Task 1: Provide assistance to team leaders. Attend two team leader meetings each year (one pre-season and one post-season). Provide guidance and answer questions regarding sampling protocols for wetland monitoring, and macroinvertebrate and vegetation sampling and identification at pre-season meeting. Provide guidance and observations, collect macroinvertebrate samples and field data sheets, and return vegetation marking poles at post-season meeting. The two team leader meetings are held annually: o Pre-season meeting – mid-May – 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Dakota County Western Service Center, Apple Valley or outdoor county park location in the vicinity o Post-season meeting – late August – 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Dakota County Western Service Center, Apple Valley or outdoor county park location in the vicinity Task 2: Assist and co-teach three training sessions with MPCA staff. The purpose of the training sessions is to teach volunteers basic methods and protocols for monitoring wetland macroinvertebrates and plants; lab processes and procedures; identifying characteristics of macroinvertebrates according to the macroinvertebrate Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) guide; major plant groups and identifying characteristics of wetland vegetation according to the vegetation IBI guide. The three training sessions are held annually: o Field Methods Training – weekday evening, late May – 6-8:30 p.m. – Dakota Lodge (classroom and outdoors), Thompson County Park, West St. Paul o Macroinvertebrate Identification Training – Saturday, late May/early June – 8 a.m.-noon – Inver Hills Community College (classroom and labs), Inver Grove Heights o Vegetation Identification Training – weekday evening, late June/early July – 6-8:30 p.m. – Whitetail Woods Regional Park (outdoor park shelter and at water’s edge), Farmington Task 3: Provide Quality Control and Quality Assurance for Citizen Teams (June/July/August). Each year, review macroinvertebrate samples collected from 13 wetlands (one wetland per team) by the citizen teams to determine if the identification and scoring were done accurately. Team leaders turn in macroinvertebrate samples and all completed data sheets to the consultant at the post-season team leader meeting. Each year, complete vegetation sampling spot checks on 10 percent of the wetlands enrolled in the program. Expected to be four wetlands (one wetland in four specified jurisdictions) enrolled in Dakota County WHEP. The vegetation plots are resampled for a similar determination of accuracy. Coordinate with each team leader involved to schedule resampling at the wetlands soon after the original team evaluated the wetland. Task 4: Review data sheets (September and October). Each year, review all data sheets (vegetation and macroinvertebrate) from monitored wetlands as if they were resampled for identification and scoring, transcription, math and computing accuracy. Record data and errors, and report changes/problems (in a letter) to team leaders in a positive effort to increase awareness and reduce future errors.
