Monitoring Manual
Contents
1. No 040 National Soil Dynamics Laboratory Auburn Alabama Williams BK 2011 Adaptive management of natural resources framework and issues Journal of Environmental Management 92 5 1346 1353 Williams BK Szaro RC Shapiro CD 2009 Adaptive Management The U S Department of Interior Technical Guide Adaptive Management Working Group U S Department of Interior Washington D C 35 SOP 7 Data Entry and Management Instructions Data collected using this survey protocol and IWMM approach will need to be entered into the Avian Knowledge Network AKN database This SOP describes the database for waterbird counts and provides instructions for data entry data verification and database administration Terminology Using the database to enter or manage data requires knowledge of a few salient terms In the AKN system e AKN Project Leader Typically a Survey Coordinator wetland manager or biologist or in general a cooperator using this survey protocol framework This person can give permissions to field biologists and technicians for data entry and validation This is the person that will be contacted if there are questions about the data and who has a commitment to the accuracy and the validity of data entered from a site Throughout this SOP we will refer to this role as the Project Leader but emphasize that this title does not refer to the Refuge Project Leader e Project the name of the refuge wetland manag2. area for areas with surface water Note that if the majority of the unit is permanently covered by surface water please select Permanent Inundation from the flood duration categories This assessment can be made using either of two approaches 1 the preferred approach is to use a time series of water gauge readings tied to bathymetric maps SOP 4 to identify flooded areas and their periods of inundation 2 the non preferred approach is to base the assessment on personal or second hand i e through communication with local manager knowledge of water level management of the survey unit Habitat Cover Use ocular estimation to assess what percentage of a survey unit is water bare ground mudflat emergent scrub shrub or forest These classes are defined using classes found in the Classification of Wetland and Deepwater Habitats of the United States Cowardin et al 1979 See Table SOP 2 5 for a crosswalk between IWMM s habitat classes and those found in Cowardin et al 1979 Table SOP 2 5 Habitat classification crosswalk between the IWMM Initiative Protocol and Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States Cowardin et al 1979 IWMM Habitat Class Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats Class Water See rock bottom unconsolidated bottom aquatic bed Scrub shrub See scrub shrub Forest See forest Emergent See emergent vegetated unconsolidated shore Bare ground Streambed rocky shore unvegetated unc
3. of the total survey unit area but as an individual plant species it covers 100 of the emergent vegetation area within a survey unit report 100 as the estimate e Cover should be estimated only for common species species covering gt 5 of the emergent vegetation area e Total cover across species can exceed 100 due to the stratification of plant species with varying heights and growth forms Cooperators have two options for creating a list of the common plants and estimating their percent covers 1 Entry Ocular Assessments Preferred Preferably cooperators will be able to physically enter the unit to identify emergent plant species and to assess their covers Physical entry will especially help cooperators identify and account for plant species occupying lower strata that may be over topped by taller growth forms 2 Non entry Ocular Assessments Non preferred While not the preferred option cooperators can identify emergent species and assess their covers entirely from vantage points around the perimeter of the survey unit Vantage points should offer cooperators a comprehensive view of the emergent vegetation within the unit This may be the only viable assessment option when a cooperator does not have permission to enter a unit Seed Head Assessments For important waterfowl food species identified in the Plant Community Composition assessment see above choose a category for seed head size and density for each species Nayl
4. per thousand Salinity may vary throughout your unit so careful consideration needs to be given to the number and distribution of salinity samples taken No single sampling approach will apply universally but the following considerations are offered as guides e Seek background on your unit looking for information specific to factors that may cause salinity to vary e g location of freshwater inlets Ensure that selected sampling locations can be safely and legally accessed Select sampling locations that will have standing water under most circumstances Use a GPS unit to record the position of sampling locations Sampling designs should be clearly documented to allow a consistent approach to be used by the same observer across multiple years or by multiple observers Please send inquiries for further guidance regarding salinity sampling designs to iwmmprogram gmail com 12 If multiple samples are taken report the mean value If you do not take readings report NA If you are certain that the unit is never subject to saltwater incursion report lt 0 5 the numerical definition of freshwater Water Gauge Reading If the unit has a water level gauge please record a reading each time a count is conducted Be sure to provide the measurement units of the water level gauge Water Depth Estimate the percent of the unit in each of five water depth categories Table SOP 2 3 corresponding to waterbird guild use Ma et al
5. prescribed goat grazing in wetlands and mechanical marsh shredders are derived from Greenfield et al 2006 Costs for chemical control of woody invasive plants based on Rathfon and Ruble 2006 and NRCS 2012 All costs estimates are very general and applied to actions with highly variable costs The estimates are not recommended for use in budgeting purposes cost benefit analysis or other purposes requiring increased accuracy When available site specific cost estimates can be used in lieu of the estimates provided to support of local scale decision support tools or other uses 31 Table SOP 6 1 Habitat Management Actions Strategy group Strategy code unit unit cost cost class agriculture aerial seeding ag agri acre 9 Tow agriculture buckwheat agr2 acre 74 low agriculture conventional corn agr3 acre 312 mod agriculture conventional rice agr4 acre 469 high agriculture dirty rice agr5 acre 234 mod agriculture grain harvest agr6 acre 28 low agriculture grain sorghum agr7 acre 253 mod agriculture grassy corn agr8 acre 160 mod agriculture irrigation agr9 acre 100 low agriculture millet cultivars agr10 acre 73 low agriculture other crop agrll acre agriculture post harvest mowing agr12 acre 15 low agriculture soybeans agr13 acre 5148 mod agriculture wheat agr1l4 acre 5177 mod chemical aerial boom chel acre 5242 mod chemical aerial spray che2 acre 20 low chemical basal bark low che3 acre
6. 2010 Percent cover estimates should sum to 100 across the six depth categories Table SOP 2 3 Categories of water depth Category Dry Saturated mudflat 0 to 5 cm 0 to 2 in 5 to 15 cm 2 to 6 in 15 to 25 cm 6 to 10 in gt 25 cm gt 10 in If ice is present do not treat it as dry instead estimate the depth of water amp ice There are two alternative approaches for estimating percent covers for water depth categories 1 the preferred alternative is to use a water bathymetry map in conjunction with a water gauge reading to estimate percent covers SOP 4 2 the non preferred alternative is to use an ocular assessment Percent of ice cover Across the entire survey unit visually estimate and record the percent of the water surface that is covered by ice Flood Duration For flooded areas within your survey unit please indicate how long surface water has been present by assigning these areas to one of the flood duration categories found in Table SOP 2 4 These flood duration categories are related to the abundance and energy content of food resources e g Fredrickson and Reid 1991 Table SOP 2 4 Flood Duration Categories Code Description 1 Surface water present gt 90 days 2 Surface water present 30 90 days 3 Surface water present lt 30 days 4 Permanent Inundation 5 No information 13 Assignment to these categories should be based on the majority condition i e gt 50 of the
