National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Pipestone National Monument Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/PIPE/NRR—2016/1106 ON THE COVER Active pipestone quarry surrounded by prairie, Pipestone National Monument Photograph by Dave Jones, Colorado State University Pipestone National Monument Natural Resource Condition Assessment Natural Resource Report NPS/PIPE/NRR—2016/1106 David S. Jones1, Roy Cook1, John Sovell2, Christopher Herron1, Jay Benner1, Karin Decker2, Steven Sherman1, Andrew Beavers1, Johannes Beebee3, and David Weinzimmer1 1Colorado State University CEMML – Department 1490 Warner College of Natural Resources Fort Collins, CO 80523-1490 2 Colorado State University Colorado Natural Heritage Program Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Warner College of Natural Resources Fort Collins, CO 80523 3 Colorado State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering Fort Collins, CO 80523 January 2016 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 comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service. The series supports the advancement of science, informed decision-making, and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series also provides a forum for presenting more lengthy results that may not be accepted by publications with page limitations. 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 formal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data, and whose background and expertise put them on par technically and scientifically with the authors of the information. 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 the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network website (http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/htln/) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Jones, D. S., R. Cook, J. Sovell, C. Herron, J. Benner, K. Decker, S. Sherman, A. Beavers, J. Beebee and D. Weinzimmer. 2015. Pipestone National Monument natural resource condition assessment. Natural Resource Report NPS/PIPE/NRR—2016/1106. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 372/131038, January 2016 ii Contents Page Figures................................................................................................................................................... xi Tables .................................................................................................................................................. xix Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................... xxv 1. NRCA Background Information .................................................................................................... 1 2. Introduction and Resource Setting ................................................................................................. 5 2.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.1.1. Enabling Legislation/Presidential Proclamation ................................................... 5 2.1.2. Geographic Setting ............................................................................................... 6 2.1.3. Monument Significance ........................................................................................ 6 2.1.4. Ethnographic Resources and Cultural Use ........................................................... 9 2.1.5. Park History ........................................................................................................ 11 2.1.6. Visitation Statistics ............................................................................................. 12 2.2. Natural Resources ............................................................................................................ 14 2.2.1. Climate ................................................................................................................ 14 2.2.2. Geology and Soils ............................................................................................... 14 2.2.3. Hydrology ........................................................................................................... 15 2.2.4. Air Quality .......................................................................................................... 15 2.2.5. Land Use ............................................................................................................. 15 2.2.6. Wildlife ............................................................................................................... 16 2.2.7. Vegetation ........................................................................................................... 16 2.3. Resource Stewardship ...................................................................................................... 17 2.3.1. Management Directives and Planning Guidance ................................................ 17 2.3.2. Overview of Resource Management Concerns .................................................. 19 2.3.3. Status of Supporting Science .............................................................................. 21 2.4. Literature Cited ................................................................................................................ 22 3. Study Scoping and Design............................................................................................................ 25 3.1. Preliminary Scoping ......................................................................................................... 25 3.2. Study Design .................................................................................................................... 26 iii Contents (continued) Page 3.2.1. Indicator Framework, Focal Resources and Indicators ...................................... 26 3.2.2. Reporting Areas .................................................................................................. 26 3.2.3. General Approach and Methods ......................................................................... 29 3.3. Literature Cited ................................................................................................................ 35 4. Natural Resource Conditions ........................................................................................................ 37 4.1. Chapter 4 Contents ........................................................................................................... 37 4.2. Land Cover and Land Use ............................................................................................... 38 4.2.1. Background and Importance ............................................................................... 38 4.2.2. Data and Methods ............................................................................................... 39 4.2.3. Condition and Trend ........................................................................................... 43 4.2.4. Uncertainty and Data Gaps ................................................................................. 61 4.2.5. Sources of Expertise ........................................................................................... 63 4.2.6. Literature Cited ................................................................................................... 63 4.3. Night Sky ......................................................................................................................... 66 4.3.1. Background and Importance ............................................................................... 66 4.3.2. Data and Methods ............................................................................................... 67 4.3.3. Reference Conditions ......................................................................................... 68 4.3.4. Condition and Trend ........................................................................................... 68 4.3.5. Uncertainty and Data Gaps ................................................................................. 69 4.3.6. Sources of Expertise ..........................................................................................