Natural Resource Year in Review—2003, A portrait of the year in natural resource stewardship and science in the National Park System, ISSN 1544-5437
Chapter 0 — Front Matter
Chapter 1— Transforming the National Park System
Chapter 2 — The New Face of Professional Resource Management
Chapter 3 — Inventory and Monitoring Charges Ahead
Chapter 4 - Frontiers for Science and Natural Resource Education
Chapter 5 — Preventing Natural Resource Impairment
Chapter 6 — Restoration
Chapter 7 — Conserving Threatened and Endangered Species
Chapter 8 — Cooperative Conservation
Chapter 9 — Looking Ahead
Chapters
Conserving Threatened and Endangered Species
Introduction
Progress on threatened and endangered species in national parks
Condors on the Colorado Plateau reach new heights
California condor returns to Pinnacles National Monument
Reproduction of Canada lynx discovered in Yellowstone
Dragonflies and damselflies: Invertebrate indicators of ecological health
Award Winner: Doug Smith heads wolf restoration project
Tracking bull trout in Olympic National Park, Washington
Restoring federally endangered harperella along waterways in the National Capital Region
Wildlife Biologist Professional Profile: Donna Shaver returns to the National Park Service
Regulations help endangered sea turtles make a comeback
Oil and gas management plan for Padre Island National Seashore upheld in court
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Conserving Threatened and Endangered Species
“The strength of each country's conservation ethic is measured by the wisdom and effectiveness of its legislation in protecting biodiversity. Without dispute the most important conservation law in the history of the United States is the Endangered Species Act.” —E.O. Wilson, The Future of Life
Mauna Loa silversword, a federally listed endangered plant species, on the island of Hawaii.

Formerly widespread on the island of Hawaii, Mauna Loa silversword, a federally listed endangered plant species, declined primarily as a result of disturbance by feral pigs, goats, and mouflon sheep. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has been fenced to keep out these nonnative species and as of November 2003 had planted 6,800 seedlings over three years, with 83% survival. The core of the restored plants are within two 30-acre (12-ha) exclosures, which provide additional protection from feral animals.

A great many of the national parks were set aside for conservation because of their spectacular natural beauty. The National Park Service took them in as a whole, and now we are beginning to understand how the parts function and interact. Passed 30 years ago, the Endangered Species Act contributes to park preservation goals by helping to ensure that the biotic parts of these ecosystems are not lost. The job begins with knowing what is in the parks and regularly assessing how the populations of federally listed species are faring. That information is compiled in the NPS Endangered Species Act database, which is now on a website available to NPS staff. With this information, we can determine which species are recovering and focus our efforts on those that continue to decline or restore those that have been lost from the parks. A growing number of species are being restored successfully, and a few of their stories follow in this chapter. For the future we will continue to increase our knowledge of these rare populations of plants and animals and take action when needed to secure their persistence in the national parks.
NPS Fact
Of the 1,122 populations of endangered species* that occurred historically in national parks, 244 (more than 20%) are now gone. However, because the habitats for many of these species are preserved in the parks, opportunities exist for their restoration. Recent successful restorations include trailing phlox in Big Thicket National Preserve, the wolf in Grand Teton National Park (via Yellowstone), and the Mauna Loa silversword in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Conserving Threatened and Endangered Species, Introduction
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last updated 4/13/2004
National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, Natural Resource Program Center, Natural Resource Information Division
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