This data package contains data about the birds detected during point count surveys conducted using the National Capital Region Network (NCRN) Landbird Monitoring Protocols. These protocols are administered by staff of the Inventory and Monitoring Division (IMD) of the National Park Service (NPS) in cooperation with the University of Delaware. Monitoring began in most parks in 2007 and birds are generally monitored twice per calendar year at each site. The purpose of the NCRN Bird Monitoring program is to collect and analyze data and report information that will help national park managers assess the condition of the bird community.

This dataset represents the forest vegetation monitoring from 2006-2024 collected by the National Capital Region Network (NCRN) Inventory and Monitoring Program. Data were collected from over 400 forest plots randomly scattered throughout National Parks in the NCR. Each of the plots was monitored a single time within a four-year return cycle. Data related to forest structure and plant community composition is reported for the region as a whole and each individual park. This data package includes information about: Trees, Shrubs, Herbaceous Vegetation, Coarse Woody Debris, Vines, and Conditions including Pests and Diseases.

This dataset represents the forest vegetation monitoring from 2006-2024 collected by the National Capital Region Network (NCRN) Inventory and Monitoring Program. Data were collected from over 400 forest plots randomly scattered throughout National Parks in the NCR. Each of the plots was monitored a single time within a four-year return cycle. Data related to forest structure and plant community composition is reported for the region as a whole and each individual park. This data package includes information about: Trees, Shrubs, Herbaceous Vegetation, Coarse Woody Debris, Vines, and Conditions including Pests and Diseases.

This data package contains North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) Inventory and Monitoring Program landbird monitoring data collected during 2005-2023 at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI), Mount Rainier National Park (MORA), North Cascades National Park Complex (NOCA), Olympic National Park (OLYM), and San Juan Island National Historical Park (SAJH). The protocol, publications, and all other associated links can be found in the project reference at: NCCN Landbird Monitoring https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2097578 National parks in the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) can fulfill vital roles as refuges for bird species dependent on late-successional forest conditions and as reference sites for assessing the effects of land-use and land-cover changes on bird populations throughout the larger Pacific Northwest region. These changes may result from regional processes such as land conversion and forest management, or from broader-scale phenomena such as global climate change. Monitoring population trends at ‘control’ sites in national parks is especially important because the parks are among the few sites in the United States where population trends resulting from large-scale regional or global change patterns are relatively unaffected by local changes in land use. Long-term monitoring of landbirds throughout the NCCN provides information that can inform decisions about important management issues in the parks, including visitor impacts, fire management, and the effects of introduced species. Landbirds are vital to every Northwest ecosystem. They are critical food-chain links, eating millions of seeds and insects and in turn, are prey for other creatures. Because they have specific needs for food, nest sites, and habitats they are easily impacted by change. For these reasons, birds are among the most sensitive indicators of ecosystem health and monitoring them is one of the most efficient ways to take the ecological pulse of an area. Surveys were conducted in three large wilderness parks: North Cascades (NOCA), Olympic (OLYM), and Mount Rainier (MORA) National Parks and in two small parks: Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI) and San Juan Island National Historical Park (SAJH). Objectives are to 1) detect trends in the density of as many landbird species (including passerines, near-passerines, and galliformes) as possible throughout accessible areas of five NCCN parks during the breeding season and 2) track changes in the breeding season distribution of landbird species throughout accessible areas of the large wilderness parks.

This data package contains North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) Inventory and Monitoring Program landbird monitoring data collected during 2005-2023 at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI), Mount Rainier National Park (MORA), North Cascades National Park Complex (NOCA), Olympic National Park (OLYM), and San Juan Island National Historical Park (SAJH). The protocol, publications, and all other associated links can be found in the project reference at: NCCN Landbird Monitoring https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2097578 National parks in the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) can fulfill vital roles as refuges for bird species dependent on late-successional forest conditions and as reference sites for assessing the effects of land-use and land-cover changes on bird populations throughout the larger Pacific Northwest region. These changes may result from regional processes such as land conversion and forest management, or from broader-scale phenomena such as global climate change. Monitoring population trends at ‘control’ sites in national parks is especially important because the parks are among the few sites in the United States where population trends resulting from large-scale regional or global change patterns are relatively unaffected by local changes in land use. Long-term monitoring of landbirds throughout the NCCN provides information that can inform decisions about important management issues in the parks, including visitor impacts, fire management, and the effects of introduced species. Landbirds are vital to every Northwest ecosystem. They are critical food-chain links, eating millions of seeds and insects and in turn, are prey for other creatures. Because they have specific needs for food, nest sites, and habitats they are easily impacted by change. For these reasons, birds are among the most sensitive indicators of ecosystem health and monitoring them is one of the most efficient ways to take the ecological pulse of an area. Surveys were conducted in three large wilderness parks: North Cascades (NOCA), Olympic (OLYM), and Mount Rainier (MORA) National Parks and in two small parks: Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI) and San Juan Island National Historical Park (SAJH). Objectives are to 1) detect trends in the density of as many landbird species (including passerines, near-passerines, and galliformes) as possible throughout accessible areas of five NCCN parks during the breeding season and 2) track changes in the breeding season distribution of landbird species throughout accessible areas of the large wilderness parks.

