Monitoring and Evaluation - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 207

FIGURE 13-2. Professionals and volunteers collect data on experimental plots studying the individual and
combined effects of tree shelters, DriWater (gel-suspended water), and humic acid on plant survivorship
and growth rates. San Diego, California. (Photo by John Rieger.)
a problem. However, a sampling regime may continue on a regular schedule for the life of the
project. Dividing the sampling into elements or efforts that are not too demanding can yield better
results. Varying tasks is also needed because people have other commitments and cannot always
comply with the schedule you have developed.
It is important to have clear and concise instructions on sampling techniques. Giving work-
shops or other types of training programs will minimize the variability due to different tasks. This
situation is not unique to volunteers. For this reason, it is a good practice to develop a techniques
manual with full explanations of the sampling methods and where and how the various sampling
locations are or will be determined. It is difficult to fully explain the monitoring operation in a
contract, so be sure to include conditions that permit review and modification or a trial period to
ensure that the monitoring is progressing as you envisioned.
Maintaining Good Monitoring Records
Regardless of who conducts the monitoring, all records should be kept in a consistent format, in
one location, and kept current. All data forms or pages must be dated (day-month-year) and ini-
tialed by the recorder. This will allow the information to be accessible to others as well as to any