By Bob Higgins and Jim Wood

In 2000 the Geologic Resources Division introduced geoindicators to NPS resource management as a new ecosystem management tool. Geoindicators are measures (magnitudes, frequencies, rates, trends) of physical processes on the earth’s surface that may undergo significant change in less than 100 years and be affected by human actions. These indicators, developed by the International Union of Geological Sciences, provide a science-based method to assess rapid change in the natural environment.

The geoindicator tool is a checklist that enables parks to identify geologic and hydrologic processes that help evaluate the state of the environment, changes in ecosystems, and effects of humans on natural systems. The easy-to-use checklist includes 27 indicators selected for ecological importance. Some indicators are single parameters such as shoreline position, and others are aggregates of several measures such as parameters of groundwater quality. Examples include dune formation; groundwater level; karst activity; soil and sediment erosion; and extent, structure, and hydrology of wetlands. The tool provides separate criteria for each geoindicator so the user can determine the importance of the indicator for specific natural systems.

Geoindicators help answer NPS resource management questions about what is happening to the environment, why it is happening, and whether it is significant. They may also be used to establish baseline conditions and trends so that human-induced changes can be identified. In 2000, geoindicators were successfully integrated into several NPS projects to obtain science-based information for resource management.

The year 2000 was the pilot year for the NPS Strategic Plan goal Ib4, the identification of human influences on geologic processes. This goal entails the combined expertise of park personnel and geologists to identify natural, earth-system processes that are being influenced by humans. In September the first scoping meeting for this goal was conducted at Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho, involving staff from the park, the Geologic Resources Division, and the USGS. The geoindicator checklist was a focal point of the meeting, which identified critical geologic components of the park ecosystem for long-term ecological monitoring and research. Over the next five years, parks throughout the national park system will be using geoindicators to conduct ecological assessments, evaluate monitoring needs, and meet strategic goals.

Geoindicators are also being integrated into the park vital signs monitoring program for NPS Strategic Plan goal Ib3 to identify geologic “vital signs” of ecosystem condition in the 32 monitoring networks and individual parks. In April 2000 the concept was introduced as an assessment tool at the Northeast Barrier Network’s Vital Signs Scoping Meeting. The checklist and criteria were used during the meeting to evaluate options for monitoring, and shoreline position was selected as a critical ecological indicator.

Also in 2000, the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program initiated work on development of a handbook for natural resource monitoring. In August the Geologic Resources Division drafted a chapter on geologic resource monitoring that includes the geoindicator concept.