7. 5242 mod chemical broadcast che4 acre 5242 mod chemical chemical injection low che5 acre 5242 mod chemical cut stump low che6 acre 5242 mod chemical foliar spray low che7 acre 583 low chemical foliar spray high che8 acre 5383 high chemical hack and squirt low che9 acre 31 low chemical herbaceous weed control high density chel0 acre 707 high chemical herbaceous weed control low density che11 acre 554 low chemical herbaceous weed control mod density che12 acre 5212 mod chemical spot spray che13 acre 554 low Fire Prescribed prescribed burn Firl acre 527 low mechanical backhoe excavation of macrophytes mec acre 2 142 high mechanical chisel mec2 acre 515 low mechanical conventional tillage mec3 acre 13 low mechanical cookie cutter mec4 acre 526 high mechanical cultipacked mecS acre 8 low mechanical disking cutting offset mec6 acre 516 low mechanical disking finish mec7 acre 513 low mechanical drum chop mec8 acre 324 mod mechanical harrow mec9 acre 9 low mechanical hay mec10 acre 512 low mechanical mow mecl1 acre 516 low mechanical other mechanical mec12 acre mechanical packing mec13 acre 8 low mechanical plow mecl4 acre 519 low mechanical raked mec15 acre 5 low mechanical roller smooth drum mecl6 acre 519 low mechanical roller Chop mec17 acre 519 low mechanical subsoiler mec18 acre 517 low mechanical terminator amphibious mecl9 acre 5982 ig mechanical terminator aquaplant mec20 acre 9 130 ig mechanical woody bank axe
8. Follow survey protocols Training Cooperators should visit the IWMM website at http iwmmprogram ning com for a 20 minute webinar that will introduce IWMM and its waterbird and vegetation survey methods This webinar can be found on the Presentations page as IWMM Training Presentation 2012 Updates are presently being made for the 2015 season Inexperienced waterbird counters are advised to practice their counting and estimation techniques before participating in TIWMM Data collectors should also be trained for dealing with any local hazards and proper procedures for handling and collecting injured or dead wildlife For instructions on how to handle and submit waterfowl carcasses for cause of death diagnosis please see Supplemental Materials SM 8 as well as the Mortality Event Response instructions on the Wildlife Health office internal website https sites google com a fws gov fws wildlife health products Please use the Q amp A forum within the website for general methodological queries Alternatively use the messaging feature to contact the Science Coordinator To access the Q amp A forum or messaging features you will need a membership email iwmmprogram gmail com Dead birds If carcasses of waterbirds are found follow the guidelines provided in SM 8 For More Information o IWMM National Project Coordinator Linda Wires USFWS 5600 American Blvd West Bloomington MN 55427 Linda_wires fws gov o IWMM National Science Coor
9. Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring Approach for Nonbreeding Waterbirds Monitoring Manual Version 8 February 2015 Scrub shrub Mallards Photo Credit Mick Hanan FWS INTRODUCTION The Challenge Sustaining healthy populations of waterbirds that migrate long distances is a major challenge for land managers How does a manager know which species to manage for at a specific site How important is a single site in the big picture How can many managers coordinate their management of impoundments across the landscape so that the birds have the right amount and quality of habitat at the right time in the right places As part of the IWMM approach managers and scientists are working together to develop integrated monitoring protocols decision support models and a database that will inform waterbird management decisions at multiple spatial scales These products will support clear and transparent decision making processes with respect to waterbird habitat management The Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring IWMM approach was initiated by conducting structured decision making SDM workshops to develop an operational framework for management and monitoring of waterfowl shorebirds and wading birds collectively referred to as waterbirds at the local regional and flyway spatial scales Coppen et al 2007 Laskowski et al 2008 Lor et al 2008 Through these workshops IWMM developed a multi scaled adaptive managemen
10. Science Coordinator to gain access and log in to the data entry web site using your email address and password Enter all waterbird unit condition and vegetation data from the datasheet into the database The database is intended to accept data uploaded from spreadsheets or stand alone databases Check with IWMM s Science Coordinator or website to determine formats that can be accepted for uploading waterbird data After all data from each data sheet have been entered or uploaded proof the data in the database reviewing the data forms and sorting summaries from queries to check for typos errors and blank fields As each data sheet or any PDA output is proofed date and initial that the input data were reviewed and checked against the original data records The data entry person will also verify the data has been proofed in the database by changing the status of the data records to the next appropriate level see the user s manual for the database Verify and Validate In general AKN uses a tiered set of levels for indicating the data validation and access Table SOP 7 1 Once the person entering data is finished he or she needs to notify the Project Leader responsible for AKN data management for the Refuge System this is typically the survey coordinator that data are ready to be proofed in the database The Project Leader will 1 2 Ensure all datasheets have been initialed Compare the data sheets with the data record
11. Table SOP 6 1 Broad classes are provided to narrow the search for matching actions Start the annual tracking period at the beginning of the growing season that precedes the subsequent nonbreeding period 2 Update the record through the season as actions are implemented Create a new entry for repeat applications when the interval between applications exceeds the time required for a single application Record the geographic extent footprint as the proportion of a management unit for each log entry Total percent manipulated may exceed 100 since applications may overlap 3 Cooperators should enter information from the management action record into IWMM s centralized online database on a routine basis with a complete entry concurrent with the last waterbird survey for a survey period The following action groups are provided to guide the selection of individual actions 30 Agriculture Includes all activities related to the production of a harvested crop or a crop left standing Cultivation or other actions commonly used in agriculture are excluded if a crop was not produced Sowed stands of millet cultivars should be included here but not volunteer stands ChemicaH Use of herbicides or fertilizers to manage vegetation not related to crop production Fire Prescribed Controlled burns completed within a range of prescriptions described in an approved burn plan MechanicaH Managing soil herbaceous vegetation or light woody veg
12. Washington D C Ma Z Cai Y Li B Chen J 2010 Managing wetland habitats for waterbirds an international perspective Wetlands 30 15 27 Suir GM Evers DE Steyer GD Sasser CE 2013 Development of a reproducible method for determining the quantity of water and its configuration in a marsh landscape Journal of Coastal Research Special Issue 63 110 117 19 SOP 3 Measuring Salinity If measuring salinity with a hydrometer you will also need a large clear jar and a thermometer The protocol for measuring salinity with a hydrometer EPA 2006 1 Put the water sample in a hydrometer jar or a large clear jar 2 Gently lower the hydrometer into the jar along with a thermometer Make sure the hydrometer and thermometer are not touching and that the top of the hydrometer stem which is not in the water is free of water drops 3 Let the hydrometer stabilize and then record the specific gravity and temperature Read the specific gravity to the fourth decimal place at the point where the water level in the jar meets the hydrometer scale Do not record the value where the meniscus the upward curvature of the water where it touches the glass intersects the hydrometer Figure SOP 3 1 4 Record the specific gravity and the temperature on your data sheet Use a hydrometer conversion table that comes with your hydrometer to determine the salinity of the sample at the recorded temperature Record the salinity of the sample on the dat
