Following the Science: Monitoring and Natural Resource Management in the National Park Service
Start Date
9-12-2024 3:45 PM
End Date
9-12-2024 5:00 PM
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The National Park Service “preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System”. How does the agency know the condition of its natural resources, and what does it mean to preserve them “unimpaired” when human activities are increasingly impacting the natural world? Dr. Mitchell will provide an overview of natural resource monitoring in the National Park Service and describe some frameworks the agency is using to evaluate and manage natural resources through climate change and other human impacts. A case study about forest resilience in northeastern parks will highlight how the National Park Service is working to manage this fundamental system.
Biography
Dr. Mitchell earned a BA in Biology and English & American Literature from Brown University in 1994, and a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley in 2004. Brian began working for the National Park Service’s Inventory & Monitoring Division in 2005, where his work focused on developing and implementing long-term monitoring programs for natural resources. Since 2022, he has been a regional science advisor and the research coordinator for the North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
ORCID
0009-0004-8629-7040
Following the Science: Monitoring and Natural Resource Management in the National Park Service
The National Park Service “preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System”. How does the agency know the condition of its natural resources, and what does it mean to preserve them “unimpaired” when human activities are increasingly impacting the natural world? Dr. Mitchell will provide an overview of natural resource monitoring in the National Park Service and describe some frameworks the agency is using to evaluate and manage natural resources through climate change and other human impacts. A case study about forest resilience in northeastern parks will highlight how the National Park Service is working to manage this fundamental system.