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Project
The Trail Conference and Rutgers University are looking for 60 hikers who are interested in learning how to use a GPS device and helping to identify common invasive species in state park lands. In return, these volunteers will be offered extensive training in plant identification and the proper use and care of GPS devices. This is the beginning of a three-year project supported by the USDA, which aims to better understand the spread of invasive plants in forested parklands that have high conservation value and high levels of public use. There is very little information about this in our region, which makes it difficult for park managers to determine the magnitude of the problem or how to manage it. In a novel approach for scientific research, the field data will be collected by volunteer “citizen scientists” drawn from the membership of the Trail Conference and member clubs. Also, an explicit part of the research is to test whether hikers can collect accurate data regarding invasive plants. We’re betting that Trail Conference volunteers will indeed prove this to be true! The training portion of this project begins in May, so sign up soon to ensure your place. You can register online (below) or speak with Catherine at the office, (201) 512-9348, ext.10. If you don’t make it into this year’s group, you will be first in line for the 2007 season. The actual field work will occur during the months of June and/or July when teams of two will be asked to hike a two-mile trail segment while recording the invasive species and documenting the location with the GPS device. Plant identification training will be provided in collaboration with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden using their MetroFlora Database. Volunteers will be trained in the survey protocol, which basically consists of walking slowly along the trail, scanning the woods and noting the presence, identity, and density of any invasive species seen. Not a bad day in the woods! The survey sites will be located in Harriman State Park and Ramapo State Forest. The research is being conducted in cooperation with Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) and New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection. The principal investigators are: Rebecca Jordan, Rutgers Assistant Professor of Environmental Education and Citizen Science; Joan Ehrenfeld, Rutgers professor, invasives expert, long-time Trail Conference member and contributor; and Edwin McGowan, science director currently at PIPC and formerly of the Trail Conference. Schedule (tentative)Pre-Field Research Training:We are planning 2, or 3, full-day training sessions covering plant identification, monitoring protocol and global positioning systems (GPS). The training will be held at the HenRI facility near the Sterling Forest Visitor Center and will combine both classroom instruction and fieldwork. To accommodate volunteer schedules, a combination of weekends and weekdays are being considered, including:
Invasive Field ResearchVolunteers will self-schedule their actual research in the field during the 4 weeks following the initial training. The exact field research protocol is still being refined to insure statistical relevance but will involve one or, more likely two, survey(s) of 2-mile segments of trail in Harriman or Ringwood State Parks. We anticipate that you will be able to complete these two surveys in either a single day or two shorter trips. But they must be completed within the 4-week period following the initial training. Post Field Research DebriefingOnce the trail monitoring is complete, the volunteer and professional scientists will debrief in a half-day session. These sessions will be scheduled at approximately 2 and 4-weeks after the initial training to accommodate a variety of schedules. Among the debriefing dates under consideration, are:
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