Plot Census Assistance
Each Biodiversity Monitoring Partner has a monitoring plot established on or near school grounds. This plot serves as an outdoor laboratory for students to conduct scientific experiements and monitoring projects. When schools first become partners, Smithsonian staff will come to your plot to help survey you
r Biodiversity Monitoring hectare and conduct a census of the trees on the plot. Students, teachers, administrators, and parent volunteers will work side by side with Smithsonian staff to survey and map out the study hectare. Students and teachers will gain valuable experiencee in tree censusing and baseline data collection, under the guidance of Smithsonian staff. These skills will be crucial in future BMP research projects. This data is then inputted into the Forest Plotter program for student analysis.
There is a fee of $150 for two CRC staff to assist with the survey of your school plot during one eight-hour day. And there is an additional fee of $150 for two CRC staff to assist with the census of your school plot during a separate eight-hour school day. For both the survey and census, CRC staff will work with your students, teachers, and volunteers to complete these projects.
Because monitoring implies studying changes over time, Smithsonian staff will also assist school partners that wish to re-census their monitoring plots after several years. We recommend doing a census every three to five years.
If you would like to schedule a census of your biodiversity monitoring plot, contact the Education Office at 
540.635.6540 or by
Email
.
