Upper Columbia Basin Inventory & Monitoring Network
National Park Service
The Upper Columbia Basin Network Inventory and Monitoring Network (UCBN) of the National Park Service conducts natural resource inventories and long-term monitoring in nine park units between the Cascade and Rocky Mountains as part of a service-wide program dedicated to developing a strong scientific foundation for stewardship and informed resource management.
The HERS lab partners closely with the UCBN, sharing staff, experience, protocols, and office space. Collaborative projects between UCBN and the HERS lab include:
• Pikas in Peril
• NW Bat Hub
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• East Cascades Native Plant Hub
• Rare plant monitoring
To learn more about UCBN Parks and Science, please visit the .
Where We Monitor
Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, Idaho
City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Idaho
Nez Perce National Park, Idaho
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
Minidoka National Historic Site, Idaho
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Washington
Big Hole National Battlefield, Montana
Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Washington
Resources We Monitor
Limber Pine
Limber pine are facing significant mortality due to dwarf mistletoe, white-pine blister rust, other native pests, extended drought, and more, making monitoring essential for developing management responses and preserving genetic diversity.
Aspen
Aspen communities, crucial for biodiversity in the Intermountain West, are declining due to changing precipitation, temperature and fire regimes, conifer encroachment, and other threats. We monitor structure, composition, and regeneration in aspen stands.
Pinyon Pine
Single-leaf pinyon pine is ecologically and culturally important, growing at the northern limits of the species’ range in Southern Idaho. Pinyon pine faces threats including pests, pathogens, competition with other species, and wildfire. We monitor stand structure and composition, along with regeneration and rates of cone production.
Sagebrush Steppe
Sagebrush steppe, the most abundant habitat in the Network, faces degradation from agricultural conversion, altered fire regimes, and invasive species. We monitor native and non-native plants to enable Parks to manage for intact sagebrush steppe systems, resulting in biotic integrity, hydrologic function, and soil stability.
Camas Lily
Camas lily is a geophyte historically vital to Indigenous People of the Pacific Northwest and significant in wetland ecosystems that we monitor to inform management decisions, with restoration efforts underway and an ongoing citizen science program involving local high school students.
Lemhi Penstemon
Lemhi penstemon is endemic to just four counties in Montana and Idaho, with the largest population found at Big Hole National Battlefield where we monitor plant populations and invasive species. Lemhi penstemon populations face declines due to fire regime changes and increasing competition from spotted knapweed and annual grasses.