Download NPN-NPS Collaboration - USA National Phenology Network

A Strategy and Action Plan for Developing an USA-NPN/NPS Collaboration for
Monitoring Phenology
18 March 2009
Background and purpose
Phenology is the study of the timing of plant and animal life cycle events and how these events are
influenced by climate variation. Phenological changes are the most pervasive and profound ecological
events that regularly occur in many ecosystems, and phenology is a sensitive indicator of environmental
conditions. In this era of rapid climatic change, changes in phenology are early and easily communicated
indications of the expanding effects of climate change (IPCC 2007).
The NPS and USA-NPN share goals to understand, communicate, and respond to phenological patterns,
especially as these patterns change in response to rapid climate change and as they affect park
resources. Many opportunities for NPS/USA-NPN collaborations exist, and this document articulates a
long-term plan for developing relationships and activities that will encourage and facilitate mutually
beneficial activities between NPS and USA-NPN.
Vision
USA-NPN and NPS will collaborate in monitoring phenology across park units, and in the evaluation,
interpretation, and communication of results. This partnership will significantly contribute to our
understanding of the response of plants, animals, and landscapes to environmental variation, including
rapid climate change. The knowledge obtained will be effectively shared with park managers, visitors,
staff, and scientists, and provide a clear and direct means for communicating the immediate and
influences of a changing climate. Observed trends in phenology will inform decisions on the
management of park resources and facilitate appropriate management response to rapid climate
changes.
Strategic Emphasis Areas
Developments are needed in three critical areas to establish and sustain a long-term partnership
between USA-NPN and NPS (and other organizations). These are:
Monitoring and research (science): The core activities of the partnership are to establish widespread
monitoring of plant, animal and landscape phenology, using methods and procedures consistent with
USA-NPN guidance. A tight synergistic relationship between routine monitoring and research should be
encouraged. Parks contain some of the most protected and unaltered landscapes that can serve as
‘baseline areas’. The partnership will thus promote the use of parks as “listening posts” for conducting
phenological research, and engage USA-NPN and NPS staff in scientific studies that contribute to park
management and to the broader scientific community.
Information management: Phenological observations are most effective when they are aggregated
into large data sets that facilitate detection and analysis of trends over long times and broad areas. NPS
can contribute to and benefit from the national-scale focus of the USA-NPN by contributing observations
to USA-NPN, and using the aggregate data to interpret results. Shared phenological observations across
NPS, USA-NPN, and the wider scientific community benefits all partners involved in phenological
monitoring. The information management system must facilitate routine ingestion of observation via
electronic files or web-based entry forms, provide for simple data visualization and display, and allow
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NPS staff to retrieve data in a format that is promotes their use. In addition, the system needs to
provide for storage and retrieval of supporting documents such as species lists, protocols, and reports.
Communications: A comprehensive communications program facilitates the transformation of data and
results into information and knowledge. A successful communications program will use park-based and
other observations to educate park visitors and staff about the importance of natural resources, climate
change, the timing of phenological events, and linkages between organisms and their environment.
These materials should inspire park visitors and volunteers to become involved in the collection of
phenological data. The communications program will be fully integrated with other activities, so data
and information are provided to the right people, at the right time, in the right format.
Principles and Objectives for Implementation
Given the size and complexity of the NPS and USA-NPN, we will need to embrace a multifaceted
approach that promotes and facilitates individual initiatives. Operational principles that will nurture the
relationship are to:
 Communicate regularly and attempt to keep the points of contact informed of related activities.
 Use or create products, processes, and methods that are general, facilitate reuse, and that
contribute to the broader goals of the partners. This may include identifying and documenting
standards or following established guidelines.
 Leverage strengths. Document roles, responsibilities and expectations.
Implementation Approach
Implementation will be both strategic and opportunistic. This plan will help identify priority actions that
USA-NPN and NPS staff can actively promote and support, but field efforts – the heart of the partnership
– will rely on support and good will from collaborators. These opportunistic field activities must be used
to develop relationships, generate results and products, and demonstrate success. The specific
requirements of field opportunities (e.g., for northeastern species lists) should, to some extent, drive the
more specific activities that are (for the most part) not described below.
Currently, there are two active partnerships that we should be certain to support:
1. A collaborative effort among NETN, APPA, ACAD, Appalachian Mountain Club, MEGA Transect,
Appalachian Trail Conservancy, The Wildlife Society, and USA-NPN
2. Interest in phenology monitoring in CA led by the GB-CESU (Angie Evenden)
Monitoring and Research
Establish wide-spread monitoring of phenology in NPS units, using methods and procedures
consistent with USA-NPN guidance. Promote and establish phenological research in parks,
and the use of parks as scientific ‘listening posts’.
General implementation: To achieve this goal, USA-NPN needs to provide guidance on the species to be
observed and protocols for making the observations. Given the breadth of potential observers and
users of the data, the procedures (eventually) should be suitable for more casual observers as well as
researchers and professional monitoring staff.
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A broad support base will be necessary to establish and sustain phenological monitoring and research in
parks. Within NPS, the I&M Program, Research Learning Centers, and Cooperative Ecosystem Studies
Units provide key points of contacts and opportunities for engaging NPS staff. Connections to other
programs will be essential to support research. These may include the emerging Climate Effects
Network, EPA monitoring and assessment, NSF studies, or other sources of support.
Objective MR-1: Facilitate use of USA-NPN methods by I&M Networks and other NPS
scientists by providing guidance on species to observe and methods for observation that can
be easily incorporated into an existing monitoring program.
Priority Task or Action
H
M
M
L
H
M
L
M
M
H
Lead Status
Engage NPS staff in reviewing USA-NPN plant species list; add
locally important plants as appropriate
 Identify priority regions for evaluating list
 Obtain NPS review of lists and suggestions for additional
species (need to do by region)
Draft protocol narrative for NPS use (can get from elsewhere)
Identify and/or draft monitoring protocols and standard
operating procedures (SOPs) that USA-NPN promotes and
supports as standards for observing species on lists.
 Draft data sheets and local databases to support USANPN protocols
NPN
 Revise / modify protocols to NPS format.
Develop evaluation and reporting SOPs
?
NPS

