As a capstone to our partnership with FWS, we've put together a series of info sheets describing phenological changes in each of the eight NWRS regions. The info sheets provide a summary of published changes in phenology, highlights of how partners in the region are using phenology, changes that are being documented by refuges, and practical information on what it takes to set up a phenological monitoring program to meet management needs.



Read the Regional Info Sheets »

Last year marked the seventh year of data collection on the Gulf Coast Phenology Trail. Partners including four National Wildlife Refuges, two National Estuarine Research Reserves, one National Park, and six other organizations collect data on a shared suite of focal species. The list includes both native plants that are important habitat for wildlife as well as invasive species.

Read the Gulf Coast Phenology Trail 2023 Annual Report »

Leslie Canyon NWR is one of several refuges participating in the USA-NPN's Flowers for Bats data collection campaign. Data collected on flowering and fruiting of columnar cacti and agave as part of this campaign are part of the FWS's Post-delisting Monitoring Plan for the lesser long-nosed bat. Leslie Canyon NWR staff recently put together a short summary on their data collection as part of this campaign in 2023.

Read Leslie Canyon NWR's 2023 summary »

Our Status of Spring tool tells you when spring leaf out in early season plants arrived on your refuge and whether it was early or late compared to a long-term average. For example, at Canaan Valley NWR, spring leaf out arrived an average of 15 days earlier across the Refuge this year than it did from 1991-2020.

See how early spring arrived on your refuge »

Grasslands are among the most disturbed ecosystems globally. In the areas that remain, managers must balance practices such as mowing and burning that maintain natural systems while avoiding nesting periods for grassland birds. The authors of this study used information about nest survival from scientific literature as well as climate information and the USA-NPN’s Spring Bloom Index to develop models to predict the expected nest departure timing for 36 grassland bird species. This information can provide more localized information about nesting timing to better time management actions to avoid this critical period.

Read the publication summary »

Have you checked out the new USA-NPN website? There are some great new features, including a map of Local Phenology Programs across the country, LPP Profiles Pages to describe your Program to the public (like this one for Washington Square Park Phenology), and a list of ways to partner with USA-NPN. These features should make it much easier to explore the availability of data you might use in your analyses!

Check out the new USA-NPN website! »

This past March we commemorated Phenology Week, a celebration of all things phenology! You can still check out the various webinars, daily challenges, and other events and resources we shared during the week.

View the webinar recordings and other resources »

Each month, Local Phenology Leaders across the country join together to share resources, ideas, and more. Volunteer Engagement Coordinator Samantha Brewer leads the calls with different topics each month. You can join our email list to be notified of monthly call topics that may be of interest.



Sign up for monthly call emails »