[RWG] 1997 Megatransect is suggesting a conversion from exotics to natives for roadsides?

[Wayne Tyson]

Craig and Honorable Forum:

I have done some "barnyard" transects along highways with a tape 
recorder keyed to mileposts and single species of interest and 
general observations, but never got around to writing them up; 
they're "worthless" as "real" scientific research anyway.  I hope you 
have, or will, set a standard of methodology so others can take this 
up and the research will be repeatable and statistically 
respectable.  Even it ain't the latter, it should be useful as a 
"changing mile" type record.

How do you do it?  Do you make randomized or regular stops or stops 
of opportunity?  What is your data collection method at each 
stop?  How are your stops located 
geographically?  GPS?  Mileposts?  Vehicle odometer?  Other?  Are 
your plots or transects permanent and field marked or do you multiple 
plots/transects at each stop until the curve flattens out?  That is, 
does your methodology include procedures to eliminate distortion by 
sampling artifacts?    (Pardon my archaic language and concepts.)

I'm doing a grand loop from Southern California through Colorado and 
other points in the West in October.  I will not be doing any survey 
work, but if I knew where some of your stops were I might be able to 
make a stop and take a picture--maybe even collect data, I won't promise.

Can your photo points be duplicated easily?

Anyway, onward and upward, by whatever methods!

WT

At 10:09 AM 9/15/2006, Craig Dremann wrote:
>Dear Wayne, Bonnie, and All,
>
>Thanks for both of your emails.
>
>I hope that the data in my notebooks of the 1997, 3,400 mile
>Megatransect may be important for researchers in the future, to know the
>locations of all the native grasses and of the weeds along the West's
>roadsides at a certain time.
>
>The data also indicates where the best natural areas still occured in
>1997, so perhaps some of those areas could be protected for the future?
>
>I am hoping to publish the data and photos as a monograph if there is a
>grant available.   Along with the mile-by-mile data, I have over 100
>photos showing the ecological conditions at certain locations, that
>could be revisited in any time in the future.
>
>Why I call the roads of my Megatransect the "Federal Highways":
>
>1.) Mainly, that's how "Federal highways"  are marked on the maps, as
>"US" highways and "Interstates"--separate from the "State Routes" and
>the "County Roads" ---but perhaps more importantly,
>
>2.) The intentionally-sown exotics like Crested Wheatgrass, has the
>damaging effect of permanently and completely suppressing the local
>native grass ecosystems.
>
>The miles of those exotics, that I found within the various Federal
>highway right-of-ways, I assume were sown during new construction or
>widening projects.  It is my understanding that the costs of any seeds
>for new construction or widening projects, are usually 100% borne by
>FHWA?
>
>I'm hoping that in the near future, the FHWA will end funding of any
>exotic seeds for new construction or widening projects nationwide,
>especially for projects along roadsides that pass through natural
>ecosystems, and only fund the use of local native seeds for those areas.
>
>Fortunately, for federally-funded roads that travel through our National
>Park system, the FHWA already does that, and that conversion from exotic
>seeds-to-local-native-seeds may be starting for our National Forests,
>when new construction or widening projects go through the Forests.
>
>When I was conducting my Megatransect in 1997, most of Yellowstone's
>roads were being reconstructed with federal funds, and the FHWA funded
>hand-collection of local native seeds from the park, to be sown along
>the graded roadsides, so that the roadside vegetation would exactly
>match the park's, both in native species, and also with the local
>genetics.
>
>You can see a picture from Yosemite, where local native grass seeds were
>harvested and successfully sown, funded by FHWA, for reconstruction of
>one of that park's roads in 2000, at
>http://www.ecoseeds.com/yosemite.html
>
>That's one of the exercises from a class for California DOT, "Native
>Plants for Roadsides - Grade One - "Introduction to the Innovative Use
>of Local Native Plants for Roadsides, Mitigation Sites and Managing
>Public Lands."  You can see all the class exercises at
>http://www.ecoseeds.com/workshop.html
>
>Fortunately for the roadside native ecosystems of Iowa, the Iowa DOT
>over a decade ago, made a commitment to sow local native grasses within
>the Federal Highway right-of-ways, and the Delaware DOT has been
>investigating that possibility also.
>
>So perhaps the conversion from the sowing of horrible ecosystem-breaking
>exotics along roadsides for FHWA-funded projects, to local native seeds,
>could become a State-by-State process?
>
>Sincerely,  Craig Dremann, Redwood City, CA (650) 325-7333
>
>_______________________________________________
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>RWG at lists.plantconservation.org
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