Geodatabase representing the sample design for the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) elk monitoring project at Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) and Olympic National Park (OLYM). The goal of this project is to monitor trends in raw counts, abundance, composition, and spatial distribution of migratory Roosevelt elk in Mount Rainier National Park and in Olympic National Park summer range, and to monitor elk abundance and distribution in selected low elevation late winter/early spring ranges in Olympic. The geodatabase is the spatial representation of elk survey polygons used to conduct elk surveys using observers in helicopters. Polygons were originally created in 2007 and slightly modified after initial field sampling to better reflect elk habitat (completed in 2012). The Olympic late winter/early spring survey areas were originally developed in 1983, but were modified (2007-2010) to better reflect elk movements, based on GPS collar data, within river valleys.

Geodatabase representing the sample design for the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) elk monitoring project at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). The goal for the elk monitoring project is to detect changes in the magnitude and spatial patterns of elk use of landscapes at several spatial and temporal scales within, and adjacent to, the Fort Clastop unit of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). The geodatabase is the spatial representation of elk pellet survey plot locations and standard road driving routes, with tenth mile reference markers, used to conduct elk surveys. Changes in elk relative use and the proportion of area occupied (PAO) by elk will be based on pellet group surveys conducted in the Fort Clatsop unit of LEWI. We will monitor trends in the relative use by elk in winter through the estimation of pellet group density as measured during late winter surveys each year. We will infer trends in elk viewing opportunities in selected areas adjacent to the Fort Clatsop unit by monitoring the rate at which elk are sighted in roadside surveys on specified routes. The road survey sighting rate is a direct index to the rate that park visitors driving the selected set of roads would be expected to see elk. By recording the seasonal patterns of elk herd sightings we will document trends in elk viewing opportunities for visitors during different seasons.

Geodatabase representing the sample design for the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) elk monitoring project at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). The goal for the elk monitoring project is to detect changes in the magnitude and spatial patterns of elk use of landscapes at several spatial and temporal scales within, and adjacent to, the Fort Clastop unit of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). The geodatabase is the spatial representation of elk pellet survey plot locations and standard road driving routes, with tenth mile reference markers, used to conduct elk surveys. Changes in elk relative use and the proportion of area occupied (PAO) by elk will be based on pellet group surveys conducted in the Fort Clatsop unit of LEWI. We will monitor trends in the relative use by elk in winter through the estimation of pellet group density as measured during late winter surveys each year. We will infer trends in elk viewing opportunities in selected areas adjacent to the Fort Clatsop unit by monitoring the rate at which elk are sighted in roadside surveys on specified routes. The road survey sighting rate is a direct index to the rate that park visitors driving the selected set of roads would be expected to see elk. By recording the seasonal patterns of elk herd sightings we will document trends in elk viewing opportunities for visitors during different seasons.

This data package contains North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) Inventory and Monitoring Program elk survey tabular data collected during 2008-2017 at Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) and Olympic National Park (OLYM). The protocol, publications, and all other associated links can be found in the project reference NCCN Monitoring Elk in Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2193716 Objectives were to use helicopter surveys to monitor trends in elk abundance, distribution, and composition in selected subalpine summer ranges in MORA and OLYM. Data were collected to develop and inform double-observer sightability model. Sightability data included elk fitted with GPS/VHF collars, survey weather conditions, light levels, elk activity, and percent of concealing vegetation. Aerial survey observations also included double-observer data by recording observer seating positions and which specific observers independently saw each elk group. In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began collaborating with the National Park Service (NPS)-North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN), the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe (MIT), Puyallup Tribe of Indians (PTOI), and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to develop a standard aerial survey protocol for monitoring long-term changes in the abundance, distribution, and population composition of elk on key summer ranges within Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) and Olympic National Park (OLYM). In MORA, surveys were conducted in two trend count areas (TCAs) that correspond with primary summer ranges used by the North Rainier Herd that winters outside the park to the North, and the South Rainier Herd that winters outside the park primarily to the South. Five TCAs were defined in OLYM that encompassed summer ranges at the core of the park around Mount Olympus and four other TCAs that encompassed other primary summer ranges throughout the park. Please refer to NCCN Elk Aerial Monitoring Sample Design Geodatabase for the spatial representation of elk survey polygons: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2230205

