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Rocky Mountain National Park

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Rocky Mountain National Park A Resource Assessment ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION JULY 2002 State of the Parks Program More than a century ago, Congress established Yellowstone as C ONTENTS the world’s first national park. That single act was the begin- ning of a remarkable and ongoing effort to protect this nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage. Summary page 1 But over the years, Americans have learned that designat- I. ALPINE WONDER 4 ing national parks does not automatically ensure the well being of the resources parks are meant to protect and the his- II. ROCKY MOUNTAIN ASSESSMENT 6 tory those resources represent. Many parks are threatened by incompatible development of adjacent lands, air and water Natural Resources 7 pollution, skyrocketing visitation, and rapid increases in Native Biodiversity 7 motorized recreation. Historic structures suffer from deterio- Terrestrial Communities and Systems 9 ration. Most cultural landscapes have yet to be adequately Freshwater Communities and Systems 12 inventoried. Only a small part—usually less than 10 percent—of the Cultural Resources 14 National Park Service budget each year is earmarked for man- History and Historic Structures 14 agement of natural, historical, and cultural resources. And in Collections and Archives 16 most years, only about 7 percent of permanent park employ- Archaeological Sites 17 ees work in jobs directly related to preserving park resources. The National Parks Conservation Association initiated Ethnography 18 the State of the Parks program in 2000 to assess the condition Cultural Landscapes 19 of natural and cultural resources in the parks, forecast the like- Stewardship Capacity 20 ly future condition of those resources, and determine how well equipped the National Park Service is to protect the Funding and Staffing 20 park—its stewardship capacity. Planning 21 The goal is to provide information that will help policy- External Support 22 makers and the National Park Service improve conditions in the national parks and ensure a lasting legacy for future III. RECOMMENDATIONS 25 generations. Natural Resources 25 Cultural Resources 26 Stewardship Capacity 28 The National Parks Conservation Association, established in 1919, is America’s Appendix: Assessment Process 29 only private, nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated solely to protecting, preserving, and Acknowledgments 31 enhancing the U.S. National Park System for present and future generations by identifying prob- lems and generating support to resolve them. ● 350,000+ members ● 8 regional offices ● 68,000 local activists The findings of this report are not solely reflective of past or current park management. Many factors that affect resource conditions are a result of both natural and human influences over long periods of time, in many cases before a park was established. The intent of the State of the Parks program is to document the present status of park resources and determine what actions can be taken to protect them for future generations. COVER PHOTO: SCOTT SMITH ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK A Resource Assessment Summary DENVER Rocky Mountain Rocky Mountain National Park stands National Park as a prominent reminder of the natural, COLORADO historical, and cultural potential of the C National Park System. This park’s beau- a c Site of h e McGraw tiful but rugged and unforgiving land- Lulu City L Ranch scapes harbor hundreds of high-eleva- Alpine a P The Visitor o u tion plant and animal species—some Grand Center d r that are increasingly rare outside the Ditch e Beaver Meadows Headquarters park or found nowhere else. Some of Fall River 43 T and Visitor Center o rail Visitor the park’s human-made structures d B Rid a ig ge Center r d T Roa 34 bespeak the boom-and-bust cycles and o ho ol m C ps Estes Park never-ending search for adequate water on 36 supplies that characterized the nation’s Holzwarth 36 westward expansion. Never Rocky Summer Moraine Park Ranch 66 William Allen As is true of most national parks, Rocky 34 White Historic Mountain District k Mountain faces pressures that threaten r Kawuneeche o F Visitor Center Bear Lake Lily Lake to diminish its splendor and impor- . 7 Visitor tance to posterity. This report docu- N National Center ments many of those pressures and rec- Grand Lake ommends measures to improve natural Park Long’s Peak and cultural resource conditions as well Shadow Grand Lake N. n Mountain Fork rai as the park’s stewardship capacity. The Lake St. V report is the third in a series of four Deerhaven L a Lodge assessments issued during the test phase k e 7 of the State of the Parks program. G ra n by The assessment of Rocky Mountain 0 2 Miles 72 National Park concluded that on a scale of 0 to 100, the condition of the park’s known natural resources rates 75. Among the findings: unnaturally high elk populations ♦ Non-native invasive species edge out ♦ The park lacks vital scientific data and overgrazing of the willow com- many native species, such as moss on the population structure and munities in the animals’ primary campion and native grasses. dynamics of an array of vertebrate winter range. ♦ Visibility in the park is somewhat species, including black bear, bob- ♦ Decades of fire suppression in the impaired 90 percent of the time cat, mountain lion, and coyote and lower elevations of the park have because of both natural and human- more than 45 species of birds and caused an increase in fuel loads and made particulates caused by, among many species of bats. a reduction in the number of other sources, forest fires and pollu- ♦ Many of the park’s top predators are canopy openings needed for aspen tion. Sensitive plants face increased now gone, which has led, in part, to regeneration. incidences of harmful ozone levels. 