NOTE: The AusPlots Rangelands Survey Protocols Manual is now available for free download here
There was a full house for AusPlots-Rangelands’ training at the Calperum Mallee Supersite early this month.
More than 40 people from state and federal governments, universities, natural resource management groups, conservation groups, consultancies and other TERN facilities learned the field methodology that is approved for use in TERN monitoring sites, using a mix of theoretical training and hands-on experience in the field.
This was the first in a number of training workshops at Calperum, near Renmark, in South Australia’s Riverland. AusPlots’ work is rapidly gaining momentum, with plot surveys in the Northern Territory well under way, surveys due to begin in South Australia next month, and trials of the method planned for New South Wales soon. Negotiations are progressing with Queensland and Western Australia.
The organiser of the training, Dr Nikki Thurgate, who leads the Multi-Scale Plot Network (MSPN) for TERN, said demand for the training would increase as surveys begin in other areas.
‘The survey methodology has attracted the attention of the ecological community, with ecologists and managers from around the country contacting us to request training,’ Nikki says. ‘The methodology we established at AusPlots integrates traditional survey techniques with cutting-edge science and is designed to produce data compatible with the monitoring regimes in place across all the Australian jurisdictions.
‘This was a great opportunity for the AusPlots team to meet with ecologists and others from across the country, share our work and refine the survey manual we’re developing. We also did field trials of some components of our field data-collection app, and attendees provided some great feedback to help us improve it.’
Nikki said the updated AusPlots survey manual would be available for download from the TERN website in the next few weeks.
Anyone interested in being notified of training in the future should email the TERN Adelaide node.
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Soils training: digging a pit to 1 m to describe soils |
Collecting leaf samples for DNA analysis |
Published in TERN e-Newsletter March 2012
Field training with AusPlots-Rangelands
AusPlots-Rangelands is providing training in the field methodology that is approved for use in TERN environmental monitoring sites.
The course covers theoretical and practical training at Renmark and TERN’s Calperum Mallee Supersite.
The course will cover many aspects of field surveying, from big-picture skills such as planning survey trips and selecting sites, to detailed skills such as taking soil and plant samples, measuring parameters such as basal wedges and leaf area index, and using the AusPlots field data collection app for mobile devices.
The training will be held from 4 to 9 March. It costs $320, which covers accommodation, meals at Calperum, and transport between Adelaide and Calperum.
Places on the course are limited to the first 40 people who register to attend. To book your place or for more information, email TERN Adelaide.
Published in TERN e-Newsletter February 2012
