Reports and publications produced by the National Park Service reflect the range of research conducted by park staff and partners.The links on these pages are a starting point to discover research results and their park management applications.
The IRMA Portal
IRMA (Integrated Resource Management Applications) is your web-based gateway to information and applications related to parks and park resources. Learn more about IRMA. From IRMA you can discover
Park Visitor Use Statistics - Retrieve comprehensive data, graphs, reports, and statistics on park visitor use, including recreation visits, overnight stays, and traffic counts.
Aquarius Web Data Portal - Search, view, and download continuous water quality and quantity data from monitoring locations in and adjacent to parks.
NPSpecies - Search, view, and download occurrence and status information on species in over 300 parks.
Park Planning and Environmental Comment - Find park planning and environmental documents, projects that are open for public comment, and park policy documents.
Publication Series and Collections
These series and collections typically focus on specific geographic areas, topics, or disciplines. Many of the reports in these series are also discoverable in the IRMA Data Store.
Alaska Park Science - Information from ongoing and recently completed research in and around Alaska’s national parks; covers disciplines in the biological, physical, cultural, and social sciences.
Yellowstone Science - Information from scientists and researchers highlighting in-depth, science-based articles about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The George Wright Forum - Published from 1981-2018; articles related to natural and cultural resources in parks, protected areas, and cultural sites. Parks Stewardship Forum is the successor journal beginning in 2019.
Natural Resource Report Series - Reports about natural resources on lands managed by the NPS. This series presents quantifiable data, data analysis, and interpretive discussion; planning reports; and reports with a significant focus on NPS policy or land management issues.
Natural Resource Data Series - Periodic or preliminary release of data sets and data summaries. Data reported are limited to those collected, processed, and analyzed following peer-reviewed and published Inventory & Monitoring Division protocols.
Natural Sounds and Night Skies - Google Scholar compilation of publications from the NPS Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division.
Natural Resource Condition Assessments - Prepared for parks with significant natural resources. Reports on current conditions, critical data gaps, and selected condition influences for a subset of park natural resources. (See all reports in the Data Store)
State of the Park Reports - Prepared for 52 parks. Summaries of the current condition of park resources, visitor experience, and park infrastructure. Assessed by a combination of available factual information and the expert opinion and professional judgment of park staff and subject matter experts.
Park Administrative Histories - Accounts of the origin, establishment, and evolution of National Park Service units, and how they have been administered up to the present.
National Park Service History eLibrary - a portal to an extensive collection of electronic publications covering the history of the National Park Service. Incudes the cultral and natural history of the national parks, monuments, and historic sites of the National Park System. (Not an NPS site)
National Center for Preservation Technology and Training - Publications focused on tools, materials, and approaches to conserving buildings, landscapes, sites, and collections; advances in science and technology related to cultural resources management.
Other Collections of Interest
The restoration, maintenance, and management of historical sites, landscapes, and artifacts require multiple disciplines and areas of expertise. Parks document their work so that others can learn from the techniques they have used.
Cultural Landscape Reports - Primary reports that document the history, significance, and treatment of NPS cultural landscapes.
Historic Structure Reports - Primary reports that document the condition of NPS historic properties; present management goals; and serve as a guide for changes during repair, rehabilitation, restoration, or reconstruction.
Combined Historic Structure Reports and Cultural Landscape Reports - Contain both Cultural Landscape Reports and Historic Structure Reports as described in previous entries.
Historic Grounds Reports - Precursors (1958 – 1985) to Cultural Landscape Reports; treatment plans for NPS historic landscapes.
Historic Furnishing Reports - Documentation of furnishings exhibited in NPS historic structures, history of a structure’s use and interior appearance, and plan for recreating or maintaining historic interiors.
National Park Service History Electronic Library - A digital repository of publications covering the history of the National Park Service and the cultural and natural history of its national parks, monuments, and historic sites. (Site is outside of NPS.gov)
HABS / HAER / HALS (available from the Library of Congress) - Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record / Historic American Landscapes Survey Collection. The three surveys that form this collection result from tripartite agreements among the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, and professional architecture, engineering, and landscape architecture associations. HABS is the oldest collection and began in 1933 as a WPA program. HAER began in 1969. HALS began in 2000.
Last updated: March 16, 2021