On this site you will find all of the materials you need as you are volunteering on the Bioreserve Project. Currently this page has links to the information that is needed for the Roadside Survey phase of the project. This same page will have links to the information that is needed for the next phase of the Bioreserve Project when they become available.

 » Part A - Procedure to do roadside survey
 » Part B - Items to download for the roadside survey
 » Part C - Tips on doing the roadside survey

PROCEDURE TO DO ROADSIDE SURVEY

1. First, check out the "Map of the watershed and all the Bioreserve Sites that still need to have a roadside survey completed" (link to map is below at Part B "items to download for the roadside survey").
2. E-mail me at kolsson@hrwc.org and tell me where you’d like to go, either site specifically (using the map) or by general area (you may want to do sites in Dexter Township for instance). [NOTE: the map is not updated daily, so it is possible that the sites you want have been assigned since the map was posted, therefore it is important to let me know an alternate area.]
3. I will reply to you with your assignment (a list of site numbers).
4. You go back to the map, and print out what you need to get to the site.
5. You print out an aerial map of each site using Google Earth (or Google Maps). After the survey, be sure to attach the aerial map to the survey form.

   Google Earth is a program you need to download from http://earth.google.com. It is a fairly straightforward process. But if you can not get access to Google Earth, you can also just use Google Maps http://maps.google.com/maps. Here is how to find the site on google maps
   - Go to google.com and click the link for google maps, then find your site in google maps. You can search by township and road intersection.
   - Here's what I did for site #29, as an example. I typed in "white lake township michigan jackson and ormond roads" in the search line. I clicked the "hybrid" button to the right of the screen. Then I panned around until I found what I wanted.
   - Then print the map out and take it with you.

   You can also try out http://maps.live.com/. Once you have located the Bioreserve site on this map, you can "fly around" the area (by clicking the "bird’s eye" icon), often getting a better look at the site than just by driving around it. You can use what you can see on the aerials and this "bird’s eye" view in addition to what you see on the road to answer the questions on the survey forms.

6. You download the survey forms (be sure to print out one survey form for each site), windshield sign, and information sheet from the web site.
7. You go out to your sites and complete a survey form for each site
8. What people have been mostly doing is reviewing the questions and the aerials ahead of time, maybe as you arrive at the site. Then they drive slowly around the site, thinking about the questions, stopping here and there to take pictures (if you have a digital camera and if you want to. If you do, remember to note on the map the location and direction you pointed the camera) and make in notes on the map. Then, when you have finished circumnavigating the site, stop the car and fill out the form.
9. You return the forms and aerials to the HRWC office (and photos, which you can email to me at kolsson@hrwc.org) here and let us know if you want to do more!

ITEMS TO DOWNLOAD FOR THE ROADSIDE SURVEY

• Map of the watershed and all the Bioreserve Sites that still need to have a roadside survey completed, last updated 2/4/08, 3.9mb
  - This map shows the Bioreserve Sites. The sites that are colored green have already had a roadside survey, sites that are colored pink still need a roadside survey. [NOTE: sites have been assigned since it was last updated, so it is very possible that sites that are pink are no longer available].
  - If you are not able to see the site numbers on the map when it first appears on your computer screen, use the zoom tool (or the ___% display) to make the resolution larger and the site numbers will be readable.
  

• Roadside Survey Form
    - Survey form in Word format, 51kb
    - Survey form in RTF format, 42kb
  Print one roadside survey form for each site and fill in the data about each site.

• Information sheet that describes the project
    - Info sheet in Word format, 47kb
    - Info sheet as a pdf file, 61kb
  Print several of these to share with curious neighbors

• Windshield sign
    - Windshield sign in Word format, 30kb
    - Windshield sign as a pdf file, 59kb
  Download this form and put it in your windshield

1. Having a partner is helpful but not necessary. If you need a partner, e-mail Kris at kolsson@hrwc.org and we can connect you with someone
2. Using your map, drive out to the site. Review the questions to get an idea of what kind of information you’ll be thinking about as you survey the area. Take a drive around the site, stopping to take pictures or just ponder what you are looking at and think about the survey questions or sketch on the site map. When you have finished your drive around the site, then answer the questions.
3. Some thoughts on Question #6. When we ask whether you think this site would be worth doing a field assessment on, we are looking for sites that, based on a quick drive-around look, you think would merit a closer look because they have a potential for being “high quality” natural areas. That is, areas that could harbor diverse wildlife, healthy, diverse plant life, and would be the most important areas for communities to spend time, money, or political efforts protecting.
4. Some ways of sketching comments on the site map:
   - Use a gel pen or highlighter or crayon or even white correction “ink”
   - Make your comments on the back of the site map, assigning each comment with a corresponding letter you have marked on the map itself (to minimize having to write on the aerial map).
5. If you are taking pictures, you can email them to kolsson@hrwc.org or you can send them in if you aren't using a digital camera. If you are able to adjust the file size of the photos, sizes of 300-400 kb's are best; if you are not able to adjust the file size, it is fine to just use the default settings for your camera.
6. Feel free to fill out the form digitally as well, and email that to me.

Last Updated: December 2007