Standard Operating Procedure 3: Training Field Personnel. Version 1. Monitoring Protocol for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve and City of Rocks National Reserve.
Conway CJ, Garton EO, Dicus GH, Lonneker JJ. 2018. Standard Operating Procedure 3: Training Field Personnel. Version 1. Monitoring Protocol for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve and City of Rocks National Reserve.. Unpublished National Park Service Report, Upper Columbia Basin Inventory and Monitoring Network, Moscow, Idaho.
This SOP describes procedures for training field personnel. The work requires attention to detail and efficiency in the field to ensure that lek routes are completed within the necessary time constraints (from ½ hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunrise), ability to hear and correctly identify sage-grouse from a distance, and ability to drive 4WD vehicles in remote areas over muddy and snowy conditions at night. The SOP serves primarily as a reference for the UCBN and park Project Leads. Training of crew members is best conducted in “real-time”, with a less experienced surveyor accompanying a more experienced surveyor (someone who has conducted lek counts for >1 year) during actual lek surveys. However, in the event of rapid turnover in staff, a more formal training can be conducted following the procedures and recommendations in this SOP. All inexperienced surveyors should also receive some “classroom” training. Use of GPS to locate waypoints and navigate to field sites is discussed in SOP 4 and should also be reviewed and practiced before commencing fieldwork. Procedures for recording field data are detailed in SOP 5. Procedures for data management are in SOP 6. These SOPs should be used as training manuals and hard copies can be provided to each surveyor for reference during the survey event. Note that field SOPs are not meant to be stand-alone training manuals replacing the thorough documentation available for GPS and lek count techniques. Training personnel should refer to these SOPs as a guide and seek out additional information through supplementary reading and training opportunities.
- Type
- Standard Operating Procedure
- Authors
- Conway, Courtney; Garton, Edward; Dicus, Gordon; Lonneker, Jeffrey
- Date of Issue
- 2018
- Publisher
- Unpublished National Park Service Report, Upper Columbia Basin Inventory and Monitoring Network, Moscow, Idaho.
- Units
- CIRO , CRMO , UCBN
- Keywords
- Greater sage-grouse
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Birds