National Capital Area Natural History Collections

National Capital Area

Collections

Museum collections document the culture and natural history of an area through time. Natural history specimens and cultural objects preserve the collective memory of the shared environment. The collections provide narratives highlighting the importance and responsibility of the National Park Service (NPS) in its resource stewardship.

NPS natural history collections are broadly grouped into three disciplines: biology, geology, and paleontology. Cultural collections are divided into archeology, ethnology, history and archives. The natural history and cultural collections featured in this exhibit are deeply interconnected.

Collecting Specimens

Park natural history collections are generated to support scientific research, resource management in the parks, and education. These collections provide baseline data of park natural resources and document changes these resources are undergoing. Collections comprise a database for researchers and preserve important or locally significant species collected in response to specific research or interpretive needs. They also help guarantee the protection of important paleontological specimens preserved in situ. Natural history collections increase knowledge in a range of related fields, including ecology and evolution, climate studies, agriculture, and human health.

Luna Moth (Actias luna)
Animalia, Arthropoda, Insecta, Lepitoptera
L 3.2 (body), W 12.7 (wingspan) cm Prince William Forest Park, PRWI 363

Conducting Research

Natural history specimens must be collected in a scientific manner in accordance with the NPS Research Permit and Reporting System (RPRS). The permit serves as an agreement between a researcher and the National Park Service to conduct scientific studies and defines the permit holder’s obligations to the National Park Service. This system facilitates the management of research and compliance activities and NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program projects. Even when physical specimens are not collected, permitted projects generate reports, images, maps, data, and fieldnotes that are essential for resource management and research. This documentation is as important as specimens, and is required for NPS museum collections.

Part of a series of articles titled
Natural History in the National Capital Area.

Previous:
National Capital Area Natural History - Paleontology

Next:
National Capital Area Parks

Where this belongs

• National Capital Parks-East

Where this page came from

This page was imported from National Park Service. Produced by the U.S. National Park Service and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.