Ecological Survey and Monitoring

Inventorying Rare Plants, Biocrusts, and Establishing Long-Term Monitoring in a Desert Reserve

Through a contract with The Nature Conservancy of Utah, Natural Resource Conservation LLC inventoried and established over 50 monitoring sites within the The Nature Conservancy's White Dome Nature Preserve near St. George, Utah.  This preserve is on unique gypsum soil and contains populations of the rare plants dwarf bear poppy (Arctomecon humilis) and Siler pincushion cactus (Pediocactus sileri), along with a unique desert environment containing biocrusts.  Biocrusts are layers of lichens, mosses, and cyanobacteria covering parts of the soil surface.  The project included identifying all plant species and biocrust species at monitoring sites in a full vegetation inventory and characterizing the degree of biocrust cover and disturbance.