CO

Suzy Stutzman, Regional Wilderness Coordinator, National Park Service, Denver, CO

The Wilderness Act of 1964 and the National Park Service management policies require that conditions and long term trends of wilderness character are monitored. This monitoring is based on the four key wilderness qualities: untrammeled, natural, undeveloped, and opportunities for solitude or primitive and unconfined recreation. A new interagency “Keeping It Wild” framework was developed for monitoring wilderness character, but there has been limited application within the NPS to date. This presentation will demonstrate lessons learned on applying the current framework to Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and Curecanti NRA as part of their Wilderness and Backcountry Management Plan. Specifically, the presentation will focus on the process used for developing appropriate indicators and measures that will ensure that the conditions essential to preserving the parks’ wilderness areas are maintained. In addition, the presentation will identify important questions that remain for future applications of the “Keeping it Wild” framework.
Session 150 • Napoleon B3 (3rd floor) • Contributed Papers

Fire Management, Modeling, and Monitoring

Chair: TBD
Modeling the Santa Ana “Devil Winds,” Extreme Wildfire Behavior, and the Geography of Disaster

Robert Taylor, Biogeographer/ Fire GIS Specialist, Mediterranean Coast Network, NPS, Thousand Oaks, CA

Every fall, Santa Ana Winds blowing through southern California’s shrubland canyons predictably create some of the world’s most dangerous wildfire weather and terrain. Native plant communities are well adapted to surviving the infrequent but inexorable firestorms that have periodically swept this landscape for millennia. But the exurban human communities now sprawled across that same landscape are quite vulnerable to disastrous loss of property and life when extreme fire behavior comes to town, and they are also an ongoing source of fire starts. Frequent large wildfires pose threats to ecological sustainability and public safety. Modeling Santa Ana wind patterns across this landscape at a fine spatial scale allows NPS to make much more realistic predictions of wildfire behavior, and to perform spatially explicit, fine scale characterizations of fire hazardous terrain. We are also using it to create some visually striking fire spread simulations for use in fire education programs.
Perspectives of Potential Science Users in the Context of Fire Management

Vita Wright, Science Application Specialist, RMRS / NPS, Kalispell, MT

The National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998 mandates the use of science for federal land management, yet challenges remain to fulfilling this mandate. Communication effectiveness about research results can be improved by understanding perspectives of potential research users. This presentation reviews the impact of agency, position title, pay grade, administrative level, education level, and level of suppression responsibilities on perspectives about fire / fuels research. An interagency survey of 495 federal fire managers showed that National Park Service managers, Fire Ecologists, those with graduate education, and those who spent less time on fire suppression had more positive beliefs and attitudes toward research, used research more, and had more frequent interactions with scientists than fire and fuels managers with different positions or backgrounds. When asked about sixteen potential barriers to using research, 70% respondents cited lack of time. In contrast, only 27% cited lack of relevant research as a barrier.
Monitoring Forest Succession the First 14 Years After a Wildfire in the Western Oregon Cascades

Mark Huff, Monitoring Program Manager, NPS, North Coast & Cascades Network Inventory & Monitoring, Ashford, WA

Jane Kertis, Siuslaw National Forest, Corvallis, OR

Martin J. Brown, Brown & Brown Consultants, Portland, OR

We observed changes in vegetation, standing dead trees, and logs following a 1991 wildfire in the Oregon Cascade Range. To document natural variation of fire effects, we selected monitoring sites from different elevations, aspects, and fire severities. Tree mortality in the fire followed strong patterns associated with species and diameter class. After the fire, tree mortality continued at annualized rate of 8.6% from year 1 to 7, and 4% from year 8 to 14. Snags created by the fire fell at rapid rates that differed by diameter class and species. After the fire, coarse woody debris volume increased eight-fold from the pre-burned forest. Copious seedling establishment was detected after the fire, but varied vastly across landscape from near zero to ~250,000/ha at 14 years after the fire. The variability in fire severity and postfire regeneration patterns should produce a future landscape of considerable structural diversity.
Earth, Wind & Fire: An Analysis of Historical Chaparral Fire Regimes in Southern California

Keith Lombardo, Biologist, Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego, CA

Thomas Swetnam, Director, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University or Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Christopher Baisan, Research Specialist, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University or Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Donald Falk, Associate Professor, School of Natural Resources, University or Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Mark I. Borchert, Province Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service, San Bernardino, CA

