NPS Tasks GeomorphIS Team to Conduct Lichen Inventory at Lava Beds Nat. Monument

The National Park Service (NPS) has awarded GeomorphIS a task order to conduct a lichen inventory of Lava Beds National Monument (LABE), located in northern California. The GeomorphIS team includes lichen specialists from Siskiyou BioSurvey and SummitWest Environmental. Lichens are an important component of biodiversity at LABE, which is known to be home to ~120 species of lichen species. Because lichens are associated with trenches and caves that create unique micro-habitats, understanding the species composition and distribution of lichens at cave entrances can help inform management decisions about public access and use of caves. LABE has ~800 caves, 24 of which are in the front country and are developed and highly visited. Twenty-four backcountry caves are permanently closed to visitors, leaving the majority open with varying amounts of visitation. The park is interested in understanding the effects of visitation on the biodiversity at cave entrances and hopes to leverage this gradient of human disturbance to inform visitor use management.