Science and the National Parks (1992) / Chapter Skim
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3 PREVIOUS REVIEWS OF RESEARCH IN THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
3 PREVIOUS REVIEWS OF RESEARCH IN THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Pages 41-58
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From page 41... ...
Research received very little attention from the NPS during the next two decades. Then in the early 1960s, Secretary of the Interior Stuart Udall called for two independent scientific reviews of resource management and research in the national parks.
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From page 42... ...
Unfortunate{y, the reports' assessments of the NPS research and resource management programs remain as relevant today as they were nearly three decades ago, because very few of their recommendations have been implemented effectively. Many additional reviews and studies of the NPS research and resource management programs have been made since the Leopold and Robbins reports were completed (Table 3-~.
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From page 43... ...
A Review and Recommendations Relative to the NPS Science Program External Threats to the Parks Federal Resource Lands and Their Neighbors State of the Parks: A 1980 Report to Congress State of the Parks: A Report to the Congress on a Service Strategy for Prevention and Mitigation of Natural and Cultural Resource Management Problems Workshop of NPS Regional Chief Scientists, Omaha, Nebraska, Dec. 3-5, 1986 Limited Progress Made in Documenting and Mitigating Threats to the Parks Research in the Parks: An Assessment of Needs National Parks: From Vignettes to a Global View (Gordon report)
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From page 44... ...
The report recommended that modern, scientifically based management techniques be applied and that park research programs be expanded. Although noting that the NPS could benefit from research conducted by other federal agencies or by groups outside the government, the Leopold committee conctu~ecl that the 1\ll>5 research program should be strengthened and controlled from within the Park Service.
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From page 45... ...
The National Park Service responded to the Leopold and Robbins reports in several ways. An Office of Natural Science Studies was created to build a program in scientific studies; this office was a quality control unit directly under the supervision of the chief scientist, who reported to the director.
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From page 46... ...
The committee recommended the creation of a position of associate director for natural science, with line authority over regional chief scientists and park scientists; park superintendents would have only administrative control over research in their parks. The report expressed concern about "inadequate utilization by management of scientific information already available" and proposed that resource management biologist positions be established in the larger parks as a liaison between management and research.
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From page 47... ...
, respectively the chair and ranking minority member of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Insular Affairs of the House Interior Committee, formally asked the NPS to prepare a report on the threats to the park system. in response, NPS began a comprehensive assessment that included a questionnaire that was sent to every park unit.
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From page 48... ...
In Crand Canyon Nabonal Park, inner-canyon haze caused by an pollution can reduce visibility significantly. The 2-10-89 view shows exbemely high pollution, with a visual range of less than 30 km.
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From page 49... ...
Other actions included the development of information baseline standards, special protection zone guidelines, biological monitoring and environmental indexes, and a resource information tracking system; the initiation of a boundary study of historic and archaeological parks; an assessment of cooperative park study units; major natural resource management training programs for superintendents, micIlevel, and beginning employees; and a special natural resource management trainee program. in addition, the 1981 NPS report called for a science program review by the National Academy of Sciences.
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From page 50... ...
The resulting 1987 GAO report, "I imited Progress Made in Documenting and Mitigating Threats to Parks," concluded that "the Park Service's strategy for better managing park resources has yet to be fully implemented. Some parks do not have approved resource management plans, and the plans that have been prepared are not being used in formulating the Park Service's annual budgets.
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From page 51... ...
· Establishment by Congress of an NPS science advisory · Creation of an independent NPS research arm under the associate director for research, with line authority to regional chiefs of research. · Establishment of national park science centers and cooperative park study units for each major biome.
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From page 52... ...
The Gordon report included an extensive commentary on the meaning of ecosystem management and on the NPS failure to comprehend and apply this concept. The commission recommended aggressive stewardship and management structured in the context of well-clefinect objectives.
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From page 53... ...
These included provision of a formal mandate for a research program independent of park management and given a line-item budget equivalent to at least 10 percent of the agency's budget, establishment of long-term ecosystem-level research projects in at least 6 to 10 parks, significant support for extramural research, peer review during all phases of in-house research, and development within parks of zones specifically for research. The Gordon report was emphatic about the need for the NPS to take major steps to enhance the professional qualifications of its staff.
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From page 54... ...
The report acknowledges that the lack of a specific legislative mandate for science has hampered systemwide support and that the science program in general has suffered from a lack of independence and broad peer review. To engage in a sustainecl, integrated program of natural, cultural, and social science, the Vail Agenda recommends that secure legislation and funding be mandated; that training in information management and the role, use, and production of research information be accelerated; and that resource protection, access, and interpretation decisions be based on full consideration of the best available scientific research.
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From page 55... ...
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From page 56... ...
Implicit in these findings is that selective recruitment and consistent support for training and development programs are not currently emphasized in the Park Service. Since the first major independent reviews of the adequacy of the NPS science program were conducted in the early 1960s, many experts have shared their views on the scope and quality of the NPS research program.
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From page 57... ...
PREVIOUS REVIEWS OF RESEARCH 57 importance of a strong science program although recognized by some regions, parks, and personnel- simply has not garnered servicewide support. The question of why the Park Service has been so reluctant to strengthen its reliance on science is difficult to answer, in part because the reasons are often subtle and political.
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