The objectives of this document are to review the current status of the component of the monitoring program that focuses on rare plants, and to make recommendations for an efficient program design that propels conservation forward in the region. For conservation to be effective, ecological monitoring must be efficient and sustainable, responsive to agency management needs, regionally integrated, and flexible enough to respond to emerging issues as they arise. The monitoring must be focused on the assessment of how populations of MSCP taxa respond to management regimes and particular management actions. Thus, this review takes a look at program vision and structure, implementation plans, available data, and institutional support of the current monitoring efforts. We provide recommendations for a revised rare plant monitoring framework based on current concepts in conservation biology (especially adaptive management), data analyses, and agency and stakeholder feedback. We use the framework to develop an example Monitoring and Management Plan protocol for San Diego ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila).
Objectives of this Study: The goal of this project was to evaluate the current status of the rare plant populations on MSCP preserve lands administered by the City of San Diego, including population size, density, and habitat quality. Our three primary objectives were:
1. Review existing population status and location information to update the City's database and to identify City-owned lands that have the potential to support populations of MSCP covered plant species.
2. Conduct reconnaissance surveys on MSCP lands to determine if additional populations and locations of covered plants exist and to refine the locations where quantitative monitoring should be conducted.
3. Initiate quantitative monitoring for selected species and populations or locations that have not been monitored previously. This monitoring will establish the baseline data that will be used in conjunction with future monitoring to determine the status of these species and populations. This information will then be used to direct the management of these species' populations and habitats within the City's MSCP lands. The specific questions to be addressed in the long-term monitoring program are:
a. What are the status and trends of the target species?
b. What are the site conditions that may influence spatial patterns in the
population dynamics of the target species?
c. What management actions should be taken to minimize threats to the
target species, and are these actions effective?
The City of San Diego has conducted quantitative monitoring for short-leaved Dudleya (Dudleya blochmaniae ssp. brevifolia), San Diego Ambrosia (Ambrosia pumilla), and Nuttall's Lotus (Lotus nuttallianus). In addition, City staff and volunteers have monitored selected populations of willowy Monardella (Monardella linoides ssp. viminea) and San Diego thornmint (Acanthomintha ilicifolia). Table 1 lists the species that were monitored as part of this study (X) and those species for which the City of San Diego (SD) conducted quantitative monitoring. Although some of the species were not monitored as part of this study, all 11 species listed in Table 1 were included in the literature review and reconnaissance surveys discussed in Section 2.
Introduction: San Diego ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila) is a sensitive plant species whose northernmost distribution is in southern Riverside County. This perennial herb species was once more common in northern Baja California, Mexico but its distribution has been significantly reduced by expansion of agricultural land use. Modern land use within San Diego County has also greatly reduced the historic distribution of San Diego ambrosia. This plant species also appears not reproduce from seed but instead it grows off of a rhizome-like root structure below ground. If San Diego ambrosia only reproduces vegetatively and is limited in its ability to sexually reproduce, it may not be able to adapt to changing conditions. This may also be partially responsible for the limited distribution of San Diego ambrosia.
Monitoring for this plant in Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) was conducted on July 25, 2000 by Holly Boessow, Keith Greer, Jeanne Krosch, Mel Naidas, and Paul Kilberg. The largest patch of San Diego ambrosia in MTRP, which is located adjacent to the Kumeyaay Lake Campground, was surveyed. The patch surveyed is identified as patch C6 in the City of San Diego Mission Trails Regional Park San Diego Ambrosia Management Plan (Dudek & Associates, 2000). The goal of the effort was to establish baseline data for long-term monitoring of San Diego ambrosia under the Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP).
Introduction: San Diego ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila) is a sensitive plant species whose northernmost distribution is in southern Riverside County. This perennial herb species was once more common in northern Baja California, Mexico but its distribution has been significantly reduced by expansion of agricultural land use. Modern land use within San Diego County has also greatly reduced the historic distribution of San Diego ambrosia. This plant species also appears not reproduce from seed but instead it grows off of a rhizome-like root structure below ground. If San Diego ambrosia only reproduces vegetatively and is limited in its ability to sexually reproduce, it may not be able to adapt to changing conditions. This may also be partially responsible for the limited distribution of San Diego ambrosia.
Monitoring for this plant in Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) was conducted on July 9 and 16, 2001 by Holly Boessow, Keith Greer, Jeanne Krosch, Mike Klein, Randy Rodriguez, Brett Williams, and Jim Harry. The largest patch of San Diego ambrosia in MTRP, which is located adjacent to the Kumeyaay Lake Campground, was surveyed. The patch surveyed is identified as patch C6 in the City of San Diego Mission Trails Regional Park San Diego Ambrosia Management Plan (Dudek & Associates, 2000). The goal of the effort was to establish baseline data for long-term monitoring of San Diego ambrosia under the Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP).
The objectives of this document are to review the current status of the component of the monitoring program that focuses on rare plants, and to make recommendations for an efficient program design that propels conservation forward in the region. For conservation to be effective, ecological monitoring must be efficient and sustainable, responsive to agency management needs, regionally integrated, and flexible enough to respond to emerging issues as they arise. The monitoring must be focused on the assessment of how populations of MSCP taxa respond to management regimes and particular management actions. Thus, this review takes a look at program vision and structure, implementation plans, available data, and institutional support of the current monitoring efforts. We provide recommendations for a revised rare plant monitoring framework based on current concepts in conservation biology (especially adaptive management), data analyses, and agency and stakeholder feedback. We use the framework to develop an example Monitoring and Management Plan protocol for San Diego ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila).
Introduction: San Diego ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila) is a sensitive plant species whose northernmost distribution is in southern Riverside County. This perennial herb species was once common in
northern Baja California, Mexico but its distribution has been significantly reduced by expansion of agricultural land use. Modern land use within San Diego County has also greatly reduced the historic distribution of San Diego ambrosia. This plant species appears to propagate from a subterranean, rhizome-like root instead of a typical seed-dependant reproduction strategy. If San Diego ambrosia only reproduces vegetatively and is limited in its ability to sexually reproduce, it may not be able to adapt to changing conditions. This may also be partially responsible for the limited distribution of San Diego ambrosia. Monitoring for this plant in Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) was conducted on August 15 and August 18, 2003 by Holly Cheong, Melanie Johnson, Betsy Miller, Khalil Martinez, and
Eden Nguyen. The largest patch of San Diego ambrosia in MTRP, which is located adjacent to the Kumeyaay Lake Campground, was surveyed. The patch surveyed is identified as patch C6 in the City of San Diego Mission Trails Regional Park San Diego Ambrosia Management Plan (Dudek & Associates, 2000). The goal of the effort was to continue long-term monitoring of San Diego ambrosia under the Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP).
from Introduction: The Biological Monitoring Plan for the Multiple Species Conservation Program (Ogden Environmental, Inc. 1996) and the Status Summary of MSCP Biological Monitoring Protocols (Conservation Biology Institute 2001) are important components of the City of San Diego's MSCP under its 1997 Implementing Agreement (R28455) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game. The monitoring program includes
plant, animal, and habitat monitoring requirements for each MSCP-participating jurisdiction; the City of San Diego began rare plant monitoring in 1999.In 2005, a grant- funded scientific panel reviewed the regional MSCP rare plant monitoring program; there report is available online at http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/mscp/rareplantmonitor.shtml. City staff revised field protocols in accordance to these recommendations and began implementing the advisors' recommendations during the 2006 monitoring season.
