Protocol for Cathy Fromme Plant Survey
Items Needed:
1. Clipboard with protocol, data sheets, plant guide
2. Meter Sticks
3. Styrofoam boards
4. Daubenmire rectangles
5. Pencils (2) and Sharpie Marker
6. GPS Unit
7. Ruler or Meter Stick
8. Field Guides for Plants
9. Walkie Talkie
10. Digital Cameras
11. Thermometer
12. Plant Guide Book
Procedures:
1. Break into 4 groups and assign a sampling location to each group. (disturbed prairie dog town,
interior prairie dog town, abandoned prairie dog town, prairie uncolonized by p-dogs).
2. Group leader should assign tasks: GPS navigator, Data Recorder, Plant Cover Estimator,
Weather Recorder, Height Measurer
3. Navigate to your sampling area using your GPS unit. Your coordinates are
________________, ____________________.
4. Collect weather data and record it on your data sheet.
5. Each group should take data at 5-10 random data points that are marked by flags. Mark down
the GPS coordinates for each flag location.
6. At each point, lay the Daubenmire rectangle down with a short side facing north. Record all
plant species found within the rectangle. Next record the percent cover for each species. Also
record the percent cover for bare ground and litter. Percentages are recorded by ones for 0-10
percent, and by fives for 11-100 percent.
* If you cannot identify the species, you should still record it in the datasheet. Write in the plant
type (forb, grass, shrub) and the number of the unknown (the first unknown of a plant type is #1
and subsequent unknowns are numbered sequentially). (examples Forb1, Forb2, Grass1, Grass2).
For each unknown, write a description and/or make a sketch of the plant. If you encounter the
same unknown, reuse the original number. Do not use a new number.
7. Using your Styrofoam board and meter stick, measure the average canopy height in the plot
and the height of the tallest forb and grass.
8. Before leaving the area, make sure that the data sheets are filled in completely. Try to use field
guides to identify your unknown plants and/or take photos and herbarium samples.