Fact Sheet No. 24: Natural Resource Management Projects Photo Points

Introduction

Taking photographs is one of the most basic monitoring techniques. While photographs cannot tell the entire story about a situation, project, or practice, much information can be gathered from photographs taken at the same point over a number of years.

Photographs often reveal changes that measurements miss. Photos are an easy way to help others become aware of differences induced by climate and the benefits of good land management practices. They serve as a reminder of how far you have come in establishing a healthy-functioning, natural resource area.

There are many monitoring techniques available, but if you consider these following questions when selecting a monitoring approach, photo points fit most ranch needs.

• Can the method or methods detect changes towards or away from defined management goals?
• Are you willing to use the methods consistently for several years?
• Are the methods adaptable to changing goals?
• Will the methods answer your questions, and/or will they help you answer questions from others?

However, before you start taking pictures, think of why, what, and how you might set up a photo monitoring program.

Why Monitor

• Are you trying to describe or document current conditions?
• Are you identifying existing or potential problem locations?
• Are you documenting the application of management practices?
• Are you measuring the results of management practices?
• Are you measuring the success of meeting your ranch management goals or objectives?

What to Monitor

• The general appearance of the ranch.
• Specific sections (reaches) of a stream for riparian vegetation and streambank stability.
• Lakes, ponds, and seeps for vegetation and heavy use.
• Areas of light, moderate, and heavy grazing pressure within fields or pastures.
• Roads and trails.
• Stream crossings, water gaps, etc.

How to Monitor

• Photo plots
• Landscape views
• Riparian views
• Vegetative cover views
• Descriptive records
• Measurements

The following table suggests photo situations for documenting effectiveness of various management practices on rangelands.

Examples of fenceline photo points	Examples of stream and streambank photo points
Example of landscape photo point	Example of vegetative cover photo point

Prepared by Neil K. McDougald, Area Watershed Management Advisor, UCCE, Madera, CA and Jim Clawson, Extension Range Specialist, Agronomy and Range Science Department., University of California, Davis.