CRAM Assessment the Strawberry Creek wetland with a floating vegetation mat dominated by Phalaris arundinacea
Brown C and Hancock N. 2012. CRAM Assessment the Strawberry Creek wetland with a floating vegetation mat dominated by Phalaris arundinacea
Excerpts: "The California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) is a diagnostic tool used to quickly assess wetland health within a short amount of time. CRAM was developed based on three ideal criteria; the assessment be a snapshot in time not considering the past or future conditions, the assessment be carried out by two people in a day’s time, and the assessment be unbiased by other studies. This streamlined approach provides quick and useful information about the overall health of a wetland...The purpose of this project attempted to determine CRAMs effectiveness in capturing large changes over time. The channel existing within the project area is covered by the floating vegetation mat. Strawberry Creek is set to undergo significant restoration that will remove the vegetation from the channel and re-contour the topography. Implementing CRAM prior to the restoration will capture the degraded conditions of the wetland. Utilizing two different modules will provide a comparative assessment of the wetlands capturing different characteristics. Information collected from this study will provide the basis necessary for testing CRAMs effectiveness as a monitoring tool."
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Brown, Charles; Hancock, Nathan
- Date of Issue
- 2012
- Units
- REDW
- Keywords
- California Rapid Assessment Method, canary grass, environmental assessment, floating vegetation mats, park management, Strawberry Creek, Strawberry Creek restoration, wetland