PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #17: Resource Management and Risk Assessment.
Tuesday, August 7, 2001. Presentation from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Exhibition Hall

How does "science" help resource management at Denali National Park and Preserve?

TYRRELL, LUCY¹, ADAMS, LAYNE², BOUDREAU, SUSAN¹, KARLE, KENNETH¹, McINTYRE, CAROL¹, ROLAND, CARL¹, SOUSANES, PAM¹, TWITCHELL, HOLLIS¹, ^{1 2}

ABSTRACT- Improving management of national parks through a greater reliance on scientific knowledge is a key message of the National Park Service's Natural Resource Challenge. Scientific research and resource studies have been important to Denali National Park and Preserve (Denali) for decades. Denali encompasses 2.4 million ha of largely pristine sub-arctic landscapes. Denali managers have applied science findings to: (1) develop efficient methods to inventory and monitor Denali's natural and cultural resources, and (2) make management decisions that minimize impacts on resources. Examples of how science contributes to park management include: (1) Locations for additional floristic inventories at Denali are targeted by sorting the list of plant species expected to occur in the park by geographic regions of the park, habitat (moisture) types, landscape position, and growth-form classes. (2a) Gravel to maintain Denali's 90-mile access road is excavated from a braided river using scrapes that have been determined to best mimic natural meanders. (2b) Managers evaluate influences of harvest of wolves in the park, preserve, and adjacent lands based on results of wildlife research. (2c) Studies of seasonal snow depth and density help provide guidelines for "adequate snow cover" for snowmachine use in the preserve. (2d) Predictive habitat models, which integrate habitat variables with surveyed locations of cliff-nesting raptors and of nesting and pre-staging waterfowl, help locate new visitor facilities with least impacts to avian resources.

KEY WORDS: management, resources, park, Denali