Jeanne Taylor, MOJN Vegetation Mapping Coordinator 1

 Vegetation maps are one of the12-baseline inventories  Classification - To inventory and describe the plant communities within network parks  Mapping – To accurately document these plant communities in a GIS layer 2

 Project Planning  Classification ◦ Preliminary classification created from legacy data ◦ Field data collection ◦ Final Vegetation Classification  Mapping ◦ Imagery acquisition and mapping  Map Accuracy Assessment  Final Reports and Deliverables 3

Project Manager JOTR Tasha LaDoux JOTR AA Field AA Field Final Delivera bls PARA (GRCA- LAME) Mike Kearsley GRCA Field Data Final Classif Mapping AAFinal Products MANZMOJN Field Data Final Classif Mapping Final Classif AA Field Final Products GRBAMOJN Planning Field Data Planning Field Data Planning Mapping Mapping AA Field Final Products LAME DEVA MOJA MOJN Planning Prelim Classif Planning Final Classif LAMEMOJN Field Data Field Data Mapping AA Field Final Products MOJAMOJN Field Data Field Data --Mapping AA Field Final Products DEVAMOJNField Data Field Data -- Mapping AA FieldFinal Products 4

 Phase = Final Reports and Deliverables ◦ Final project report and products scheduled for completion by December

 Phase = Classification and Mapping ◦ Classification:  Mojave Desert portion complete  Shivwits Plateau portion in-progress ◦ Mapping:  June 2011 – June

 Phase – Final Deliverables ◦ Final draft of project report and products scheduled for completion by November ◦ Submit completed products to NVIP Feb

 Phase - Mapping ◦ Classification completed May 2010 ◦ Mapping begun May 2010 ◦ Map validation trip planned for October

 Complete dataset = 439 plots/obs  Classified to: 14 Macrogroups 30 Groups 57 Alliances ⇒ ⇒ ⇒42 Proposed Map Classes 126 Associations 9

 Upper: Physiognomy plays a predominant role ◦ L1 – Formation Class ◦ L2 – Formation Subclass ◦ L3 – Formation  Middle: Both floristics and physiognomy play a significant role ◦ L4 – Division ◦ L5 – Macrogroup ◦ L6 – Group  Lower: Floristics plays a predominant role L7 – Alliance⇚ ⇚ ⇛ ⇛ Target mapping class level L8 - Association 10

NS_Proposed_ Map_ClassNVC_Group_NameAlliance Name Biophysical Setting ClassFinal_Association_Name Park Plots Total Plots Artemisia tridentata Shrubland Intermountain West Dry Tall Sagebrush Shrubland Group Artemisia tridentata (ssp. tridentata, ssp. xericensis) Shrubland Alliance Montane Sagebrush Steppe-upland Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata / Pleuraphis jamesii Shrubland11 Artemisia tridentata Shrubland Alliance Montane Sagebrush Steppe-upland Artemisia tridentata - (Ericameria nauseosa) / Bromus tectorum Semi- natural Shrubland27 Montane Sagebrush Steppe-upland Peraphyllum ramosissimum - Artemisia tridentata Shrubland22 Purshia tridentata Shrubland Alliance Montane Sagebrush Steppe-upland Purshia tridentata - Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata Shrubland11 11

 Phase = Classification ◦ Preliminary classification of legacy data completed Feb 2009 ◦ Field data collection at LAKE and DEVA, Feb – July 2009 ◦ Second year of field data collection begins Sep 29,

 Created Biophysical Units (BPUs) using ◦ Soils layer ◦ Climate grids (Temperature min Jan, max July, Precipitation, winter and summer)  Resulted in 50 unique BPUs  Randomly selected 100 BPUs to sample, two per unique BPU  Additional samples collected through directed and opportunistic searches 13

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 Fields crews provided with ◦ A list of vegetation types likely to occur within LAKE. ◦ A target number of plot and observation points per vegetation type.  Mininum number of classification plots per vegetation type: 5 15

Classification PlotObservation Point  Plots of 1000m2  Environmental data  Complete species list by stratum (Strata = Tree, Shrub, Herb, Non-vascular)  Ocular estimate of percent cover by species  Observation over entire stand  Environmental data  Partial species list of dominant species in each stratum  Ocular estimate of percent cover by species 16

 Classification plots = 157  Observation points = 237 Total = 394 (Target No. : ~ 400)  No. of alliances with > 5 plot/obs: 19  No. of alliances with 1-4 plot/obs: 45  No. of plots marked permanently: 37 17

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AllianceLegacy dataReleveObs Total Legacy + new 2010 data Additional Samples? LARTRI-AMBDUM LARTRI ENCFAR AMBDUM LARTRI-ENCFAR ERIFAS PSOFRE TAMRAM YUCSCH HYMSAL67417 ACAGRE25815 PROGLA VIGPAR1500 PLUSER

