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Parks Stewardship Forum
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Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 2688-187X
Published by eScholarship

[72 journals]

Climate change and cultural resources: Navigating a precarious future
- Abstract: Parks around the world contain abundant examples of how climate change is affecting the resources within. Here in the United States, climate change is giving a new urgency to the National Park Service (NPS) mandate to preserve places that tell the story of our country’s vast geography and complex history “for the benefit of future generations.” Specialists focusing on preserving historic structures, monuments, museum collections, archaeological sites, and other cultural resources are increasingly called upon to address the consequences of a changing climate. Here, we introduce the theme papers in this issue of Parks Stewardship Forum.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Mapping and the future of caring for the past: Using GIS as a tool to
understand the risk of emergencies to cultural heritage collections
- Abstract: Natural and human-caused disasters have always been a risk to museums, libraries, archives, and all types of cultural heritage collections. The increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events brought about by climate change indicate that risk assessment and emergency preparedness and response will become even more important in caring for these collections in the future. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the art conservation and heritage preservation communities in the United States have worked to develop tools and networks for organizations preparing for and responding to collections emergencies. Some of these initiatives, including an interactive map called Active Weather Risks for Museums, Libraries, and Archives, have included the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in mapping cultural heritage assets and identifying location-specific risks. Continued research into the applications for GIS in responsive risk assessment and emergency...
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
A history of recent US World Heritage nominations
- Abstract: The United States resumed making nominations to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009, after a period of 15 years during which no nominations had been made. In the US, the National Park Service’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) is responsible for the World Heritage Program, under the authority of the Department of the Interior. OIA manages the process to identify candidate sites for nomination, and guides the preparation of nominations, which are now lengthy documents, similar to a book in size and scope. The small office has overseen seven World Heritage nominations during this recent era; of those, four have been inscribed on the World Heritage list, one was withdrawn, and two are in process. This article describes the little-known processes involved in World Heritage nominations and the issues, including the international context, that influence their selection and ultimate success or failure.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Bread and Roses
- Abstract: A poem in the "Verse in Place" section of Parks Stewardship Forum.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Science and the evolving management of environmental hazards at Yosemite
National Park
- Abstract: US national park managers must address a complex portfolio of foreseen and unforeseen challenges that arise in part from a dual mandate to preserve nature and facilitate visitation. To deal with resource management challenges, managers can identify potential pathways toward a solution through the use of science to inform policy and guide actions. The way science has been applied has evolved over the course of the National Park Service’s history, in large part due to the prevailing societal context and ways of thinking about the environment, and relatedly as a necessity to mitigate the impact from development and anthropogenic climate change. Landscape-scale environmental hazards are a fitting proxy to recount the changing use of science and policy because biophysical processes become most hazardous at the interface of infrastructure and the natural environment, where people are most exposed. This paper synthesizes modern administrative and environmental histories of hazards...
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Using the best available science: An excerpt from National Parks Forever:
Fifty Years of Fighting and a Case for Independence
- Abstract: Two brothers recount their experiences with US national parks and the National Park Service, and make the case that the Park Service should be an independent agency.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Plan the work, work the plan: An introduction to the National Park Service
Climate, Science, and Disaster Response Program
- Abstract: The climate crisis poses significant and unprecedent threats to the resources stewarded by the National Park Service (NPS). Some impacts are already apparent, while understanding of other outcomes is still developing. While the rate and magnitude of climate change ultimately depends on worldwide management of greenhouse gas emissions, resource managers today face choices about what actions to take, despite the uncertainty. To support the mission of NPS and its cultural resource preservation goals, the Climate, Science, and Disaster Response (CSDR) Program has been developed to explore climate impacts, provide cultural resource expertise, and expand and accelerate initiatives related to cultural resources and climate change adaptation. Here we introduce the construct of the CSDR program, share the components of the program’s 2022–2025 Action Plan, and highlight initial activities.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Climate change and Martin Van Buren National Historic Site: Building a
holistic plan
- Abstract: In a world where the devastating and immediate impacts of climate change threaten fundamental resources and visitor experiences at iconic National Park Service (NPS) sites like Yosemite and Yellowstone, how do smaller NPS units like Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (MAVA) plan for climate change resilience'
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Four signs
- Abstract: A trip to Cumberland Island National Seashore prompted our "Letter from Woodstock" columnist to think about what signs in parks tell us about what the National Park Service thinks is important—and how the stories the agency is telling are changing.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Cultural heritage resources in climate action
- Abstract: With the climate warming faster now than during any period in human history, every part of society—including the cultural sector— has a responsibility to advance changes that benefit communities now and in the future. Both intangible and tangible cultural heritage play an important role in climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience activities around the world, and can help mobilize climate action by optimizing connections to people and communities. Cultural heritage climate action applications range from sites providing a safe haven for communities during severe weather, to using artifacts like photographs as proxy indicators of climate change, to developing low- and zero-carbon footprint exhibitions. The authors follow the Talanoa Dialogue, a pattern of exploration and goal setting often used in cooperative planning for climate action. The process begins with “Where are we now'”, then proceeds to “Where do we want to go'”, and concludes with “How are we going to get there'...
