“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit” – EMERSON “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit” – EMERSON
Designing a state-wide volunteer monitoring
program
Paul C West--August, 2003—Citizen Monitoring Conference
The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to protect the
plants, animals and habitats that represent the diversity of life on
earth by protecting the lands and waters that they need to survive.
Setting Priorities
(Ecoregional Assessments)
Conservation Action
Designing Strategies
(Conservation Project Planning)
Measuring Success
• Volunteer monitoring examples
• Use of the monitoring data
• What to monitor
• Recommendations
Outline
Nature Conservancy monitoring programs
• Inform public policy or DNR priorities?
• Guide site-specific management actions?
Use of monitoring data
Types of IndicatorsFrom Cairns (1993):
Compliance indicators
Diagnostic indicators
Early-warning indicators
Current Status & Trends
Use of monitoring data
Shrub carrTussock sedge
meadow
pH HighLow
Su
rface w
ate
r in
pu
t &
n
utr
ein
ts
Hig
hLow
Wetlands of the Mukwonago River Watershed
Calcareous fen•Fire•Seasonal water level changes
•High contribution of calcium rich groundwater•Fire•Small scale disturbance
Relict kettle bog
Emergent marsh
Cattails
•Increase nutrients/ h20 levels
•Increase H20 levels, stable H20 level•Increase nutrients
•Reduce groundwater input•Fire exclusion
•Dry out wetland•Fire exclusion
•Restore hydroperiod•Kill cattails
•Burn
•Increase h20 levels
•Dry out wetland•Fire exclusion
What to monitor?
Hig
h
Wetlands of the Mukwonago River Watershed
What to monitor?
Tussock sedgemeadow
Emergentmarsh
Calcareousfen
CattailsShrub carr
1. Develop state-wide monitoring objectives based on conceptual models and key driving factors
Recommendations
Example: Between 2005 and 2010, we want to have a 90% probability of detecting a 10% change in [water quality, invasive species] and are willing to accept a 1 in 10 chance that we’ll say that a change occurred when it really didn’t.
Key components: timescale, chance of detecting change, minimum detectable change, what to monitor chance of detecting a false change
2. Monitor both target-based and threat-based monitoring (and possibly management-based, such as voluntary BMPs).
3. Focus on limited data at greatest number of sites
reduce observer bias
use for trend analysis to guide policy and budget decisions
complement detailed monitoring at fewer places, done by DNR and others.
4. Data management structure needs to be developed prior to collecting data.
Recommendations
5. Citizen-based monitoring should complement a comprehensive monitoring program
Recommendations
Landscape metrics: Overall extent; distribution, patch size
GIS-based Public agencies, possibly NGOs
Presence/absence or abundance of species; threat indicators
Field work Citizens, NGOs, public agencies
Community-level monitoring, eg., species inventory
Field work Public agencies; possibly NGOs
What? How? Who?
Recommendations
Cairns et al. 1993. A proposed framework for developing indicators of ecosystem health. Hydrobiologia 263: 1-44.
Elzinga et al. 1998. Measuring and Monitoring Plant Populations. BLM Technical Reference 1730-1.
Parrish et al. 2003. Are we conserving what we say we are? Measuring ecological integrity within protected areas. BioScience 53:851-860.
References