Distribute example products and scripts to generate
results
Identify I&M Networks most likely to contribute to or adopt
phenology monitoring
NPN
NPS
NPS
NPN
NPS
Will begin with
NETN effort in
summer ‘08
NPN datasheets
available; will be
tested in NETN
effort in summer
‘08
Will begin with
NETN effort in
summer ‘08
NPS
NPS
Done – APPA,
SIEN; then GLKN
and maybe AK.
Objective MR1-2: Promote collection and recording of phenological observations by parkbased staff, volunteers, citizen scientists, and others.
Priority Task or Action
Lead
Prepare and distribute educational/training materials that
describe USA-NPN plant monitoring protocols, species
identification, and recording observations. Includes hardcopy (or
electronic) manuals, presentations, and supporting materials.
Develop materials to train park staff or other volunteer leaders
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Status
NPS? BudBurst
materials
available. NPN to
expand materials
in ’09 and ’10.
NPS? NPS does not
so they can train others in monitoring methods
Develop pilot program to test materials
NPS
Identify and promote cultural and historical connections
between phenological patterns or focal plants (e.g., lilacs were
planted by early homesteaders). How have seasons changed?
Support development of phenology-related research projects in
parks
have expertise.
(underway via
BudBurst and CA
parks)
Local
opportunities
being explored in
IN Dunes NL
Objective MR-3: Promote the use of parks as “listening posts” for monitoring and as
phenological research sites. Engage USA-NPN and NPS staff in scientific studies that
contribute to park management and the broader scientific community by encouraging
phenology-related research opportunities within park units.
Priority Task or Action
Lead
Inform Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units (CESU)
coordinators about USA-NPN and opportunities to contribute to
program.

Identify best opportunities. Angie (CA CESU) is
promoting BudBurst and USA-NPN. What programs can
CESUs support?
Inform Research Learning Center Directors about USA-NPN and
opportunities to contribute to program.
Status
NPS? CA CESU working
to implement
NPN and
Budburst
protocols in CA
parks as
appropriate
both
NPS
Introduced;
needs followup.
Conversations
begun with Great
Lakes Research
and Education
Center
Information Management (IM)
Share phenological observations and information across NPS, USA-NPN, and the wider
scientific community in a way that is efficient and benefits all participants.
A focused information management system (IMS) provides the core framework that distinguishes USANPN from other phenological monitoring activities and organizations. The IMS needs to provide for data
management (data ingest, QA/QC, summary analyses, data reporting, graphics, etc.) and it needs to
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support virtually all other collaborative tasks by storing documents, communications, and all sorts of
other information. The IMS includes web services and web site hosting, database management, and
some aspects of data processing and analysis.
Objective IM-1. Provide framework to ensure consistency in obtaining and managing
observation data.
Priority Task or Action
H
VH
H
Define minimal and full metadata requirement for posting data to
the USA-NPN database.
 Develop script to translate NPS metadata to USA-NPN
format
Publish data dictionary with field names, data types and
specifications, units, etc so data can be transferred from USANPN to NPS.
 Develop database founded on NRDT and consistent with
USA-NPN standards for recording phenological
observations
H

