Difference between revisions of "Core Monitoring Plan"

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! style="width=25%; background:#cedff2;" | [[Strategic Science Plan]] <br>  
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! style="width=20%; background:#cedff2;" | [[GCDAMP Strategic Plan]] <br> The GCDAMP Strategic Plan (AMPSP) is a long-term plan drafted in August 2001 by GCDAMP and GCMRC participants that identifies the AMWG’s vision, mission, principles, goals, management objectives, information needs, and management actions.
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! style="width=20%; background:#cedff2;" | [[Strategic Science Plan]] <br> The GCMRC Strategic Science Plan (SSP) identifies general strategies for the next 5 years to provide science information responsive to the goals, management objectives, and priority questions as described in the AMPSP and other planning direction approved by the AMWG.
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! style="width=20%; background:#cedff2;" | [[Core Monitoring Plan]] <br> The GCMRC Core Monitoring Plan (CMP) describes the consistent, long-term, repeated measurements using scientifically accepted protocols to measure status and trends of key resources to answer specific questions. Core monitoring is implemented on a fixed schedule regardless of budget or other circumstances (for example, water year, experimental flows, temperature control, stocking strategy, nonnative control, etc.) affecting target resources.
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! style="width=20%; background:#cedff2;" | [[Monitoring and Research Plan]] <br> The GCMRC Monitoring and Research Plan (MRP) specifies (1) core monitoring activities, (2) research and development activities, and (3) long-term experimental activities consistent with the strategies and priorities established in this SSP to be conducted over the next 5 years to address some of the strategic science questions associated with AMWG priority questions.
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! style="width=20%; background:#cedff2;" | [[Triennial Work Plan (TWP)]] <br> The GCMRC Triennial Work Plan (TWP) identifies the scope, objectives, and budget for monitoring and research activities planned for a 3-year period. When completed, the triennial work plan will be consistent with the MRP.
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! <h2 style="margin:0; background:#cedff2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Papers and Presentations</h2>
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! <h2 style="margin:0; background:#cedff2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Science Questions and Information Needs</h2>
 
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*[[Media:2012 Core Research Questions.doc| 2012 Core Research Questions]]
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Revision as of 16:53, 14 July 2016


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This document describes a general plan and framework for the development of a core monitoring program for the GCDAMP during federal fiscal years 2011 through 2015. Detailed core monitoring plans with explicit methodologies for each resource category will be developed as outlined in this plan over the next several years. The proposed process is consistent with the strategies and objectives described in the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center’s (GCMRC) Strategic Science Plan (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007a) and Monitoring and Research Plan (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007b), and the GCDAMP Strategic Plan as amended by the Adaptive Management Work Group at their August 2003 meeting (AMWG written comm., 2003, hereafter cited as GCDAMP, 2003).

Monitoring is a fundamental requirement of the adaptive management process (Walters, 1986; Walters and Holling, 1990). The Department of the Interior (DOI) Adaptive Management Technical Guide (Williams and others, 2007) identifies four primary purposes for monitoring within an adaptive management program:

  • 1. To evaluate progress towards achieving management objectives
  • 2. To determine resource status in order to identify appropriate management action
  • 3. To increase understanding of resource dynamics via the comparison of predictions against field observations
  • 4. To enhance and develop models of resource dynamics as needed

In 1995, the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) was created to fulfill the mandate in the 1992 Grand Canyon Protection Act for the establishment and implementation of a long-term monitoring and research program to ensure that Glen Canyon Dam is operated in a manner that protects the values for which the Grand Canyon National Park and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area were created.

Since its inception, many of the GCMRC activities have focused on continuing certain monitoring tasks previously established under the Glen Canyon Environmental Studies program (termed here as “Legacy” monitoring), conducting field experiments, and developing technologies in support of development of a core monitoring program. Implementation of a long-term core monitoring program will require a significant commitment of qualified personnel to ensure that the program is implemented in a sustainable and timely manner. With a few exceptions, much of the data collection is proposed to be performed by cooperating agencies and contractors as discussed below; however, some monitoring, such as quality of water and sediment monitoring that has historically been part of the USGS mission, is proposed to continue internal to the GCMRC and the Water Resources Discipline within USGS.

