In 2016, the San Diego Management and Monitoring Program (SDMMP) in collaboration with the Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) will be facilitating a third year of monitoring of rare plant species in western San Diego County. This effort is part of implementing objectives in the Management Strategic Plan (MSP) developed for the San Diego Association of Governments, which identifies and prioritizes monitoring and management of multiple species and habitats on Conserved Lands across the region (http://sdmmp.com/reportsandproducts/ManagementStrategicPlan.aspx).

The MSP has an "Inspect and Manage" (IMG) objective that uses a protocol to assesses the status, habitat conditions, and level of threats for rare plant occurrences and identifies management needs. The results of IMG monitoring is used to inform local management activities and to prioritize regional funding for management of rare plant occurrences.

The list of 27 species we have prioritized for “IMG” monitoring in 2016 is attached. Over the next week, we will send land managers a list of rare plant occurrences identified for monitoring on their lands. We would like to know which rare plant occurrences land managers plan to survey with the IMG protocol and which will not be surveyed. This year we are making an effort to monitor most occurrences so we can assess status and management needs under similar conditions. We hope to have botanists conduct surveys at highest priority occurrences where there is no planned monitoring by the land manager or other entity. We will use data collected from 2014 to 2016 on the status of species’ occurrences and the level of threats to recommend how often each species should be monitored in the future (e.g., annually vs. every other year vs. every five years).

We invite land managers, botanists, and volunteers to join us in monitoring rare plant occurrences. Some land managers have indicated they could use volunte