There is vigorous debate regarding the spatial and temporal attributes of chaparral fire regimes in southern California. We reconstructed a multi-century record of chaparral fire history, and evaluated the effects of climate on these fire regimes, by sampling and dendrochronologically dating fire-scarred bigcone Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa) that exist as scattered islands of forest in a chaparral matrix across three National Forests. Our results indicate that the contemporary mega-fires that plague the region have been occurring for centuries and that these blazes are linked to antecedent drought conditions. The results of this research provide wildland fire managers and policy makers with significant knowledge regarding the long-term natural range of fire regime variability for two communities, chaparral and bigcone Douglas-fir, of which little is currently known. Contemporary and future fire management plans require a full understanding of fire regime variability and the ability to assess current departures from “natural” conditions.
Session 151 • Maurepas (3rd floor) • Contributed Papers

Monitoring Marine Natural & Cultural Resources

Chair: TBD
Pinnipeds: Sentinels of the Sea

Sarah, Allen, Ocean Stewardship, National Park Service, Point Reyes, CA

David Press, Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes, CA

Sarah Codde, Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes, CA

Ben Becker, Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes, CA

Pinnipeds, as apex predators, are integral to functioning marine ecosystems. They also fill a unique niche straddling the land-sea boundary where they give birth on land but spend their lives in the ocean. Consequently, long-term monitoring of these species’ distribution, abundance and health are important to detect changes in marine ecosystem condition, particularly when understanding the effects of and planning for climate change. Monitoring mostly includes surveys at colonies, relying on trained volunteers. The abundance of species at colonies has changed over the past twenty years with increases in populations of some species and declines in others. Spatial distribution has also changed, with expansion of elephant seals into new sub-colonies and decline of harbor seals at others. Anthropogenic interactions mostly revolve around habitat utilization at terrestrial sites, and marine protected areas are one tool for reducing interactions and allowing for resilience to changing ecosystems.

Lewis Sharman, Ecologist, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Gustavus, AK

Seth Danielson, University of Alaska–Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Institute of Marine Science, Fairbanks, AK

Bill Johnson, Data Manager, Southeast Alaska Network, National Park Service, Juneau, AK

Brendan Moynahan, Program Manager, Southeast Alaska Network, National Park Service, Juneau, AK

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is one of the most fundamentally “marine” units in the national park system. Virtually everything about the park, even those terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem components centered well inland, has some critical connection to the sea. The Southeast Alaska Network has identified oceanography as a key vital sign and is sustaining an 18-y dataset with a detailed comprehensive sampling and data management protocol. We document seasonal and interannual variations by sampling a system of 22 stations nine times per year. Vertical depth profiles of temperature, salinity, light, fluorescence, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen describe a marine production cycle of high spring/summer productivity sustained by intermediate stratification. This is followed by fall/winter biological quiescence resulting from physical breakdown of water column stability. Remarkably high marine primary production fuels a tremendous seasonal influx of secondary consumers and apex predators such as fishes, seabirds, and whales.

Gary Davis, President, GEDavis & Associates, Westlake Village, CA

Hans Hermann, Senior Program Manager, Conservation and Biodiversity Program, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Douglas Hyde, President, e-cocreate SolutionsGatineau, Quebec, Canada

Luis Fueyo MacDonald, Consultor, Mexico D.F., Mexico

Protecting special places in the sea is a way many cultures use to ensure healthy oceans and sustain ocean-based benefits for human communities. Collectively these special places are called Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Assessing the health of MPAs and sharing that knowledge with local communities is a key element of sustainable stewardship. We conducted a pilot project to develop an easy yet powerful tool for MPA managers to share evidence-based ecological information through scorecards that refine monitoring information into concise, easily understood, health assessments. We evaluated ten MPAs along the west coast of North America in diverse biogeographical settings from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico, We developed scorecards in public workshops with invited experts seeking consensus on 12 standard questions about water, habitat, and living resources. The process helped bridge gaps between technical/scientific and public communities, and identified gaps in knowledge, understanding, and monitoring information in each MPA.