AllianceLegacy dataReleveObs Total new at LAKE, 2010 Total Legacy + new 2010 data Additional Samples? PROPUB11000 MAYBE FOUSPL06511 MAYBE BACSER811210MAYBE PEUSCH01910 MAYBE JUNCAL23368YES QUETUR60117YES SALEXI60006MAYBE COLRAM40226YES CYLBIG05166YES YUCBRE06066YES CLACAL- PHRAUS40115MAYBE CHILIN02355MAYBE ATRHYM03255YES SCHISMUS40004YES 21

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 Field data collection conducted in  Vegetation Map and Technical Report completed in 2004  Minimum mapping unit (MMU): 5 hectares  NVIP MMU: 0.5 hectares  Special features map is a starting place for future mapping at a finer resolution 23

 Fill in gaps in the current classification  Sample in areas where there is no existing data  Collect additional samples in rare, localized vegetation types (e.g. White Fir at MOJA) 24

 DEVA ◦ Classification plots: 191(Legacy data: 827) ◦ Observation points: 420  MOJA ◦ Classification plots: 203(Legacy data: 200) ◦ Observation points:

 Park divided into 17 work zones representing major landforms (ranges, dunes, valleys, playas)  1 st Field Season - stratified random sampling points by vegetation type within each work zone  2 nd Field season – to stratify sampling points by vegetation type and elevation within each work zone 26

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 Classification plots = 38  Observation points = 186 Total = 224  No. of alliances with > 5 plot/obs: 24  No. of alliances with 1-4 plot/obs: 32  No. of plots marked permanently: none 28

ALLIANCELegacy dataTOTAL_PlotsTOTAL_Obs.Total Legacy + New LARTRI-AMBDUM LARTRI ATRCON COLRAM ATRHYM YUCBRE ARTTRI PINMON PINMON-JUNOST MENSPI AMBDUM GRASPI EPHNEV HYMSAL92314 KRALAN ERIFAS40711 ATRCAN12710 CHRPAN

ALLIANCELegacy dataTOTAL_PlotsTOTAL_Obs.Total Legacy + New ACEGLA/JAMAME0011 BRILON0101 ENCACT0011 FORPUB-SALEXI0011 HECSHO0101 PSOPOL0101 PURGLA0011 SARVER0011 SYMLON-ERICUN0011 TETILI-CHRTER

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 Park divided into 32 works zones representing major landforms (ranges, dunes, valleys, playas)  Sampling points to be stratified by vegetation type and elevation within each work zone. 33

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 LAKE, MOJA, DEVA - Park permits have been applied for and received for collecting plants for plant identification purposes.

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 Data delivery schedule ◦ 1 st season, data deliverables were due at the conclusion of the season ◦ 2 nd season, data deliverables due:  November 5  January 7  March 11th  June 10 th ◦ Thirty days from receipt by Project Lead to Data Manager 37

 Quality Assurance ◦ Pre-season field crew training insuring instruction is clear, concepts are understood ◦ Calibrate ocular estimation among all crew members pre-season and mid-season. ◦ Project Lead periodically works with each field crew member to insure that data is being collected correctly 38

 Quality control ◦ Data entry personnel are responsible for a 100% check of all records entered. ◦ Project Lead works with Data Manager to develop database field controls (i.e. values out of range). ◦ Project Lead responsible for at minimum a 10% check of all records entered. 39

 [Project Management – ◦ Current Veg. Mapping Coordinator position ends Dec ◦ In 2011, MOJN will have to decide how project management will be handled beginning in 2012.]  Field personnel ◦ Once maps are completed, field crews will be needed to complete AA field work. ◦ Earliest needed will be 2014 for LAKE vegetation map. 40

VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION and MAPPING PROJECT PARTICIPANTS ParkCodeProject Management TeamField Ecology TeamClassification TeamGIS SupportMapping JOTRTasha LaDoux, BotanistAIS/JOTRCDFG--AIS PARA (LAKE)Mike Kearseley, GRCA Veg Mapping CoordinatorvariousNatureServe--Kass Green Associates MANZMOJN VMC MOJN VMC/NVIP--USGS GRBAMOJN VMCGRBA/NatureServe/UNLVNatureServe--Cogan Technology, Inc. LAKEMOJN VMCUNLVCNPSBORNot Begun MOJAMOJN VMCUNLVCNPSBORNot Begun DEVAMOJN VMCUNLVCNPSBORNot Begun 41