M

M
?
M
Lead Status
Publish tested protocol for electronic transfer of data
into USA-NPN database
Develop, test, and document scripts to export data in
USA-NPN-compatible format
Develop streamlined process to export / import data from USANPN to NPS to add value to NPS observations
Develop overall ‘Data management handbook’ that either
includes all the relevant information or that makes it easy to find
Develop process for ingesting historical (legacy) datasets into
USA-NPN database
NPN
NPS
NPN
NPS
NPN
May begin with
NETN effort in
summer ’08 or
pilot in CA
May begin with
NETN effort in
summer ’08 or
pilot in CA
NPS
NPN
?
NPN
Objective IM-2. Provide one-stop-shop for information that supports phenological
monitoring by NPS and other similar organizations.
Priority Task or Action
VH
VH
Lead Status
Develop ‘how to observe’ guidelines
Post plant phenology protocols on USA-NPN website
NPN
NPN
Post training materials for how to take phenology observations
on USA-NPN website
NPN
Develop mechanism for parks or individuals to share existing
NPN
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Complete
Complete for
plants currently
on NPN list
Materials first
need to be
developed
datasets
Communications, Education and Outreach (CEO)
Widely disseminate information and knowledge of the importance and management
implications of phenology, results from phenological monitoring and research, and the
benefits of collaboration between USA-NPN, NPS, and others.
Communications includes activities across academic, technical, and public audiences. This area is
concerned primarily with creating or making accessible information content, while the IMS needs to
provide infrastructure for displaying and serving the products. A key challenge will be to generate the
information since there are well-established methods for dissemination within and across NPS. The
Office of Education and Outreach, the Research Learning Centers, and the Cooperative Ecosystem
Studies Units will likely be key participants in these activities.
Objective CEO-1: Facilitate timely transfer of data interpretations and key messages.
Priority Task or Action
Lead Status
?
Develop communications plan that targets key audiences,
product formats, and frequency.
M
M
 Locate and distribute good examples of products
Identify existing NPS mechanisms for communicating
phenological information and the requirements to use these
mechanisms (dates, formats, content, etc). Develop a plan using
these to disseminate information and promote phenological
monitoring.
Coordinate with NPS Climate Change Program to promote
phenological observations as climate change indicators.
Who will create
products? Lots of
work.
All
NPS
(done; I lead the
science group)
Objective CEO-2: Provide stimulating information to park staff and visitors about phenology,
its importance to park resources, and about the National Phenology Network.
Priority Task or Action
VH
Give presentations at GWS and other meetings attended by
NPS
Make available ‘fact sheets’ for widespread distribution
Develop interpretative and education programs for park staff
(USA-NPN has expertise; NPS can help with design and
production)
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Lead
Status
NPN
NPN has a fact
sheet – need to
get into NPS
format?
Both
Identify and package key messages to be communicated by
park staff (e.g., what is phenology; why do we care; what can
phenology data tell us); provide with some specific examples
(e.g., spring bloom advancement; lake ice break-up
advancement; asynchrony in pollinators/nectar plants)
Develop template for park- or region-specific fact sheets
highlighting trends or other results from phenological
monitoring (perhaps follow Yellowstone examples)


Articulate a number of park issues related to
phenology
ID contact people in parks to distribute
NPN
Both
Lucy Terrell of
Denali NP has
expressed
interest in
working on this
(would need
salary)
NPS/Both
NPS
Key Contacts
Activity
Key Organization POC
Membership
Responsibilities
Theresa Crimmins (USA-NPN)
[email protected]
(520) 792-0481
John Gross (NPS)
[email protected]
(970) 267-2111
Species lists; protocols
Education / Outreach
Jake Weltzin (USA-NPN)
[email protected]
(520) 626-3821
Kathryn Thomas (USA-NPN)
[email protected]
(520) 670-5534
Abe Miller-Rushing (USA-NPN)
[email protected]
phone
Angie Evenden (NPS)
[email protected]
(775) 784-4616
Ben Becker (NPS)
[email protected]
(415) 464-5247
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1.
2.
3.
4.
First POC; ‘traffic director’
Develop high-level plan
Recruit help from organization
Maintain communications with
topic/major area leads.
1. Provide access to and advice on
species lists.
1. Help achieve Communications goals.
Activity
Membership
Responsibilities
This document is intended to be updated quarterly by USA-NPN staff (T. Crimmins) and redistributed on
an annual basis.
References
IPCC, 2007: Technical Summary. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds.,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 23-78.
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