The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program aims to provide documentation about the current conditions of important park natural resources through a spatially explicit, multidisciplinary synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge. Findings from the NRCA will help Bluestone National Scenic River (BLUE) managers to develop near-term management priorities, engage in watershed or landscape scale partnership and education efforts, conduct park planning, and report program performance (e.g., Department of the Interior’s Strategic Plan “land health” goals, Government Performance and Results Act).

The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program aims to provide documentation about the current conditions of important park natural resources through a spatially explicit, multidisciplinary synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge. Findings from the NRCA will help Gauley River National Recreation Area (GARI) managers to develop near-term management priorities, engage in watershed or landscape scale partnership and education efforts, conduct park planning, and report program performance (e.g., Department of the Interior’s Strategic Plan “land health” goals, Government Performance and Results Act).

The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program aims to provide documentation about the current conditions of important park natural resources through a spatially explicit, multidisciplinary synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge. Findings from the NRCA will help Gauley River National Recreation Area (GARI) managers to develop near-term management priorities, engage in watershed or landscape scale partnership and education efforts, conduct park planning, and report program performance (e.g., Department of the Interior’s Strategic Plan “land health” goals, Government Performance and Results Act).

These data were converted from the originally delivered Microsoft Access PLOTs database from the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project of Bluestone National Scenic River. These comma-delimited data tables contain(s) vegetation mapping plot classification and accuracy assessment data, as well as summary information about the data itself. If a table is empty, then it was empty in the original database.

These data were converted from the originally delivered Microsoft Access PLOTs database from the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project of Bluestone National Scenic River. These comma-delimited data tables contain(s) vegetation mapping plot classification and accuracy assessment data, as well as summary information about the data itself. If a table is empty, then it was empty in the original database.

New River Gorge National River (NERI) is located in south-central West Virginia along an 85-km stretch of the New River within the Appalachian Mountain chain. NERI conserves the outstanding natural, scenic, and historic values of the landscape immediately surrounding, and including, the New River Gorge. This conservation extends to the New River itself—a free-flowing river that supports small-mouth bass, freshwater mussels, native fish, and rare riparian plants. The landscape surrounding the New River main stem is a mosaic of mature and maturing forests, tributary streams, floodplains, and dramatic sandstone cliffs. This landscape has been shaped by a history of human occupation and resource extraction (e.g. mining, timbering, flood control). Natural resources presented in this Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) can be divided into five general areas: air resources, geologic resources, water-related resources, plant resources, and terrestrial wildlife. Within each of these general areas, specific natural resources were assessed as follows: • Air resources– acoustic environment, night sky, visibility, ozone, sulfur and nitrogen deposition, mercury/toxics, climate change, scenic vistas • Geologic resources—mass movements, cliff communities • Water-related resources—water quality (main stem and tributaries), fish, aquatic invertebrates, salamanders • Plant resources—xeric plants (e.g. rimrock pine), mixed mesophytic forest, eastern hemlock, Appalachian flatrock/riverscour prairies, rare and medicinal plants • Terrestrial wildlife --- Allegheny woodrat, bat communities, birds, game species. The approach of this NRCA was to use existing data to evaluate the condition of natural resources at NERI. Thresholds for condition (good, moderate concern, and significant concern) were obtained from a variety of resources such as federal and state regulations (e.g. water quality criteria), peerreviewed literature, research reports, and, in some cases, best professional judgment. If possible, trends in the condition (improving, deteriorating, or unchanging) were also evaluated. Finally, an estimate of the confidence in the assessment was provided based on the quality and quantity of available information (high, medium, low confidence). The assessment of condition used standardized symbology provided by NRCA guidelines.

