kathy_tonnessen@nps.gov
kat@forestry.umt.edu
Rocky Mountains CESU, Missoula, Montana

ron.hiebert@nau.edu
Colorado Plateau CESU, Flagstaff, Arizona

lnorris@ag.arizona.edu
Desert Southwest CESU, Tucson, Arizona


Back to Chapter 1: Confluence

Natural Resource Challenge funds Exotic Plant Management Teams
By Linda Drees and Gary Johnston

Inventory and Monitoring Program benefits from the Natural Resource Challenge
By Gary Williams

Connecting the public, scientists, and resources through learning centers
By Don Neubacher

Four new cooperative ecosystem studies units established

Natural resource project funding increased

The Challenge funds native and exotic species management

Geologic Resources Division expands expertise

Award-Winner Profile - Gary Machlis receives Conservation Service Award

Home

In 2000 three research coordinators with the NPS Intermountain Support office moved to their posts at host universities of three cooperative ecosystem studies units (CESUs): Kathy Tonnessen at the University of Montana, Missoula (Rocky Mountains CESU); Ron Hiebert at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff (Colorado Plateau CESU); and Larry Norris at the University of Arizona, Tucson (Desert Southwest CESU). These moves coincided with a flurry of activity in the inventory and monitoring (I&M) networks and included the hiring of network coordinators, the holding of expert workshops, and the writing of inventory proposals for funding in FY 2001.

Established in 1999, the I&M networks were created to implement inventory and monitoring across the national park system. Their role is to track the most critical ecological variables or indicators of ecosystem health in the parks, commonly called “park vital signs.” In 2000, the I&M networks began planning for the inventory of vascular plants and vertebrates, the first major initiative of the Natural Resource Challenge. A number of options were available to get the scientific expertise and leadership needed for this biological inventory planning, and within the Intermountain Region several networks called upon the CESU research coordinators, CESU partner universities, and the cooperating CESU agencies for assistance.

Within the Rocky Mountains CESU, Kathy Tonnessen served as the chair of the Greater Yellowstone Network in organizing the inventory. She worked with a technical committee with representatives from several member parks to organize the workshop, write the biotic inventory proposal, and hire an inventory coordinator. In 2000 the network also began the planning phase of park vital signs monitoring, and Kathy will serve on the board of directors for that long-term monitoring project. Kathy also assisted the Rocky Mountain Network in organizing their expert workshop and writing the inventory proposal. She will be part of the network steering committee in charge of carrying out the recommended inventory projects. More importantly the Rocky Mountains CESU partner universities and agencies (such as the USDA Forest Service and USGS) were active players in outlining the inventory needs and providing the scientific content for these two proposals. Both networks are making use of CESU member scientists from academia and agencies as both principal investigators and science advisers to this effort.

Ron Hiebert of the Colorado Plateau CESU served as the lead for the Southern Colorado Plateau Network and as liaison between it and the Northern Colorado Plateau Network (NCP) to ensure consistency in applying inventory techniques and compatibility of data. He worked with the two network steering committees to organize a joint expert workshop and to form partnerships with taxonomic experts from the USGS Colorado Plateau Field Station and other CESU partner institutions. Coordinators for both networks were hired and joined the team in 2000 to prepare the two top-rated biotic inventory proposals. Ron will continue his role as liaison between these two networks and will work closely with the NCP as it begins its park vital signs–monitoring program and initiates a five-park monitoring prototype.

Desert Southwest CESU Research Coordinator Larry Norris has responsibilities for a vast area of ecosystems and is involved with five I&M network plans. He was the lead author on the Southern Plains Network study plan proposal and he also provided information and advice to the Chihuahuan Desert Network on inventory priorities and on the use of cooperative agreements, interagency agreements, and contracts. Larry has agreed to be an ex-officio member on the board of directors for the Sonoran Desert Network, and he is ready to assist as a technical adviser to the Mojave Desert and Gulf Coast Networks. Throughout the Southwest Cluster, Larry is looking for research projects that complement the I&M inventories by creating knowledge for use by management and by sharing resources and equipment.

Coincidence brought the CESUs into operation at the same time as the funding for inventory and monitoring networks under the Natural Resource Challenge. The timing was fortuitous in that science coordination in the National Park Service was available through the CESU network to assist parks with their natural resource inventory needs. The CESUs are likely to provide more service and scientific expertise as the I&M networks begin their work on the complicated task of defining their park vital signs that will be tracked over the long term.

/YearInReview/yir/yir2000/pages/01_confluence/01_03_tonnessen.html
Last Updated: 06/17/2001
Direct comments on this website to jeff_selleck@nps.gov