13. a sheet Nn Read at Water level Figure SOP 3 1 Reading specific gravity from a hydrometer Note that the reading should be taken at the water level NOT the meniscus Redrawn from EPA 2006 20 If measuring salinity with a refractometer you will also need a dropper and a container of distilled water The protocol for measuring salinity with a refractometer EPA 2006 1 Lift the lid that protects the refractometer s specially angled lens 2 Place a few drops of your sample liquid on the angled lens and close the lid 3 Peer through the eyepiece Results appear along a scale within the eyepiece 4 Record the measurement on your data sheet Rinse the lens with a few drops of distilled water and pat dry being very careful to not scratch the lens surface References EPA Environmental Protection Agency 2006 Chapter 14 Salinity Pages 1 8 in Ohrel RL J Register KM editors Volunteer estuary monitoring manual a methods manual 2nd edition Washington D C EPA 842 B 06 003 Available http water epa gov type oceb nep monitor_index cfm January 2015 21 SOP 4 Bathymetry Mapping Adapted from Lyons et al 2006 Goal Create a basin contour map that will provide estimates of the quantity of different water depth categories for any given water level measured at a permanent water gauge Personnel Survey unit basin contour mapping will require two individuals Equipment Highly accurate GPS rec
14. able for project use only and not to the AKN Restricted Same as APPROVED and not distributed and shared to other AKN partners automatically All access to data must come through requests to the contributing institution project management 1 Some nodes have extended levels to help users manage the entire data lifecycle Raw Clean Approved Restricted 38 Data Maintenance and Archiving AKN is responsible for performing periodic backups of all data residing in the database Editing of data that has already been verified in the database must be made in the AKN database by the Project Leader via the interface Contact IWMM s Science Coordinator for assistance if numerous edits are needed 39
15. ason and across years to ensure data comparability See Standard Operating Procedure SOP 1 Site survey unit and observer codes will be assigned by IWMM staff to ensure that they do not duplicate codes in use by other cooperators Please contact the Science Coordinator E Waterbird Gwmmprogram gmail com for Counts assistance in assigning codes If you do i not know the codes please leave them blank but make sure that you fill in name details so that the codes can be completed subsequently Please refer to SOPs 2 5 for additional information regarding pre survey logistics and preparation including equipment needed for waterbird and vegetation surveys E Fall Veget fon IWMM Unit scale Z pa Monitoring pe ya seed head index Management Actions Survey timing and schedule Waterbird and unit condition surveys are completed weekly or biweekly during the non breeding waterbird season See SOP 2 summary F End Start bird and vegetation surveys Data reporting surveys End bird surveys Complete data entry y y y April May July August September October November December Start Protocol vegetation training or surveys refresher Figure 1 Generalized annual schedule for the Midwest for implementing waterfowl surveys vegetation surveys data entry and reporting Flexibility in assigning start and end dates for key tasks has been retained to facilitate customization of site specif
16. ctivities surveys or other controlled non hunting activities 3 Managed access for all activities including firearms hunting May include effort to control use levels and temporal closures i e hunting units that close in the afternoon 4 Open access via trail viewing platforms etc No firearms hunting allowed 5 Open access including firearms hunting often with routine restrictions but without a site specific management program to control the level of authorized use 6 Unknown Counting and estimating waterbird numbers Counts or approximated counts of individual waterbirds are recorded by species on either the Waterbird Count or Survey Condition form for an individual survey unit SM 3 or on the alternate form for surveying multiple management units SM 4 Counts of species listed in table SOP 2 10 should always be recorded Be careful not to count individual waterbirds more than once When in doubt about whether an individual waterbird was already seen err on the side of not double counting and assume it was already counted If you find that no waterbirds are present still record survey condition information e g disturbance depth etc and enter the survey condition data into the database Visually scan the wetland systematically counting individual waterbirds of each species listed in Supplemental Materials 1 For larger sites or sites where there are large numbers of waterbirds it is often more practical to estimate nu
17. dinator Tim Jones Interim USFWS Merriam Lab Room 215 11510 American Holly Drive Laurel MD 20708 iwmmprogram gmail com o Midwest Brian Loges Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge HC 82 Box 107 Brussels IL Brian_Loges fws gov o Southeast amp Northeast John Stanton U S Fish and Wildlife Service North Carolina Migratory Bird Field Office 155 L A Keiser Drive Suite A Columbia North Carolina 27925 John_ Stanton fws gov SOP 1 Delineating Unit Boundaries Before conducting waterbird and vegetation surveys follow these instructions to delineate the boundaries of each unit surveyed Once boundaries are established for a unit those boundaries should remain the same throughout the season and year to year Equipment e GPS e Printed aerial images e GIS amp digital imagery Observers should define survey unit boundaries to accommodate whole area waterbird counts and vegetation surveys On managed lands wetlands are often divided into management units Wherever possible existing management units will be used as survey units A management unit is defined as a fixed area where recurring waterbird management actions are applied Management actions may vary in type and frequency Cooperators have the discretion to survey units ranging from intensively managed moist soil systems to protected natural wetlands with no habitat manipulation It is expected that the observer will be able to visually assess gt 70 of the survey
18. eaufort force gt 3 Temperatures F at the start of the survey and Beaufort wind scale Table SOP 2 1 are to be recorded Estimate average wind speed Beaufort scale at the start of the survey 11 Table SOP 2 1 The Beaufort Wind Scale MPH Beaufort Description Appearance of wind effects lt 1 0 Calm Calm smoke rises vertically 1 3 1 Light Air Smoke drift indicates wind direction still wind vanes 4 7 2 Light Breeze Wind felt on face leaves rustle vanes begin to move 8 12 3 Gentle Breeze Leaves and small twigs constantly moving light flags extended 13 18 4 Moderate Breeze Raises dust and loose paper small branches are moved 19 24 5 Fresh Breeze Small trees in leaf begin to sway 25 31 6 Strong Breeze Large branches in motion umbrellas used with difficulty Local Tide Conditions Please classify local tide conditions into one of the categories found in Table SOP 2 2 from International Shorebird Survey protocol http ebird org content iss Table SOP 2 2 Local Tide Conditions Class Description High Almost high and rising Almost high and falling Half tide rising Half tide falling Almost low rising Almost low falling Low Not observed not applicable or observations made during more than one of these periods OAN DOA RWND Salinity If your unit is exposed to saltwater then measure salinity using either a hydrometer or a refractometer SOP 3 salinity should be reported in parts
19. ed as an edge of the survey unit bordered by trees gt 6 m tall There are two alternatives for assessing the percent of a survey unit near a tall edge 1 Aerial Photograph Assessment Preferred The preferred option is to use available imagery in Google Earth or other remote sensing images to assess what percentage of the survey unit is within 50 m of a tall edge 2 Ocular Assessment Non preferred While not the preferred option observers may visually assess the percentage of the unit within 50 m of a tall edge This option should be employed only if available aerial imagery for a survey unit no longer reflects conditions on the ground i e the photo is too old to use for the assessment Figure SOP 5 2 illustrates different values for this metric In example A the metric is 50 most of wetland edge forested but around half of wetland is more than 50 m from trees In example B the metric is 5 there are some tree lines but the wetland is mostly surrounded by other habitats i e short vegetation In example C the metric is 80 a narrow riparian wetland with forested edge Forested wetland will generally have a higher percentage of wetland within 50 m of trees For some forested wetlands this metric could be 100 zzz areas within 150 wetland gy c 50m of trees other habitats Figure SOP 5 2 Examples of Percent near tall edge A 50 B 5 C 80 29 References Anderson EW 1986 A guide for es