This data package contains North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) Inventory and Monitoring Program elk survey tabular data collected during 2008-2017 at Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) and Olympic National Park (OLYM). The protocol, publications, and all other associated links can be found in the project reference NCCN Monitoring Elk in Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2193716 Objectives were to use helicopter surveys to monitor trends in elk abundance, distribution, and composition in selected subalpine summer ranges in MORA and OLYM. Data were collected to develop and inform double-observer sightability model. Sightability data included elk fitted with GPS/VHF collars, survey weather conditions, light levels, elk activity, and percent of concealing vegetation. Aerial survey observations also included double-observer data by recording observer seating positions and which specific observers independently saw each elk group. In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began collaborating with the National Park Service (NPS)-North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN), the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe (MIT), Puyallup Tribe of Indians (PTOI), and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to develop a standard aerial survey protocol for monitoring long-term changes in the abundance, distribution, and population composition of elk on key summer ranges within Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) and Olympic National Park (OLYM). In MORA, surveys were conducted in two trend count areas (TCAs) that correspond with primary summer ranges used by the North Rainier Herd that winters outside the park to the North, and the South Rainier Herd that winters outside the park primarily to the South. Five TCAs were defined in OLYM that encompassed summer ranges at the core of the park around Mount Olympus and four other TCAs that encompassed other primary summer ranges throughout the park. Please refer to NCCN Elk Aerial Monitoring Sample Design Geodatabase for the spatial representation of elk survey polygons: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2230205

This data package contains elk monitoring data collected under the auspices of the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) Inventory and Monitoring Program during 2008-2024 at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). The monitoring protocol, publications, and all other associated links can be found in the project reference at: NCCN Monitoring Elk Ground (Lewis and Clark National Historical Park), https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2182083 Monitoring was initiated to track Roosevelt elk seasonal use and visitor viewing opportunities in and around the Fort Clatsop unit of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). The preservation of elk herds that frequent LEWI is central to the park’s purpose, “to preserve … the historic, cultural, scenic, and natural resources associated with the arrival of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the lower Columbia River area, and … commemorating the culmination and the winter encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the winter of 1805-1806 …” (Public Law 108-387). Today, elk viewing opportunities in the park and surrounding Clatsop Plains region generate broad appeal with the visiting public. Elk range widely outside of park boundaries where habitat conditions are affected by urbanization, forest management, and agricultural practices, and where populations and behaviors of elk are influenced by hunting patterns, other human disturbance factors, and habitat change. Staff at LEWI have used data generated by elk monitoring to build community partnerships, to highlight regional habitat and land use planning effects on park resources, and to inform regional discussions of policies that may influence the park’s elk population. The primary monitoring objectives of the protocol are to measure the relative use and proportion of area used by elk during winter in the Fort Clatsop Unit of the park, and the rate at which elk are sighted from roads in and around the Fort Clatsop unit of . Relative use and the proportion of area used by elk are determined from annual elk fecal pellet surveys, wherein pairs of observers visit a systematic array of permanent plots in the fall to clear them of elk fecal pellets, and return to the plots in late winter to count elk fecal pellets that have accumulated during winter. Standardized road surveys are conducted in and near the Fort Clatsop park unit three or four times monthly during alternate months, where two observers drive four routes to record numbers of elk, location, and composition of each group observed. Data from road surveys are used to provide an index of elk viewing opportunities for park visitors along the selected set of routes.

