Oct 28th EwA Vernal Pool Documentation Field Session (Recap)

[EwA]

Thanks again to all of you who came yesterday to the EwA vernal pool documentation field session. This is important citizen science work! Doing so we advance scientific knowledge while protecting effectively those very fragile habitats. Here's the recap of what we've done and observed together. 

Event > Protecting Vernal Pools in the Fells

Date	10/28/19
Site	MHS Sites
Surveyor’s Names	Claire (EwA) + Jen (EwA) + Casey (DCR) + Carol (Guest) + Mike (EwA)
Time	9:30am-12:15pm
Weather	Drizzle / Fog / Beaufort Scale: 0
Approximate Temperature	~12-13°C/53-55°F / Humidity: 83%
Foot & paw traffic (low, medium or high?) Low < 5 | Med 5-10 | High > 10	Low ☑ // A few walkers aside from the EwA surveyors.

Conducted Tasks Program reminder to audience & DCR participant, including biodiversity and the need for its documentation: ground-truthing, data gaps, surveillance & monitoring of invasive epidemics, fieldwork ethics, citizen science (need and empowerment in tackling the widespread science knowledge deficit, etc.) Hiked to PVP #13877 (LWV34) and #13878 (LWV35) (see the MassGIS PVP layer for details), to ground-truth it and establish a characterization baseline > i.e. phys. documentation at this time of the year + (US Army Corp) Pool characteristics recording ( > phys. documentation to be accessible in end of year report for pools with complete documentation).

Session Records Physical evidence + vegetation description > EwA VP Folder (EwA access only) Biodiversity session records (all taxa in bounding box focused on the candidate pools) > / records of field session at large No pooling > Dried conditions. Session records per surveyed pool.  Phys. record: Dry condition of LWV34

Notes | Authors: Claire + Carol General: 2 Candidate pools located. Pools condition: dry phase.  Filled Vernal Pool characterization forms for both pools + took visual records of pool condition and phys. Features. Plant community for PVPs (occurrence record only as cover is getting low at this time ) PVP #13877 / LWV34) (Spp. Occurrence) [FC] PVP #14878 / LWV35 (Spp. Occurrence)  [FC] Co-dominance of maples + oaks - Red Maple // red predominantly - Oaks // red & white present - Beech - Buckthorn  - Sweet pepperbush (dominant shrub) - Blueberries // high and low - Greenbriar - Red Maple (4) // red predominantly - Oaks // (2) red & (2) white present - Elm // 1 canopy + 1 mid-level  + 2 saplings - Sassafras (1) - Buckthorn // 1 patch - Oriental Bittersweet - Smartweed (invasive possibly) [FC] - Multiflora rosa [FC]  - Possible dogwood sp. (1) // Viburnum rufidulum?

📧 Community Update 

• Session recap sent to DCR right after the session. Reminder that our next date is: Nov 11th. It’s possible that we cancel December’s fieldwork session (the EwA VP leader might be traveling).
  

#vernalPools #amphibians #reptiles #wetlands #urbanWildlife #endangered #conservation #biodiversity #citizenScience