National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Pecos National Historical Park Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/PECO/NRR—2011/441 ON THE COVER Grassland at Pecos National Historical Park. Photograph by: NPS. Pecos National Historical Park Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/PECO/NRR—2011/441 Authors Kristine Johnson Natural Heritage New Mexico Biology Department, MSC03 2020 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 Teri Neville Natural Heritage New Mexico Biology Department, MSC03 2020 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 Jacqueline Smith Natural Heritage New Mexico Biology Department, MSC03 2020 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 August 2011 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received informal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available from Southern Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sopn/) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). Please cite this publication as: Johnson, K., T. Neville, and J. Smith. 2011. Pecos National Historical Park: Natural Resource Condition Assessment. Natural Resource Report NPS/PECO/NRR—2011/441. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 430/109564, August 2011 ii Contents Page Figures............................................................................................................................................ xi Tables ........................................................................................................................................... xiii Appendices .................................................................................................................................... xv Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... xvii Prologue ....................................................................................................................................... xix 1 Introduction and Resource Setting ............................................................................................... 1 1.1 Natural Resource Condition Assessment Background Information .................................. 1 1.2 Introduction to Pecos National Historical Park ................................................................. 1 1.2.1 Enabling Legislation and Management Guidance .................................................... 1 1.2.2 Geographic Setting .................................................................................................... 4 1.2.3 Cultural Setting .......................................................................................................... 4 1.2.4 Visitation Statistics..................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Natural Resources .............................................................................................................. 4 1.3.1 Resource Descriptions ............................................................................................... 5 1.4 Resource Issues Overview: Threats and Stressors ............................................................. 9 1.4.1 Climate Change ......................................................................................................... 9 1.4.2 Exotic Species ............................................................................................................ 9 1.4.3 Water Pollutants ........................................................................................................ 9 1.4.4 Human Impacts/Adjacent Land Use ........................................................................ 10 1.5 Resource Stewardship ...................................................................................................... 10 1.5.1 Management Directives and Planning Guidance .................................................... 10 1.5.2 Status of Supporting Science .................................................................................... 10 1.6 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................ 11 iii Contents (continued) Page 2 Study Scoping and Design ......................................................................................................... 13 2.1 Preliminary Scoping ........................................................................................................ 13 2.1.1 Reporting Units ........................................................................................................ 15 2.1.2 Primary Management and Interpretive Themes ...................................................... 16 2.1.3 Study Priorities: Resources and Indicators ............................................................. 18 2.2 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................ 22 3 Natural Resource Conditions ..................................................................................................... 23 3.1 Air Quality ....................................................................................................................... 24 3.1.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 24 3.1.2 Data and Methods .................................................................................................... 27 3.1.3 Reference Conditions ............................................................................................... 27 3.1.4 Resource Description ............................................................................................... 28 3.1.5 Condition of Data .................................................................................................... 29 3.1.6 Data Gaps ................................................................................................................ 29 3.1.7 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................ 29 3.2 Night Skies....................................................................................................................... 31 3.2.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 31 3.2.2 Data and Methods .................................................................................................... 32 3.2.3 Reference Conditions ............................................................................................... 32 3.2.4 Condition of Data .................................................................................................... 32 3.2.5 Data Gaps ................................................................................................................ 32 3.2.6 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................ 32 3.3 Soundscapes ..................................................................................................................... 33 iv Contents (continued) Page 3.3.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 33 3.3.2 Data and Methods .................................................................................................... 36 3.3.3 Reference Conditions ............................................................................................... 37 3.3.4 Resource Description ............................................................................................... 37 3.3.5 Condition of Data .................................................................................................... 39 3.3.6 Data Gaps ...............................................................................................................