20. eiver e g Trimble GeoXM or GeoXT or similar meter stick or sounding line marked in cm Bathymetry data sheet A disc of 1 4 inch plywood or similar material may be attached to the bottom of the meter stick to facilitate depth measurements over unconsolidated bottoms Timing Once per survey unit preferably early in spring when the unit is at full pool Measurements should be made on a calm day following a period of stable water levels to be sure that water is evenly distributed within the unit Permanent water gauge readings should be made at the beginning and end of each day General Methods The bathymetry method outlined below involves measuring the depth of the unit across a grid of points when the impoundment is at full pool and water levels have been stable for at least a few days before the survey The basin contour map will allow us to estimate the amount of mudflat and proportions of the impoundment in various water depth classes throughout the drawdown This procedure requires the use of a highly accurate GPS unit such as a Trimble GeoXT or GeoXM or similar Recreational handheld GPS units made by Garmin Magellan and others are not likely to be accurate enough 1 m If the cooperator is a member of the USFWS and needs access to an adequate GPS unit he or she may be able to borrow one from regional staff or a nearby refuge if possible In the field GPS locations and water depth measurements will be collected in a spatial a
21. el 2 Same as Level 1 with the following addition data can be used in certain publicly available predefined visualizations i e maps and graphs but direct access to the data is restricted Data are used in publicly available predefined visualizations i e maps and graphs Additionally the Level 3 complete Bird Monitoring Data Exchange BMDE data set is available upon request subject to approval from the original data provider Data can be used in publicly available predefined visualizations i e maps and graphs and also may be Level 4 available upon request Additionally some components of the data are made available to existing bioinformatic efforts GBIF and ORNIS These bioinformatic efforts only provide the data marked up to Darwin Core used to describe primary occurrence location date and species for example Data are used in publicly available predefined visualizations i e maps and graphs and are available to Level 5 existing bioinformatic efforts Additionally the complete BMDE data set is available for download directly via download tools R Data were input but no further review or processing has taken place Data are available for project use only aw and not to the AKN Data were input and reviewed by member s of the project team Data are available for project use only and Clean not to the AKN Approved Data were reviewed by project management but no indication has been made of AKN data sharing levels pp Data are avail
22. electric wat22 acre foot 11 low water leve water level maintenance gt 18 000 GPM wat23 acre foot 6 low water leve water level maintenance 3000 18 000 GPM diesel wat24 acre foot 15 low 33 References Dhuyvetter KC O Brien DM Douglas S 2014 Grain Sorghum Cost Return Budget in Southeast Kansas Kansas State University Manhattan Farm Management Guide MF995 Dobbins CL Langemeier MR Miller WA Nielsen B Vyn TJ Casteel S Johnson BB Wise K 2012 2013 Purdue Crop Cost amp Return Guide Cooperative Extension Service Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana Duffy M 2014 Estimated Costs of Crop Production in Iowa 2014 File A1 20 Cooperative Extension Service Iowa State University of Science and Technology Ames Iowa Greenfield BK Blankinship M McNabb TJ 2006 Control Costs Operation and Permitting Issues for Non chemical Plant Control Case Studies in the San Francisco Bay Delta Region California Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 44 40 49 Greer CA Mutters RG Espino LA Buttner P Klonsky KM De Moura RL Tumber KP 2012 Sample Costs to Produce Rice Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics University of California Davis Henggeler JC 2012 Irrigation Systems Wells and Pumps of the Mississippi River Alluvium Aquifer of Southeast Missouri T E Jake Fisher Delta Center Commercial Agriculture Program University of Missouri Extension Columbia Natural Resources Conservati
23. ement area park forest or other area over which a survey is conducted e Field Observer the person or persons collecting data in the field via this protocol e Data Entry Technician the person entering data collected via this protocol Gain Access to the Database The Survey Coordinator Project Leader is the lead e g wetland manager or biologist on the survey and will need to have database access permission from IWMM s Science Coordinator before survey data can be entered The Science Coordinator will assign permissions to a Project Leader Survey Coordinator for project creation project access and data entry If this is an ongoing survey the project should already exist in the AKN database Proof and Archive the Data Sheets Data entry errors influence the quality and utility of collected data However many of these types of errors can be controlled through data organization checking and entry techniques The following steps should be used to reduce errors in the data base and make original data recording materials available for future reference back up or checking 1 Organize data sheets by survey unit to facilitate data upload Proofread the data sheets ensuring that they have been filled out completely If more than one person is collecting data have someone that did not collect these particular data conduct the review 2 Mark corrections on copied data sheets with red pen Any corrected errors or changes made by t
24. etation lt 4 5 inches diameter at breast height dbh with mechanized equipment Action includes common agricultural tillage practices not related to the production of a crop in the current year Mechanical woody Removal or other manipulation of tree size gt 4 5 inches dbh woody vegetation Prescribed grazing Controlled grazing completed within a range of prescriptions described in an approved grazing plan Restoration herbaceous Introducing seed of desired non crop herbaceous vegetation Restoration woody Actions relating to the direct planting or promotion of woody vegetation through natural succession Water level management Actions applied to manipulate water levels through adjusting water control structures pumping or facilitating water movement A strategy list from the Refuge Lands Geographic Information System RLGIS USFWS 2010 served as foundation for a compiled list of actions Table SOP 6 1 The RLGIS Actions were modified and fitted with costs from Natural Resources Conservation Service NRCS cost share practices NRCS 2012 NRCS 2014 a b Pumping logs pump specifications power source fuel use and an irrigation study served as a basis for the fuel use based pumping cost estimates SRS Crisafulli Inc 2014 University of NE 2011 Henggeler 2012 Crop input costs are based on production agriculture cost estimates Dhuyvetter et al Dobbins et al 2012 Duffy 2014 Greer et al 2012 USDA 2012 Estimates for
25. f each day Since staff gages mounted on posts can be dislodged the staff gage present at the time of the survey should also be referenced against multiple points on a more permanent structure such as a culvert bottom concrete water control structure bridge footing etc to maintain a consistent datum Although not required mean sea level surveys could establish elevation references for all staff gages and permanent reference points For an example converting field data to bathymetry maps for use please refer to Los Huertos and Smith 2013 23 Figure SOP 4 1 Example data from bathymetry work at Prime Hook NWR illustrating the arrangement of parallel data collection transects approximately 50 meters apart and the collection of data points along the transects Note that data points are not always spaced 50 meters apart some are clustered and or located between transects as necessary to capture areas with changes in slope 24 References Lyons JE Runge MC Kendall WL Laskowski H Lor S Talbott S 2006 Timing of impoundment drawdowns and impact on waterbird invertebrate and vegetation communities within managed wetlands Study Manual Final Version Field Season 2006 USGS Refuge Cooperative Research Program Laurel Maryland Los Huertos M Smith D 2013 Wetland Bathymetry and Mapping Pages 49 86 in Anderson JT Davis CA editors Wetland Techniques Foundations Volume 1 Secaucus New Jersey Springer 25 SOP 5 Ve
