Final Longterm Monitoring Protocol for Rocky Intertidal Communities Of
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Final Longterm Monitoring Protocol for Rocky Intertidal Communities of Redwood National and State Parks, California Natural Resource Report NPS/KLMN/NRR—2008/034 ON THE COVER Rocky Intertidal area at False Klamath Cove, Redwood National and State Parks. Photograph by: Cara McGary Longterm Monitoring Protocol for Rocky Intertidal Communities of Redwood National and State Parks, California Natural Resource Report NPS/KLMN/NRR—2008/034 Prepared by: Karah Ammann, Research Assistant Dr. Peter Raimondi, Principal Investigator Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Center for Ocean Health/Long Marine Lab University of California Santa Cruz, CA, 95060 March 2008 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center Fort Collins, Colorado The Natural Resource Publication series addresses natural resource topics that are of interest and applicability to a broad readership in the National Park Service and to others in the management of natural resources, including the scientific community, the public, and the NPS conservation and environmental constituencies. Manuscripts are peerreviewed to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and is designed and published in a professional manner. Natural Resource Reports are the designated medium for disseminating high priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. Examples of the diverse array of reports published in this series include vital signs monitoring plans; monitoring protocols; "how to" resource management papers; proceedings of resource management workshops or conferences; annual reports of resource programs or divisions of the Natural Resource Program Center; resource action plans; fact sheets; and regularly published newsletters. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations and data in this report are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior, NPS. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the National Park Service. Printed copies of reports in these series may be produced in a limited quantity and they are only available as long as the supply lasts. This report is also available from the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM) on the Internet or by sending a request to the address on the back cover. This protocol is also available from the Klamath Network web site (http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/klmn/index.cfm). Please cite this publication as: Ammann, K. N., and P. T. Raimondi. 2008. Longterm monitoring protocol for rocky intertidal communities of Redwood National and State Parks, California. Natural Resource Report NPS/KLMN/NRR—2008/034. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. Note: This Rocky Intertidal Monitoring protocol is written to National Park Service standards. This protocol is designed for longterm monitoring of target algae and invertebrate species in rocky intertidal habitats using permanent quadrat and transect sampling methods. The selection of monitored sites in the Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP), Del Norte County, has been performed in a preliminary study. This Protocol Narrative and the associated Standard Operating Procedures are based on a successful preliminary study that was conducted in 20042005 at RNSP, as well as a broader monitoring program that is in existence at over 80 sites within California and Oregon. This narrative describes existing and previously tested protocols in full. NPS D216, March 2008 Contents Tables ........................................................................................................................................iv Figures........................................................................................................................................v Appendixes ...............................................................................................................................vii Abstract .....................................................................................................................................ix Background and Objectives.........................................................................................................1 Background and History..........................................................................................................1 Rationale for Selecting this Resource to Monitor.....................................................................3 Measurable Objectives ............................................................................................................5 Sampling Design.........................................................................................................................7 Rationale for Selecting this Sampling Design over Others .......................................................7 Site Selection ..........................................................................................................................8 Number and Location of Sites ...............................................................................................10 Sampling Frequency and Replication ....................................................................................12 Timing of Field Sampling......................................................................................................13 Level of Change that can be Detected for Amount/Type of Sampling....................................13 Field Methods ...........................................................................................................................15 Field Season Preparations and Equipment Setup....................................................................15 Sequence of Events during Field Season................................................................................15 Details of Taking Measurements with Field Forms................................................................15 Postcollecting Processing (Voucher) ....................................................................................17 Endofseason Procedures .....................................................................................................17 Data Handling, Analysis, and Reporting....................................................................................19 Metadata Procedures .............................................................................................................19 Overview of Database Design ...............................................................................................19 Data Entry, Verification, and Editing.....................................................................................19 Recommendations for Routine Data Summaries and Statistical Analysis to Detect Change ...20 Recommended Reporting Schedule .......................................................................................21 Recommended Report Format ...............................................................................................21 Recommended Methods for Longterm Trend Analysis.........................................................21 Data Archival Procedures......................................................................................................22 Personnel Requirements and Training .......................................................................................23 Roles and Responsibilities.....................................................................................................23 Qualifications........................................................................................................................23 Training Procedures ..............................................................................................................23 Operational Requirements.........................................................................................................25 Annual Workload and Field Schedule....................................................................................25 Startup Costs and Budget Considerations ..............................................................................27 Literature Cited.........................................................................................................................29 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) .....................................................................................33 SOP # 1: Preseason Preparations.........................................................................................33 SOP # 2: Training Field Workers .........................................................................................41 SOP # 3: Establishing and Maintaining Plots........................................................................45 ii SOP # 4: Completing Field Logs and Assessing Sitewide Species Conditions .....................49 SOP # 5: Photographing Plots and Taking Area Photos ........................................................59 SOP # 6: Estimating Percent Cover in Field using PointIntercept Method ...........................65