Mojave Desert Network integrated upland monitoring: 2012 pilot study for Mojave National Preserve

Pan, Jean; Tallent, Nita

The Integrated Upland (IU) Monitoring Protocol of the Mojave Desert Network Inventory and Monitoring Program (MOJN I&M) is one of the long-term monitoring protocols developed for the National Park Service “Vital Signs Monitoring Program,” a long-term ecological monitoring program that will provide rigorous, scientifically-based information on the status and trends of park ecosystems. Data from this program are intended to help park managers evaluate complex and challenging resource issues and make sound decisions that result in long-term protection of park resources. Information on park resource conditions will also be useful for park planning, research, education, and public awareness. Twenty priority park vital signs - indicators of ecosystem health - that represent a broad suite of ecological phenomena operating across multiple temporal and spatial scales were identified for MOJN I&M. The IU protocol addresses seven of these prioritized vital signs, including vegetation change, invasive plants, and soil-related vital signs. The focus of the IU protocol is upland shrub communities, which was chosen because this physiognomic class collectively represents a large proportion of each park and captures several focal communities of interest (e.g., Joshua tree, creosote bush, and sagebrush), thus providing a common theme among parks. Each of the seven parks in the network, in collaboration with the MOJN I&M, selected a target upland community for monitoring. The Joshua tree wooded scrubland community was selected for monitoring at Mojave National Preserve (MOJA). A pilot study for the IU protocol was conducted in the spring and summer of 2012. The objectives of the pilot study were to: 1) estimate time in the field needed to travel to field sites, establish macroplots, and conduct field measurements, and 2) test field methods and standard operating procedures in sites within target communities. In this report, findings and a data summary of the pilot study for MOJA are presented. Cost estimates were generated for conducting field procedures, travel to field sites, and different crew staffing scenarios. At MOJA, four macroplots were successfully established and all field procedures implemented. The time to implement various field procedures ranged from ~30 min (Site Assessment for Invasive Plants) to up to 360 min (Soil Measurements) for a two-person field crew. The average estimated cost for each macroplot revisit (hiking time to field site plus field data collection, not including driving time) was $576, for a total of approximately $20,160 for 35 spatially randomly selected field sites. We found that shrub species composition varied greatly across macroplots, detected four of the seven target status and trends invasive species on the macroplots, and compared qualitative and quantitative soil parameters across macroplots. Issues and recommendations to improve the IU protocol are discussed. Primary recommendations include: 1. Increase the monitoring interval for soil procedures, including basal/canopy gaps (analyze one soil sample per sampling point). 2. Increase the monitoring interval for repeat photographs to every 3-4 monitoring periods (9-12 year intervals).

Mojave Desert Network integrated upland monitoring: 2012 pilot study for Mojave National Preserve

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