GCDAMP Strategic Plan
The GCDAMP Strategic Plan (AMPSP) is a long-term plan drafted in August 2001 by GCDAMP and GCMRC participants that identifies the AMWG’s vision, mission, principles, goals, management objectives, information needs, and management actions.
Strategic Science Plan
The GCMRC Strategic Science Plan (SSP) identifies general strategies for the next 5 years to provide science information responsive to the goals, management objectives, and priority questions as described in the AMPSP and other planning direction approved by the AMWG.
Core Monitoring Plan
The GCMRC Core Monitoring Plan (CMP) describes the consistent, long-term, repeated measurements using scientifically accepted protocols to measure status and trends of key resources to answer specific questions. Core monitoring is implemented on a fixed schedule regardless of budget or other circumstances (for example, water year, experimental flows, temperature control, stocking strategy, nonnative control, etc.) affecting target resources.
Monitoring and Research Plan
The GCMRC Monitoring and Research Plan (MRP) specifies (1) core monitoring activities, (2) research and development activities, and (3) long-term experimental activities consistent with the strategies and priorities established in this SSP to be conducted over the next 5 years to address some of the strategic science questions associated with AMWG priority questions.
Triennial Work Plan (TWP)
The GCMRC Triennial Work Plan (TWP) identifies the scope, objectives, and budget for monitoring and research activities planned for a 3-year period. When completed, the triennial work plan will be consistent with the MRP.

2011 Core Monitoring Plan

The Monitoring and Research Plan (MRP) describes a four-step process for defining and refining core monitoring projects associated with various GCDAMP goals and key resources based on the best currently available information. As described in the MRP, the four steps are (1) develop a general core monitoring plan (this document), (2) conduct information needs workshops with the Technical Work Group (TWG) in advance of convening independent protocol evaluation panel (PEP) reviews, (3) conduct PEP reviews for each resource goal, and (4) prepare final core monitoring program reports for each resource goal. This is then followed by review and approval by TWG and AMWG.

The resource and programmatic goals of the GCDAMP are:

  • Goal 1: Protect or improve the aquatic food base so that it will support viable populations of desired species at higher trophic levels
  • Goal 2: Maintain or attain viable populations of existing native fish, remove jeopardy for humpback chub and razorback sucker, and prevent adverse modification to their critical habitats
  • Goal 3: Restore populations of extirpated species, as feasible and advisable
  • Goal 4: Maintain a naturally reproducing population of rainbow trout above the Paria River, to the extent practicable and consistent with the maintenance of viable populations of native fish
  • Goal 5: Maintain or attain viable populations of Kanab Ambersnail
  • Goal 6: Protect or improve the biotic riparian and spring communities, including threatened and endangered species and their critical habitat
  • Goal 7: Establish water temperature, quality, and flow dynamics to achieve the GCDAMP ecosystem goals
  • Goal 8: Maintain or attain levels of sediment storage within the main channel and along shorelines to achieve the GCDAMP ecosystem goals
  • Goal 9: Maintain or improve the quality of recreational experiences for users of the Colorado River ecosystem, within the framework of the GCDAMP ecosystem goals
  • Goal 10: Maintain power production capacity and energy generation, and increase where feasible and advisable, within the framework of the GCDAMP ecosystem goals
  • Goal 11: Preserve, protect, manage, and treat cultural resources for the inspiration and benefit of past, present, and future generations
  • Goal 12: Maintain a high-quality monitoring, research, and adaptive management program


Documents

Science Questions and Information Needs


Papers and Presentations

Links

SCAHG ---- Steering Committee Ad-Hoc Group
CMAHG ---- Core Monitoring Ad-Hoc Group
AHCIO ---- Ad-Hoc Committee on What's In and Out of the Strategic Plan