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Development and evaluation of National Protocol for Monitoring Vertebrate Populations and their Habitats at the Ecoregional Scale

Lead Scientists/Collaborators

TITLE

Development and Evaluation of a National Protocol for Monitoring Vertebrate Populations and their Habitats at the Ecoregional Scale

LEAD SCIENTISTS/COLLABORATORS

Manley, Patricia N.(1), Van Horne, Beatrice (2), Hargis, Christina (3)

1. USDA Forest Service
Research Wildlife Biologist
Sierra Nevada Research Center
Pacific Southwest Research Station
2121 Second St., Suite A-101
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: pmanley@fs.fed.us
ph: (703)-605-5294

2. USDA Forest Service
Wildlife Research Program Leader
Wildlife, Fish, Watershed, and Air Research
Rosslyn Plaza C - 4th floor
1601 N. Kent St.
Arlington, VA 22209

3. USDA Forest Service
Assistant National Wildlife Ecologist
Rocky Mountain Research Station
2500 S. Pine Knoll, Flagstaff, AZ 86001

OBJECTIVES

1. To develop and evaluate sampling designs, detection protocols, and analysis procedures for multiple species of vertebrates and their habitats at ecoregional scales.
2. To develop national guidance in the form of a NFS technical guide that outlines how to monitor populations and habitats of multiple species in one integrated design.

PILOT LOCATION

The target application of the MSIM protocol is at the national scale; testing and evaluation is being conducted in the Sierra Nevada in California.

DESCRIPTION

Monitoring is required of land management agencies to assess the success of management activities in meeting legal, regulatory, and policy objectives, including sustaining populations of native and desired non-native species. The National Forest System (NFS), and other land management agencies, require a monitoring protocol that can efficiently obtain population and habitat data on a moderate number and variety of management indicator species. We have developed and are testing the Multiple Species Inventory and Monitoring (MSIM) Protocol, which is intended to

meet basic population and habitat monitoring information needs for NFS, and which can also serve as a foundation for conducting more detailed monitoring or research programs. Specifically, the MSIM Protocol consists of several detection methods employed in association with systematic grid of Forest Inventory and Analysis monitoring sites to obtain presence/absence data for a broad suite of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and plant species. Research is focused on testing the efficiency of various sampling design and analysis approaches. Examples include determining the relative statistical power to detect change of various sampling configurations for mist netting bats, evaluating the sampling intensity required to reliably and effectively estimate the probability of detection and proportion of sites occupied by individual species, and designing efficient habitat measurements that facilitate the development of habitat relationship models and accomplish habitat monitoring. Results of the research directly inform development of the national MSIM protocol.

Publications and Reports
(all files are in .pdf format)

Manley, P. N., W. J. Zielinski, M. D. Schlesinger, and S. R. Mori. In Press. Evaluation of a multiple-species approach to monitoring species at the ecoregional scale. Ecological Applications.

Manley, P. N., M. D. Schlesinger, M. M. Manning, and M. M. McKenzie. Unpubl. rept. 2001 Field Pilot Test Report: Multiple Species Monitoring. Sierra Nevada Framework Project, Pacific Southwest Region, Vallejo, CA.

Manley, P. N. et al. In prep. Multiple- Species Inventory and Monitoring National Protocol Technical Guide. FSM Technical Guide. Draft

Abstracts:

--Developing Geographic Range and Habitat Models for "Survey and Manage" Species by Sampling at FIA locations in Northern California--William J. Zielinski

--Evaluation of a Multiple-Species Approach to Monitoring Species at the Ecoregional Scale--Patricia Manley, William J. Zielinski, Matthew D. Schlesinger, and Sylvia R. Mori

--Multiple-Species Monitoring in Associatoin with FIA Points in the Sierra Nevada--Patricia Manley

--Using an Augmented FIA Structure to Evaluate Wildlife Habitat Relationships in North Idaho--Kevin S. McKelvey

--Linking Frog Population Monitoring with the FIA Grid: Data Efficiencies and Sample Design Challenges--Cathy Brown

--Statistical Design Issues for Sampling Wildlife Populations on FIA Sites--Larissa Bialey, John R. Sauer, and Paul Geissler


MSIM Powerpoint Presentation

Download MSIM Powerpoint Presentation