[SOS-PCA] September SOS Collector Call Notes

Tue Sep 2 15:27:11 CDT 2025

Thanks to all that tuned into the September collector call today! The season is winding down for some, and still in full swing for others. Below are the notes of what we covered in the National call today.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Office Updates
Sarah and Kristy are out of town for a conference September 28-October 4, please plan accordingly for data and seed shipping support.
August Document Updates
Website and GeoPlatform documents are up to date!
All updated documents are marked “updated August 2025”, make sure you delete and re-download the most recent versions of:

  *
QC guide (https://geoplatform.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=904d7948c6d14adb9d62c89145ed0dca)
     *
Comprehensive guide to the data finalization process, how to review data, and how to edit data as needed

  *
Full Technical Protocol & Protocol Quick Guide
     *
Shipping updates
     *
Added information about the QC process

  *
Guide to Shipping
     *
Shipping updates
     *
Added information about the QC process

End of Season Checklist
Use this checklist when wrapping things up for the season and compiling end of season deliverables (annual report, photos, permits, data forms)

  *
https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2025-04/End_of_Season_Checklist_2025.pdf
  *
On sos website and GeoPlatform Help Docs
  *
Annual report template on SOS website and GeoPlatform Help Docs
     *
Example annual report in Protocol Appendix. You are welcome to add more detail; these reports can be incredibly useful for collectors that come after you to start a new season on the right foot. They are also used by Agency and National coordinators to create seasonal reports, find stories to highlight for presentations and briefings, and serve as a detailed record of how the season went. Annual Reports are incredibly useful for answering questions about past collections and are the first place we start when we are trying to track down information.

QC process review
The general QC process is:

     *
Submit data
     *
Regional coordinator will review data and leave notes
     *
Agency/national coordinator will do final check and a cleaning facility will be assigned
     *
After assignment crew can print data form, and fill out seed tracking form when they ship seeds.

Common question -  “Why can’t I just generate forms when my crew lead says they are ready? Why go through this whole process?”
Forms need to be complete and accurate before reports are generated. In previous years, collectors have submitted seeds with incomplete or incorrect data sheets, even though they thought they were ready. We have implemented our new QC process to prevent this from happening.

  *
It costs additional time and money to send corrected forms to a cleaning facility and have them edit the information that they have, and we want to maintain a good relationship with these partners
  *
It costs ESRI credits to generate reports
  *
There is limited space at various cleaning facilities, and we need to ensure that the right collections get to the right places

What to check first (Outlined in detail in the QC Guide)

  *
Make sure your point is where you thought it was
     *
If you can’t find your point, check your office or home
     *
Points should not be in the middle of roads unless the population spans both sides of the road
  *
Check for missing fields, all fields with an asterisk are required on both the scouting and collection form

Where to look for info on how to edit data

  *
Use the new QC guide! The Guide has an editing flowchart and detailed instructions on how to edit all data including special fields like data that has repeats, can only be edited by Kristy, or needs deleting.

Common errors/topics from QC meetings

  *
Make sure you have collected from a minimum of 50 plants, if you have not, reach out to your lead and agency coordinator for future guidance
  *
Enter detailed locality descriptions
  *
If you did not get a voucher, enter the number of specimen as 0 and the herbaria as “NO VOUCHER TAKEN”, is an option in the dropdown
  *
For identification information, a person who was not collecting needs to identify the species and the affiliation cannot be “SOS”

Digital Data Collection Anonymous Feedback Form

  *
Located on your data management site
  *
Can be downloaded onto your tablet
  *
We really value your feedback and many of the changes we make are from collector ideas. You can also include recommendations for other SOS process modifications (training, help docs, workflows, etc).

Office Hours - Next session is tomorrow!
SOS Office Hours through the fall- Every other Wednesday, 4-5pm Mountain time. Folks who are registered for the collector call should have received an invite, drop in if you have a question or need assistance! You can always also schedule an individual meeting if you cannot make the office hours and still want to chat. Click the link below to join:
Microsoft Teams
Join the meeting now<https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_Zjc0M2MxNTEtYWM0My00NGZmLWE1NWMtMjBjYzFhMzQ0OGQx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%220693b5ba-4b18-4d7b-9341-f32f400a5494%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229fb371ee-9593-4589-b3b4-4dd87e064a76%22%7d>
Meeting ID: 240 558 427 483 7
Passcode: en7Yw2kf

For the seeds,

Sarah

Sarah Hill

Seeds of Success National Curator
Bureau of Land Management - Contractor

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>

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.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/sos_lists.plantconservation.org/attachments/20250902/13a3255b/attachment.html>