 Kate Prengaman, Crew Leader  Teague Embrey, Field Lead  Sarah Schimd, Field Lead  Karin Edwards, Crew member  Carl Howard, Crew member  Julia Howard, Crew member  Project P.I.: Scott Abella 42

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Karl BrownChris Lea Vegetation Inventory Program ManagerBotanist, Vegetation Inventory Program Biological Resources Division Natural Resource Program CenterP.O. Box (Academy Place) 1201 Oak Ridge Drive, Suite 200Denver, CO Fort Collins, CO 80525Office phone: (303) Office phone: (970) Fax: (303) Fax: (970) Tammy Cook Vegetation Inventory Program Assistant Biological Resources Division Natural Resource Program Center 1201 Oak Ridge Drive, Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO Office phone: (970)

Project Management – MOJN VMCField Ecology Team - UNLV Jeanne TaylorScott R. Abella (P.I.) Mojave Desert I&M Network (MOJN)Assistant Research Professor Vegetation Mapping CoordinatorSchool of Environmental and Public Affairs 601 Nevada HighwayUniversity of Nevada Las Vegas Boulder City, NV S. Maryland Parkway Office phone: (702) Las Vegas, NV Cell phone: (415) Office phone: (702) Classification Team - CNPSSharon Altman Julie M. EvensAdministrative Assistant Vegetation Program ManagerPublic Lands Institute California Native Plant SocietyUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas 2707 K Street, Suite S. Maryland Parkway Sacramento, CA 95816Las Vegas, NV Office phone: (916) Office phone: Cell phone: (916) Fax: Fax: (916) GIS/Remote Sensing Specialist - BORPark Point of Contacts David E. SalasLAKE – Alice Newton, Vegetation Branch Chief Physical ScientistMOJA – Neal Darby, Wildlife Biologist GIS / Remote Sensing GroupDEVA – Jane Cipra, Botanist Bureau of Reclamation Denver Federal Center Denver, Colorado Office phone: (303)

Project Management – MOJN VMCMapping – Cogan Technology, Inc. Jeanne TaylorDan Cogan Mojave Desert I&M Network (MOJN)Cogan Technology, Inc. Vegetation Mapping Coordinator21 Valley Road 601 Nevada HighwayGalena, Illinois Boulder City, NV 89005Office phone: (815) Office phone: (702) Cell phone: (815) Cell phone: (415) Jim Von Loh Classification - NatureServeCogan Technology, Inc Marion Reid8140 East Lightening View Drive Senior Regional EcologistParker, CO Discovery Drive, Ste 2110Office phone: Boulder, CO 80303Cell phone: Office phone: (703) Fax: (720) Contact (s) Ben Roberts, Chief of Natural Resources Keith SchulzBryan Hamilton, Wildlife Biologist Regional Vegetation EcologistGretchen Baker, Ecologist 4001 Discovery Drive, Ste 2110Tod Williams, Chief of Science & Resource Management Boulder, CO Office phone: (703) Cell phone: (970)

Project Management\Field EcologyMapping - USGS Jeanne TaylorRobert G. Waltermire Mojave Desert I&M Network (MOJN)Leader - GIS and Remote Sensing Team Vegetation Mapping CoordinatorU.S. Geological Survey 601 Nevada HighwayFort Collins Science Center (FORT) Boulder City, NV Centre Avenue, Building C Office phone: 702) Fort Collins, CO Cell phone: (415) Office phone: Classification – NVIPPark Contact Chris LeaLes Inafuku Botanist, Vegetation Inventory ProgramSuperintendent National Park Service Biological Resources Management Division PO Box (Academy Place) Denver, CO Office phone: (303) FAX: (303)

Project Management – JOTRMapping – AIS Tasha LaDouxDebbie Johnson JOTR Botanist, andGeneral Manager Assistant DirectorAerial Information Systems, Inc. University of California Natural Reserve System112 First Street Granite Mountains Desert Research CenterRedlands, CA HC1 Box 101, Kelso, CA 92309Office phone: (909) Granite Mtns office ph: Fax: (909) Park Office ph: Menke Chief Photo Interpreter Classification – CDFGOffice phone: (909) Todd Keeler-Wolf California Department of Fish and Game Senior Vegetation EcologistPark Contacts Bio-geographic Data BranchJosh Hoinus, Vegetation Branch Chief th Street, Room 202 Sacramento, CA Office phone: (916)

Project Management – GRCA VMCPark Contacts Mike KearselyJeff Bradybaugh Vegetation Mapping CoordinatorPARA Superintendent Grand Canyon National ParkInteragency Information Center 1824 South Thompson Street, Suite East Riverside Drive Flagstaff, AZ 86001St. George, UT Office phone: Office phone: Fax: Fax: PARA Botanist - vacant Mapping Kass Green & Associates 49