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Storm Surge Protectors Protocol
Introduction
The mission of the Storm Surge Protectors is to collect
long-term data of coastal wetland vegetation that can be used to
assess damage or degradation, protect key areas, and create a
resilient community. What is Storm Surge Protectors? Storm Surge
Protectors is a UNCW MarineQuest citizen science project, which
aims to collect long-term data that will help determine the
ecological condition of coastal wetlands in New Hanover and
Brunswick Counties, NC. The project promotes an understanding of
coastal wetlands through community engagement and direct assessment
of wetland health throughout the year. By providing an opportunity
for members to preform fieldwork, the project highlights the
connections between a healthy ecosystem, storm resiliency, and
community.
Storm Surge Protectors requires all citizen scientists who
participate in this project to attend a workshop prior to
completing a wetland assessment on their own. If you are completing
an assessment with an individual who has attended a workshop, you
may complete the assessment with the guidance of the trained
individual. You will not be able to become a certified Storm Surge
Protector, unless you attend a workshop. How will the data be used?
UNCW MarineQuest will use the data collected by Storm Surge
Protectors to make future recommendations for potential restoration
sites and build environmental education materials demonstrating the
connection between a healthy coastal wetland and a storm-resilient
coast. How can you participate?
• Community Outreach Events • Volunteer • Workshops • Certified
Storm Surge Protectors
Storm Surge Protectors Wetland Vegetation Assessment
Protocol
UNCW MarineQuest & AmeriCorps
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Storm Surge Protectors Protocol
Basic Information Required Materials:
• Storm Surge Protectors Data Sheet • Smart Phone with camera
capability • Pen or Pencil
Recommended Materials:
• Long pants • Closed toed shoes • Long sleeve shirt • Hat/
Sunglasses
• Sun protection • Bug spray • Water • Binoculars
Safety Guidelines Storm Surge Protectors suggests citizen
scientists always monitor with another person, to reduce risk
associated with field assessments. When arriving to a site for an
assessment, be sure your vehicle is parked in a designated parking
area or an area where your vehicle is safe to park and is away from
traffic. If walking to a location, follow basic safety guidelines,
i.e using sidewalks, crosswalks, etc. Storm Surge Protectors
recommends wearing shoes while completing an assessment, closed
toed shoes are strongly recommended. There are oyster beds, and
potentially sharp objects such as broken shells, and other
materials that could cause injury. If injury is caused due to an
oyster, clean the wound thoroughly and seek medical attention if
possible. While completing an assessment be mindful of the
environment. Try to take paths that are already created, avoid
touching or removing any living flora or fauna. Do not leave any
trash or debris behind.
From this point forward Storm Surge Protectors will be referred
to as ‘SSP’
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Storm Surge Protectors Protocol
Site Selection Determine what site the wetland assessment will
be conducted at. To determine what site to collect data at, visit
the Storm Surge Protectors website Assessment Locations page.
Follow the steps below to select an assessment location. Website
link:
https://uncw.edu/marinequest/americorps-ssp/assessment-locations.html
Step 1: Once at the Assessment Location page, the user may
scroll down to the map and zoom in on the area they plan to sample.
The possible sites to choose from are marked by a color icon.
Step 2: Once an area has been selected, zoom in to see the site
closer. For certain assessment locations there are multiple sites
to choose from. For example, Fort Fisher State Park has two
assessment sites.
Step 3: Each site has 3 points to conduct an assessment at. Each
point will be marked by an icon.
Step 4: Once the site point is determined, click on the icon.
The icon will have a title of the Assessment Location, Site #,
Point #, and GPS coordinates.
https://uncw.edu/marinequest/americorps-ssp/assessment-locations.html
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Storm Surge Protectors Protocol
Shoreline Snapshot Assessment Protocol Each location has PVC
poles to mark assessment location points.
The purpose of a shoreline snapshot is to allow Storm Surge
Protectors to collect photographic data assessments of assessment
locations. Storm Surge Protectors aims to use the data to determine
any noticeable physical changes in assessment sites. Citizen
Scientists can conduct a ‘Shoreline Snapshot” for the entire
assessment if they do not have enough time to complete a full rapid
assessment. Follow the steps below to collect a set of assessment
images that will later be transformed into a 360° photo of the
site. Panoramic and other modified photos are not wanted for
submission.
• Stand at the Starting Site point, found on the SSP website’s
‘Site’ page. • With your body facing the water, take a portrait
oriented photo. • Move slightly clockwise so that your next photo
contains 20% of the frame from your previous photo. • Continue
these steps until you have completed a 360° turn. • Once the
‘Shoreline Snapshot’ has been completed, fill out the online data
sheet found on the SSP website,
on the ‘Data Sheet and Protocol’ page. There is a photo upload
section, where the photos taken during the ‘Shoreline Snapshot’ can
be uploaded. Please name the photos in the order they were taken.
Example formatting is: SiteName_1, SiteName_2, etc. Once materials
have been submitted, a thank you confirmation email will be sent
from the AmeriCorps Coastal Citizen Science Ambassador to the email
address that was provided on the data sheet.
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Storm Surge Protectors Protocol
Wetland Vegetation Assessment
Citizen scientists must follow the steps below, before beginning
the vegetation assessment.
• Step 1: Citizen Scientist will start at point 1 and connect
the quadrat, making the attached PVC poles look like a square.
• Step 2: Once the small PVC poles have been put together the
Citizen Scientist will place the quadrat within 3 feet of the point
pole.
• Step 3: Citizen Scientists will conduct a vegetation
assessment of all vegetation that lies within the quadrat using the
Braun-Blanquet Scale.
• Step 4: Citizen Scientist will repeat the steps at the
remainder of points at the site location, taking the quadrat and
returning it to point 1 when finished.
Total % coverage: Total % coverage of vegetation in the quadrat,
use the Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance scale.
Braun-Blanquet Cover-Abundance Scale
Do not put 0, just leave blank if vegetation is not present.
Species BB Scale
Species BB Scale
1 2 3 1 2 3
Smooth Cordgrass Sporobolus alterniflorus Seaside Goldenrod
Solidago sempervirens
Black Needlerush Juncus gerardii Pickleweed Salicornia
europeae
Salt Meadow Cordgrass Spartina patens Sea Lavender Limonium
perezii
Saw Grass Cladium jamaicense Marsh Elder Iva frutescens
Salt Masrh Aster Symphyotrichum subulatum Sea Oxeye Borrichia
frutescens
Other Observed Vegetation: . If any vegetation that is not
included on the data sheet is identified, please record what is
seen in the ‘other observable vegetation sections’. If unsure about
the specific vegetation species, take a photo and leave a note for
the Coastal Citizen Science Ambassador to review the data
collected.
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Storm Surge Protectors Protocol
Marine Debris Assessment
If there is marine debris present anywhere in the wetland,
record what is seen and the amount of the debris. For example, 1
plastic bag, 2 plastic spoons, 1 toy. If there is a variety of
marine debris, write down each item. If comfortable, please safely
remove the debris.
Assessment Data Sheet Submission
Once the assessment is completed, go to the SSP website and
click on the ‘Data Sheet and Protocol’ page. Follow the ‘Data Sheet
Submission’ link. This will take you to a Wufoo submission form,
where the information collected during the site assessment can be
entered. Please upload photos that were taken during the site
assessment, on the “Shoreline Snapshot” page. Once the data sheet
has been submitted, a confirmation email will be sent to the email
that was provided on the data sheet.