Development and Implementation of 2nd Generation Habitat Monitoring System for California State Vehicular Recreation Areas

California has the most comprehensive system of off-highway motor vehicle recreation areas in the nation.  These parks, called State Vehicular Recreation Areas, or SVRAs, are managed by the Off-highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Divison of the California Department of Parks and Recreation.  As state parks, the plant and animal populations on SVRAs are monitored to assess impacts due to off-highway motor vehicle use.  ICE ecologist Dr. Bob Meese is heading an effort to develop and implement a second generation habitat monitoring system, or HMS2, that adheres to strict experimental design principles within an adaptive management framework to enhance existing efforts to document trends in plant and animal populations on SVRAs.  Bob is joined by ICE analyst Kelly Torres and programmer Rob Coman and PRBO Conservation Science Terrestrial Ecology Division Director Geoff Geupel to work with SVRA Environmental Scientists to tailor site-specific protocols to effectively sample plant and animal populations and to compare samples taken from riding areas to samples derived from non-riding areas to assess whether motor vehicle use impacts SVRA plant and animal populations.  This project began in 2011 and continues through 2015.