26. getation Survey Follow these instructions for preparing and conducting vegetation surveys and assessing site conditions of each unit Associated data collection sheet can be found in Supplemental Materials 7 Equipment e Map of the site and unit boundaries e Annual Vegetation Survey Form See Supplemental Materials 4 e Seed Head Photographic Guide See Supplemental Materials 5 Survey Schedule Vegetation surveys are to be completed once annually typically late in the growing season when dominant plant species have started to senesce To improve the accuracy of the seed head index surveys should also be completed prior to the shattering of influential moist soil species Plant Community Composition Plant community composition will be assessed by measuring the cover of individual emergent plant species in areas of emergent vegetation within the survey unit Only emergent vegetation from the current growing season should be included in plant community composition assessments Two major steps are involved in the assessment of plant community composition 1 assessment of percent emergent cover within the survey unit and 2 species inventory and species specific percent cover assessments within areas of emergent vegetation Cooperators should determine the location of all emergent vegetation patches within a survey unit This could be done through a visual assessment around the perimeter of the survey unit Preferably patches would be ident
27. he data proofer that are entered differently into the database than they appear on the data sheet should be circled initialed and corrected Notes should be written in the margins or in the comments section whenever necessary to document the reason for the corrections 3 Once reviewed and corrected scan the data sheets to have a digital archive If a portable computer or personal digital assistant PDA is used export the file that is uploaded into AKN or as a csv file to an appropriate digital storage The process and location of this back up information should be specified in a site specific survey protocol 36 After data entry into AKN archive the scanned data sheets or exported PDA file If the data are associated with a survey report include these data as an Appendix to the report and archive the report if possible The original completed data forms or PDA file can also be stored on site in a safe place preferably in a designated fireproof safe or cabinet Enter the Data Prepare for data entry eS Organize your data and guidance materials to aid data entry process A data form will help verify that you have all the right data entry fields for your project A description or knowledge of the methods used for this survey The name and address of the Survey Coordinator the person who can be contacted regarding questions about these data once entered Enter the data into the AKN database 1 2 Contact the IWMM
28. ic protocols A practical approach for selecting survey dates during the non breeding season is to systematically conduct Waterbird and Unit Condition Surveys on a weekly or biweekly basis Subjective selection of survey dates should be avoided because it can introduce bias into migration curves and bird use day estimates Vegetation surveys are completed once late in the growing season See SOP 5 Recording Management Activities In addition to monitoring waterbird use and habitat response routine short term habitat management activities from the start of the current year s growing season to the start of the next year s growing season will be tracked for each management unit See SOP 6 Data entry The IWMM will be transitioning to an online database that will be part of the Avian Knowledge Network AKN This database will provide centralized data entry and reporting capabilities for IWMM cooperators As a member of the AKN IWMM will be able to share data and tools with other members such as the International Shorebird Survey Cooperators should enter collected data into the IWMM s centralized online database More specific instructions for entering data into this database can be found in SOP 7 Qualifications All surveys need to be conducted by qualified individuals Surveyors should be able to e Identify waterbird species e Identify common wetland plant species e Estimate numbers of waterbirds using advocated techniques
29. ified via a combination of aerial photograph e g Google Earth imagery and field based visual inspections Once the cooperator is confident they have identified all emergent vegetation patches they should estimate and record the percent of the survey unit covered by emergent vegetation Percent cover is defined as the percentage of the survey unit covered by vertical projections from the outermost perimeter of plants foliage Anderson 1986 Figure SOP 5 1 Again for this metric percent cover assessments should exclusively consider vegetation from the current season s growth 26 Se 5 ta 10 C 11 1025 ER j as a a 28t 50 C 51 to 75 C 76to 100 C 7 TTT P ees Figure SOP 5 1 Different levels of vegetation cover white patches Panels labeled with a C show clumped patches of vegetation and water whereas those with a D show dispersed or spread out patches For a single composite representing all areas of emergent vegetation cooperators will compile a list of common plant species and estimate each species percent cover For this assessment the following pertains to percent cover estimates 27 e For individual plant species cover is defined as above except that it is estimated as a percentage of emergent vegetation area not as a percentage of total survey unit area As an example consider a survey unit that contains only cattail as an emergent plant species Cattail may cover 50
30. ignificant change in slope For example if a low spot or ditch is encountered collect a point at the edge of it at its lowest point and at a point where elevation rises again These extra points are critical for accurate mapping of the basin contour c If areas with a significant change in slope occur between transects data points should be collected in those locations as well At each sampling point a Collect the location with the GPS GPS points are automatically numbered in sequence as they are collected in the field A Point ID and UTM coordinates will be stored in the unit b Record the water depth cm using the meter stick or the sounding line Begin sampling points at the edge of the impoundment Water depth at this location will be 0 Water depth can be typed into the GPS unit directly and or written on the data sheet If entering the water depth data directly into the GPS unit the use of the data sheet as a hard copy backup is optional but highly encouraged c Record comments for impoundment edge ditch change slope top slope bottom slope etc d When using the data sheet Point ID is simply a sequentially assigned number given to the points in the order they are collected 1 2 3 etc Thus written depth data should be collected in the same order as GPS data points so that the data corresponds correctly Once the entire impoundment has been sampled record the water level at the permanent water gauge at the end o
31. llow natural succession res8 acre 0 low water leve active draw down pumped gt 18 000 GPM wat acre foot low water leve active draw down pumped 3000 18 000 GPM diesel wat2 acre foot 15 low water leve active draw down gravity flow wat3 acre foot 0 low water leve active draw down pumped lt 3000GPM diesel wat4 acre foot 23 low water leve active draw down pumped lt 3000GPM electric wat5 acre foot 11 low water leve drain completely wat6 acre foot 0 low water leve excavation wat7 acre 413 high water leve flood up gravity flow wat8 acre foot 0 low water leve flood up opportunistic wat9 acre foot 0 low water leve flood up pumped lt 3000 18 000 GPM diesel wat10 acre foot 15 low water leve flood up pumped lt 3000GPM diesel watl1 acre foot 23 low water leve flood up pumped lt 3000GPM electric wat12 acre foot 11 low water leve flood up pumped gt 18000 GPM wat13 acre foot 6 low water leve levee removal ditch plugs and floodplain features watl4 acre 116 mod water leve natural draw down wat15 acre foot 0 low water leve other water watl6 acre foot water leve sediment removal ditch plug wat17 acre 1 307 high water leve tile removal wat18 acre 445 high water leve topographic feature creation high watl9 acre 1 356 high water leve topographic feature creation low wat20 acre 728 high water leve water level maintenance lt 3000GPM diesel wat21 acre foot 523 low water leve water level maintenance lt 3000GPM
