Visitors 1
Modified 21-Dec-23
Created 9-Nov-23
82 photos
As established by Katy Human (it was great hearing her stories of the early days!), ant survey points are spread on a 100-meter grid over much of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. (Yes, we have abandoned some of Katy’s original grid: survey points on steep hillsides, covered in undergrowth or Poison Oak, or otherwise difficult. And some areas have no survey points.)
During the survey, volunteers walk to each point in turn, and count the species of ants seen there, within 20 meters, for 5 minutes of combined observation time. This means we go off trail, to parts of the Preserve the public seldom visits: grassland, undergrowth, the varied ecosystems of the Preserve.
Here is a random record of our wanderings – just the photos I happened to save, without any attempt to be comprehensive. There are also a few photos from before the volunteer surveys began. [The earliest volunteer survey here is from fall 2011; I couldn’t find a group photo from this one.] Before the survey we gather in the Sun Research Station for our marching orders; afterwards, to share stories and identify ants we have puttered, sucking them up into vials for expert confirmation of ID. These photos cover some of the preparatory training as well as the ant surveys themselves.
Enjoy this nostalgic look back over a dozen years of volunteering.