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
The Witness Tree project: A portfolio
- Abstract: The Witness Tree is a photography project about the effects of climate change around the world. From the melting ice of Antarctica to the wildfires of Australia to the encroaching deserts of Inner Mongolia, I am drawn to precious and precarious places that mark the shifting boundaries between nature and the effects of our not-so-natural disasters. I want to show the eerie, discordant landscapes in our stormy, drying world. I want to capture this life before it goes away and because I want it to live.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
The power and potential of citizen science for park bonding, advocacy, and
stewardship
- Abstract: Citizen science represents an opportunity to invite and encourage broad connections with the scientific community. Fundamentally, the research strategy urges public participation to answer important research questions. Citizen science offers tremendous possibilities to welcome a diverse audience to engage with science on public lands while addressing relevant management questions. The work described in this paper emphasizes the potential for using citizen science in the US national parks to not only advance pertinent scientific inquiry but also foster an appreciation for protected lands. It highlights the Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network (RMSSN) as an organization that has capitalized on citizen science to explore worthwhile social–cultural and environmental studies. Furthermore, RMSSN has stressed the importance of leveraging a diverse cohort of graduate and undergraduate students to accomplish such work. This approach has resulted in participants expressing...
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Why do we keep doing this' An argument for informed environmental
assessments
- Abstract: There is too often a tendency to presume that particular environments can be created within historic house museums simply by “tightening up” the envelope and installing sophisticated mechanical equipment. This approach is unsustainable from many standpoints. Extensive mechanical systems can be intrusive or damaging to historic fabric, expensive to operate and maintain (to the point of overwhelming the financial capacity of institutions), and inadvertently hasten climate change. Careful consideration should be given to the basis for expected environments to be maintained with respect to both the actual needs of the collections and the capacity of the envelope to contain them. Only with a thorough understanding of both, gained through survey, testing, and monitoring, can mechanical systems be appropriately designed. In so doing, one must be willing to use to fullest advantage the structure’s inherent historical methods of environmental modulation, and to creatively think “outside...
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Strategies for meaningful engagement: A commentary on collaboration in
archaeological climate adaptation planning
- Abstract: There are calls from cultural resources professionals, academics, and diverse stakeholders for multivocality, co-creation of knowledge, and inclusion of local and traditional input in the management of cultural resources situated on public lands. Yet, associated communities often have little control or influence on management of their heritage sites beyond mandated consultation, particularly for archaeological sites. In a US National Park Service (NPS) context, managers are guided by standardized criteria, existing data management systems, and policy- and eligibility-based funding streams. The influences of these criteria, systems, and policies are particularly powerful when managers are prioritizing action for climate adaptation, as policy guidance focuses attention to cultural resources that are both significant and vulnerable to climate stressors. The results of a variety of engagement activities with Tribal Nations and NPS staff show that the co-creation of knowledge requires...
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Cover, Masthead, and Table of Contents PSF Vol. 38 No. 3
- PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
National parks, highways, and climate change
- Abstract: This visual essay in "The Photographer's Frame" explores how Americans’ love affair with road trips made a marriage of national park scenic landscapes and automobiles nearly inevitable—and has helped, literally, drive climate change.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Recent protected area–Indigenous Peoples research articles in Canada and
the USA: A meta-review
- Abstract: We conducted a meta-review of 66 peer-reviewed articles published between 2008–2020 concerning Indigenous Peoples’ interactions with protected areas in the United States of America and Canada. Our meta-analysis centered on characterizing this literature’s response to the concerns of critical Indigenous studies by examining the topical, geographic, and disciplinary scope of the literature, as well as authors’ backgrounds and the journals where research is published. We additionally considered the presence of Indigenous persons as authors and participants. We found the literature is published widely, across many journals and disciplines. The research is concentrated in a handful of states and provinces. One article explicitly used Indigenous research methods, although Indigenous research participants were common in articles outside of the disciplines of history and law. Yet, those two disciplines dominate the current literature. We conclude that the community of scholars for whom...
