Programming supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate cooperative research, technical assistance, education, and training to inform science-based management of the…

The National Park Service (NPS) awarded a $114,320.91 Cooperative Agreement to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) on August 15, 2023 under the Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System (CFDA 15.945) program. The funding supports a comprehensive network of Cooperative Study Units to facilitate cooperative research, technical assistance, education, and training to inform science-based management of the National Park System. Specifically, the award will help managers of National Capital Region parks quantify the impacts of overabundant native white-tailed deer on native plant communities before and after implementing deer management programs, such as culling, in parks like Rock Creek Park and Catoctin Mountain Park. The grant enables parks to monitor vegetation as an indicator of forest recovery and the effectiveness of deer management actions through data collection from permanent plots since 1991, with some parks also utilizing fenced and unfenced modules.

Programming supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate cooperative research, technical assistance, education, and training to inform science-based management of the national park system. The study units facilitate multi-disciplinary science and integrated information products across multiple geographic regions of the national park system. Managers of national capital region parks need to quantify the impacts of overabundant native white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) on native plant communities before and after the parks implemented deer management. Rock creek park (rocr), catoctin mountain park (cato), and other parks are using adaptive management quantify vegetation response to more than a decade of deer culling programs. Deer management began in 2010 for cato and in 2012 for rocr. Rocr was only able to cull deer one night in 2012, so management actions really started in 2013. Parks monitor vegetation as an indicator of forest recovery and of the effectiveness of the management action, i.e., deer culling. Data have been collected from permanent plots in the parks since 1991. Some parks have additional paired fenced and unfenced modules added during the early 2000S. Beneficiaries include state and local governments, federally recognized indian tribal governments, public private nonprofit organizations, nonprofit institutions of higher education, and the general public).