32. management unit Figure SOP 1 1 If an observer cannot visually assess gt 70 of a unit s area additional vantage points should be added in lieu of splitting the management unit into multiple survey units This criterion applies to the surface area of a unit not to the visibility of birds within a unit While multiple observation points can be established around the perimeter of the unit to meet this criterion but observers should bear in mind the need to complete the count on the unit within a single morning and to minimize multiple counting of individual birds Note that the boundaries of the unit should be fixed through the season and across years to ensure data comparability ma Vegetation Visible wae Water Observation_Points wag Bare Ground Figure SOP 1 1 Percentage of survey unit within a whole area count In this case 70 of the unit falls within the whole area count Full pool spillway elevation levels in managed impoundments or seasonal high water marks in areas with uncontrolled water levels can be used to delineate unit boundaries Units may include areas above these high water marks Observers may use remote sensing resources to identify the boundaries of the wetland basin or GPS permanent topographic or other physical features in the field to define the management unit s extent GPS accuracies meeting or exceeding 3 16 feet 1 5 meters are acceptable USFWS 2012 e Commercial grade GPS receivers with WAAS enabled t
33. mbers A spotting scope will be required at most wetlands Estimating numbers may also be necessary if waterbirds move around the wetland or are in very tightly packed flocks To count waterbirds in a flock first estimate a block of waterbirds e g 5 10 20 50 100 500 1000 waterbirds depending on the total number of waterbirds in the flock and the size of the waterbirds To do this count a small number of waterbirds e g 10 to gain a sense of what a group of 10 waterbirds looks like Then count by 10s to 50s or 100 waterbirds to gain a sense of what 50 or 100 waterbirds looks like The block is then used as a model to measure the remainder of the flock In the example below Figure SOP 2 3 we use blocks of 20 birds to arrive at an estimate of 320 waterbirds In some instances it might not be possible to get an accurate count of each species in a mixed flock particularly if the flock contains similar species such as scaup or small shorebirds i e peeps In such cases try to estimate the percentage of the flock belonging to each species by sub sampling To do this choose several subsets of waterbirds across the flock then count and identify all individuals within those subsets Then use these estimates to provide an extrapolated estimate of numbers of each species in the entire flock When using this method be mindful of the fact that 17 species may not be distributed evenly among the flock so car
34. mec21 acre 5385 ig mechanical woody brush control high mec22 acre 3795 ig mechanical woody brush control low mec23 acre 5385 ig mechanical woody brush control moderate mec24 acre 5636 ig mechanical woody chainsaw mec25 acre 5576 ig mechanical woody dozer mec26 acre 5877 ig mechanical woody drum chop woody mec27 acre 5324 mod mechanical woody feller buncher bar saw head mec28 acre 5324 mod mechanical woody feller buncher high speed head mec29 acre 5324 mod mechanical woody feller buncher intermittent head mec30 acre 5324 mod mechanical woody hydro axe mec31 acre 5324 mod 32 Strategy group Strategy code unit unit cost cost class mechanical woody mulching mower fecon gyro track mec32 acre 324 mod mechanical woody other mechanical woody mec33 acre mechanical woody Tree shear mec34 acre 467 high mechanical woody wood gator mec35 acre 324 mod prescribed Grazing flash grazing goats emergent prel acre 1 251 high prescribed Grazing traditional biweekly rotation pre2 acre 85 low restoration herbaceous broadcast seeding aerial resl acre 9 low restoration herbaceous broadcast seeding terrestrial res2 acre 23 low restoration herbaceous other restoration herbaceous res3 acre restoration woody direct seeding res4 acre 722 high restoration woody hand plant container res5 acre 490 high restoration woody mechanical tree planter res6 acre 554 high restoration woody other restoration woody res7 acre restoration woody a
35. n AM Stanton JD Herner Thogmartin JH Casey J Coluccy JM Coppen JL Hanan M Heglund PJ Jacobi SK Jones T Knutson MG Koch KE Lonsdorf EV Laskowski HP Lor SK Lyons JE Seamans ME Stanton W Winn B and Ziemba LC 2014 National protocol framework for the inventory and monitoring of nonbreeding waterbirds and their habitats an Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring Initiative IWMM approach Natural Resources Program Center Fort Collins CO This protocol is available from ServCat http ecos fws gov ServCatFiles Reference Holding 40340 Why Monitor Waterbirds and their Habitats We anticipate that setting and obtaining local management objectives will require knowledge about waterbird use setting habitat condition objectives the ability to assess the efficacy of management actions e g accounting for management costs in terms of use days or supported populations and or the ability to learn how to improve management Lyons et al 2008 Also depending on the management objective the survey activity will often entail assessing status and trends of habitat conditions or waterbird numbers Resulting data may be used to calculate wetland unit specific waterbird use days document migration chronologies and explore relationships between waterbird counts management actions and habitat condition Survey Units A survey unit is a single managed or unmanaged wetland unit Boundaries of the unit should be fixed throughout the se
36. nditions for each unit at time of survey Associated data collection sheets can be found in Supplemental Materials 3 and 4 Measurements Counts of waterbirds by species Visibility Wind speed mph class Tide position class Salinity ppt Water depth cm class Ice cover class Flood duration days class Habitat cover of cover class Interspersion of habitat patches class Vegetation height cm or m class Waterbird disturbance response class Disturbance source class Chronic human disturbance class Equipment Good optical equipment including a spotting scope Thermometer F Refractometer or hydrometer Map of the site and unit boundaries AOU species code sheet Supplemental Materials 1 alphabetical order or Supplemental Materials 2 taxonomic order Waterbird Survey Form Supplemental Materials 3 Single unit and Supplemental Materials 4 multiple units Survey Schedule Waterbird surveys should ideally be conducted at least once per week during the peak migration periods for waterfowl and shorebirds See Figure 1 Survey timing and schedule Estimates of use days using weekly counts have greater statistical power than those conducted on a biweekly schedule B Tavernia USGS personal communication It is best to designate a particular day of the week for the surveys so that they are spaced as evenly as possible In coastal areas surveys should be conducted within two hours of high tide to con
37. o provide differential correction should be used e Relatively inexpensive GPS receivers or hand held cell phones devices do not provide the needed 3 16 feet meter accuracy e Position averaging is recommended to meet the accuracy requirement e Metadata should reflect estimated accuracies from field personnel during data collection activities To facilitate inter year comparisons of observations survey unit boundaries should not be altered Observers should create and maintain printed maps and geospatial layers as aids in maintaining consistent boundaries Digitized files with identified accuracy projections and coordinate systems ArcGIS shape files or KML files digitized from Google Earth will be submitted through the on line database Please see Figure SOP 1 2 for flow chart that will help guide decisions regarding survey units Delineate management it boundari Carle cea Modify survey unit P it pects a END Digitize and submit polygon file of survey unit create in Google Earth Arcgis or other GIS Figure SOP 1 2 Decision Flowchart for creating new or modifying existing management unit into IWMM survey units References USFWS U S Fish and Wildlife Service 2012 Data Delivery Standards and Specifications Template USFWS Pacific Southwest Region Sacramento California 8 SOP 2 Waterbird and Unit Condition Survey Follow these instructions for preparing and conducting waterbird counts and assessing co
38. on Service 2012 FY2013 Practice Payment Schedule for EQIP WHIP Available http www nrcs usda gov Internet FSE_DOCUMENTS nrcs141p2_035967 pdf April 2014 Natural Resources Conservation Service 2014a Working Lands for Wildlife 2014 Payment Schedule Available http www nrcs usda gov wps PA_NRCSConsumption download cid stelprdb1247312 amp ext p df April 2014 Natural Resources Conservation Service 2014b FY2014 Payment Scenario Descriptions for Illinois Available http www nrcs usda gov wps PA_ NRCSConsumption download cid stelprdb1243994 amp ext x Isx April 2014 Rathfon R and Ruble K 2006 Herbicide Treatments for Controlling Invasive Bush Honeysuckle in a Mature Hardwood Forest in West central Indiana Pages 187 197 in Buckley DS Clatterbuck WK editors Proceedings 15th Central Hardwood Forest Conference Asheville North Carolina U S Department of Agriculture Forest Service Southern Research Station SRS Crisafulli Inc 2014 Trailer Pumps Product Catalogue Available http www crisafullipumps com products services pumps trailer April 2014 34 University of Missouri Extension 2012 2012 Custom Rates for Farm Services in Missouri Cooperative Extension University of Missouri Columbia University of Nebraska Lincoln 2011 Nebraska OECD Tractor Test 1987 Summary 760 Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory University of Nebraska Lincoln East Campus Lincoln USDA 2012 Conservation Systems Fact Sheet
