Vital Signs Monitoring

1
Vital Signs Monitoring
Approach to Visitor Impacts Assessment
Deborah Angell Sonoran Desert Network April 6,
2006
National Park Service Inventory Monitoring
Program
2
Project Overview

• Saguaro National Park (SAGU) identified the need
  to develop a Trail Management Plan as part of the
  GMP
• Need quantitative information on potential
  impacts on park resources surrounding the trails
• Visitor impacts is one of 25 SODN vital signs
• All SODN park managers are interested in
  understanding potential visitor impacts to park
  resources, such as trampling effects on soils and
  vegetation.
• Lack of information in existing literature on
  impacts adjacent to desert trails

3
Project Overview

• Pilot study initiated
• Assist in development of network protocol
• Obtain information needed by SAGU
• Objective Document some of the impacts near
  travel routes and destinations
• Soils in arid and semi-arid environments are more
  vulnerable to disturbance because they tend to
  degrade more quickly and develop more slowly.
• Soil Quality vital signs used to address Visitor
  Impacts vital sign through the sampling design.
• Comparing soil quality indicators across a
  perceived gradient in visitor use

4
Study Area Saguaro NP Rincon District

• Cactus Forest Network
• Dense network of trails popular with hikers and
  horseback riders
• Most intensive concentration of trails within the
  park
• These trails bear highest level of visitor use

5
Sample Design

• Trail segments preselected using random point
  generator in ArcView
• Stratified based on soil type and hillslope with
  proportional allocation of sites
• X-Y coordinates in .dbf file exported to Excel
  copied and pasted into the GPS Locations database
  table

6
Transect Layout
7
Measures of Trail Impact
Soil/Vegetation Cover
Trail Profile
Soil Compaction
Soil Stability
Saguaro Recruitment Vandalism
8
Complementary Data

• Visitation and individual trail usage
• Historic land use

Automated counter pad technology
Trail tracking plots
Historic maps
9
Data Collection Paper Data Sheets

• 4 data sheets per trail segment
• Species/cover values preprinted on data sheets
• Data entry and QC required 150 hours
• lt 0.5 data entry error rate
• More errors in recording data in the field but
  still a small percent

10
Data Collection Pocket Excel

• Copied and pasted Excel data into Access tables
• Added 10 minutes to recording time per transect
• Reduced data entry and QA/QC time to 30 hours
• Decreased both error rates
• Drawback to Pocket Excel no pick lists
• Used laminated species list cards
• Will investigate freeware that enables use of
  pick lists

11
Data Collection Intercue Mobility Suite

• Intercue software allows data to be downloaded
  directly into an Access database
• Least satisfactory method too time-intensive
• 2-3 seconds to update after each of the 400
  vegetation data points per transect
• Completed only 5 m of 20-m transect in 30-45
  minutes
• Completed entire transect with Pocket Excel in
  same amount of time

12
NRDT Database

• Mandatory Tables Locations, Events, 5 Field Data
• Mandatory if Applicable Tables Sites, Event
  Groups, Data Locations
• IM Recommended Naming Standards
• Lookup tables to populate pick lists soil
  texture and cover types, saguaro height classes

13
Table Relationships
Worked well to model our project data
14
User Interface
15
User Interface
16
Quality Control

• Data Verification
• Paper data sheets two people compared 100 of
  values on data sheets to database printouts
• Pocket Excel Checked Access tables for correct
  number of transects, etc.
• Data Validation
• Plotted data and looked for outliers
• Looked at values to be sure they made sense

17
Lessons Learned

• Revise sampling design
• Did not find expected gradient of impacts
• Use 2 quadrats one next to and one 10 m away
  from trail
• Important to know multiple points not needed
• Better protocol for taking repeat photographs
• Dont let vegetation block view of trail

18
Lessons Learned

• Data flow worked well overall
• Data entry should be ongoing dont wait until
  all data have been collected
• Methods of measuring soil parameters worked well
  and will probably be adopted by Network
• SAGU is already using the trail profile data

For more information, contact Cheryl
McIntyre [phone] cmcintyre_at_sonoran.org
19
Close Encounters
Desert tortoise crossing trail
Diamondback rattlesnake at trail edge