User Training Videos
USA National Phenology Network The Nature's Notebook Plant and Animal Observing Program
Selecting a Site.ppt
User Training Videos
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Selecting a Site
This presentation will guide you through the steps of selecting a site for observing plant and/or animal phenology.
This information is also available on USA-NPN website at www.usanpn.org.
In this presentation, we’ll focus on the first step of learning how to observe plant and animal phenology using Nature’s Notebook – that is, selecting a site for observing plants or animals.
A site is:
•The area within which you’ll look for your animal species
•The area which encompasses any plants you plan to observe
•Convenience
•Representative location
•Uniform habitat
•Appropriate size
•Proper permission
There are several guidelines to consider when you are selecting an observing site.
•Convenience
•Representative location
•Uniform habitat
•Appropriate size
•Proper permission
How convenient a site is to access
•Convenience
•Representative location
•Uniform habitat
•Appropriate size
•Proper permission
Whether the location you are considering is representative of the surrounding landscape
•Convenience
•Representative location
•Uniform habitat
•Appropriate size
•Proper permission
Whether the site is uniform in habitat
•Convenience
•Representative location
•Uniform habitat
•Appropriate size
•Proper permission
The size of the site
•Convenience
•Representative location
•Uniform habitat
•Appropriate size
•Proper permission
And whether you have permission to visit the site and record observations.
Convenience
You will be visiting your site or sites regularly, so they should be convenient to access. The best sites accessible during the entire growing season. You may wish to consider sites in your front and backyard. Longer travel times to observation sites may discourage frequent observations. Select monitoring locations that are easy for you to visit often.
Where possible, sites should be:
•Flat or gently sloping
•“Average” moisture conditions
We welcome all observations, even if your site is unusual for your area, but we encourage you to select sites that are representative of the local environment when possible. For example, if possible, we recommend that you select a site in a relatively flat or gently sloping area. The site should ideally be neither excessively dry nor wet for your area. In forested areas, the site should be generally similar to the surrounding forest, reflecting the overall canopy composition and stature.
Try to avoid:
•Steep slopes
•Very windy sites
•Areas prone to snow drifts
•Watered or fertilized sites
We also recommend that you avoid areas that are subject to drifting snow or funneled or channeled winds. If you are observing wild plants, we suggest you avoid locations where plants are watered or fertilized.
If your site is unusual for your area, just record the unusual characteristics in the “comments” section of the Nature’s Notebook “Add a New Site” form when you add your site.
The conditions of your selected site should be relatively uniform across the site. If you would like to observe two adjacent but distinct habitats, please document them as separate sites.
For example, if the area where you wish to monitor includes a wetland adjacent to a drier grassland or forest, the wetland should be documented as a separate site from the grassland or forest. The same is true if you have distinctly different types of forest. In this example, the area has been divided into three sites: Site 1 is deciduous forest, Site 2 is conifer forest, and Site 3 is deciduous forest.
•Whether your observations include plants or animals
•The habitat of your site
The appropriate size for your observing site will depend on whether you are observing plants or animals and also on the habitat of your site.
Recall, if you are observing animals, a site is the area you search for the animals on your checklist. If you are observing only plants, a site is the area that surrounds the plants you are observing. If you are observing both plants and animals, your site can serve both of these functions.
The best size for your site is the area over which you can easily see or walk.
A site should be no larger than 15 acres, a square with sides the length of 2 ½ football fields. For most individuals, exceeding 15 acres is not a concern.
In this example, the site is slightly larger than the length of one football field, so it is well within the recommended 15-acre size limit.
For those of you working in the metric system, 15 acres is equivalent to 6 hectares or an area 250 x 250 meters.
If your observations include animals…
Your site can be defined as:
•The area you can see well in all directions while standing still
•The area you can walk in a relatively short amount of time
If your observations include animals, you will report observations of animals that you see or hear in your site. Therefore, your site can include the area that you can see well while standing still or the area that you can walk in a relatively short amount of time.
More information on how to record observations of animals are provided in the presentation “Recording Animal Observations”.
If your site is in open grassland or at a lake or coastline, you may be able to see well and identify animals that are far away. Your site might be as large as the maximum recommended size (15 acres).
If your site is in a dense forest, your site might be quite small because you aren’t able to see far.
Even if you can see very far, an area should be divided into different sites if it includes habitats that are obviously different. For instance, if you are making observations at a pond in a meadow, the pond and the meadow should be listed as separate sites. Then, report your animal observations for the site at which you saw or heard them, either the pond or the meadow.
•If you do not own the property, get permission from the landowner
•For public lands, you may need a permit
Many public agencies encourage observations of this kind and would be glad to know that you are reporting your observations to Nature’s Notebook. If you do not own the property where the site is located, you should get permission to make observations from the appropriate department of the federal or state government or municipality that has responsibility for the property before marking any plants or reporting the site location.
Land managers often issue hard-copy permits for land access, which will help ensure that you can mark your sites and plants and can regularly visit your site.
This concludes our presentation on selecting a site. Thank you for your time and interest in our program!
| File Type | application/vnd.ms-powerpoint |
| File Title | Slide 1 |
| Author | Theresa Crimmins 2 |
| Last Modified By | Theresa Crimmins |
| File Modified | 2010-05-21 |
| File Created | 2009-08-21 |
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