39. onsolidated shore The following conditions apply when estimating cover of the different habitat classes e Percent covers for individual classes are considered mutually exclusive so percent cover estimates across all habitat classes must sum to 100 e Because this measure is intended to assess habitat structure not energy content senesced vegetation i e dead vegetation should be included in percent cover estimates for applicable habitat classes Interspersion The configuration of vegetation and water bare ground patches within a survey unit can influence habitat quality For this metric vegetation patches are defined to include scrub shrub forest and emergent vegetation areas whereas water bare ground patches are defined to include open water submerged aquatic vegetation floating leaved aquatic vegetation and bare ground A survey unit can fall into one of three configuration classes Figure SOP 2 2 based on Suir et al 2013 The three configuration classes are e Class L includes large and connected patches of water bare ground features e Class S contains small disconnected patches of water bare ground e Class M contains discernible regions of both classes L and S 14 These classes reflect the interspersion or inter mixing of vegetation and water bare ground patches Assign the survey unit to one of the configuration classes as an indicator of interspersion Note that when water bare ground covers gt 60 of a unit
40. or et al 2005 Using ocular estimation qualitatively assess seed head size for a given species as average smaller or larger than the average size for the species For example Polygonum pensylvanicum would be compared to average size of seed heads for this species Use the Not Assessed category for species that have deteriorated seed heads at the time of assessment or difficult to assess seed heads We provide a photographic guide to assist you in making seed head size assessments see Supplemental Materials 6 The guide includes many common waterfowl food sources but may exclude some regionally important species If you encounter a species that is energetically important and not listed in the photographic guide please email iwmmprogram gmail com to suggest the species as an addition to the guide For each common plant species visually assess seed head density based on two considerations e The density of stems for a species e The proportion of a species stems with seed heads 28 Through ocular assessments seed head density is assigned to ordinal categories including low moderate or high Low seed head density is characterized by large areas of bare ground and a low proportion of seed heads to plant stems High stem density is assigned to areas with little bare ground and a high proportion of seed heads to stems Moderate stem densities fall between these two extremes Percent near tall edge A tall edge is defin
41. ovement into the unit Ideally all units within a site should be surveyed on the same day NOTE During the waterfowl hunting season it is important to avoid conflict with hunting interests Disturbance can be avoided by surveying from accessible points around the perimeter of wetlands and by avoiding surveys when hunting activity is highest Site unit and observer codes Please contact the Science Coordinator iwmmprogram gmail com for assistance on assigning codes Site survey unit and observer codes must be assigned by WMM staff to ensure that they do not duplicate codes in use by other cooperators If you do not know these codes please leave them blank but make sure that you provide enough detail e g name of observer location of surveys so that the codes can be completed subsequently Percent Visibility To conduct whole area counts it is required that you be able to see gt 70 of the survey unit from one or multiple vantage points placed around the unit s perimeter Estimate the percentage of the survey unit included within the whole area count Figure SOP 2 1 10 mae Vegetation Visible mae Water Observation_Points wag Bare Ground Figure SOP 2 1 Percentage of survey unit within whole area count In this case 70 of the unit falls within the whole area count Appropriate Weather Surveys during inclement weather should be avoided Whenever possible do not survey waterbirds in fog rain or strong winds B
42. rrangement approximating a grid this does not require the creation of a grid of sampling points ahead of time with a GIS Grid spacing typically between 25 to 100 m will determine how frequently data points will be collected and should be informed by the size of the survey unit and the variability of water depth conditions within the unit The resulting file of GPS points will resemble a grid once imported to GIS see SOP 4 1 It may be possible depending on the GPS unit used to enter water depth measurements directly into the GPS unit as the data points are collected This will reduce data entry required after field work and the likelihood of data entry errors In addition field crews are encouraged to record water depth data on the paper data sheets as well as a hard copy back up 22 Steps Before starting obtain an appropriate GPS unit if necessary or prepare your GPS unit to collect bathymetry data for your survey unit If you are not familiar with the GPS technology you are using IWMM staff can provide detailed step by step instructions for its use Record the water level at the permanent water gauge at the start of each day of bathymetry work Starting with one edge of the impoundment traverse a series of parallel transects taking periodic readings a Place points along transects at a standardized frequency approx 50 meters apart b As necessary collect additional sampling points along each transect whenever there is a s
43. ry out several sub samples As an example in the raft of ducks in Figure SOP 2 3 you might count the waterbirds in 3 subsamples of 20 waterbirds identifying 12 10 and 14 Redheads among them These 36 Redheads represent 60 of the 60 waterbirds in those 3 subsamples extrapolating this to the whole flock previously estimated to be 320 waterbirds would produce an estimate of 192 Redheads SURVEY TIP If you are surveying sites with large numbers of waterbirds it is often best to count in teams of two one person counting while the other records the numbers on the field sheet Alternatively some people like to use recording devices so that they are not constantly interrupting counts to record information sar ge fm oS 4 Figure SOP 2 3 Estimating flock size for a raft of ducks Count members within a visualized group for example 20 individuals then see how many groups there are in the flock In this example 16 groups x 20 individuals group 320 individuals in the flock 18 Training First time IWMM cooperators should view the IWMM overview entitled IWMM Introduction located at http iwmmprogram ning com page presentations Inexperienced waterbird counters are advised to practice their counting and estimation techniques before participating in IWMM This can be done in the field or at a desktop computer using Wildlife Counts software http wildlifecounts com index html Young waterbirds broods Do not include dependent
44. s in the database and if there are no errors then change the status of the records to the next appropriate level see the user s manual for the database Discuss any questionable data entry or field observer errors with the Data Entry Technician and or Field Observer If there are errors the Project Leader will open up the records for editing After all errors are satisfactorily resolved in the database the Project Leader will change the status of the records in the database 37 Table SOP 7 1 The following are the Avian Knowledge Network s data access levels These are applicable to each and every record in the network individually so that different records may have different access levels Data published using one of the five Levels below are stored in the AKN s primary data warehouses The warehouses serve as the primary archives of all AKN data No applications connect directly to the warehouses but data from a warehouse are ported to separate data views created specifically to optimize the performance of an application that connects to it Data owners can specify how their data can be used in the data views with the option that their data are not exposed to the public at all Validation Access Definition and Description Code Some information is made available to other than project members about the data Specifically only Level 1 Sa metadata about the datasets are made available to any application or service Lev