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
A brief overview of climatization strategies of historic houses in the
Netherlands: From “one size fits all” to “a process of
deliberation”
- Abstract: In this paper, the authors would like to review a selection of historic houses that have been renovated in the past 25 years and in which the climate has been optimized. The observations are intended as a general overview made from a governmental perspective. The paper provides general descriptions of a selection of projects in which the agency has been involved. With this paper the authors hope to inspire the reader by presenting the decision-making process and the lessons learned for these case studies against the backdrop of climate change. Are the solutions that were chosen sustainable, and are the museums now more resilient to climate change'
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
The power to question: A tribute to Dr. Nina S. Roberts, 1960–2022
- Abstract: A tribute to the late Dr. Nina S. Roberts, who authored the "Coloring Outside the Lines" column in Parks Stewardship Forum.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
Three landscapes: An excerpt from Olmsted and Yosemite: Civil War,
Abolition, and the National Park Idea
- Abstract: The authors situate the intellectual foundations of the US national park system in the thinking of Frederick Law Olmsted, and analyze how Olmsted himself was shaped by the Civil War.
  PubDate: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +000
From Sea to Ancestral Sea
- Abstract: Short personal reflections from two members of the Indigenous Editorial Team on their experiences in bringing this special issue of Parks Stewardship Forum into being.
  PubDate: Mon, 30 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Acknowledgments
- Abstract: Acknowledgments from the Indigenous Editorial Team and the publishers for the special issue of Parks Stewardship Forum, We Are Ocean People: Indigenous Leadership in Marine Conservation.
  PubDate: Fri, 27 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
A Voice of Gratitude
- Abstract: Kalani Quiocho shares “Oli Mahalo,” a Hawaiian chant by Kēhau Camara (text and embedded/linked audio file).
  PubDate: Fri, 27 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
HĀNAU KA PALIHOA, LELE! The story, genealogy, and process of the
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Native Hawaiian Cultural
Working Group Nomenclature Subcommittee
- Abstract: HŌ‘ULU‘ULU MANA‘O‘O ke kapa inoa i nā mea ola a me nā hi‘ohi‘ona ‘āina ke kuleana o ka Nomenclature Hui. He kōmike nō ia hui ma lalo o ka Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group o ke Kiaho‘omana‘o Kai Aupuni ‘o Papahānaumokuākea. Aia nō ka mole o ko mākou ka‘ina hana kapa inoa i ka pilina wehena ‘ole o nā Kānaka ‘Ōiwi, ‘o ia ho‘i ka mo‘okū‘auhau o Kānaka, ka mea e ho‘opili ai a pili kākou i nā mea a pau loa. A ‘ike le‘a ‘ia nō kēia pilina ma ke ko‘ihonua ‘o ke Kumulipo. Ma o nā lālani he 2,000 i hānau ‘ia mai ai kēlā me kēia mea ma ke ao Hawai‘i mai kikilo mai nō a hiki loa i kēia wā ‘ānō e holo nei. Ma Hawai‘i nei, mai Hawai‘i Mokupuni a hiki loa i Hōlanikū, mau nōke kaunānā ‘ia o nā ‘ano mea ola like ‘ole, ‘o ka limu ‘oe, ‘o ke ko‘a ‘oe, ‘o ka i‘a ‘oe, ‘o ka manu ‘oe, ‘o ka lā‘au ‘oe, a ia ‘ano lāhui hou aku. Ma kēia pepa nei e wehewehe ‘ia ai ia ka‘ina hana kapa inoa Hawai‘i i ia ‘ano mea hou loa i kaunānā ‘ia. Ma o ka hana kapa inoa e pili pū mai ai nā mea ola hou iā kākou...
