Coronado National Memorial

Grace Sparkes

Meet the national and regional winners of the 2017 Freeman Tilden Award; the National Park Service's highest award for excellence in interpretation.

When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change.

Calderas are large collapse features that can be many miles in diameter. They form during especially large eruptions when the magma chamber is partially emptied, and the ground above it collapses into the momentary void. Crater Lake and Aniakchak Crater are calderas.

Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios.

Climate is one of many ecological indicators monitored by the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Inventory & Monitoring (I&M). Climate data help scientists to understand ecosystem processes and help to explain many of the patterns and trends observed in other natural-resource monitoring. In NPS units of the American Southwest, three I&M networks monitor climate using the scientific protocol described here.

Sonoran Desert Network scientists monitor climate and groundwater in Coronado National Memorial at a weather station that has been operational since 1960 and in five groundwater wells on the park. By taking measurements of these key resources each year, we can better understand how they may be changing over time. This information helps park managers protect key resources. This report summarizes Water Year 2024 climate and groundwater data.

In the national parks of Southeast Arizona, desert plants, wildlife, and visitors all depend on reliable water sources. The Sonoran Desert Network monitors climate, springs, and streams at Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, and Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Understanding changes in these closely linked factors helps managers make informed decisions affecting natural resources. Learn about our recent findings.

At Coronado National Memorial, desert plants, wildlife, and visitors all depend on reliable water sources. The Sonoran Desert Network monitors climate, groundwater, and springs at the memorial. Understanding changes in these closely linked factors helps managers make informed decisions affecting natural resources. Learn about our recent findings.