Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are growing in frequency around the world and their effects are being recognized by ecosystem managers, scientists, and the public alike.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Rock Creek Park is one of the largest forested urban parks in the United States, containing a wide variety of natural, historical, and recreational features in the midst of Washington, D.C. The majority of the 3,000 acre park surrounds the lower watershed of Rock Creek and its tributaries as the drainage drops from the Piedmont Plateau to the Coastal Plain.

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Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is the only National Park dedicated to the performing arts. Performance structures on the 130 acre property include a 7,000-person main stage. The park includes protected stream, meadow, and forest patches in the urban Washington, DC landscape. Noise from the Dulles Toll Road threatens the primary function of the park as a performance venue and is a major management concern.

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Knowing the condition of natural resources in national parks is fundamental to the National Park Service's (NPS) mission to maintain park resources "unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Most parks are open systems vulnerable to threats such as air and water pollution and invasive species, which originate outside of the park's boundaries.

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Environmental management is not practiced in a vacuum. Effective stewardship of natural resources requires the adoption of multiple objectives set forth by diverse groups of stakeholders with varied perspectives and interests. Within this management landscape, integrated environmental assessments provide a useful framework for evaluating resources and directing management efforts.

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