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
We Are Ocean People
- Abstract: The Guest Editors of the special issue offer thoughts on Indigenous Peoples' leadership in the responsibility of all people to protect the oecans and waters of this planet.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
indigo dreams
- Abstract: A digital photo gallery of the authors' Indigo Dreams Collection of marine-inspired beaded artworks.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
I Am A Sea Huntress
- Abstract: An account of the author's relationship between their Indigenous identity and the traditional practice of hunting marine mammals.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Nurturing Coasts: Hala and the Legacy of Mutual Care in Coastal Forests
- Abstract: This article focuses on hala as a coastal keystone species across in Hawai‘i, co-dependent on anthropogenic caretakers, providing a jumping-off-point for bioculturalengagement with coastal conservation. This piece brings ethnohistoric knowledge from the Hawaiian communities of the Puna district, Hawai‘i Island beside kilo (to observe) and mo‘olelo (stories). This piece considers the decline of hala forests on the slopes of Hawai‘i Island as a story of the interwoven ethos of reciprocal care and cultivation of Indigenous peoples and coastal forests.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Bringing Back a Relative: Sea Otter Reintroduction on the Oregon Coast
- Abstract: An introduction to a video by the Elakha Alliance on the importance of sea otters to the Indigenous Peoples of the present-day Oregon Coast, and on the alliance's work to reintroduce sea otters.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
A Time Apart
- Abstract: A recollection of an encounter with ka ‘ea, a hawksbill sea turtle.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
A First Nations approach to addressing climate change—Assessing
interrelated key values to identify and address adaptive management for
country
- Abstract: The Yuku-Baja-Muliku (YBM) people are the Traditional Owners (First Nation People) of the land and sea country around Archer Point, in North Queensland, Australia. Our people are increasingly recognizing climate-driven changes to our cultural values and how these impact on the timing of events mapped to our traditional seasonal calendar. We invited the developers of the Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) to our country in Far North Queensland with the aim to investigate the application of the CVI concept to assess impacts of climate change upon some of our key values. The project was the first attempt in Australia to trial the CVI process with First Nations people. By working with climate change scientists, we were able to develop a process that is Traditional Owner-centric and places our values, risk assessment, and risk mitigation and management within an established climate change assessment framework (the CVI framework). Various lessons for potential use of the CVI by other...
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Huli‘a: Every place has a story ... Let’s listen
- Abstract: Ancestral knowledge systems are driven by an intimate understanding of place and the seasonal productivity of interconnected ecosystems. This knowing supported our ancestors to adjust and adapt their lives to work in sync with the world around them, constantly listening to the innuendos and inferences of nature. Today, our relationship with nature is filtered through indirect sources and our ability to listen to the world around us has weakened, and for some, has completely vanished. Huli‘ia is an observational process and tool to build our capacity to listen and present an opportunity for a place to, once again, contribute to its own narrative. Take a journey with us as we explore this tool and listen in as other collaborating agenciesand communities share their experiences using Huliʻia and the impact it has had on their ability to listen, engaging directly with the spaces they are tasked to manage.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Welcoming the World to Vancouver in 2023: The Fifth International Marine
Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5)
- Abstract: The Secretariat provides an overview of IMPAC5, scheduled for February 2023 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The roles of the Host First Nations and the congress' Indigenous Working Group are featured.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Kū‘ula: Nurturing a generation of Indigenous leadership for marine
conservation in Hawai‘i
- Abstract: “Kū‘ula: Integrated Science” was developed as an official undergraduate–graduate dual-level course at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. It aimed to provide research and service-learning opportunities in natural resource management that integrated Native Hawaiian and Western sciences. So far, it has served four cohorts of students, mostly Native Hawaiian. In this article, we offer summaries of how this course impacted participants while they were students and in their post-graduation careers. The participant voices illustrate the deep and long-lasting impacts of their experiences with Kū‘ula, some by academic content but mostly because of experiential and peer-learning. Such impacts are lasting well beyond their graduation into their careers now. Kūʻula participants resoundingly advocate for University of Hawai‘i campuses to offer place-based pedagogical frameworks that integrate Native Hawaiian knowledge and epistemologies.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Nā Hulu Aloha — A Precious Remembering: Origin Stories of the
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Native Hawaiian Cultural
Working Group Kiamanu Subcommittee
- Abstract: Layers of protection rectify an exploitative past of overharvestingseabirds within the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, affectionatelyknown as the kūpuna (ancestral) islands. ThePapahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group’sKiamanu sub-committee—facilitating the gathering of salvage-appropriate seabirds within Papahanānaumokuākea--seeks totransform the corresponding narrative driving seabirdconservation today that has preserved that single story.With our kūpuna islands experiencing climate change and theresulting mass exodus of precious marine ‘ohana, this is animportant moment for our islands and the broader Pacific region.This essay shares how a community strives to fulfill a duty tomālama our most precious natural and spiritual capital. It is astory of hope that we meet the synergistic challenges ofheightened climate variability, biodiversity loss, sustainedmilitarization, and cultural erosion with the same resilience andresolve as from our deep and recent past.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Community Sampling for Ocean Acidification in Southcentral Alaska
- Abstract: The Chugach Regional Resources Commission (CRRC) is a Tribal non-profit fish and wildlife commission established in 1984 by the Tribes of Prince William Sound and Lower Cook Inlet. TheAlutiiq Pride Marine Institute (APMI), a division of CRRC, is a mariculture technical center located in Seward, Alaska focused on providing subsistence resource harvest opportunity to Tribal members. The ocean acidification (OA) program, conducted by the APMI and CRRC, has been bridging the gap between western science and residents of coastal communities in Southcentral Alaska. Continuous OA monitoring by APMI and discrete OA samples and exposure studies provide climate data for researchers to utilize in studying trends and high-level science. The discrete OA sampling program is conducted by Natural Resource Specialists in Alaska Native communities in Southcentral Alaska. Continuing OA work is critical to understanding the effects of OA effects on important food resources for the Tribes in the Southcentral...
