Field Note Dates
Participants
Not in Ogden's file
Notes
Only photographs and comments on this date
Participants
Not in Ogden's file
Notes
Only photos and comments at this date. Team member comments were made comparing photos taken in fall 1992 with the current plot appearance.
Participants
Bob Adams, Mike Creach, Bill Foldesh, Mike Hill, Tom Jackson, Pete James, Phil Ogden, Jim Powers, Brian Sorenson, N. Trushell, Dwayne Warrick, Ken Williams, Dana Wilson, Deborah Young, Doug , Karen , Mark
Notes
Monitoring to document plant species frequency and composition was initiated on the Demonstration Cell plots on this date. The quadrat size for sampling is 40 cm. x 40 cm. Quadrats are systematically placed along transects at paced intervals.
Ground Cover: The pointer in each quadrat is used to record ground cover. Record the attribute that is "hit" by the tip of the pointer. The pointer must "hit" a live perennial (green) plant base to record a live plant base.
Litter is any dead, organic matter on the soil surface that is large enough to be identified as litter when "hit" by the pointer.
Distance to Nearest Perennial Plant Base: Measure distance to nearest perennial plant base to the nearest inch (360 degree radius from pointer). Separate measurements with comma on data sheet.
Frequency (rules to determine if species is present in quadrat):
Herbaceous plants (annual or perennial) must be rooted in quadrat. Count annuals if dry or green if still rooted in quadrat. Annuals are grouped only as grasses or forbs. Shrubs are counted if rooted in quadrat or any woody part of plant overhangs the quadrat.
Dry-weight Rank: Rank top 3 species in the quadrat based on estimated current year dry weight production.
Place tally for each species in the appropriate rank column, rank 1 for highest producing species, rank 2 for next high production, and rank 3 for the third production position.
For each quadrat, always mark a tally for all three ranks. If only one species is in a quadrat, tally as 1, 2, and 3. If only 2 species are in a quadrat, tally 2 ranks for one species and 1 rank for the other species.
If a bare quadrat is encountered, record cover, frequency, and distance to the nearest plant for the bare plot, but move half-way to the next regular plot location to record plot for dry-weight rank data.
For this plot, 200 quadrats were sampled. Forty quadrats were placed 1 pace apart on each of 5 parallel transects, the center line and 2 transects each side of the center line. Spacing between transects was 2 paces (10-feet). Monitoring team participants discussed the time required to sample 200 quadrats and the variability among monitoring teams. The group decided that a sample of 100 quadrats would provide adequate data for group discussion at each plot location.
For these plots, 100 quadrats were sampled. Twenty quadrats, spaced 1 pace apart, were sampled on each of 5 transects. Each plot corner was the origin of one of four transects and each of these were oriented to the center of the plot. The fifth transect was oriented through the plot center and across the short axis of the plot.
Participants
Bob Adams, D. M. Chezem, Duane Coleman, Mike Creach, Bill Foldesh, Victor Gass, Mike Hill, Larry Howery, Phil Ogden, George Ross, Cara Staab, Dwayne Warrick, Deborah Young
Notes
Frequency and composition monitoring were completed on the seven plots of the Demonstration Cell on October 10, 1995. Twenty 40-cm x 40-cm quadrats were placed at 2-pace intervals (10 ft.) along each of 5, 200-ft transects. The plot center line was one transect, and 2 transects were located parallel to and on each side of the center line. Spacing between transects was 2 paces.
Sampling ground rules were as detailed for the September 28, 1994 sampling date.
This monitoring plot was established with the plot center line beginning at the O point
peg of Transect 1 and extending to the O point peg of transect 2 of Parker 3-step Cluster #12 in the Deep Well Pasture. The location is about 1/3 mile from a new water well. The Parker plot was established and read in 1965 and apparently only read at that time. the sampling design was as used for the seven plots of the Demonstration Cell as described above.
This monitoring plot was established with the plot center line beginning at the O point peg of Transect 1 and extending to the O point peg of Transect 2 of Parker 3step Cluster # 3 in Powerline Pasture. The plot is located about 1/2 mile east of windmill and just north of powerline. There is a shrub patch (wolfberry) to the northwest of the plot. The range site is a loamy or possibly a clay loam upland that receives some overland flow.
Participants
Duane Coleman, Mike Cleach, Amanda Fawley, Mike Hill, Phil Ogden, Jim Powers, George Ross, Ron Stein, Ken Williams, Deborah Young
Notes
9-24-96 - Installed rain gauge on corner post at west end of enclosure fence. Oil and antifreeze = 7.5 inches.
Plant frequency and composition sampled. Grass identification was difficult. Blue grama likely was identified as 3awn in some cases because of rolled leaves. Also some difficulty distinguishing between blue grama and sideoats grama because of little growth and rolled leaves due to drought.
9-24-96 - Plant frequency and composition sampled. ID difficult. Last grazed in early August. Dead snakeweed evident.