Andres Diaz, Archeologist, National Park Service, Submerged Resources Center, Lakewood, CO

The recent assessment of the condition of submerged cultural resources of Dry Tortugas National Park by park staff with the guidance of the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center (SRC) resulted in a monitoring plan that will enable the resource manager and the park dive team to conduct their own condition assessments. The monitoring plan includes the study of shipwrecks that are interpreted and encouraged to dive on as well as other submerged archeological sites which will each represent a distinct threat to the cultural resources of the park. Those threats include visitation, theft/looting, and natural forces such as hurricanes, and coral die-off. This monitoring plan will serve as a model for the other National Parks that the SRC supports and could be applied by other resource managers in charge of the monitoring and protection of submerged archeological sites.
Battle of the Atlantic: Heritage Resource Management and Protection Initiatives off the Coast of North Carolina

Joseph Hoyt, Maritime Archaeologist, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA, Newport News, VA

Since 2008 NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary (MNMS) has been conducting site evaluations of maritime heritage resources off the coast of North Carolina. To date, this research has focused on vessels lost during World War II during an engagement know as the Battle of the Atlantic. As a result of this conflict, the seabed off the coast of North Carolina contains a unique collection of heritage resources, in the form of shipwrecks, which is believed to be of national significance in its range and quality. MNMS has been applying archaeological site survey and assessment standards to determine the geographical boundaries, integrity and significance of this collection. This data and research is being collected to inform potential future management and determine the need for potential new or expanded protected areas. This paper will discuss current work and management directions for the MNMS.

PENDING
Session 153 • Salon 828 (8th floor) • Invited Papers

National Park Service World War II Network: Preserving America’s World War II Heritage

Chair: Vincent Santucci, Chief Ranger, National Park Service — George Washington Memorial Parkway, McLean, VA

Session overview: The National Park Service World War II Network was established to enhance the preservation, interpretation and public recognition of the value of our World War II heritage. The WWII Network recognizes over two dozen individual park units which preserve resources and stories which collectively contribute to greater understanding of the American home front during the war. The Network has begun to outreach and explore partnership opportunities to further promote the preservation of WWII resources throughout the United States.
America in World War II, 1941–1945

Harry Butowsky, Historian, National Park Service, Washington, DC

World War II was the greatest cataclysm in history. Tens of millions of people died in battle. Millions more were murdered simply because of ethnic or religious reasons. Millions of innocent civilians were caught up in a conflict about which they knew little and understood less. World War II changed the face of America, Europe, Asia and the world. This presentation will look at the sites and locations and events associated with World War II in the United States that can help Americans understand the history and meaning of the war. These sites will comprise National Parks, National Historic Landmarks, National Register sites and other property. This presentation will provide a special focus on World War II Japanese American Internment Camps and will identify the NPS resources and literature available for research and study.
Remembering and Revisiting the Lost Villages of the Aleutians

Rachel Mason, Cultural Anthropologist, Alaska Regional Office, Anchorage, AK

During World War II the Unangan (Aleut) residents of the Aleutian Islands were taken to Southeast Alaska and held in evacuation camps there, ostensibly for their own protection. At the end of the war the residents of the smallest villages, their numbers diminished by death and attrition, were not permitted to return but instead were settled in other Unangan communities. The residents of Attu had an especially tragic experience during World War II. They were taken by the Japanese in 1942 and held prisoner on Hokkaido for the duration of the war. Almost half of them died. This paper describes the Lost Villages of the Aleutians project conducted by the Aleutian-World War II National Historical Area. The project documents the history of the lost villages through oral and written history and has sponsored boat trips to revisit each village with elderly former residents and their descendants.
World War II on the Home Front: The Challenge of Preserving Social Change

Ric Borjes, Cultural Resources Manager, Rosie the Riveter -WWII Home Front National Historical Park, Richmond, CA

The mobilization to support the United States involvement in World War II constitutes an event of monumental scale. The transport of essential supplies, the retooling of factories, and the mass migration of civilians to create a war-time work force was on a scale of biblical proportions. The mixing of peoples from varied ethnic backgrounds became a vehicle for social change that later fueled the civil rights movement. Women’s roles and opportunities changed dramatically as a result working in the war industry. The changes in our country’s culture are still felt today. Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park was established to commemorate this event. Without owning a single property, the National Park Service at Rosie is tasked with helping local government and citizens preserve and interpret not only the physical remnants of the War industry but to capture the stories of those who worked in that Industry.
WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument: A New Interpretation and Meaning

Daniel A. Martinez, Chief Historian, WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument, Pearl Harbor, HI

On December 7th, 2010, the new $58 million Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and museum was dedicated after five years of planning and design. Interactive museum exhibits will challenge the visitor in their understanding through multiple perspectives on Pearl Harbor and World War II in the Pacific. The new presidential proclamation for the site will give the visitor a new opportunity to broaden their historical perspectives. Placed along the waterfront of Pearl Harbor it opens up the historic landscape with a new dimension and vision. To support the mission of the monument, the Education and Research Center provide staff and the visiting public opportunities to learn more. The bookstore is dedicated to the interpretive history of the Pacific War providing books, audio-visual media and other educational products. New partnerships with three other non-profit historic sites allow for central ticketing for visitors who wish to explore beyond the NPS facility.
Preserving World War II Resources at Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Stephen Haller, Senior Historian, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CA