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Paddle Song
- Abstract: Erica Jean Reid (Gidin Jaad) shares a Paddle Song from the Haida Nation.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Mamalilikulla Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area: From vision to
validation
- Abstract: This article outlines the Mamalilikulla Nation's journey to develop and declare an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area in November 2021. It speaks to the initiation and inspiration behind the IPCA, including the role of its guardians, and the Nation's inventory and knowledge collection that spoke to the need to manage the area in accordance with its law ofAweena'kola. It speaks to the strategy of leveraging Crown commitments to UNDRIP and reconciliation, and the development of a Marine Protected Areas Network. The importance of planning in advance to outline the Nation's direction is explored, as well as the value of managing for the inter-connection of watersheds with marine areas. The IPCA Declaration ceremony is outlined as a significant way of reconnecting dispersed Nation members and leaders to each other and to the territory. The paper speaks to the long journey ahead.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Unsettling marine conservation: Disrupting manifest destiny-based
conservation practices through the operationalization of Indigenous value
systems
- Abstract: Indigenous Peoples have stewarded marine environments since time immemorial. Due to colonialism, Indigenous Peoples suffered impacts to their rights and abilities to holistically manage ocean systems. We situate the value systems embedded within manifest destiny and colonialism as the root systems that generated a plague of conservation issues that impact Indigenous Peoples today (e.g., fortress and green militarized conservation praxes). This paper is written by Indigenous scholars using Two-Eyed Seeing, reflexivity, and decolonizing methods (e.g., symbology, storytelling, and Indigenous beading) to unsettle the ways that marine conservation should be facilitated. Our framework operationalizes Indigenous value systems embedded within “the seven R’s”: respect, relevancy, reciprocity, responsibility, rights, reconciliation through redistribution, and relationships. This framework underlines the need for marine conservation efforts to center Indigenous voices and futures and...
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary: An interview with Violet
Sage Walker
- Abstract: An interview with a key figure in the proposal for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Nā Wa‘a Mauō Marine Stewardship Program: Perpetuating the practices of
our Kūpuna to care for our oceans and strengthen our next generation of
marine stewards
- Abstract: Nā Wa‘a Mauō means the canoes that sustain us. The Nā Wa‘a Mauō Marine Stewardship Program uses wa‘a (outrigger canoes) as vehicles to care for our oceans. The mission of Nā Wa‘a Mauō is to perpetuate the practices of our Kūpuna (ancestors) by using our Native tools and language to care for our oceans with a vision of ‘āina momona (fruitful and productive lands) through Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) stewardship. Our program hosts monthly community workdays on Hawai‘i Island, inter-island exchanges across the state, and the Honuaiākea Voyaging program for Kānaka ‘Ōiwi youths transitioning into adulthood. The Nā Wa‘a Mauō program blends Indigenous and institutional sciences to create community-driven marine stewardship efforts that are scientifically rigorous and culturally rooted. As Kānaka ‘Ōiwi, we have generational ties to our lands and intimate connections to our environment that gift us with the kuleana (responsibility) to care for our islands.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Tuman alaĝux^ agliisaax^tan (Take care of the ocean): A new vision for
Indigenous co-management in marine waters of the US
- Abstract: The Pribilof Islands are among the most unique and important places in the world. These islands provide vital breeding and feeding habitat for more than half of the world’s population of laaqudan (as they are called in Unangam Tunuu, Native language of the community), or northern fur seals, as well as important habitat for qawan, or Steller sea lions, and isuĝin, or harbor seals. More than three million san, or seabirds, flock to the islands during the summer months. By virtue of their position straddling the continental shelf and deeper ocean waters of the Bering Sea, the islands play a central role in creating the productive ocean zone that supports some of the world’s largest and most profitable commercial fisheries. This irreplaceable region has experienced centuries of anthropogenic disturbances that have steadily shifted the ecosystem away from its natural stability. Today, the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government (ACSPI) is taking steps to restore and...