This data package contains elk monitoring data collected under the auspices of the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) Inventory and Monitoring Program during 2008-2024 at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). The monitoring protocol, publications, and all other associated links can be found in the project reference at: NCCN Monitoring Elk Ground (Lewis and Clark National Historical Park), https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2182083 Monitoring was initiated to track Roosevelt elk seasonal use and visitor viewing opportunities in and around the Fort Clatsop unit of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). The preservation of elk herds that frequent LEWI is central to the park’s purpose, “to preserve … the historic, cultural, scenic, and natural resources associated with the arrival of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the lower Columbia River area, and … commemorating the culmination and the winter encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the winter of 1805-1806 …” (Public Law 108-387). Today, elk viewing opportunities in the park and surrounding Clatsop Plains region generate broad appeal with the visiting public. Elk range widely outside of park boundaries where habitat conditions are affected by urbanization, forest management, and agricultural practices, and where populations and behaviors of elk are influenced by hunting patterns, other human disturbance factors, and habitat change. Staff at LEWI have used data generated by elk monitoring to build community partnerships, to highlight regional habitat and land use planning effects on park resources, and to inform regional discussions of policies that may influence the park’s elk population. The primary monitoring objectives of the protocol are to measure the relative use and proportion of area used by elk during winter in the Fort Clatsop Unit of the park, and the rate at which elk are sighted from roads in and around the Fort Clatsop unit of . Relative use and the proportion of area used by elk are determined from annual elk fecal pellet surveys, wherein pairs of observers visit a systematic array of permanent plots in the fall to clear them of elk fecal pellets, and return to the plots in late winter to count elk fecal pellets that have accumulated during winter. Standardized road surveys are conducted in and near the Fort Clatsop park unit three or four times monthly during alternate months, where two observers drive four routes to record numbers of elk, location, and composition of each group observed. Data from road surveys are used to provide an index of elk viewing opportunities for park visitors along the selected set of routes.

The geodatabase represents the sampling design used to meet the project's purpose. The sampling design relies upon systematic sampling for smaller parks (LEWI and SAJH) and spatially balanced, GRTS sampling for larger parks (MORA, NOCA, OLYM). The objectives of the landbird monitoring program 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. The geodatabase represents the sampling design used to meet the project's objectives. The sampling design relies upon systematic sampling for smaller parks (Lewis and Clark National Historical Park [LEWI] and San Juan Island National Historical park [SAJH]) and spatially balanced, Generalized Random Tesselation Stratified (GRTS) sampling for larger parks (Mount Rainier National Park [MORA], North Cascades National Park [NOCA], Olympic National Park [OLYM]). The GRTS sample design was created using stratified equal probability survey design. Potential transect starting locations were defined based on road and trail networks. The sample design formed the basis for office and field evaluation of selected locations and the subsequent establishment of long-term monitoring transects.

The geodatabase represents the sampling design used to meet the project's purpose. The sampling design relies upon systematic sampling for smaller parks (LEWI and SAJH) and spatially balanced, GRTS sampling for larger parks (MORA, NOCA, OLYM). The objectives of the landbird monitoring program 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. The geodatabase represents the sampling design used to meet the project's objectives. The sampling design relies upon systematic sampling for smaller parks (Lewis and Clark National Historical Park [LEWI] and San Juan Island National Historical park [SAJH]) and spatially balanced, Generalized Random Tesselation Stratified (GRTS) sampling for larger parks (Mount Rainier National Park [MORA], North Cascades National Park [NOCA], Olympic National Park [OLYM]). The GRTS sample design was created using stratified equal probability survey design. Potential transect starting locations were defined based on road and trail networks. The sample design formed the basis for office and field evaluation of selected locations and the subsequent establishment of long-term monitoring transects.

The geodatabase represents the sampling design used to meet the project's purpose. The sampling design relies upon spatially balanced GRTS sampling. Geodatabase representing the sample design for the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) forest vegetation monitoring project. The Forest Monitoring project objectives are to monitor trends in the processes of tree recruitment, growth, and mortality, and in forest structure and composition. The geodatabase represents the sampling design used to meet project objectives. The sampling design relied upon spatially balanced, Generalized Random Tessellation Stratified (GRTS) sampling for all parks. The GRTS sample design was created using stratified equal probability survey design methods (psurvey.design package for R). Strata were defined based on elevation bands. The sample design formed the basis for office and field evaluation of selected locations, and the subsequent establishment of long-term monitoring plots.