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The
Riparian Area Management Plan - Determining
photo point locations
Using the three
questions from page 10, select the point in the riparian area or
stream reach you want to photograph and the location from which
to do so. Anticipate how the site might change over time and plan
accordingly. Remember: open areas may not stay that way; indeed,
your goal might be to see that they don't.
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Figure
4-12
This location would be a good spot for a "representative
area"photo-monitoring point.
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Don't establish
an overview photo point a few feet in front of a shrub that in 5
to 10 years will block out the area you are trying to photograph.
In dense vegetation you may want to take your shots from the center
of the stream to better capture the whole area or from a higher
position to capture the landscape.
Anticipate flood
situations and locate some camera points away from the streambank
and even out of the floodplain to document high flows and to avoid
photo points being destroyed in the event of channel migration (lateral
cutting). Shooting the same site from two directions will provide
a more complete picture of what is occurring on that site.
Establishing
permanent locations
Once you decide what to photograph and where to take your shots,
you will need to place markers so you can take succeeding shots
from the same place to assure you are taking the same picture each
year.
An effective
way to do this is to establish an obvious "witness marker"
(on a large tree, distinctive fence post, etc.) and take a compass
bearing from that location to the photo point. Identify the witness
marker with something distinctive and easily visible, such as an
orange aluminum tag or spray paint.
A photo of the
area around the witness marker, taken from the nearest access point
at the time the plot is established, also helps locate the position.
It is helpful to include a distinctive landmark in the photograph's
background if possible.
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