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
A Sea-Skin Song
- Abstract: A poem.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Cover, Masthead, and Table of Contents PSF Vol. 38 No. 2
- PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Siigee & Our Love for K’aaw as Haida People
- Abstract: The Haida have a relationship of giving and receiving with both the Siigee ocean and freshwater systems. The word “reciprocity” is essentially a mutual dependence; it’s a cyclical relationship which provides everything we need, and in return we have an inherent responsibility to take care of the waters that we depend on for survival—as well as practicing gratitude and giving thanks to the sacred water. An example is the traditional harvesting of k’aaw (herring roe on kelp).
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Re-imagining contemporary conservation to support ‘Āina Momona:
Productive and thriving communities of people, place, and natural
resources
- Abstract: The integration of multiple knowledge systems is being used more frequently to inform research and management. However, the end goal of management is sometimes limited to the narratives and values of the status quo of Western fisheries management and in many cases is disconnected from the holistic goals and objectives that other Indigenous cultures strive to achieve. Indigenous cultures are based on an intimate understanding of the driving factors of health and productivity of the natural environment. Rather than thinking about preserving resources as they are through Western approaches to designing and implementing marine protected areas, Indigenous communities have the power to drive biocultural research and monitoring towards addressing aspects of the environment that drive production and support and enhance productivity. Na Maka Onaona (Na Maka), an ‘ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) non-profit organization, has been on a 14-year journey of reimagining contemporary research to support...
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Traditional Foods of Southcentral Alaska
- Abstract: Chugach Regional Resources Commission (CRRC) is a nonprofit, inter-tribal consortia formed by seven Tribes in the Chugach Region to protect the subsistence lifestyle through the development and implementation of natural resource management programs to assure the conservation, sound economic development, and stewardship of natural resources in the traditional use areas. In 2016, CRRC initiated a traditional foods program to conduct a baseline assessment of food consumption, use and harvest patterns to develop wellness strategies in the face of a changingenvironment. Through this endeavor, a traditional foods poster was created that portrays subsistence foods in southcentral, Alaska. This poster serves as a window into the lives of thepeople of the Chugach, a glimpse of the traditional foods that are important to their cultural identity and a stepping stone to protect a subsistence way of life that desperately needs to be preserved.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) in Madagascar: Best Practices
- Abstract: An introduction and link to the nongovernmental organization MIHARI's video on LMMAs in Madagascar.
  PubDate: Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 +000
Conserving nature’s stage provides a foundation for safeguarding both
geodiversity and biodiversity in protected and conserved areas
- Abstract: This article outlines the fundamental connections between geodiversity and biodiversity by providing a geoconservation perspective on the concept of “conserving nature’s stage” as a basis for safeguarding both geodiversity and biodiversity in the face of environmental and climate change. Conserving nature’s stage—the physical environment in which species exist—provides a means of developing more integrated approaches to nature conservation, delivering benefits for both geodiversity and biodiversity conservation, and incorporating key principles of geoconservation in the management of protected and conserved areas.
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Communicating geoheritage: Interpretation, education, outreach
- Abstract: Communicating geoheritage is one of the most active areas for new ideas to support a long-term relationship with visitors and a broader digital community of supporters. Communicating geoheritage starts with interpretation to build understanding; progresses through education to build a deeper appreciation; and uses public outreach during decision-making to foster stewardship, protection, and a conservation ethic. Keywords: Geoheritage; communication; interpretation; education
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Geoconservation initiatives for caves, karst, and springs
- Abstract: In this paper the focus is on the surface landforms that are found on carbonate karst, on caves within carbonate karst, and on the springs that discharge from carbonate karst. Around 20.3 million km2 of the earth’s land surface is characterized by the presence of carbonate rocks. Most is potentially karst. These areas have distinctive surface landforms of high geodiversity value, together with over 10,000 km of cave passages, most of the largest springs on Earth, and many smaller springs. Karst areas and caves commonly have high aesthetic value and high biodiversity value, hosting many endemic and threatened plant and animal species. Carbonate karsts are present in 75 World Heritage Properties, 67 UNESCO Global Geoparks, 151 Biosphere Reserves, and 124 Ramsar Sites. However, the areal extent of karst in these and other protected areas, and the extent of cave and karst geodiversity, are rarely documented. There is a clear need for inventories to inform geoconservation....
