Photo Point Monitoring Protocols: Effectiveness of Restoration Projects

Sample Project: Identifying Suitable Eelgrass Restoration Sites in Commencement Bay

Description:

  • Uses repeat photography to document change
  • Can monitor trends or changes in natural resources (inexpensively)
  • Can use for education – biology labs
  • Can use for citizen based monitoring projects – Seattle Aquarium, Puget Creek Restoration Society, Pierce Conservation District
  • Can use as a component of a larger monitoring report
  • “Photographs of the release site are a valuable qualitative assessment tool. Photos taken annually from a designated photo point can provide a visual record of trends or changes in the vegetation at the site over time, though it does not necessarily show their causes. Thus, photographs are best used in conjunction with other monitoring techniques.”[1]

            This project requires a ‘before’ picture and many ‘after’ pictures to document the change after the invasive species is removed. The ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures can be useful in documenting the effectiveness of a certain removal method, or a comparison of several removal methods, as one can document the percent cover of the invasive species before and after removal. The succession of ‘after’ photographs can document how effective the removal was by monitoring the status of both the invasive species and the native species.

Equipment needed:
   -  Field book
   -  Map of photo site
   -  Trimble GPS unit
   -  Digital camera that as been calibrated with GPS (see Calibrating your Digital Camera with your Trimble GPS Unit)
   -  Appropriate scale bar/meter board and ID tag
   -  Compass

What to photograph:

  • Large-scale photographs of restoration site to document overall changes
  • What you expect will be changing (i.e. stream erosion, livestock effects, canopy cover, etc)
  • What will be demonstrated by monitoring area (i.e. effect of livestock on vegetation, increase in endemic species populations after removal of invasive species)

When to photograph:

  • Set up a monitoring schedule before begin project
  • “Before” photographs to document area prior to restoration
  • A succession of “after” photographs

Procedure:

“Before” photograph:
1.      Determine what needs to be photographed to accurately document your objectives
2.      Calibrate your digital camera with your GPS unit
3.      Put meter board in ground in middle of picture field
                 Note: For projects in which soil erosion, constant plant height documentation, etc, is required, meter board should be permanently implanted in order to accurately measure height changes of soil/shrubbery.
                 Note: For projects documenting changes in streams/riparian areas, one must be aware of stream bank erosion. The meter board should be placed at least a meter from the bank.
4.      Document GPS coordinates of meter board - this will serve as your photo point
5.      Document GPS coordinates and compass direction of camera location
6.      Record time of day and weather conditions
7.      Include photo ID tag with site name and photograph number in picture frame
8.      Take photographs of site
                 Note: If two photographs are needed to cover a wide angle of scenery, always include the photo point (meter board) in both photographs for overlap.
9.      Multiple angles of restoration site can be taken following these steps. Be sure to document GPS coordinates of all photo points and camera locations

“After” photographs:
1.      Return to site on specified days to document change
2.      Use GPS and compass coordinates to find meter board location and camera location
3.      Record time of day and weather conditions
4.      Examine previously taken photographs to ensure correct camera angle
5.      Include photo ID tag with site name and photograph number.
6.      Take photographs of site
7.      Record in field book any obvious changes or details that are better captured in person than in a photograph

 

 

Before and after photographs showing the effects of logging (Hall 2002)

Webpage and project content by:

Dr. Joel Elliott, University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology
Liz Fly, University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology
Erin Spear,  University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology

This project is funded by the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium and the University of Puget Sound

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