baseline and 5-year remonitoring

If you are a new Grazewell participant, contact your local NRCS office if you are enrolled in any programs with them. They will typically have Shapefiles of your ranch boundaries. If you are not enrolled with NRCS, you will need to round these up. CNB Program Manager, DelRae Ferguson, will also be able to guide you. Northway Ranch Services (NRS) will conduct remote monitoring of your operation. You receive and be in control of all data collected. NRS will schedule a time sometime between July-September to visit your ranch to conduct onsite monitoring. Think of 5 sites on your ranch that fit one or more of the following (just examples/inspiration):

• This site looks rough. I want to improve it.
• This site has been burned. I want to track it's rehabilitation.
• This site looks great. I want to see what's working well here or continue to improve it.
• This site is full of weeds or bare ground. I want to change that. 
• This site is critical to our operation. I want to preserve it or it interests me.
• This site is a site I want to use, but can't grow grass. 
• I am curious about this site. 
• This is our best hay meadow, but can it be better? 

These sites become your Management Learning Locations (MLLs). You can change these sites over time or add your own, additional MLLs. 

NRS conducts a RAP analysis within your ranch boundary. This is a helpful tool that uses satellite imagery that detects long term trends in vegetation and soil on your ranch. This could be helpful in determining sites or regions you want to establish as an MLL. 

You will travel with NRS to your 5 chosen MLLs. There, NRS will collect photos, soil samples, test infiltration, record a transect of vegetation, among a few other observations. They will ask you questions regarding: 

• Basics of operation
• Why you chose this site as an MLL
• What specific management activities you would like to implement at this site to either improve or maintain your operational goals with the site i.e. eradication of noxious weeds, reseed, graze more/less, graze at a different time, etc. 

Your baseline monitoring day is a great opportunity to invite agency or other partners you work with on your operation. For example, your local NRCS conservationist, your SWCD District Manager, ODFW Biologist, Rangeland Consultant, etc. 

You will re-monitor with the same method every 5 years. 

Once NRS has collected and analyzed data, uploaded all of your map information, etc.,  they will share all of it with you through a platform known as your Grazewell Hub. You will receive a username and password for this hub. If you do not know your current username or password, contact your peer leader or CNB Program Manager. The hub will also show you the GPS locations of your MLLs so you may return to the exact location when you conduct your annual observations or when working with other consultants, agencies, partners. Below are some screenshots of what your hub will look like. 

• Reconduct monitoring with NRS every 5 years.
• Return to each MLL site every year around the same time to conduct Annual Observations- (a photo and short survey, see Annual Observations link on Resources page) Due December 1 
• Track changes and management activities through your grazing plan or ranch records. You can submit these via the same apps you use to conduct your observations as well.