45. t process that will inform local regional state and flyway managers about how they can best meet the needs of migrating and wintering waterbird populations Waterbird needs during the migration and winter phases of their life cycle are just as critical as those during the breeding season However IWMM is the only landscape scale monitoring effort developed to date that tracks and links waterbird habitat use habitat conditions and management actions during the migration and wintering periods This approach includes a monitoring component that assesses how well managers at all scales are meeting their management objectives and an adaptive feedback loop that allows managers to adjust their management to address emerging threats This manual provides survey techniques i e procedures described herein that involve visual assessments of whole wetland unit habitat conditions and counts of waterbirds conducted from the perimeter of the wetland unit A series of standard operating procedures provides greater detail on recommended methods and technical aspects of this protocol and were used to develop a national protocol framework to guide the local monitoring component of the IWMM approach at units within the National Wildlife Refuge System Data entry archival and multi scale analysis are handled through an online database that is part of the Avian Knowledge Network Refer to the following for the complete protocol framework Loges BW Tavernia BG Wilso
46. tated areas Here we are interested in disturbances that negatively influence your ability to get an accurate count Score the disturbance on a scale to 4 Table SOP 2 7 Table SOP 2 7 Severity scale and associated definitions of waterbird response to disturbance Scale Severity Definition 1 Light none no effect on waterbirds 2 Moderate some waterbirds move but stay within unit 3 Heavy some waterbirds leave unit 4 Limiting most all waterbirds leave the unit Disturbance source If there is a disturbance of waterbirds see Disturbance Severity above check the appropriate box to identify its source Several sources can be ticked For example a fisherman in a boat should be ticked as both Fishing and Boats Potential sources are listed in Table SOP 2 8 Table SOP 2 8 Types of disturbance Code Description Pedestrian Loose dog Hunting Fishing Boats Motor vehicles Aircraft Raptor Other OONDAARWN 16 Chronic Human Disturbance Characterize the unit for the period between the last and the current waterbird survey Table SOP 2 9 For private lands ask the site manager or landowner For public lands check site regulations or consult with management or law enforcement staff Table SOP 2 9 Chronic disturbance classes and their definitions Class Description 1 No entry into the unit for any reason 2 Closed to all use with entry into unit by resource managers or designees for management a
47. the only possible configuration class is L BL eS Lez 401060 Figure SOP 2 2 Examples of three configuration categories L S M The three categories are illustrated for different levels of water bare ground cover lt 40 40 to 60 gt 60 Water bare ground areas are represented in black above whereas vegetated areas are represented in white 15 Height Use ocular estimation to assess what percentage of the unit is in each of seven categories of vegetation height Table SOP 2 6 Note the height being measured is the uppermost canopy so the percent cover estimates should sum to 100 across all categories Table SOP 2 6 Categories of vegetation height Category Description lt 2 5 cm includes bare ground e g mudflat and water 2 5 to 15 cm short vegetation e g grazed grassland sprouting crops dwarf spikerush etc 15 to 30 cm short herbaceous 30 to 60 cm medium forbs and grasses 60 cm to 3 m shrubs and low trees plus tall herbaceous vegetation and grasses 3to6m shrubs trees tall herbaceous gt 6m tall trees Disturbance severity Please record whether there is a disturbance affecting the behavior or number of waterbirds in the survey unit either during your survey or immediately prior to it Cooperators can conduct flush counts surveys designed to intentionally flush a majority of birds in an effort to increase detectability to get more accurate counts of waterbirds in large or densely vege
48. timating cover Rangelands 8 236 238 Naylor LW Eadie JM Smith WD Eichholz M Gray MJ 2005 A simple method to predict seed yield in moist soil habitats Wildlife Society Bulletin 33 1335 1341 SOP 6 Recording Management Actions Follow these instructions for recording and tracking management actions for each unit surveyed Associated management record sheet can be found in Supplemental Materials 7 Resources e Map of the site and unit boundaries e Wetland management activities record Supplemental Materials 7 for recording implemented actions In addition to monitoring waterbird use and habitat response routine habitat management activities need to be tracked for each management unit To develop effective and informed strategies in an adaptive management approach a reasonable range of management activities must be considered Williams 2011 The details of timing extent and frequency will be recorded by cooperators via a wetland management record Supplemental Materials 7 to document individual actions as listed in Table SOP 6 1 as planned and implemented prescriptions Infrequent management activities involving major modifications or infrastructure development are excluded 1 Create wetland management activities record Supplemental Materials 7 for each unit and fill in all planned actions Use annual habitat management plans or other annual goals amp objectives to match planned activities for a unit to an action code in
49. trol for the effect of the tidal state of nearby mudflats At inland sites the time of a 24 hour period for conducting surveys should be based on the management objective For example if a manager is 9 interested in supporting roosting activities the counts should occur during a period when birds are most likely to be roosting in a site Flexibility in the timing of surveys is needed to address constraints such as staffing other activities taking place within units e g hunting or management and weather If multiple units are surveyed it is good practice to change the order of surveys by choosing different starting units on each visit wherever possible If count numbers are expected to be compiled counts for all units should be completed in one day to minimize the interchange of birds across units Multiple counting of individual waterbirds should be avoided If birds regularly flush from units during counts then efforts to minimize disturbance during surveys or concurrent surveys may be needed to minimize the multiple counting of birds Include waterbirds in the totals for only the first unit in which you encounter them Waterbirds observed outside the unit boundaries during flood events as flyovers or on adjacent dry land should not be included in the survey unit observations There is no time limit for surveys The observer should tally the waterbirds present when the observation starts but should cease when there is a great deal of m
50. young waterbirds in counts For geese swans and ducks assume juveniles are independent when they can fly Any juveniles that did not hatch in the immediate vicinity should be included in counts e g juvenile swans migrating in family groups Special survey techniques Aerial Surveys Although we do not require aerial waterbird surveys in the IWMM approach we would very much like to include aerial survey data if they are being completed for sites participating in the program If you conduct aerial surveys collect the same data as a standard ground based whole area count using the same waterbird survey form If aerial surveys are employed the cooperators should note this in the IWMM database In the bird survey database form select Aerial Surveys in the Survey Type dropdown box Flush Counts Cooperators can conduct flush counts to get more accurate counts of waterbirds in large or densely vegetated areas Flush counts are not required by IWMM but if this method is employed the cooperators should note this in the IWMM database In the bird survey database form select Flush Counts in the Survey Type dropdown box References Cowardin LM Carter V Golet FC LaRoe ET 1979 Classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States U S Fish and Wildlife Service Washington D C Fredrickson LH Reid FA 1991 13 1 1 Nutritional values of waterfowl foods Waterfowl Management Handbook U S Fish and Wildlife Service
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