Proposal for Writing Monitoring Protocols Draft (2)

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Draft Proposal for Writing Monitoring Protocols for the Cooperative Agreement and Proposed Program Prepared for: Governance Committee Prepared by: Technical Committee Introduction Milestone R2-1 of the "Cooperative Agreement for Platte River Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats Along the Central Platte River, Nebraska" (Cooperative Agreement) specifies that "a technical committee appointed by the Governance Committee will develop protocols for and initiate habitat and species monitoring and research." To facilitate protocol development, the Technical Committee developed the "Protocol Definition/Outline for Monitoring and Research Conducted as part of the Cooperative Agreement and Proposed Program." Protocols are defined in this document as "a set of rules and procedures describing how a monitoring or research activity will be conducted. Protocols will indicate the specifics of the who (CA participants or others selected by the Program's Governance structure), what, when, where, how and why of the Program's monitoring and research activities." The Definition/Outline also lays out the various categories and information that is needed in protocols developed for use during the Program. Thorough and scientifically rigorous monitoring and research protocols will help insure that information is defensible and is collected consistently, accurately, and cost effectively during the Program The Technical Committee has drafted the "Integrated Monitoring and Research Component" (IMRC) for use in determining how habitat acquisition/restoration and flow shortage reductions are affecting Program goals. The IMRC also contains a description of how monitoring and research information will be used in making adaptive management decisions during the Program. A major portion of the IMRC outlines anticipated monitoring and research activities to be used in evaluating and tracking the biological/physical responses of the species and habitats to land and water management. As part of developing the IMRC, the Technical Committee identified which monitoring and research activities were needed for the Program. The Technical Committee agreed at their October 19-20, 1999 meeting on the top priority activities that need protocols in place before Program implementation. These activities are: 1. Monitoring habitat use by migrating whooping cranes and determining what habitats are used, how they are used, area and distribution of those habitat types, and duration of use. 2. Monitoring physical and structural characteristics of whooping crane loafing, foraging, and roosting migrational habitat. 3. Monitoring changes in quantity, quality, and distribution of whooping crane migrational habitat over time using GIS technology. December 3, 1999 Draft Proposal for Writing Monitoring ProtocoCs Page 1 of 9