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surveyed 3 times are indicated by the 1-3). This split panel design has been shown to provide the most power for estimating status and trend (Urquhart and Kincaid 1999, Breidt and Fuller 1999). The total number of panels is 5, the sum of the numbers in the string of the McDonald (2003) notation. Since most biological monitoring is conducted on an annual basis, this translates to one pure panel visited every year and four rotating panels each visited once every four years. The revisit design of the rotating panel was planned so that every panel will be visited three times during the First Increment of the Program. Monitoring membership design - The meinbership design specifies the selection of sample units for each panel (McDonald 2003). The tenninology commonly associated with probability-based statistical sampling is appropriate at this level of the design. Common probability-based membership designs include simple random sampling, stratified sampling, and systematic sampling. The importance of using probability-based sampling in a long term monitoring study can not be overemphasized (Edwards 1998). The probability-based sample will enable unbiased estimation of ecological parameters and variances with well defined inferences (Thompson 1992, Peterson et al. 1992). A probability-based sample can include units in the sample with equal or unequal probability. The use of an equal probability sample for collecting natural resource monitoring data will give the widest range of statistical analysis options (McDonald 2003). The sample of units to be included in a panel for the biological response monitoring under the IMRP will be based on a systematic sample in space. Systematic placeinent of sample units within the study area will ensure that the estimates will be representative of the entire study area (Thompson 1992, Peterson et al. 1992). This survey design has defined a sample unit to be any point along the centerline of the widest channel of the central Platte River as it traverses through the study area (Figure 13). The river can be viewed as a one-dimensional feature in two-dimensional space. The number of points in the population of points along the centerline of the river is infinite. An equal probability sample of points from this infinite population will provide "anchors" for data collection. These anchor points will serve as the sample units for a broad range of sampling activities. For example, some studies may sample along a transect crossing through the anchor point and perpendicular to the flow of the river while another study may sample a plot of land adjacent to the river on the nearest exposed land north of the anchor point. This sample unit was selected to encompass all surveys for a river-focused Program into one survey design. One sample of anchor points will be used to co-locate all research and monitoring studies. This systematically placed set of anchor points will facilitate correlations between the monitoring components. The spatial intensity of sampling far each study can be increased or decreased within the framework of the sample points (e.g. 1 point every 1/4 mile, 1 point every 8 miles). Any point along the centerline had an equal probability of inclusion in the sample of population units. A set of anchor points was systematically placed (i.e. equally spaced based on a random starting point) along a defined centerline of the river during the July 1997 Cooperative Agreement (Figure 13). The U.S. Arniy Corps of Engineers (COE) navigational maps and 1998 color September 1, 2006 Adaptive Management Plan 34