NNHP Information System

Information on rare and protected plant and animal species and biological communities on the Navajo Nation is stored in a data system composed of a computerized database, manual files, maps and a library. At the present time, the vast majority of information in the database pertains to species; the collection of community information is in its infancy. Because only a small percentage of the Navajo Nation has been adequately inventoried and because the biotic environment is dynamic, the NNHP data system is continually expanding and under revision. Sources of information for the system include fieldwork by NNHP staff, survey results from other biologists working on the Navajo Nation, knowledgeable experts, publications, and museum and herbarium collection records.

Contributing Data to the NNHP Database

Because the NNHP has a small biological staff, we rely on information from an array of sources. If you conduct biological surveys on the Navajo Nation or know of significant survey results, please contact the NNHP. Also, if you personally observe a rare or protected species, please send us a completed Species Observation Form. A Species Observation Form can be obtained from this home page. For a complete list of Plants and Animals for which the NNHP is interested in information, download a copy of the Navajo Endangered Species List and Sensitive Species List; we appreciate reports of observations for any of the species listed on these lists.

Navajo Nation Herbarium (NAVA)

The Navajo Nation Herbarium has been listed with the Index Herbariorum since 2003 and is the first and only tribal herbarium listed with this internationally recognized Index. It contains over 10,000 accessioned specimens...

Information included in the NNHP Database

• Biological descriptions of plants and animals occurring on the Navajo Nation. Descriptions include details on taxonomic status, identification, habitat preferences, reproductive biology, phenology, etc.
• Information on the status of plants and animals that are rare or protected at the Navajo Nation or federal level.
• Information about specific geographic locations for rare or protected plants and animals on the Navajo Nation.
• Annotated bibliography of publications (reports, articles, books, etc.) relating to biology, ecology and conservation issues, with primary geographic emphasis on the Navajo Nation and Colorado Plateau area.
• A list of species of concern potentially occurring on each U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangle covering the Navajo Nation. “Species of concern” include protected, rare, and certain native species, as well as species of economic or cultural significance.
• Cultural information about plants and animals occurring on the Navajo Nation (e.g. traditional uses and Navajo names). This information is just beginning to be collected and is currently quite limited.