Hello blog readers...
After a busy 2013 summer season with the 2013 Hat Creek Youth Initiative, the fun didn't end! Some students opted to continue engaging with the Hat Creek Restoration Project and Natural Resources by completing their Senior Project with California Trout. Dylan Spooner at Burney High School was one such individual and opted to help out the program by adding new photo-points to the collection of photos taken by the HCYI crew this summer.
Please read on below from Dylan to learn about Photo-point monitoring and what he did for his Senior Project:
Photo-Point
Monitoring
Photo points are general view
pictures which are used for documenting and evaluating changes in an area over
time. In the case of Hat Creek, I have assisted in performing photo point
monitoring to document certain sections of Hat Creek before and after the
full-scale restoration project. By committing time to taking these photographs,
people will be able to clearly compare the effects of the Hat Creek Restoration
Project on the specific sections that were worked on. Exact information about
how, where, and when the picture was taken is required to provide an accurate
location description for the future “after” photos to be taken. It is important
to try and frame the exact same scene in both the before and after photos so a
direct comparison can be made in the future. Details such as the type of
improvement, degrees of orientation, time that a photo was taken, are all
necessary to provide an exact description of the framing in the photograph.
When the Hat Creek Youth Initiative
first started in June, the crew’s first task was to take various photo points
of different areas that would be improved by the restoration project. Each
photo point location was marked by a pink flag with the file name written on
it. The first feature we were to photograph was the new Carbon bridge location.
This bridge would connect both the left and right banks of Hat Creek and allow
for a complete trail loop. Another major feature we photographed were areas of
proposed large woody debris (LWD) placement. LWD provides shelter and habitat
for wild trout in the stream, and is necessary for a healthy fish population.
Other areas we took photo points of include trail locations, Duck Island,
proposed vegetation plantings, and tributaries. All of these areas will be
improved over the course of the restoration project and are important to
monitor and document to allow for a future comparison of the effects after the
completion of the restoration.
For my senior project, one of my
tasks was to take more of these photo points in areas not captured during the
summer. The purpose for adding more is due to the finalization of the Hat Creek
Restoration proposal. As the project becomes closer to actually starting, there
is a better picture of where certain improvements will be made. Duck Island was
important to photograph in more detail since there will now be vegetation
planted there. There is also a clearer understanding of where LWD will be added
in Hat Creek, so these areas needed to be photographed as well. Another
important feature that was not photographed at all during the summer initiative
was the proposed area of a new parking lot. The old Carbon parking lot may be
replaced by one further away from the stream bank, allowing people to walk into
the area more easily. I took photo points of the old Carbon parking lot, the
road leading to it, and possible locations of the new parking lot. These
pictures will allow for easy comparison of the conditions of each location in
the future after the restoration project.
Detailed
descriptions of how, when, and where each photo point is taken is critical for
the future photo points to be replicated exactly as the ones that were recently
captured. Degrees of orientation, photo height, tilt, time taken, weather, and
the feature being photographed are all important to include in a data sheet for
each photo point taken. The name of the picture file is also very important to
note. The photo has to be designated a unique name so it can be easily found
and organized for later use. It also allows the picture to be easily aligned to
the information sheet. A scene description is another important factor for
photo point monitoring. This is useful for helping someone who may be
replicating the photographs after the restoration project to understand what
the photograph is trying to capture. Descriptive and clear information is just
as important as the actual image is photo point monitoring.
Photo point monitoring allows easy
documentation of specific affected areas to be used in before and after
comparisons. The photo points taken at Hat Creek recently will be used to
compare the before and after effects of the Hat Creek Restoration Project. Many
areas such as LWD placements, vegetation sites, and walking trails need to be
documented in their current state so the changes made by the restoration
project can be clearly observed and studied. The information provided from
photo point monitoring will not only allow for comparison of Hat Creek
conditions after the current restoration, but it can also help to study what
aspects of the project showed significant improvements, and which ones showed
little to no improvement. Future restoration projects on Hat Creek on anywhere
else can be improved by studying the before and after effects of this current
restoration, which is why photo point monitoring is an important part of this
project.
-Dylan
