[RWG] Ecology Roadside Vegetation surveys methods & a survey per State?

[Craig Dremann]

Dear Wayne and All,

Thanks for your email.  

Please note that I have only been summarizing the details of the 1997
Megatransect data on these list-servers, that is now a 80-page, 8-1/2"x
11", four columns to the page with maps and commentary format
Word-document (with the 100+ photographs extra), so it will probably
have to be published as a monograph in the future, because it's just too
huge for a journal article.

However,  I'm not quite sure exactly who would ever publish or utilize
my Megatransect data if it was ever published, or be able to resurvey
the roadsides in the future, to measure any ecological changes, or
perhaps preserve some of the good native ecosystem examples that are
left?  

For example, the PLANTCONSERVATION.ORG list-servers, is currently
limited our discussion about the mapping of natives plants and exotic
plants along the roadsides, to only the revegtation list (rwg@) and it
is not being posted on the native plants list (native-plants@) nor the
exotic plants (apwg@) list any more.

HERE'S THE PROTOCOL for taking notes for the Megatransect:

1.) Data was taken at every post-mile along the highway, the phyical
post-mile acting as the "point" for the transect.  Plus there are other
geographic notes made, like where the transect crosses highway
interchanges, rivers, mountain passes, towns, etc. to give other
reference points.

2.) For the 1997 transect, the presence or absence of any species of
native grass is noted, the species is/are present are identified and the
extent and density of the cover at each mile-post is noted, as follows:

  a.) Only a single plant of a native grass was present at that point.
  b.) Only found growing along the roadsides, usually a single species.
  c.) Also on other side of the fence, but only scrappy remains present.
  d.) Also on other side of fence, and in decent shape, usually multiple
species of native grasses, plus sometimes native forbs.
  e.) Pristine grasslands, usually solid and weed-free and usually large
areas like a square mile or more.

3.) All exotic grasses are noted (Smooth brome, crested wheatgrass,
cheatgrass, etc.) or intentionally-sown exotic plants (yellow sweet
clover, white Dutch clover, etc.), if they are seen at any mile-post.

So with the 1997 Megatransect, we now know the exact locations of the
native grass refugia as of that data, and how important they are for
certain species, plus the exact locations and extent of a few of the
important weed species like cheatgrass and the sown crested
wheatgrass.   

Once this roadside Megatransect is published, anyone could go back and
measure changes that have occurred in the last nine years, or at any
time in the future.  And anyone could go out tomorrow and recheck the
Nevada US 93 from Jackpot to Wells, and see if that pristine prairie is
still there!

I firmly believe that roadside ecological Megatransects for each of the
48 lower States should be conducted in the next 10 years, so we have
some baseline large-scale data to measure future ecological trends for
the United States.

Shouldn't we try and map the big picture of weeds and ecological
conditions in the United States, to get a census at a particular data
and time?   

And wouldn't even one roadside ecological Megatransects from each State,
provide a valuable snapshot of those current conditions?

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann, Redwood City, CA (650) 325-7333