Golden Gate National Recreation Area is famous for Muir Woods, Alcatraz Island and a range of scenic natural and historic sites along the coastline of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is less well remembered that the area was a major military base during World War II and that the protection of these war-winning assets was the role of the Army posts that ringed the headlands with gun batteries. Recent survey work has begun to hint at the even wider network of anti-invasion defenses set up during the dark early days of the war, while partnerships with community groups have helped define the extraordinary role played by Nisei soldiers in the Pacific War. Preserving and interpreting these little known resources presents a range of challenges and opportunities that will be highlighted in this PowerPoint presentation.
Session 154 • Grand Chenier (5th floor) • Contributed Papers

Soundscapes

Chair: TBD
Motorcycle Noise and Quieter Pavement Research at National Parks

Judith Rochat, Physical Scientist, U.S. Dept. of Transportation / RITA / Volpe Center, Cambridge, MA

The National Park Service Natural Sounds Program identified road noise research and related products that would help parks better assess, predict, and reduce road noise in park environments. The two main topics are: 1) motorcycle noise; and 2) quieter pavements. For motorcycles, pass-by noise measurements were conducted at a National Park, where motorcycles were placed into five categories and analyzed for inclusion in the Federal Highway Administration Traffic Noise Model (TNM), for the purpose of more accurately predicting highway noise in park environments. Data were also collected at noise-sensitive locations to assess the noise environment. For quieter pavements, two documents were written to provide guidance on use of various quieter pavement types in the U.S. and on use of quieter rumble strips. At another National Park, tire/pavement and sensitive-receiver-location noise measurements were conducted; results were used in TNM to demonstrate the effectiveness of quieter pavement in a park environment.
Denali National Park Soundscape Inventory: A First Look at Park-wide Acoustics

Davyd Betchkal, Physical Science Technician, National Park Service, Denali Park, AK

Denali National Park staff have recently completed year five of a 10-year systematic acoustic inventory covering the park’s 6.5 million acres. This publication comprises a first look at park-wide acoustical conditions based on the data collected at 41 sites so far.
Aviation Noise in National Parks: Analysis of Noise-Exposure-Visitor Response Data—What Do the Numbers Tell Us?

Grant Anderson, Principal, Grant Anderson Consulting, Concord, MA

Amanda S. Rapoza, Acoustics Engineer, U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, MA

Beginning in 1992, the National Park Service and Federal Aviation Administration both funded a number of studies to collect data and examine the relationship between aircraft over-flight noise and park visitor response. These studies shared the same data collection protocol, basic questionnaire format, and core response questions. As a result, there exists a database of some 2,600 visitor questionnaires with associated direct measurements of aircraft noise exposure. This paper reports on a recent analysis of the database, the goals of which were to 1) illuminate the salient aspects of the noise exposure (sound level, length of exposure, time between exposures, and/or source of the noise), 2) identify additional site-specific or visitor-specific factors which may significantly influence the visitor response, 3) combine these two into exposure-response relations, and 4) estimate the additional number of visitor responses and study sites needed to ensure adequate statistical confidence for future data collection efforts.

Christopher Zevitas, Senior Environmental Engineer, U.S. Department of Transportation/Volpe Center, Cambridge, MA

Excessive anthropogenic noise pollution detracts from visitor experiences in National Parks and has been associated with annoyance, disruption of sleep and cognitive processes, hearing impairment, as well as adverse impacts on cardiovascular and endocrine systems. However, few studies have examined the health effects of lower levels of intermittent noise exposures encountered in parks. Conversely, natural environments have been recognized as having rejuvenative qualities. Initial research has demonstrated improvements in emotional state and cognitive ability and it is suspected that exposure to natural sounds may have measurable effects on neurological, cardiovascular or other physiological endpoints. However, research is lacking owing to the difficulty of isolating effects of the acoustical environment from the overall park experience, representing the integrated exposure of acoustical, visual, olfactory, air quality, and other inputs. This paper identifies factors that must be considered in study design, and will present a methodological framework for advancing this line of research.
Session 155 • Grand Coteau (5th floor) • Invited Papers

Taking Stock: Assessing Cultural and Natural Resource Conditions in National Parks

