Location: Range Management Research
Project Number: 3050-21600-001-114-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2024
End Date: May 31, 2029
Objective:
The goal of the project is to conduct collaborative research on the collection, management, and application of rangeland monitoring data coupled to spatial/remote sensing data and process models to detect, predict, and mitigate adverse ecological state change and support land management in Western U.S. rangeland environments.
Approach:
1. Support field implementation of AIM monitoring projects in collaboration with BLM staff by: supporting monitoring project design and implementation for AIM-related projects as needed; continuing to research, develop, and support software packages (e.g., terradactyl) and tools (e.g., the Rangeland Indicator Calculation) for monitoring data indicator calculations and to facilitate integration of monitoring data into BLM’s national monitoring database; supporting the BLM on the development and implementation of tools for designing monitoring projects and tracking their implementation in consistent and well-documented ways; and supporting and maintaining the web and other digital resources which organize and disseminate rangeland monitoring content and information related to AIM monitoring.
2. Support the integration of AIM monitoring with other datasets and indicators, including remote-sensing products, management and treatment history datasets, ecological site descriptions, wind and water erosion models, and other agency (NRCS, NPS, ARS) core method datasets in both research studies and management decisions.
3. Contribute to analyses and reports of condition on BLM land, including AIM annual reporting, program specific assessments, land health evaluations, and evaluations of ecosystem services.
4. Provide training of BLM staff and partners in monitoring protocols, project implementation, and analysis; including continued support in the development of training materials (e.g., websites, manuals, videos) to support AIM Core Methods trainings, AIM Project Leads trainings, and Analysis workshops.
5. Participate in knowledge sharing, training, workshops, meetings, and individual interactions with BLM technical staff so that both ARS and BLM members of the AIM team are familiar with and able to implement monitoring design, indicator calculations, and analysis tools as needed to support the BLM AIM program.
6. Continue to research, develop, and implement workflows and tools for monitoring data analysis and reporting including software packages to increase efficiencies in weighted analyses of landscape condition, restoration monitoring workflows, and custom indicators for use in wildlife habitat assessments, land-use plan effectiveness, and land health evaluations.
7. Conduct research on monitoring and sampling assumptions to identify opportunities for improving monitoring project design, monitoring plot layout, sampling intensity, and revisit strategies.
8. Convene interagency collaboration efforts to integrate AIM core methods and indicators into scientific research and to assist with the integration of scientific outcomes in toAIM workflows and BLM decision making workflows.
9. USDA-ARS personnel will provide consultation to BLM AIM program staff and leadership on a regular basis through scheduled conference calls, individual email and phone conversations, service on AIM teams, document reviews, and on-site meetings. In addition, USDA will provide computing resources, office space, vehicles for field work, and scientist time to oversee progression of the project.
