• Introduction
• Step 1: Set Goals
• Step 2: Inventory Resources
  • Maps
  • Methods & Tools
  • Limitations
• Step 3: Implement
• Step 4: Monitor
  • What, where, why, when
• Photo-monitoring
• Locations
• Landscape view
• Close-up view
• Recording Info.
• Storing Info.
• Limitations
• Summary
• Interactive Exercises
• Do It Yourself

The Riparian Area Management Plan - What, Where, Why, When

Regardless of what monitoring method you decide to use, there are certain questions you need to address. These are: Why? What? Where? and When? Let's look at each of these in more detail.

Why?
If your monitoring program is to be effective, you must have a clear idea of why you are monitoring and what you are trying to determine. If you don't have a clear idea of what information you want, it is less likely you will get anyuseful information.

If you wanted to monitor the effect of installing a gravel approachway on bank stability and trampling along the reach, you would set up a photo point at a portion of the reach that historically suffered trampling or bank-shearing damage. Over time, photographs would indicate whether or not livestock were still frequenting this part of the reach or if they were making use of the approachway instead.

What?
There are many aspects of riparian areas which might be monitored. These include the amount and types of vegetation, amount and type of use, water quality, changes in channel shape, and streambank stability. Again, what you select to monitor will depend on your management goals. If you are concerned with woody species vegetation, it does little good to monitor upland or even riparian grasses and sedges. If you are concerned with water quality, your monitoring should be designed specifically to measure changes in water quality.

Where?
The decision on where to set up your monitoring locations will depend largely on the purpose of your monitoring program. Are you interested in the overall impact of grazing on your streambanks, for example, or are there specific portions of the banks which are of special concern? If the former, you would want to establish your monitoring locations at representative or key areas, places which reflect the condition of the majority of your riparian area and stream reach. If your concern is with specific parts of the reach, you would focus on these critical areas.

How many monitoring sites do you need? There is no single answer to this question. It depends on the variety of riparian areas you have, their current condition, what changes you anticipate and where they are likely to occur, how much information you want, and how much time you can realistically spend monitoring.

We recommend one to three monitoring locations for each riparian area that has different specific management goals and methods. One is better than none; two is better than one; three is better than two. It might be useful to select one representative area, one area that is in good condition, and one or possibly two critical areas that need improvement, if there are any. These critical areas should show short-term responses to implemented management actions. To some extent, the number of locations will depend on the size of the pasture and the different types of riparian areas within a pasture.

When?
What is the best time of year to monitor? If you automatically started to think, "It all depends," you're right! As with other aspects, when you monitor depends
largely on why you're monitoring. If you're concerned with livestock use of woody species, you would monitor before and after livestock are in a pasture. If your concern is with wildlife use of woody plants, spring monitoring might provide more accurate information.

If you're interested in trends over time, you should monitor on a regular basis, generally annually. Unless you have a specific reason for conducting your monitoring at various times, it is best to monitor sites at the same time each year. While basing this time on plant growth stages probably provides more accurate information, using calendar dates (within 3-5 days) is more realistic and more likely to be accomplished.