Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have begun the long-term development of a geo-based resource information system to provide comprehensive data on many classes of resources (including terrain, vegetation, and fauna) that can then be integrated and analyzed by computer using both tabular-statistical and cartographic techniques to yield powerful ecological insights. In addition to using data acquired from remote sensing and previous work, we have begun an exhaustive systematic survey of biota by establishing plots on 1 km2 centers throughout the parks. These plots serve 3 functions. They provide necessary ground-truth for accurate implementation of remote sensing; a detailed and exhaustive sampling of organisms and their distribution; and because they are permanently marked, serve as a baseline for long-term monitoring. While natural resources in national parks are managed for long term preservation, changes in habitat induced by pollution, fire, recreation, and island effects, for example, may nonetheless occur and must be monitored. The exhaustive inventory of wildlife and habitats produced will provide useful validation of the wildlife-habitat relationships model sponsored by California Department of Fish and Game. The first round of surveying and implementation of this program throughout the parks was begun in 1985 and will take up to a decade to complete.
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