1 And a build-up of nitrogen in soils, tect resources in the park (described ♦ Secure funding and expand support plants, and high-altitude lakes along further on page 20)—rates 77. The for more research and monitoring the eastern portion of the park may park is somewhat underfunded, but sites, such as those in PRIMENet lead to problems with nutrient congressional support for the federal (Park Research and Intensive deficiencies in terrestrial plants and Natural Resource Challenge has sup- Monitoring of Ecosystems Network), metal toxicities in freshwater plied money for research and resource in the western United States to organisms. management activities. Additional ensure vital long-term monitoring funds have been secured from the of air quality in sensitive, high-eleva- The condition of the park’s known cul- Recreation Fee Demonstration Program. tion ecosystems. tural resources rates 67. Among the The park also enjoys outstanding local ♦ Complete historic resource studies. findings: support through volunteers, partner- ♦ Finish the park’s ethnographic ♦ The park lacks resource studies of ships, and work with the adjacent overview and assessment and use the historic structures and major histor- community of Estes Park to address resulting information. ical themes—mining, ranching, and resource issues of common concern. ♦ Document the 15 identified cultur- resorts, which hinders the park’s However, the park’s Master Plan is 26 al landscapes. interpretive services and the staff’s years old, and the park lacks specific ♦ Add to museum storage facilities. ability to protect historic resources. resource management plans that would ♦ Complete National Register of ♦ The park needs a completed ethno- guide resource protection and alloca- Historic Places documentation and graphic overview and assessment. tion of funding and staffing. condition reports for historic ♦ Only one of the park’s 15 identified structures. cultural landscapes has been thor- Recommendations ♦ Transcribe and preserve oral history oughly documented. Among the recommendations targeted tapes. ♦ The park lacks scientific informa- to improve resource conditions and ♦ Increase law enforcement efforts to tion from excavations, which severe- stewardship: eliminate the looting of artifacts and ly limits management and interpre- ♦ Secure the resources needed to vandalism at archaeological sites. tation of prehistoric archaeological develop an elk and vegetation man- ♦ Update the park’s 1976 Master Plan, sites. agement plan as soon as possible and providing appropriate guidance for ♦ If funding is not approved for addi- accelerate the planning process. the park’s current and future chal- tional space, the park will not have ♦ Conduct studies of key vertebrate lenges. adequate storage for museum collec- populations. tions and archival materials. ♦ Develop a park policy for manag- To accomplish these and other impor- ♦ The park’s American Indian and ing the effects of chronic wasting tant tasks, increased funding and Euro American oral history program disease. staffing are essential. The recommenda- needs to be completed. ♦ Expand funding and support for tions, if implemented, will help to strategic planning to address wildfire ensure that Rocky Mountain National The park’s stewardship capacity—the hazards on a geographic basis, both Park remains a vibrant part of our nat- ability of Rocky Mountain staff to pro- within and outside the park. ural, cultural, and historical legacy. 2 EVALUATION OF CONDITIONS AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK CATEGORY CURRENT CONDITIONS FORECAST (SCALE: 0 TO 100) Natural resource conditions overall 75 overall Native biodiversity 89 Terrestrial communities and systems 75 Freshwater communities and systems 60 Cultural resource conditions overall 67 overall History and historic structures 84 Collections and archives 74 Archaeological sites 78 Ethnography 47 Cultural landscapes 53 Stewardship capacity overall 77 Funding and staffing 82 Planning 45 External support 94 The State of the Parks program rated current conditions at Rocky Mountain National Park and forecasted likely future conditions. “Flat arrows” indicate that no major changes are forecast for the next ten years. “Down arrows” indicate likely deterioration of conditions over the next decade. “Up arrows” indicate likely improvement. 3 I. Alpine Wonder Rocky Mountain National Park brings pure joy to the human spirit.
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