Researchers at Oregon State University – Cascades received a $2 million grant from the National Park Service to monitor and analyze data gathered by the agency, assess the ecological health and resilience of parks and better understand management practices that can help parks adapt to changing conditions.
With the grant, scientists at OSU-Cascades will harness data collected by hundreds of NPS scientists across thousands of projects at more than 280 national parks.
Scientists within each network track a unique set of resources that are considered vital signs for a given region. For example, within the Upper Columbia Basin network, vital signs include water quality, sage grouse health and populations, and the persistence of the Lemhi penstemon, a rare flowering plant at risk of extinction due to habitat loss.
Led out of the Human Ecosystem Resilience and Sustainability Lab at OSU-Cascades, the new research analysis unit will analyze data from networks that track terrestrial, freshwater and marine specimens and conditions.
The five-year project is led by Matt Shinderman, a natural resources instructor and co-director of the HERS Lab.
“The idea is to provide park managers with the best information possible to steward national parks and resources,” he said. “It’s also to build a body of knowledge that can be helpful to land managers, conservation practitioners, and policy makers confronting widespread threats to native biodiversity in our national parks.”
HERS Lab experts will also assess ecological monitoring studies and determine if improvements can be made to current approaches.
Shinderman anticipates that the project will offer educational opportunities at OSU-Cascades in ecological and data science for post-doctoral researchers, faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students.
The HERS Lab has previously collaborated with NPS on studies throughout the Pacific Northwest on persistence and extinction risks facing park natural resources.