This poster series outlines the work of the National Capital Region Network's (NCRN) Inventory and Monitoring Program. The program's role is to monitor the status and trends of the parks, their vital signs and development pressures. Park vital signs monitoring is designed to inform managers of the condition of water, air, plants and animals, and the various ecological, biological, and physical processes that act on those resources.

Read more

Antietam National Battlefield is managed within the historical context of General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North during the Civil War. The 1,926 acre park is located in the heart of Maryland and is surrounded by rolling hills dotted with farm fields and pastures reminiscent of the day of battle. Patches of forest, open meadow, streams, and cropland are found within the park.

Read more

Catoctin Mountain Park originated as a Recreation Demonstration Area in 1936 and is managed today for its recreational use and the conservation of its cultural and natural resources. The park encompasses 5,810 acres of mixed hardwood forest located in the mountains of the Catoctin Ridge in north-central Maryland. Two high-quality streams bisect the park and the unique three million year old geology forms a number of cliffs and scenic vistas.

Read more

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park is the largest and longest park in the National Capital Region, stretching along the Potomac River for 184.5 miles from Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD. The park's 19,236 acres cut through four major physiographic provinces and include diverse wetlands, floodplain, and upland forests. Hundreds of historic structures are preserved as reminders of the Canal's role as a major transportation system during the Canal Era.

Read more

George Washington Memorial Parkway was established to protect the scenic views along the Potomac River and its tributaries in the Washington, DC area. The park's 7,210 acres provide habitat for dozens of state-listed species of rare, threatened, or endangered plants and animals, many of which are associated with rare plant communities of the Potomac River Gorge.

Read more

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park protects the historic town area and surrounding natural resources lands at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers in West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. Preserved structures and landscapes in the park tell of the historic role of the town and lands in the Civil War, African American history, manufacturing, and transportation and other historic events.

Read more

Manassas National Battlefield Park was established to preserve the scene of two major Civil War battles. Much of the landscape retains its wartime character with a patchwork of open fields and woodlots scattered across gently rolling hills. The 5,073 acre park is located within the northern VA Piedmont, approximately 45 miles southwest of Washington, DC. Many surrounding lands are becoming residential and industrial developments.

Read more

Monocacy National Battlefield is managed as a cultural resource commemorating the Civil War battle that took place along the Monocacy River south of Frederick, MD. The 1,647 acre park is dominated by active farms with some mixed hardwood forests and field/edge habitat. Like other battlefield parks, it has the challenge of combining the preservation of a historic landscape with natural resource management.

Read more

National Capital Parks-East includes 14 major sites covering over 8,000 acres within Washington, DC and three nearby counties in MD. The parks lie entirely within the Coastal Plain physiographic region and are managed for a variety of natural, cultural, and recreational resources.

Read more

Prince William Forest Park is the largest protected example of Piedmont forest in the National Park System. The ~15,000 acre park in northern VA also protects the Quantico Creek watershed, and is a sanctuary for numerous native plant and animal species.

Read more