Pea Ridge National Military Park

Earl Van Dorn

Sterling Price

Scientists track aquatic invertebrates to assess water quality. Invertebrates include insect larvae, worms, crayfish, and other animals without backbones.

Birds are an important part of the world we live in. They eat pests, disperse seeds, pollinate plants, feed us, and provide us with activities.

Birds are great indicators of environmental change. The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network has monitored the diverse bird community at Pea Ridge National Military Park since 2008 to understand how it may be changing over time. Knowing how birds are doing helps us protect park habitat.

Behind the scenes at every NPS memorial site, a team of preservation professionals works to plan, design, and specify the type of treatment that is needed to preserve the physical place and the associated memories. Here are just a few examples of commemorative landscapes in the Midwest Region along with their treatment documents.

The somber aftermath of Civil War battles introduced Americans--North and South--to death on an unprecedented scale and of an unnatural kind, often ending in an unmarked grave far from home. Neither individuals, nor institutions, nor governments were prepared to deal with death on such a massive scale, for never before or since have we killed so many of our own. The Civil War revolutionized the American military's approach to caring for the dead, leading to our modern cult

The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network surveys for deer using nighttime spotlight surveys. Monitoring deer populations helps us understand how they may be changing over time.

The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network has monitored deer at Pea Ridge National Military Park since 2005. Deer are charismatic creatures that were nearly extinct in the early 1900s. Now deer overpopulation is a significant problem that can lead to overbrowsing of park trees and other plants, increasing deer-vehicle collisions, and the spread of disease. We monitor deer to help the park make management decisions that protect deer, park ecosystems, and people.

The Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) worked with Midwest Region Fire Program to design and carry out experiments to collect information about the effects of fire on various classes of archeological materials. The goals of this project were to assess the fire/archeology interface to provide managers of Midwestern parks with information that will aid in decision-making concerning the stewardship of archeological and natural resources.