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Cliff Jumping at St. Mary’s Glacier
- Abstract: A poem in the "Verse in Place" section of Parks Stewardship Forum.
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Through the magnifying glass: Understanding conservation on a microscopic
scale
- Abstract: This visual essay in "The Photographer's Frame" focuses on small life forms that are easily overlooked — which means that their important contributions to ecosystems are all too often undervalued.
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Long-term monitoring of vegetation cover changes by remote sensing,
Cadillac Mountain summit, Acadia National Park
- Abstract: The primary objective of this study was to detect vegetation disturbance resulting from visitor use by using remote sensing. A pre-classification change detection analysis based on the normalized difference vegetation index was utilized to measure the amount of vegetation cover changes at Cadillac Mountain summit, Acadia National Park, Maine. By analyzing new remote sensing data collected in 2010 and 2018, we compared the vegetation conditions at the summit (experimental site) with a nearby site with little or no visitor use (control site). Additionally, the study was designed to examine vegetation cover changes between 2001–2007 (the first time frame) and 2010–2018 (the second time frame). Similar to the results observed in the first time frame, the experimental and control sites exhibited more vegetation increase than vegetation decrease in the second time frame. The amount of vegetation increase was 1,425m2 at the experimental site and 400m2 at the...
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
The potential role of the geosciences in contributing to the UN’s
Sustainable Development Goals
- Abstract: In 2015, the United Nations adopted a series of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 individual targets with the aim of achieving these within 15 years, i.e., by 2030. These ambitious goals include ending poverty and hunger, facilitating sustainable economic growth and social development, and protecting the environment. Using Gill and Smith (2021) as a major source, this paper outlines the potential role that the geosciences and geoscientists as geopractitioners can play in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Fresh perspectives on paleontological heritage and the stewardship of
non-renewable fossil resources
- Abstract: A “fresh perspective” provides an insight into the values attributed to paleontological heritage and the consequent behaviors, motivations, and management challenges for the stewardship of this non-renewable resource. To provide a global perspective, a survey was undertaken with over three dozen experienced paleontological resource managers examining values and management experiences. Notably, values attributed to paleontological resources were consistently wide-ranging, encompassing scientific, educational, cultural, aesthetic, economic, and other values, and there was a consequent diversity of management approaches and actions. Responses are discussed and lessons learned are outlined to provide a fresh perspective and key points for the successful stewardship of paleontological heritage.
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
New approaches to geoconservation in desert environments
- Abstract: Deserts are areas of great landform diversity and distinctiveness. In the past there was a shortage of desert World Heritage nominations. This situation persists, though shows some improvement. However, there are also desert landform complexes associated with mixed World Heritage sites and sites on various national World Heritage tentative lists. There are also two desert UNESCO Global Geoparks, both of which are in China. In recent years there has been the development of geotourism in arid regions and this has led to a greater interest in the economic value of geoconservation. However, there are various landscape threats that need consideration and management, including off-road driving, military activity, urbanization, river diversions, quarrying and mining, development associated with energy industries, and anthropogenic climate changes. In this paper, the concentration is on warm desert landscapes, and on conservation of geomorphological features, rather than, for instance,...
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Threats go both ways in the management of volcanic protected areas
- Abstract: Volcanoes are true wonders of the planet. Managers of volcanic protected areas face the dual challenge of protecting the volcanic landscape from overuse and damage, and protecting visitors and local residents from the range of geophysical risks presented by volcanic activity. Without clear recognition of how the volcano works, there is the potential that the risk of hazardous conditions (e.g., eruptions, gas emissions, fumarolic activity, landslides, seismic activity, and other volcanic hazards) may not be adequately addressed in the site’s management plan. Two examples illustrate current best practice in response to this management challenge. Managers at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument face a decision on what civil engineering measures to take in response to a large lake formed by a debris avalanche during the 1980 eruption that poses catastrophic flood and debris flow risks to more than 50,000 downstream residents. Managers of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in...
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Climate change will challenge the management of geoheritage in protected
and conserved areas
- Abstract: Climate change presents challenges for the management of geoheritage in protected and conserved areas at all scales from individual geosites to whole landscapes, affecting all areas of the planet. Direct impacts will principally arise through the effects of climate changes on geomorphological processes and vegetation cover, while indirect impacts will result from hard structures engineered to mitigate risks from natural hazards. Options for mitigation and adaptation should as far as possible work with nature.
