Early Detection of Invasive Plant Species Monitoring Plan Standard Operating Procedure #9: Collection and Vouchering
Ainsworth A, Gross J, Simon MJ, Jacobi JD, Loh RK, Harrison S, Berkowitz P, Yoshioka JM, Starr F, Starr K, Loope LL. 2017. Early Detection of Invasive Plant Species Monitoring Plan Standard Operating Procedure #9: Collection and Vouchering. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
This SOP describes how to collect and document a physical voucher of a plant within Pacific Island Network (PACN) parks as part of the Early Detection of Invasive Species Monitoring Plan (Ainsworth et al. 2017). Specimens will be stored in a herbarium specified by the park from which the collection was made. Typically, vouchers from Hawai‘i parks are kept in herbaria at Hawai‘i Volcanoes or Haleakalā National Parks although some are stored on O‘ahu at Bishop Museum. In American Samoa, vouchers are kept at the herbarium at headquarters. Prior to each field season, park staff will indicate who to contact regarding collections and where specimens should be stored during the Scientific Research and Collecting Permit process. Having a physical voucher of a plant, especially a potentially new record in the park, is still the preferred method of proving an observation. Specimens, even non-natives, should not be collected by non-staff unless the individual has the proper Scientific Research and Collecting Permit. Volunteers and inexperienced field crew members should only take photographic vouchers of any unknown species. More experienced staff may field-key or choose to voucher for expert identification, or to record a new species for the park plant list or significant range expansion for an invasive species (e.g., the first record in the county) but should also photograph the plant in situ to capture characteristics that may be lost during pressing. Contact park vegetation staff for a list of plants that lack voucher evidence of their presence in the park.
- Type
- Standard Operating Procedure
- Authors
- Ainsworth, Alison; Gross, Jacob; Simon, Melissa; Jacobi, James; Loh, Rhonda; Harrison, Sky; Berkowitz, Paul; Yoshioka, Joan; Starr, Forrest; Starr, Kim; Loope, Lloyd
- Date of Issue
- 2017-11
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- ALKA , AMME , HALE , HAVO , KAHO , KALA , NPSA , NRSS , PACN , PUHE , PUHO , VALR , WAPA
- Keywords
- early detection, invasive species, non-native species, weeds
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic plants