An Introduction to VegBank Schedule

DAY 1.

Meet in the Cochise Meeting Room, Tucson Convention Center at 8:15am. We will load the vans for departure at 9:25am. Box lunches and soda/water will be provided. It will be HOT, but it is also MONSOON season. Dress appropriately, bring extra water, and be prepared for afternoon showers.

8:15-8:20: Welcome, introductions, workshop mechanics : Michael Jennings.

8:20-8:40: Overview of the vegetation classification enterprise and its relationships to the ESA Vegetation Panel including the new standards document, the National Vegetation Classification and it maintenance by NatureServe, and the VegBank plot archive : Michael Jennings.

8:40-9:00 Overview of VegBank datamodel : Robert Peet.

9:00-9:25 Overview of ESA standards for recording vegetation, and an overview of the planned field activities : Robert Peet.

9:30 Depart from conference center for the field. All 5 vehicles will drive to the top of Mount Lemon, stopping together to look quickly at each of the sampling locations (and at a couple of examples of the impact of the recent 30,000 acre fire). Without stops the drive takes about one hour. After the overview, the vehicles will drive back to their assigned sampling locations and initiate fieldwork. Teams should plan to leave the fieldsite between 4:30 and 5:00, depending of location, so as to arrive back at the Conference Center approximately 5:30-6:30.

Team 1: James R. Malusa (Driver & Guide), Jennings (Leader), Skinner, Broadhead, Webber (Members). Prison Camp (aka Federal Youth Camp) @ 4900 ft. Mixed oak, pinyon pine and juniper.

Team 2: Brooke Gebow (Driver & Guide), Peet (Leader), Backer, Kennedy, Penfield, Albrecht, (Members). Bear Canyon @ 5600-5900 ft. Arizona cypress community and a great mixture of walnut, sycamore, arizona and chihuahuan pine, alligator juniper, arizona and silverleaf oak.

Team 3: Patricia Guertin (Driver & Guide), Biedenbender (Leader), Adams, Cheng, Bulluck (Members). Rose Canyon @ 7000 ft. Ponderosa pine community with arizona pine, alligator juniper, white pine, netleaf and silverleaf oak.

Team 4: Shelly Danzer (Driver & Guide), Jones (Leader), Ponamarenko, Hansen, Kearsley (Members). Bear Wallow @ 7900 ft. White fir, Douglas fir community with white and ponderosa pine, big-toothed and rocky mountain maple.

Team 5: Michael R. Kunzmann (Driver & Guide), Gordon (Leader), Hessing, Enquist, Craig, van der Leeden (Members). Ski Slopes @ 8800 ft. White, corkbark, and Douglas fir community with white pine. At this site it is also possible to get to a ponderosa pine, gambel oak community on south-facing slopes and a white and Douglas fir community.

DAY 2.

Meet in front of the Tucson Convention Center Port a Couchere Lobby Entrance for an 8:00am departure to the University of Arizona computer lab. Box lunches will be provided.

8:00 Attendees depart from conference center for UA teaching lab

8:30-8:40 Introduction to Day 2 : Michael Jennings

8:40-9:00 VegBank data model, continued : Robert Peet

9:00-10:00 Introduction to and demonstration of VegBranch functions : Michael Lee

(Walk through steps on individual computers)

10:00-10:15 Break

10:15-10:45 VegBranch practical; upload field data : Michael Lee

10:45-12:00 Introduction to VegBank: Basic functions : John Harris

12:00 Lunch

1:00-2:00 Introduction to VegBank: Submission, query, download : John Harris

2:00-2:30 Data exploration and transformation. : Dave Roberts

2:30-3:00 Data visualization : Dave Roberts

3:15-3:30 Break

3:30-4:15 Interpretation of vegetation data : Dave Roberts

4:15-4:45 Classification of plots within the NVC : Don Faber-Langendoen

4:45-5:00 Concluding remarks and evaluation forms : Michael Jennings

5:00 Depart for conference center

5:30-6:30 Reception, further discussion. Greenlee Room, Tucson Conference Center. PLEASE come to the reception! There will be a fine selection of food and beverages, and we would like to hear your comments on the VegBank enterprise in this more relaxed and informal setting.