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Geodiversity and the ecosystem approach
- Abstract: The term “biodiversity” has become well known in recent years, but much less so is the non-living or abiotic diversity of the planet, known since the 1990s as its “geodiversity.” In simple terms, geodiversity is the variety of the earth’s rocks, minerals, fossils, topography, landforms, physical processes, soils, and hydrological features. Geodiversity is part of the planet’s natural capital assets. In turn, natural capital provides goods and services to society identified through the “ecosystem services” approach. This paper gives several examples of how geodiversity brings many benefits to society that deserve to be better known by the public.
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
US national park visitor experiences during COVID-19: Data from Acadia,
Glacier, Grand Teton, Shenandoah, and Yellowstone National Parks
- Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has uniquely impacted US National Park Service (NPS) units. This study seeks to help inform future visitor use management and planning by compiling data from five NPS units (Acadia, Glacier, Grand Teton, Shenandoah, and Yellowstone National Parks), focusing on how the pandemic influenced management and impacted visitor use. Data were collected from both park managers and visitors. Results provide understanding regarding managerial changes, user-capacity limits, and documented changes in visitation in 2020 compared to 2019. These results are coupled with park visitor data from 2020, including visitor demographics, motivations and perceived outcomes, information sources for visiting during the pandemic, potential behavioral shifts in response to COVID-19 while on-site, and intent to visit in the future. The results suggest that the distinct shifts in visitation patterns during 2020 impacted park managers’ ability to predict and efficiently respond to visitor...
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
New approaches to rock landform and landscape conservation
- Abstract: Rock landforms are natural outcrops of solid bedrock, exposed at the earth surface due to higher resistance to weathering and erosion. They are important carriers of information about past and more recent geological and geomorphological processes, underpin biodiversity and cultural values, and may have considerable aesthetic significance. Many are popular tourist destinations. They are subject to different threats, including physical damage through quarrying and vandalism, may suffer from excessive rock climbing, or their values are compromised by uncontrolled vegetation growth. Their interpretation is often poor or non-existent. Conservation measures and solutions are mainly site-specific and typically require coordination with biological conservation, including prioritization of conservation efforts focused on localities of special scientific significance.
  PubDate: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Progress and future challenges for geoconservation in protected and
conserved areas
- Abstract: This paper introduces the set of essays in this issue of Parks Stewardship Forum charting the development of thinking and action on geodiversity and geoheritage conservation. It spells out progress to date on a number of fronts, including defining terms and advancing the geoconservation agenda in IUCN, leading to the conclusion that geoconservation is now well established in geoscience dialogue and practice. Future challenges are set out in some detail in the hope that geoconservation will become an increasingly relevant and integral component of nature conservation and human society agendas. Three areas of challenges are highlighted: making sure that geoconservation specialists have clear and consistent approaches to the classification and assessment of geoheritage assets and their conservation; mainstreaming geoconservation in biodiversity and nature conservation dialogues; and relating geoconservation to all aspects of human society and the emerging people-based...
  PubDate: Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Masthead and Table of Contents, PSF Vol. 38 No. 1
- PubDate: Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Who You Gonna Call'
- Abstract: A "Letter from Woodstock" editorial column about a recent act of vandalism to a monument at Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, what the incident says about the current state of American politics, and how the damage to the monument was repaired by a team of National Park Service specialists.
  PubDate: Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Dr. Lisa White, geology guru: A conversation about JEDI
- Abstract: A "Coloring Outside the Lines" editorial column interviewing the paleontologist and educator Dr. Lisa White, who is one of the few African American women in the field of geoscience.
  PubDate: Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000
Celebrating 50 years of global initiatives promoting geoconservation and
geological heritage
- Abstract: The last five decades have been crucial for the development of geoconservation and for the recognition that some geological features are at risk and need to be properly protected and managed. This recognition is happening at two levels. On one hand, the rise of awareness in certain countries of the importance of geoconservation is pushing international organizations to include this topic in their policies and strategies. On the other hand, this change at the international level is contributing to more countries understanding that they need to integrate geoconservation policies in their statutory systems and create effective measures to guarantee the conservation of geological heritage. This paper presents an overview of the main international efforts made during the last 50 years that have significantly changed the scenario in regard to the place of geoconservation inside the global nature conservation agenda.
  PubDate: Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +000