Nimble Action to Address Emerging Issues

The Santa Rosa Island Research Station (SRIRS) is operated by CSU Channel Islands and the National Parks Service. Through this partnership, SRIRS provides students, faculty, researchers, and the local community with resources, facilities, and opportunities to engage in natural and cultural resource-based research and education. Currently, SRIRS facilitates an ongoing cloud forest restoration project on Santa Rosa Island. This project provides K-12 students, undergraduate students, and members of the public with opportunities to learn about and participate in cloud forest restoration activities. These activities include native seed collection, erosion control, native plant propagation, and other site restoration tasks. Additionally, the project will develop interpretive materials about the cloud forest project that will be used to communicate the project to the public, engaging both staff and students from CSU Channel Islands.

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area will be partnering with the Shell Lab of University of California, Berkeley, to establish a mesocarnivore research program within the park. The aim of this program is to gain a deeper understanding of mesocarnivore behavior and wildlife-human interactions to overall improve coexistence within the park and city. Food-conditioned mesocarnivores living in urban areas are prone to car strikes, are at risk of disease, and pose a safety risk to humans. It is difficult to try and manage mesocarnivore behavior, as it is difficult to change human behaviors which lead to food conditioning which thus influences the mesocarnivores. The goals of this project are to collaboratively work to collect scientific data through capturing, sampling, and tracking of coyotes and other mesocarnivores. The data collected will be used to better protect these species and also reduce conflict with park visitors, partners, adjacent communities, and encourage sustainable interactions.

The effects of climate change are evident across the NPS system. Every aspect of NPS responsibilities, including natural and cultural resources stewardship, facility management, planning, park operations, and visitor experiences, are faced with these effects. To address these issues, this project will allow the NPS and UC Davis to partner in implementing a Regional Climate Change (CC) Fellow in the Pacific West Region (PWR). The CC Fellow will guide and assist managers and park planners in using the best available science and Indigenous knowledge to determine suitable climate adaptation actions as a routine component of park plans. The CC Fellow will work with interdisciplinary park teams and be part of a group of Regional CC Coordinators that exist in three other NPS regions: the Intermountain Region (IMR), Northeast Region (NER), and Southeast Region (SER). While the PWR has staff in all divisions that address aspects of climate change, the CC Fellow will be able to focus on the coordination that is needed for an expanded and accelerated response to the rapid pace of environmental change. 

In recent years, streams and watersheds in the Alaskan Arctic have been experiencing an increased frequency of disturbances such as permafrost thaw, thaw-induced erosion, and wildfires. These disturbances alter the flux of organic carbon, nutrients, and trace minerals into Arctic rivers. Recently, an increase in the release of metals into Arctic rivers has been observed, including iron (Fe) and other trace metals, which could have important implications for fish ecosystems and subsistence fishing. Numerous Arctic communities such as Kivalina and Kiana cities rely on parkland streams for drinking water and fishing, however there is a lack of data on the impacts of metal contamination in these rivers. University of California Davis will work in collaboration with the National Parks to analyze water samples to characterize the dissolved organic matter concentration and composition, major nutrients and ions, major metals, and trace metals found across Arctic rivers, and analyze invertebrate and fish from rivers. The findings from this study will help inform on the effects of the recent changes in Arctic rivers on fishing and fish consumption and assist Arctic communities assess their vulnerability to contamination from Fe and other metals within Arctic streams.

This project aims to create ongoing opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to work in Yosemite National Park, gaining experience in park management. This project is part of the NPS Pathways to Parks program, which helps prepare students for future park employment opportunities. Internships are available in a variety of operational areas and include real-world experience in park administrative support, facilities management and operational assistance, natural and cultural resource management, visitor support, interpretation, and education. These experiences will allow students to apply their classroom knowledge to real NPS situations and learn the inside realities of park employment that will prepare them to be competitive applicants and effective future employees.