Tips for Users

The reason YOU have come to this website is different than the next person's. Find tips tailored to your purposes.

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Be sure to also check out the general Quick Tips on The Basics page.

Explore this page:

Tips for park visitors: How can I use the online field guide to make the most of my visit?

Read over the section of the website about the park. You may especially enjoy the Seasonal Highlights page for each of the park's natural communities. Make a list of what you’d particularly like to see on your visit. Go to the interactive park map (Map Viewer) and use the search tool to find the location of each item. You can also use the Map Viewer to plan where you’ll park and where you’ll eat your picnic lunch. If you’d like to explore the park, check out the trails on the Map Viewer. You can use the Measure/Analyze tool to trace a section of the trail; you'll get a wealth of information about natural and cultural features you'll see along that section of trail. Or, just tap/click a location of interest on the map to find out what you can see there. Click on Details for any item in the results box to learn more about it. In the park, use your mobile device to find your location on the interactive map. Explore the Map Viewer Tutorial to learn more.

Note: If you use a wheelchair, you can find a list of accessible trails and picnic areas by typing “wheelchair” in the search box on the Map Viewer. For Rock Creek Park, type “visual” in the search box to find a short trail that’s accessible for people with low vision. 

Contact information for individual parks can be found on the main landing page for each place featured on this website.

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Tips for teachers: What parts of this online field guide will be most interesting to me and my students?

You can use the website to plan a visit to one of the parks featured (see Tips for visitors) or to come up with ideas for research projects (see Tips for researchers). Divide your class into small groups and have each group use the website and interactive park map (Map Viewer) to plan a field trip to the park. Then have the class vote on which itinerary they would like to follow.

If you can’t manage a field trip, your students can use the website to learn about natural communities from the classroom. The section called Ecology Basics is full of information about plants' survival characteristics, interactions among plants and animals, natural processes (such as fire, climate, and succession), and ecological threats (such as non-native invasive plants, severe natural disturbances, and stormwater runoff).

Students may especially enjoy learning how to use the Map Viewer, which uses GIS (geographical information system) technology. Spend a little time with the Map Viewer Tutorial yourself to get an idea of all the ways your students could learn about natural communities and about the power of a GIS system. For example, you could challenge your students to use the Map Viewer tools to plan a route for a new trail in the park, and to write a description of the hike (location, length, difficulty) and a guide to what a hiker would see along that trail.

Contact information for individual parks can be found on the main landing page for each place featured on this website.

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Tips for researchers: How can I use the website to generate research ideas or to prepare for a research visit?

Explore an interactive park map (Map Viewer) to generate research questions. You can use any of several different basemaps, including a satellite map. On top of these, you can layer many different types of information to look for possible relationships among different factors. For more information about how to unleash the capabilities of the Map Viewer, visit the Map Viewer Tutorial.

If you’re planning a research trip to the park, use the website and Map Viewer to make the most of your visit. Let’s say you are studying the range of a particular salamander that lives nearby but hasn’t been recorded in the park or natural area. Use the Map Viewer to locate suitable habitat, figure out which trails will take you to that habitat, and plan where to park your car.

Research permits are needed if you wish to do a project at a National Park Service location. This gives a clear means of communicating with park staff. For more information about research applications and the reporting process, see: https://irma.nps.gov/rprs/Home.

Contact information for individual parks can be found on the main landing page for each place featured on this website.

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Tips for neighbors: I live near a park featured here. What is there for me on this website?

Read the Stewardship and Ecological Threats pages in the section about your neighboring park to learn how to landscape your yard in ways that support nearby natural communities. Get inspiration about which species to plant in your yard by learning about the natural communities in the natural area near you. Use the website to plan visits to the park (see Tips for visitors) and/or to get ideas for volunteering in the park (see Tips for volunteers).

Contact information for individual parks can be found on the main landing page for each place featured on this website.

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Tips for volunteers. How can I use the website to help me volunteer in a park?

Contact the park and ask if the park has a volunteer program, or if there is a citizen’s group associated with the park. If you have a group that would like to do a one-day or ongoing project, contact the park for permission and guidance. Team leaders may find the interactive park map (Map Viewer) helpful for planning a workday. For example, you can locate natural communities that are particularly prone to being overrun by non-native invasive plant species, or ensure that an area is accessible by a trail. In addition, you and your group can use the website to learn to identify the target non-native invasive species, or any native species that are rare, threatened, or endangered (RTE) or special to that community so you can avoid damaging them if you come across them.

Contact information for individual parks can be found on the main landing page for each place featured on this website.

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Tips for park staff. I’m a park manager, park ranger, or park interpreter. How can I get the most out of this website?

The website contains a wealth of useful information and the interactive park map (Map Viewer) relates much of this information to specific locations in your park. Let’s say you want to monitor your park for the emerald ash borer. You can find photos and information about this non-native insect pest on the website, then search the webpages about natural communities in your park to find those where white ash trees and green ash trees are most likely to grow. Next, use the Map Viewer to locate these natural communities. Park rangers can survey these areas to look for ash trees and see whether they’ve been affected by the emerald ash borer.

If you want to reroute a trail—the Map Viewer's Measure/Analyze Tool can help you place a new route that will avoid or minimize damage to a rare or fragile natural community. And what will you replant after trail construction is done? Use the Map Viewer to identify the surrounding natural community, then explore the webpages about that natural community to identify plants that belong there.

If you want to plan a nature walk, the website and Map Viewer will point out both natural and cultural features you might encounter along trails. Check out the Map Viewer Tutorial to begin exploring the possibilities.

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