New River Gorge National River (NERI) is located in south-central West Virginia along an 85-km stretch of the New River within the Appalachian Mountain chain. NERI conserves the outstanding natural, scenic, and historic values of the landscape immediately surrounding, and including, the New River Gorge. This conservation extends to the New River itself—a free-flowing river that supports small-mouth bass, freshwater mussels, native fish, and rare riparian plants. The landscape surrounding the New River main stem is a mosaic of mature and maturing forests, tributary streams, floodplains, and dramatic sandstone cliffs. This landscape has been shaped by a history of human occupation and resource extraction (e.g. mining, timbering, flood control). Natural resources presented in this Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) can be divided into five general areas: air resources, geologic resources, water-related resources, plant resources, and terrestrial wildlife. Within each of these general areas, specific natural resources were assessed as follows: • Air resources– acoustic environment, night sky, visibility, ozone, sulfur and nitrogen deposition, mercury/toxics, climate change, scenic vistas • Geologic resources—mass movements, cliff communities • Water-related resources—water quality (main stem and tributaries), fish, aquatic invertebrates, salamanders • Plant resources—xeric plants (e.g. rimrock pine), mixed mesophytic forest, eastern hemlock, Appalachian flatrock/riverscour prairies, rare and medicinal plants • Terrestrial wildlife --- Allegheny woodrat, bat communities, birds, game species. The approach of this NRCA was to use existing data to evaluate the condition of natural resources at NERI. Thresholds for condition (good, moderate concern, and significant concern) were obtained from a variety of resources such as federal and state regulations (e.g. water quality criteria), peerreviewed literature, research reports, and, in some cases, best professional judgment. If possible, trends in the condition (improving, deteriorating, or unchanging) were also evaluated. Finally, an estimate of the confidence in the assessment was provided based on the quality and quantity of available information (high, medium, low confidence). The assessment of condition used standardized symbology provided by NRCA guidelines.

This reference contains the imagery data used in the completion of the baseline vegetation inventory project for the NPS park unit. Orthophotos, raw imagery, and scanned aerial photos are common files held here. Delineation of vegetation map classes was based on interpretation of digital aerial imagery utilizing additional digital and non-digital data sources. The primary imagery used as base layers for mapping were the digital orthophoto mosaics of leaf-off color infrared aerial photography flown for this project in March 2003 and leaf-on color infrared aerial photography flown for this project in October 2004. Additional digital aerial imagery sets which were used included leaf-off color infra-red digital orthophoto quarter quads flown in spring 1996 (USGS 1995) and true color leaf-off orthophoto quarter quads flown in spring 2003 (WVSAMB 2005). Transparencies of leaf-on color infrared aerial photography flown in October 2003 (Vanderhorst et al. 2007) and the original transparencies used to produce the orthophoto mosaics for this project were examined on a light table to help distinguish signatures which were not apparent on the digital imagery. Utilization of these multiple sets of aerial photography often helped to overcome deficiencies (e.g. shading) of the primary orthophoto mosaics. Ancillary GIS layers used to assist photointerpretation included digital rastor graphs of USGS topographic maps and the landform and Ecological Land Unit models developed for this project.

This reference contains the imagery data used in the completion of the baseline vegetation inventory project for the NPS park unit. Orthophotos, raw imagery, and scanned aerial photos are common files held here. Delineation of vegetation map classes was based on interpretation of digital aerial imagery utilizing additional digital and non-digital data sources. The primary imagery used as base layers for mapping were the digital orthophoto mosaics of leaf-off color infrared aerial photography flown for this project in March 2003 and leaf-on color infrared aerial photography flown for this project in October 2004. Additional digital aerial imagery sets which were used included leaf-off color infra-red digital orthophoto quarter quads flown in spring 1996 (USGS 1995) and true color leaf-off orthophoto quarter quads flown in spring 2003 (WVSAMB 2005). Transparencies of leaf-on color infrared aerial photography flown in October 2003 (Vanderhorst et al. 2007) and the original transparencies used to produce the orthophoto mosaics for this project were examined on a light table to help distinguish signatures which were not apparent on the digital imagery. Utilization of these multiple sets of aerial photography often helped to overcome deficiencies (e.g. shading) of the primary orthophoto mosaics. Ancillary GIS layers used to assist photointerpretation included digital rastor graphs of USGS topographic maps and the landform and Ecological Land Unit models developed for this project.

This data set contains small-scale base GIS data layers compiled by the National Park Service Servicewide Inventory and Monitoring Program and Water Resources Division for use in a Baseline Water Quality Data Inventory and Analysis Report that was prepared for the park. The report presents the results of surface water quality data retrievals for the park from six of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) national databases: (1) Storage and Retrieval (STORET) water quality database management system; (2) River Reach File (RF3) Hydrography; (3) Industrial Facilities Discharges; (4) Drinking Water Supplies; (5) Water Gages; and (6) Water Impoundments. The small-scale GIS data layers were used to prepare the maps included in the report that depict the locations of water quality monitoring stations, industrial discharges, drinking intakes, water gages, and water impoundments. The data layers included in the maps (and this dataset) vary depending on availability, but generally include roads, hydrography, political boundaries, USGS 7.5' minute quadrangle outlines, hydrologic units, trails, and others as appropriate. The scales of each layer vary depending on data source but are generally 1:100,000.