Biological Resources

The National Park Service is mandated to preserve, protect, and manage biological resources to maintain ecosystem integrity. An essential component of this mission is vital signs monitoring, a national effort in cooperation with other federal and state agencies to determine trends in the condition of natural resources. The following are vital signs and other resources for which we currently have information. They include rare and sensitive species and other resources of interest as well as landscape-scale indicators that tell us something about changes in the ecosystem beyond their individual status or trend. We also monitor stressors: agents of change, such as exotic species, that tend to reduce ecological integrity.
 

chorus frog
Amphibians

bald eagle
Birds

yellowstone cutthroat trout
Fish

bull moose
Mammals

brucella
Wildlife Diseases

yellowstone sand verbena
Vegetation

zebra mussel
Aquatic Nuisance Species

soundscapes
Natural Soundscapes