Chairs: Jeff Albright, Coordinator, Natural Resource Condition Assessment Program, NPS WASO-Natural Resources Program Center, Fort Collins, CO

Bob Page, Director, Olmstead Center for Landscape Preservation, NPS Northeast Region

Cathy Schwemm, NRCA Ecologist, NPS Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Networks

Laura Schuster, Chief of Cultural Resources, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Session overview: Successful resource stewardship is built, in part, on a foundation of data and knowledge about park resource conditions and the factors that influence those conditions. The reality is that our knowledge bases in this arena are never complete and always evolving. In the spirit of adaptive management and learning, we need to redouble our efforts to deliver best available science into today’s park planning and decision making even as we work to strengthen the scientific foundation that will inform future planning and decision making in parks. This session will highlight a few ongoing (and developing) efforts, from both cultural and natural resource perspectives, to improve delivery of ‘resource condition’ science into park planning and management activities. Comments and ideas will be solicited from session attendees as well, in recognition of the fact that there is a broader community of programs and individuals engaged in work efforts related to this topic.
Introduction

Cathy Schwemm, NRCA Ecologist, NPS Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Networks

Laura Schuster, Chief of Cultural Resources, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Cultural Resource Condition Assessments: Developing a Framework that Combines Several Assessment Techniques

Bob Page, Director, Olmstead Center for Landscape Preservation, National Park Service, Boston, MA

Presentation will focus on the proposed park cultural resource assessment process developed to support NPS Resource Stewardship Strategies. This talk will highlight the draft “Cultural Resource Summary Table” that is intended to serve as a template for each park to facilitate coordination and integration between science, planning, and park management. The role of historic context, scope of resources, and performance indicators will be described. An overview of existing cultural resource inventories (i.e., LCS, ASMIS, CLI, FMSS) and condition assessment techniques and their relationship will be provided. The importance of cultural/natural resources coordination and integration and understanding cultural resources (and integrated resources) condition as a process or cycle rather than one specific state will be touched on, but not discussed in detail. The objective of this talk is to build awareness of the proposed park cultural resource assessment process prior to its distribution to the field for review and comment.
Natural Resource Condition Assessments: Highlights and Examples from an Ongoing Series of Park-Based Studies

Jeff Albright, Coordinator, Natural Resource Condition Assessment Program, National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO

A Series of Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) projects is underway in NPS units. These projects evaluate and report current conditions (trend as possible) for a subset of important park natural resources and indicators. Project guidelines and reporting products emphasize delivery of science-based information that is credible and has practical uses for a variety of park decision making, planning, and partnership activities. Among other uses, parks receiving a NRCA report will be in an improved position to work on a Resource Stewardship Strategy and to report on ‘resource condition status’ for the resources and indicators evaluated for that park. This presentation will briefly summarize project purpose and national guidelines, discuss park-level flexibility in determining important study details, and showcase example products from a number of completed NRCA projects. Notable challenges and opportunities encountered in completing these projects will be touched on, but not discussed in detail.
Directed Panel and Open-Session Discussion on Resource Condition Assessment and Related Topics

Panel Discussion Members:

Robert Bennetts, Coordinator, Southern Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network, National Park Service, Des Moines, NM

Tim Carruthers, Program Manager, Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland, Cambridge, MD

Jill Cowley, Historical Landscape Architect, Intermountain Region, National Park Service, Santa Fe, NM

David Louter, History Program Lead, Pacific West Region, National Park Service, Seattle, WA

Many programs and individuals are involved in aspects of evaluating and reporting on cultural and natural resource conditions in parks. Panel participants will open this portion of the session by highlighting a few specific challenges, opportunities, or lessons learned based on their experience in working in the broader arena of resource condition assessment. This introduction by panelists will be followed by general Q&A as well as an open-session discussion by all session attendees.
Session 156 • Waterbury (2nd floor) • Panel Discussion

Climate Change Policy Challenges in the National Park Service

Chair: Susan Johnson, Policy Analyst, Air Resources Division, National Park Service, Lakewood, CO

Climate change threatens not only the integrity and existence of natural and cultural resources the NPS is responsible for conserving, but the very mission and culture of the Service itself. Managers are facing unprecedented challenges in resource protection, and they need sufficient authority and guidance to take steps to adapt to climate change. This includes identifying what management goals are, since we can no longer logically manage for “no impairment,” and working across jurisdictions. Parks across the system are already faced with addressing resource protection dilemmas on the ground, whether or not sufficient policy or guidance exists. In this panel discussion, (5 minute introduction) we will frame some of these pressing issues and then hear how some parks have or have not resolved imminent resource protection challenges (15 minutes each panelist). We hope to generate audience debate (40 minutes questions/discussion) to inform a path forward for NPS climate change policy.

