Browsing by Subject "National Park Service"
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Item Assessing the impact of feral hog populations on the natural resources of Big Thicket National Preserve(2009-05-15) Chavarria, Pedro MazierThe Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP) is a unit of the National Park Service whose mission prioritizes conservation of its wildlands in the United States. One threat to natural resources of the BTNP has been impacts associated with feral hog (Sus scrofa) activities. Population numbers of this non-native game species have increased throughout Texas, including areas within the preserve. Recreational hunting permitted by the BTNP has served as a means of controlling hog numbers, although the reported amounts of hog damage to park resources appear to have increased in recent years. Population reduction of feral hogs and mitigation of their impacts require research that documents and validates feral hog impacts on park resources. Here, I evaluated (1) population trends of feral hogs for the past 20 years via data from hunter-card surveys and track-counts, and (2) feral hog impacts on native vegetation for 3 management units of the BTNP. Results from my analysis suggest a nearly 3-fold increase in hog numbers throughout the preserve since 1981. The overall damage to vegetation from hog rooting or wallowing averaged to 28% among the 3 units of the BTNP. Landscape features such as topography, soil moisture, soil type, and dominant vegetative cover types were used to predict hog damage. Floodplains had the most damage in the Big Sandy unit (45%), while flatlands were mostly impacted in the Turkey Creek unit (46%), and uplands in the Lance Rosier unit (32%). Vegetative cover was an important variable in explaining variation in hog damage throughout the 3 units of the preserve. Impacts were more widespread across different vegetative strata than previously believed. Study results also support the premise that hog damage in the BTNP parallels the increase in hog abundance over the past 20 years. A more aggressive program for population reduction of feral hogs and mitigation of their impacts is recommended for the BTNP to continue to meet its legal mandates for conservation.Item Johnson Settlement Area, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park cultural landscape inventory(2011-05) Frisbie, Margaret Xochitl; Holleran, Michael; Mardorf, CarrieThe Cultural Landscape Inventory is a comprehensive inventory of all historically significant landscapes within the National Park Service. This cultural landscape inventory documents the Johnson Settlement Area at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Johnson City, Texas. The Johnson Settlement Area served as the headquarters for former president Lyndon B. Johnson’s paternal grandparents, Samuel Ealy Johnson and Eliza Bunton’s, open-range cattle ranch from 1867 through 1872. After the collapse of the cattle ranching enterprise, the land was sold to James Polk Johnson and later converted into a small-scale farm by John Bruckner. From 1970 through 1972, Lyndon B. Johnson was involved with the planning, acquisition, and donation of a portion of the original settlement property to the National Park Service. In 1972, a major restoration and reconstruction project was completed as the property was converted into an historic interpretive landscape administered by the National Park Service. The Johnson Settlement Area is primarily an open pastoral landscape with reconstructed livestock corrals and a cluster of restored and reconstructed building and structures that collectively convey the ranching and frontier heritage of former president Lyndon B. Johnson. The cultural landscape inventory documents the physical development and historical significance of the Johnson Settlement Area. The inventory evaluates the landscape characteristics of the district and considers the integrity and overall condition of this historic vernacular landscape. Further, the inventory assesses eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. The Johnson Settlement Area Cultural Landscape Inventory expands the 1990 National Register of Historic Places nomination in its period of significance, boundaries and acreage, and National Register Criteria.Item Shoreline Management at Padre Island National Seashore: An Investigation of Angler Relationships to the Beach(2010-01-14) Aldrich, Chelsea L.Park management at Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS) actively continues to modify the General Management Plan to maintain the safety of the increasing numbers of visitors and protect natural resources. When changes conflict with anglers' current usage of the beach, park management receives vocal opposition from local and visiting anglers who do not want their long-standing rights to the beach to be affected. To better inform management decisions and policies surrounding the beach area, this qualitative thesis research used ethnographic interviews to address the following key objectives: (1) Understand the relationship between surf anglers and the beach at PAIS, (2) Identify the main issues, concerns, needs, and expectations of the surf anglers at PAIS, (3) Describe the relationship between surf anglers and the National Park Service (NPS), and (4) Determine key areas of conflict and tension surrounding NPS management of the beach. At Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS), referred to by local anglers as "the PINS," anglers connect to the beach because of memories experienced there, a heritage of use, a sense of serenity and spirituality, and camaraderie. Those who have a long-standing relationship to the beach at the PINS, in some cases multi-generational, feel a sense of guardianship and even ownership over the beach. Many surf anglers at the PINS experience the outdoors through a family heritage of fishing, connect to others through fishing, and promote conservation practices through media, camaraderie, and local knowledge. Angler feelings towards the NPS range from distrust to an appreciation of the role of the NPS in protecting their sacred fishing place. Areas of conflict and tension stem from anglers' safety concerns, new regulations that challenge and threaten their traditional values and experiences associated with surf fishing, and a lack of communication and inclusion of anglers in the National Seashore's decision-making processes. To better manage conflict surrounding management issues on the beach at PAIS, this thesis suggests that park managers (1) reinstate public meetings; (2) utilize moderated roundtable discussion at public meetings; and (3) involve the scientific community, appropriate stakeholder groups, and angler knowledge in informing decisions and new regulations.