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<br />;. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />00515 <br /> <br />The GCD-AMP currently does not have a well conceived, integrated GCD-AMP <br />campsite monitoring program that is fully responsive to stakeholder needs. Despite more <br />than 30 years of research on Grand Canyon river corridor campsite issues, an up-to-date, <br />comprehensive inventory of camping areas in the river corridor is currently lacking <br />(Kaplinski, 2003). Such an inventory is needed to provide a comprehensive baseline <br />record of campsite number, distribution, and size in the CRE from which changes and <br />trends in physical conditions can be objectively compared and tracked over time. In <br />addition to a comprehensive list of available camps, there is need for a ground-truthed <br />record of current camp areas, so that changes in campable area, vegetation growth, and <br />related-social impacts can be tracked and measured remotely over time. <br /> <br />Summary Project Description: The FY06 campsite monitoring program is designed to <br />continue tracking and quantifying trends in the size, distribution, and physical qualities of <br />selected campsites in the CRE (camps associated with the existing NAU sand bar series), <br />while transitioning towards the use ofremotely sensed imagery in evaluating changes to <br />campable area and other important campsite attributes over time. The project proposed <br />for FY06 will build on the current (FIST) campsite area survey program and integrate it <br />with complementary data derived from remotely sensed vegetation and sediment (digital <br />imagery) data. The comparability of the two data sets will be systematically evaluated <br />using GIS analytical techniques. In addition, if additional funding becomes available, the <br />long-term photographic record produced by the Grand Canyon River Guides Adopt-a- <br />beach program will be continued in order to provide a long term, site specific visual <br />record of campsite changes, to complement the more generic assessments accomplished <br />through analysis of remotely sensed imagery. In addition, if funding permits, we will <br />begin the process of developing a comprehensive inventory (geo-referenced maps) of <br />current camping areas and transferring these maps to a GIS, to serve as the foundation for <br />future monitoring of system-wide changes in campsite size, distribution and quality <br />through time. GCMRC and NPS recreation management staff will collaborate in the <br />proposed inventory effort, with NPS staff defining the campsite boundaries from a <br />management perspective (i.e., NPS staff will define what they consider to be the <br />acceptable boundaries of each camp). <br />