9-23-96 - Photos and Notes only. 220 cows were placed in enclosure for 2 hours on Aug. 20, 1996. Hoof prints are still obvious and dead blue grama litter is abundant on soil surface. No pedestalled plants.
9-23-96 - A 2-inch rain in less than an hour to the west caused the wash south of the exclosure to overflow. Obvious water flow through the plot. Litter and soil moved from some areas (rills) and deposited as litter dams down slope in exclosure. Good abundance of seed heads on blue grama, but abundant dead blue grama bases. Many plants are pedestalled and soil surface feels rough when walking within exclosure. New rodent activity present. Many annual weeds, including filaree started.
9-23-96 - Grazed closely. Substantial death loss of blue gram basal cover, as blue gram did not receive enough summer precipitation to recover from winter-spring drought. Total cover is still good, but much of the basal area is dead blue gram. Cows out of pasture on August 20, 1996.
9-23-96 - No fresh rodent activity. Apparent increase in sand dropseed and loss of annual weed litter since last pictures. Plot slope is 2%.
9-24-96 - Installed rain gauge at exclosure. Oil and antifreeze = 7.0 inches.
9-23-96 - No fresh rodent activity. Last grazed, August 7, 1996. Apparent increase in sand dropseed and less litter since previous sampling.
9-23-96 - Canopy cover and plant frequency data summarized in field were similar to previous data. 5% slope and NE aspect.
9-23-96 - Canopy cover and plant species frequency data similar to Apr. 28, 1995 data. 5% slope and NE aspect. This plot not yet cut but should be treated this winter. If not, Mike Creach may have FS cut trees in monitoring plot area.
9-24-96 - Lots of dead snakeweed and blue grama. Rabbitbrush canopy is reduced by utilization and there are some dead branches but no general loss of plants. Vigor of plants in general is low. Precipitation storage gauge installed at New Well. Oil and antifreeze = 8.0 inches.
9-24-96 - Abundant, small annual forbs. Blue grama has a lot of dead plant bases. This location recently grazed heavily. Existing seedheads of blue grama starting to dry. There evidently was little spring growth on western wheatgrass of squirreltail. Tarantula found on plot.
Participants
Bob Adams*, Steve Barker, Duane Coleman, Rod Held, Mike Hill, Phil Ogden, Wilda Postet*, Fred Ruskin, Jim Sprinkle, Cara Staab, Dwayne Warrick*, Ken Williams, Deborah Young*, (*denotes individuals present on 29th but not on 30th). Jeff Schalau was present on the 30th.
Notes
Pictures are dated 9-28 and 9-29-97 rather than 9-29 and 9-30-97.
9-29-97 - Grass is green this year compared to dry last year. There is very little sign of any kind of animal activity on plot. Rain gauge: Measured 7.25 inches .60 inches was 4-22-97 recharge 6.65 inches of summer rainfall 2.60 recharge with antifreeze and oil
9-29-97 - Not grazed by livestock this year prior to monitoring. Little sign of any animal activity. More cryptograms on plot than on Y-l.
9-29-97 - No livestock treatment this year. More ground disturbance from insects on Y-3 plot than on Y-4 and Y-5 plots.
9-29-97 - Western wheatgrass, total standing biomass, and plant vigor greater on Y-4 than on Y-3 and Y-5 plots.
9-29-97 - No livestock grazing this year prior to monitoring. Blue grama is green with good seedhead production (on plots Y-3, Y-4, and Y-5) but poor total biomass.
9-29-97 - More rodent activity of Y-6 than on Y-7 plot. Rain gauge: Measured 8.50 inches .75 inches 4-22-97 7.75 inches summer precipitation 3.50 inches recharge with antifreeze and oil
9-29-97 - Abundant filaree and mustard seedlings on both Y-6 and Y-7 plots. Obvious water overflow at west end of both plots.
9-30-97 - Cattle were just removed from pasture, grazed for about 30 days. Squirreltail not grazed. Most obvious utilization was on fringed sage. Blue grama had few seedheads, but utilization of blue grama was not obvious. Rain gauge: Gage was on ground - no reading Recharge with oil and antifreeze was 8.0 inches
9-30-97 - Cattle used this pasture in early summer and utilization was mostly on annual weeds. Some horses currently are grazing in pasture.
Photo and Notes. Date on photo is 9-29-97. Russian thistle is abundant in bare areas in foreground. Blue gram dominates in mid to far area. A few snaked are present and there is some gopher activity.
Photo and Notes. Date on photo is 9-29-97. Russian thistle and Kansas sunflower dominate aspect in foreground. Most of the squirreltail observed in previous years has disappeared, but there still are a few patches of squirreltail. Some gopher activity is evident. The soil surface is soft (feet sink into surface when walking across the plot).
Photo and Notes. Date on photo is 9-29-97. Good blue grama sod with western wheatgrass in mid foreground. Aster plants are beyond senecio in mid center. There is very little snakeweed.