National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Denali National Park and Preserve Denali National Park and Preserve Center for Resources, Science, and Learning Headquarters, 1947 Headquarters, 2004 Courtesy of Harpers Ferry Center Courtesy of National Park Service Summary of Current Resource Projects 2007 All photos courtesy of National Park Service, unless otherwise indicated. Table of Contents ½ Natural Resources ¾ ...................................................................................................................1 Integrated Programs and Findings .............................................................................................1 Central Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) at Denali ...............................1 Denali’s Resource Stewardship Strategy ...........................................................................3 Denali Park Road Capacity Study......................................................................................4 International Polar Year (IPY) Activities at Denali...........................................................9 Alaska Park Science Symposium Held at Denali ............................................................10 Effects of Climate Change at Denali................................................................................10 Plants/Vegetation .....................................................................................................................12 Long-term Vegetation Monitoring...................................................................................12 Removal of Exotic (Non-native) Plants ...........................................................................13 Revegetation of Construction/Disturbed Sites.................................................................14 Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) Impacts ...................................................................................14 Monitoring Dust Palliatives on the Park Road.................................................................15 Wildland Fire ...........................................................................................................................15 Monitoring Wildland Fires...............................................................................................15 Creating Defensible Space Around Structures.................................................................16 Utilizing Satellite Imagery to Estimate Burn Severity.....................................................16 Videography Landcover Reclassification and Moose Browse Utilization ......................17 Fire Education ..................................................................................................................18 Wildlife ....................................................................................................................................19 Keep Wildlife Wild..........................................................................................................19 Bears.................................................................................................................................19 Bear Management ............................................................................................................20 Aerial Moose Survey........................................................................................................21 Wolves .............................................................................................................................23 Caribou.............................................................................................................................24 Small Mammal Monitoring..............................................................................................26 Small Mammal Inventory ................................................................................................27 Birds .................................................................................................................................28 Freshwater Fish Inventory ...............................................................................................33 Wood Frog Surveys .........................................................................................................33 Physical Resources...................................................................................................................34 Parkwide Climate Monitoring..........................................................................................34 Weather Station on Mt. McKinley...................................................................................35 Weather Monitoring at Park Headquarters ......................................................................36 Snow Surveys...................................................................................................................38 Snowpack Characterization..............................................................................................39 Air Quality Monitoring ....................................................................................................39 Toxic Airborne Contaminant Assessment .......................................................................40 Monitoring Landslide at Mile Post 45 .............................................................................40 Paleontological Survey of the Lower Cantwell Formation..............................................42 Field Class for Geologic Mapping...................................................................................42 Mining Issues ...................................................................................................................43 i Reclamation of Disturbed Areas—Glen Creek................................................................43 Soundscape Inventory and Monitoring Program .............................................................43 Water Resource Management Plan Development............................................................44 Permafrost Monitoring.....................................................................................................45 Wonder Lake Water Quality and Limnology Study ........................................................45 Historic Photos of Glaciers ..............................................................................................46 Muldrow Glacier Monitoring...........................................................................................47 Long-term Glacier Monitoring.........................................................................................47 Seismic Monitoring..........................................................................................................48 ½ Social Sciences ¾ .....................................................................................................................48 Visitor-related Projects.....................................................................................................48 ½ Subsistence ¾............................................................................................................................49 Changes in Staff ...............................................................................................................49 Traditional Subsistence Access Review for the Cantwell Area.......................................49 Kantishna River Fall Chum Salmon Stock Assessment ..................................................50 Aerial Fisheries Salmon Surveys .....................................................................................51 ½ Cultural Resources ¾................................................................................................................51 Denali’s Historic Resources and National Register.........................................................51 Eielson Visitor Center and the National Register of Historic Places...............................51 Historical Research and Oral History ..............................................................................52 Archeology.......................................................................................................................53 Museum Collection..........................................................................................................53 ½ Research Support ¾ ..................................................................................................................54 Geographic Information System ......................................................................................54 Research Administration..................................................................................................54 Fact Sheets about Denali Research and Resources..........................................................55 ½ Brief Synopsis of Research Findings in 2006 ¾.......................................................................56 ½ Murie Science and Learning Center ¾ .....................................................................................65 Background ......................................................................................................................65 Programs ..........................................................................................................................66 ii ½ Natural Resources ¾ Integrated Programs and Findings Central Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) at Denali The Central Alaska Network (CAKN) includes three national parks that encompass