Panelists: Jeff Mow, Superintendent, Kenai Fjords NP, Seward, AK

Russell Galipeau, Superintendent, Channel Islands NP, Ventura, CA

Richard Bahr, Fire Science and Ecology Lead, Fire Management Program Center, NPS, Boise, ID

David Graber, Chief Scientist, Pacific West Region, NPS, Three Rivers, CA

Trish Kicklighter, Superintendent, Assateague Island NS, Berlin, MD
Session 157 • Rhythms I/II (2nd floor) • 2-hour Workshop

NPScape Landscape Dynamics Monitoring in US National Parks

Chair: Bill Monahan, Landscape Ecologist, National Park Service, Inventory and Monitoring Division, Fort Collins, CO

NPScape is a landscape dynamics monitoring project that produces and delivers to US National Parks a suite of landscape-scale datasets, maps, reports, and other products to inform natural resource management and planning at local, regional, and national scales. The target audience for NPScape spans the range from GIS specialists who can use the geospatial data and tools, to ecologists and resource managers who can use the landscape metrics to evaluate resource dynamics, to park superintendents who can readily incorporate the maps and graphics into reports or briefings. This 2-hour workshop will provide an overview of NPScape, summarize the availability of existing products, and showcase several examples of how NPScape is being applied in parks. Example applications will include education and outreach at Saguaro National Park, Natural Resource Condition Assessments, and research aimed at evaluating landscape drivers of species occurrence.

Data Management Rapid-Fire Session

Chair: Margaret Beer, Data Manager, National Park Service, Inventory & Monitoring Program, Fort Collins, CO

Data Managers across the National Park Service are developing innovative and practical solutions to managing a variety of natural resource-related data. The fact that parks and I&M networks are widely dispersed and geographically isolated can be an obstacle to sharing these solutions and often prevents staff from fully benefiting from the work of others. This is a “rapid fire” session that will comprise eight to ten brief presentations of data management-related applications and tools that have utility and applicability across NPS. While only overviews are presented during the session, attendees can contact presenters at a later time for more specific details or guidance. These types of rapid-fire sessions have proved to be very effective in quickly sharing many ideas with a broad audience.

Climate Change Ambassadors: Citizen Science Projects

Chair: Susan Teel, Director, Southern California Research Learning Center, Thousand Oaks, CA

Beginning in 2009 a diverse group of 22 inter-city students from the Elementary Institute of Science in the San Diego area embarked upon a journey that would forever change their understanding of climate change and conservation efforts, as well as shape their futures. With the help of the Southern California Research Learning Center (SCRLC), the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center (CCRLC) and many other partners this group of students became Climate Change Ambassadors and traveled to Glacier National Park in Montana to conduct field research at ground zero for climate change research in the United States. Take this opportunity to participate in a conversation with representatives from the Climate Change Ambassadors.

Renewable Energy: Making Progress While Protecting Natural Resources

Chair: Carol McCoy, National External Energy Coordinator, NPS Natural Resources Stewardship and Science Directorate, Denver, CO

The NPS has been very proactive in the renewable energy arena on two fronts: in incorporating renewable energy technologies in park facilities to lower carbon footprints, and in elevating attention to the need for other agencies and project developers to ensure that the siting and permitting of utility-scale facilities outside park boundaries done in a way that avoids impacts to park resources and values. Through an early dialogue with attendees, this panel session will examine whether the NPS needs to place sideboards on the deployment of renewable energy technologies inside parks. It will also explore options for getting to “yes” in having other agencies and project developers protect natural resources, including water, wildlife, migration routes, endangered species, air quality, soundscapes, night skies, and viewsheds. Panelists will help set the stage by highlighting new efforts underway with respect to renewable energy in the NPS and Fish and Wildlife Service.

Shawn Norton, NPS Environmental Leadership Coordinator, NPS-Facilities, Washington, DC

David A. Reynolds, External Energy Coordinator, NPS-PWR, Oakland, CA

Karen Trevino, Chief, Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division, NPS-NRSS, Fort Collins, CO

Dennis Schramm, Retired Superintendent, Mojave National Preserve

Larry Bright, Chief, Branch of Conservation Planning Assistance, USFWS, Arlington, VA