[SOS-PCA] SOS Collector Call Notes July 2024

[Hill, Sarah E]

Hello seedy people,

Happy July! I can't believe we are heading into the height of summer and all that entails - a holiday, heat, summer rain/monsoons, quickly ripening seed, and a small respite from activity for some. Below are our notes from this month's collector call, please reach out if you have any questions and never hesitate to email me twice if I don't answer you in a timely fashion! I hope that you all stay safe, hydrated, and as cool as you can in the coming weeks - I look forward to checking in again in August!


For the seeds,

Sarah  Hill



National Coordinating Office Announcements

Onboarding new people or if you were forwarded this meeting notification – sign up for the collector call and mailing list – this is how we communicate with everyone throughout the season, so it is critical to sign up through the right channels

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If you are new or are onboarding new people make sure they visit the Getting Started page on the SOS website and sign up for the mailing list, collector calls, training, and geoplatform access: https://www.blm.gov/programs/native-plant-communities/native-plant-and-seed-material-development/collection/sos-getting-started


Trainings!

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Next SOS Virtual Training:
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July 24/25
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August 14/15
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If there are other training needs in July/Aug please let me know ASAP and we will figure something out
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Make sure you have your geoplatform access BEFORE taking any trainings.



Cleaning/shipping update

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For lower 48, only BIL-BAR funded teams (collector codes with ”D”) and fleshy fruit collections should go to BSE right now. All other collectors must continue to wait
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Store seed as cool and dry as you can until you are provided a cleaning facility assignment.

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We are working hard on a solution, delay in Target Species list has delayed getting facility assignments. More info to come in July.


Exporting datasheets for seed shipments in Survey123

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You must export a data sheet to send with your seeds
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“End of season creating a report” in geoplatform help documents – this will export a data sheet exactly like the paper SOS form, but with all the fields filled in. Make sure to do a quick scan to make sure all the information populated correctly.


Someone on the call asked a question about tricks for harvesting Elymus elymoides, especially when windy. Some suggestions from other collectors:

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 Getting a big embroidery hoop and putting plastic bag at the end, then shake the bag to release seeds. You can hold the bag closed so they don’t blow away.
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Using a paper bag and clipping the entire stalk and smashing it down so that it doesn’t fly away, then stripping from the stems back in the office/somewhere not windy.
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Using a smooth fabric pillowcase so that the seeds stick a little and aren’t blown out as easily

We are compiling tips and tricks for collecting specific species, seed types, and dispersal strategies so we can share them more broadly with folks in the future - if you are inspired to record this information this season the National Coordinating Office would love to get a copy at the end of the season!​​


Digital Data

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Follow the Getting Started Page to sign up for the digital data collection. Please have collectors do this BEFORE any training sessions.
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New form Updates! Make sure you are updating Collection and Scouting Survey123 forms.
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Because of issues with tab active 3 and 4, we found a way to run location calculations for you. Kristy will run a script that fills in these values for you. Landowner will still need to be filled in, but all other fields will populate.
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AK- AK N/A will not be autofilled into the Seed Zones/Level 4 ecoregion, K will add at the end of the season
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Landowner field changing locations on all three forms, it is at the top of the “In the Office” page (5 and 7 on the scouting and collection forms, respectively).
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The data will be pulled from the location of the coordinate. You will need to check the location data to make sure it makes sense. If the original coordinates are incorrect, the rest of the location information is incorrect.
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If you need to change your coordinates, please update through the Survey123 application. If you change your coordinates manually (in AGOL or another way), you will need to update the latitude and longitude. By using Survey123 to update your location, the coordinates will update for you

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Reviewed common data QC errors – Data is mostly looking really good! A few things to note:
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Make sure you are checking the data management page on the geoplatform. Common errors are not including locality details or geology, make sure these are entered by end of season. Ensure scouting ID and collection numbers are entered correctly across forms. Make sure you have 5 associated spp. If you can only ID to genera there should be a way to add genus sp. On the survey123 form. If not, you can type directly in that field through the data management site. Make sure landower and permissions are entered correctly. Double check location on map and corresponding coordinates match. Additional details in attached PDF.


Partner announcements – Bend, Dorena, Smithsonian, USDA-ARS

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Bailey Hallwachs, USDA-ARS PGITRU – Reiterated the importance of having correct lat long data – collections get sent to different curation programs across the ARS, and sometimes the lat/long can be incorrect – causes issues trying to resolve where collections actually came from.

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Erika Gardner, Smithsonian/U.S. National Herbarium – Follow directions exactly as written on the SOS website, let her know if you have any additional questions!
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Sarah Garvin – Bend Seed Extractory – please send full single page datasheets, not many pages stapled together. Make sure you are exporting data sheets following the written guidance.




Sarah Hill

she/her

Seeds of Success National Curator
Bureau of Land Management - contractor

Currently working from home - contact me for my cell #


Seeds of Success<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/native-plant-and-seed-material-development/collection>

National Seed Strategy<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/national-seed-strategy>

Plant Conservation Alliance<https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/national-seed-strategy/pca>

Subscribe to the PCA and SOS listservs<http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo>

Why I list my pronouns<https://pronouns.org/what-and-why>

I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Nuwe/Nume (Paiute, Shoshone, Bannock) people, as well as other indigenous tribes who traveled through the area known as Idaho who have stewarded this land throughout the generations.
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