This monitoring dataset consists of variable circular plot - continuous distance - point count bird observations and site conditions along with extensive habitat data for breeding birds in the National Park Service Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network Parks. The dataset includes approximately 65,000 individual bird observations covering over 200 bird species observed at 12 NPS park units taken between 2001 and 2022. The overall goals of Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network breeding bird monitoring are the following: to identify significant temporal changes in the species composition and abundance of bird communities that occur on parks during the breeding season; to improve our understanding of relationships between breeding birds and their habitat and the effects of management actions, such as prairie restoration or prescribed fire, on bird populations. These goals are accomplished by examining potential correlations between changes in specific habitat variables, for example, vegetation structure and ground cover, and changes in bird community composition and abundance. The 12 park units included in this study are in Arkansas - Arkansas Post National Memorial and Pea Ridge National Military Park; Indiana - Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial; Iowa - Effigy Mounds National Monument and Herber Hoover National Historic Site; Kansas - Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve; Minnesota - Pipestone National Monument; Missouri - George Washington Carver National Monument and Wilson's Creek National Battlefield; Nebraska - Agate Fossil Beds National Monument and Homestead National Historical Park; and Ohio - Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.

This monitoring dataset consists of variable circular plot - continuous distance - point count bird observations and site conditions along with extensive habitat data for breeding birds in the National Park Service Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network Parks. The dataset includes approximately 65,000 individual bird observations covering over 200 bird species observed at 12 NPS park units taken between 2001 and 2022. The overall goals of Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network breeding bird monitoring are the following: to identify significant temporal changes in the species composition and abundance of bird communities that occur on parks during the breeding season; to improve our understanding of relationships between breeding birds and their habitat and the effects of management actions, such as prairie restoration or prescribed fire, on bird populations. These goals are accomplished by examining potential correlations between changes in specific habitat variables, for example, vegetation structure and ground cover, and changes in bird community composition and abundance. The 12 park units included in this study are in Arkansas - Arkansas Post National Memorial and Pea Ridge National Military Park; Indiana - Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial; Iowa - Effigy Mounds National Monument and Herber Hoover National Historic Site; Kansas - Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve; Minnesota - Pipestone National Monument; Missouri - George Washington Carver National Monument and Wilson's Creek National Battlefield; Nebraska - Agate Fossil Beds National Monument and Homestead National Historical Park; and Ohio - Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.

The Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Division's Northeast Temperate Network (NETN) has identified forest vegetation, and several associated vital signs, as high priority for long-term monitoring. The NETN long-term forest monitoring protocol was adapted from methods developed by the U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis program and was developed in collaboration with other eastern forest I&M networks. The NETN forest monitoring protocol assesses the status and trends in structure, function, and composition of forested ecosystems, along with the impacts of stressors such as white-tailed deer, invasive exotic plants, exotic pests and pathogens, and effects of acid deposition on forest soils. A set of Standard Operating Procedures are shared with the Mid-Atlantic Network's forest vegetation monitoring protocol. The current protocol has been designed to sample 350 plots in forested areas of NETN parks. Plot locations are randomly chosen using a spatially balanced design (generalized random-tessellation stratified). Each plot consists of a 20 x 20 m square (15 x 15 m square in Acadia National Park) where all stems with a diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥10 cm are identified, measured, tagged, marked, mapped, and their condition assessed. Stems with a dbh ≥1 cm are identified and measured in each of three microplots. Number of tree seedlings by height class and percent cover of shrubs ≥30 cm tall are also recorded in each of three microplots. Percent cover of all vascular plant species is estimated by species in eight 1 m2 quadrats. Coarse woody debris is measured along three 15 m transects. Data collected by the NETN forest monitoring protocol are used to inform management decisions affecting forested systems in NETN parks. To view all protocol documents, please visit: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2189099 This data package contains a cumulative record of all forest monitoring data collected at National Park units in the Northeast Temperate Network (NETN) through the most recent field season and is organized into twenty-six (26) datasets: AdditionalSpecies_NETN.csv contains data captured during a 15-minute search for species not observed during other protocol activities on the plot. CWD_NETN.csv contains data captured from Line intercept sampling of coarse woody debris (CWD) along three 15-m transects. EventObservers_NETN.csv contains a list of all observers for each sampling event. Events_NETN.csv contains a list of all sampling events. MicroplotSaplings_NETN.csv contains data for all saplings measured in microplots. MicroplotSaplingsCount_NETN.csv contains data for all saplings that required a count. MicroplotSeedlings_NETN.csv contains counts of tree seedlings by species and height category collected in microplots. MicroplotShrubs_NETN.csv contains data for all shrubs measured in microplots. Plots_NETN.csv contains data regarding forest sampling plots. QuadCharacter_NETN.csv contains data characterizing the substrate of 1-m2 quadrats using standard cover classes. QuadNotes_NETN.csv contains a list of annotations relating to the sampling of quadrats. QuadSpecies_NETN.csv contains data for groundstory vascular plant species collected in 1-m2 quadrats using standard cover classes. SoilHeader_NETN.csv contains event data for soil sampling. SoilLab_NETN.csv contains soil lab results for all soil samples collected. SoilSample_NETN.csv contains sample details for soil sampling. StandDisturbances_NETN.csv contains plot disturbance data for each sampling event. StandForestFloor_NETN.csv contains plot forest floor cover for each sampling event. StandInfoPhotos_NETN.csv contains various plot level metrics for each sampling event. StandPlantCoverStrata_NETN.csv contains plot level plant cover strata for each sampling event. StandSlopes_NETN.csv contains stand slope measurements for each sampling event. StandTreeHeights_NETN.csv contains tree height measurements for each sampling event. Taxa_NETN.csv contains