CONNECTING GEOLOGY AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN NATIONAL PARKS

Many geologic reports focus heavily on the geologic history, structure, petrology, or stratigraphy of an area, or are exclusively devoted to engineering, water resources, or mineral deposits. These reports, while valuable for specific audiences, are not generally accessible to non-geologists and resource managers. One aim of the National Park Service (NPS) Geologic Resources Division (GRD) Geologic Resource Evaluation (GRE) Program is to provide parks with accessible comprehensive geologic reports. These geologic reports help park managers make scientifically informed decisions regarding management of natural resources. GRE reports focus on geologic resource management issues relevant to the parks while identifying connections between these issues and geologic map units on the digital geologic map of the park.

Creating GRE reports is a process which includes: meeting with park staff and regional geologic experts to identify important geologic features and processes as well as geologic resource management issues in the park; researching connections between the park digital geologic map and geologic management issues; and researching the geologic history of the park. GRE reports are designed and written for a wide variety of audiences including park natural resource managers and interpreters. One goal of the GRE program is to prepare reports for each of the 272 natural resource area parks identified by the NPS Inventory and Monitoring program. To date 14 reports have been finalized and 52 are currently in progress. Final GRE reports are delivered to the park and are available to the public on the internet.

GRD has received positive feedback thus far on the GRE reports. These straightforward reports serve to raise awareness of geologic resource management issues in the National Parks and prompt NPS resource managers to consider geology as part of the dynamic natural ecosystem.