AND 

Thank you for taking time to complete this survey for the Vital Signs Monitoring project.  It is shorter than Round 1 and should only take you only about 15 minutes to complete.

If you are not familiar with this project you can read additional background information about our process and review the definitions of key terms that you will encounter in the survey by clicking here.

What does this survey entail? 

Overall, the project involves three rounds of questions that progress from very general to more specific. In the first round (Round 1), we asked resource experts to identify what they consider to be the most important resource components, conditions, or processes that should be monitored. The results have been used to compile a comprehensive list. Now in this survey, Round 2, we ask you to rank order these based upon what you think are the best things to monitor. In the final round, those indicators emerging as the top priorities within each resource area will be systematically evaluated according to criteria of what constitutes a good indicator for the Vital Signs Monitoring program.

  Vital Signs Monitoring: The goal of “Vital Signs” monitoring is to be able to assess the basic health or integrity of park ecosystems and to be able to formulate management actions whenever necessary to maintain the integrity of those ecosystems.

You can be assured of complete confidentiality. The data you submit will be summarized and your name will not be associated with any of your answers.

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Background Information on the Vital Signs Monitoring survey process:

What is Vital Signs Monitoring and how does this survey process fit in? 

This project is part of a larger process to identify and implement monitoring of critical “vital signs” of national park health. This component solicits expert opinion about monitoring needs. Other components include

• documenting the history of monitoring efforts within each park,

• incorporation of recommendations from a Science Advisory Committee, and

• final selection of monitoring models and/or methods.  

	Round 1
	Round 2
	Round 3

A detailed discussion of National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring program, including Vital Signs Monitoring, can be viewed at http://www.nature.nps.gov/im/  or http://www.nature.nps.gov/im/monitor/handbook.htm 

How are we using terminology?

Monitoring: Monitoring involves carefully designed programs intended to track and evaluate the condition of specifically designated resources. Natural resource monitoring is conducted to:

1. Detect significant changes in resource abundance, condition, population structure, or ecological processes;

2. Develop information on linkages between changes in resource conditions and their causes;

3. Provide field validation for and modeling efforts associated with monitoring;  and

4. Evaluate the effects of some management action on population or community dynamics or ecological processes.

Vital Signs are key elements that indicate the health of an ecosystem.  Vital signs may occur at any level of organization including landscape, community, population or genetic levels. They may be compositional (based upon constituent elements of the system), structural (based upon the organization of the system), or functional (based upon ecological processes).

        Vital signs can be any measurable feature of the environment that provides insights into the state of the ecosystem. They are things that:

• Identify status and trends of ecosystem health

• Define normal limits of variation

• Provide early warning of situations that require intervention

• Suggest remedial treatments and frame research hypotheses

• Determine compliance with laws and regulations

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