National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Lava Beds National Monument Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/WRD/NRR—2013/726 ON THE COVER View from Schonchin Butte north of Tule Lake Basin Courtesy of Lava Beds National Monument Lava Beds National Monument Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/WRD/NRR—2013/726 Paul R. Adamus Water Resources Science Program Oregon State University Corvallis, OR and Adamus Resource Assessment, Inc. Corvallis, OR Dennis C. Odion, Gregory V. Jones, Lorin C. Groshong, Ryan Reid Department of Environmental Studies Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR Jean Krejca Zara Environmental LLC Manchaca, TX This report was prepared under Task Agreement J8W07100032 (Cooperative Agreement H8W07060001) between the National Park Service and Southern Oregon University. November 2013 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. These reports are 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. Examples of the diverse array of reports published in this series include vital signs monitoring plans; monitoring protocols; "how to" resource management papers; proceedings of resource management workshops or conferences; annual reports of resource programs or divisions of the Natural Resource Program Center; resource action plans; fact sheets; and regularly-published newsletters. 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. 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National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. ii Contents Page Figures............................................................................................................................................. v Tables ............................................................................................................................................ vii Appendices ..................................................................................................................................... ix Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... xi Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................ xiii Prologue ....................................................................................................................................... xiii 1.0 NRCA Background ................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Introduction and Resource Setting ............................................................................................ 5 3.0 Study Scoping, Design, and Implementation ............................................................................ 9 3.1 Project Responsibilities ..................................................................................................... 9 3.2 Preliminary Scoping, Framework and Information Gathering .......................................... 9 4.0 Natural Resource Conditions .................................................................................................. 13 4.1 Changes in Climate and Microclimate (Ice, Groundwater) ............................................. 13 4.1.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 13 4.1.2 Regional Context ..................................................................................................... 14 4.1.3 Issue Description ...................................................................................................... 14 4.1.4 Indicators and Criteria to Evaluate Condition and Trends ....................................... 17 4.2 Changes in Cave Geologic Features ................................................................................ 23 4.2.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 23 4.2.2 Regional Context ..................................................................................................... 29 4.2.3 Issues Description .................................................................................................... 30 4.2.4 Indicators and Criteria to Evaluate Condition and Trends ....................................... 30 4.3 Changes in Cave-dependent Species ............................................................................... 32 4.3.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 32 4.3.2 Regional Context ..................................................................................................... 33 4.3.3 Issue Description ...................................................................................................... 34 4.3.4 Indicators and Criteria to Evaluate Condition and Trends ....................................... 36 iii 4.4. Changes in Vegetation .................................................................................................... 42 4.4.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 42 4.4.2 Regional Context ..................................................................................................... 48 4.4.3 Issues Description .................................................................................................... 48 4.4.4 Indicators and Criteria to Evaluate Condition and Trends ....................................... 61 4.5 Changes in Aboveground Wildlife .................................................................................. 74 4.5.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 74 4.5.2 Regional Context ..................................................................................................... 74 4.5.3 Issues Description .................................................................................................... 74 4.5.4 Indicators and Criteria to Evaluate Condition and Trends ....................................... 76 4.6 Changes in Air Quality .................................................................................................... 88 4.6.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 88 4.6.2 Regional Context ..................................................................................................... 88 4.6.3 Issue Description ...................................................................................................... 89 4.6.4 Indicators and Criteria to Evaluate Condition and Trends ....................................... 89 4.7 Changes in the Natural Quality of the Park Experience .................................................. 92 4.7.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 92 4.7.2 Regional Context ..................................................................................................... 92 4.7.3 Issue Description ...................................................................................................... 92 4.7.4 Indicators and Criteria to Evaluate Condition and Trends