Fort Union National Monument

We joined the Central Grasslands Roadmap by installing our first Motus station. It’s a step forward in protecting the fastest declining group of birds in the world.

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 change may have direct and/or indirect effects on many elements of Southern Plains network ecosystems, from streams and grasslands to fires and birds.

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.

Knowing how climate and water are changing is key to assessing the condition of park natural resources. We monitor climate and water at Fort Union National Monument as part of a larger monitoring program. Water Year 2022 was overall warmer and drier than 1991–2020 averages, and it was the third year of drought. This report summarizes Water Year 2022 climate and water data at the park.

Knowing how climate and water are changing is key to assessing the condition of park natural resources. We monitor climate and water at Fort Union National Monument as part of a larger monitoring program. This report summarizes Water Year 2023 climate and water data at the park.

Knowing how climate and water are changing is key to assessing the condition of park natural resources. We monitor climate and water at Fort Union National Monument as part of a larger monitoring program. This report summarizes Water Year 2024 climate and water data at the park.

National parks, like other publicly managed lands, are deluged by new exotic species arriving through predictable (e.g., road, trail, and riparian corridors), sudden (e.g., long distance dispersal through cargo containers and air freight), and unexpected anthropogenic pathways (e.g., weed seeds mixed in with restoration planting mixes).