Field data for the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project of Wupatki National Monument

This reference is an assemblage of field data collected as part the baseline vegetation inventory for the park unit. Typical files here are vegetation plot data, accuracy assessment data, field photos, PDF showing locations of vegetation plots and accuracy assessment data, and other data for this type. RSGIG ecologists conducted reconnaissance field surveys (in June 1999, May 2000, June 2001, and February 2002) during which photointerpretation observation sites were sampled. RSGIG ecologists photographed representative plant associations and noted their position on the landscape, collected data at sites representative of distinctive photosignatures, and recorded field observations directly on Mylar overlays on individual aerial photos. The data collected described the habitat and vegetation structure and composition. Specific information recorded for each photointerpretation observation included Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) X-Y coordinates (NAD83 datum), dominant species cover estimates, and a brief description of the environmental characteristics (see Appendix D for an example of the field form). The RSGIG team also conducted joint field sessions with CPRS plant ecologists to exchange observations, become familiar with field methodologies for vegetation relevé data collection, and discuss the project area. These joint sessions helped the ecologists become more familiar with the relationship of plant associations to photosignatures. Photointerpretation observations also guided the development of a draft list of map classes. Two CPRS plant ecologists conducted classification field surveys from early May through the end of August 2000. We used the standard relevé method to quantify the vegetation community. We entered the classification relevé data into a Microsoft Access 2000 (version 9.0) database. We standardized plant names to the USDA PLANTS (USDA NRCS 1999) nomenclature. After the data were entered we performed spatial and data entry quality control checks. CPRS field staff conducted the formal accuracy assessment of the WUPA vegetation map and vegetation association key. We conducted field surveys from August through October 2002 in two phases. We sampled the western half of the map first, followed by the eastern half.