Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation Monitoring in Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

As part of the Upper Columbia Basin Network sagebrush steppe vital signs monitoring program, a survey of sagebrush steppe ecological condition was conducted in late May and early June 2012 Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument following methods outlined in the Upper Columbia Basin Network monitoring protocol (Yeo et al. 2009). The plot-based surveys occurred within 5 sampling frames that are positioned along the Oregon Trail, the tops of benches, and along the bottomland adjacent to the Snake River. Much of the uplands of the park are inaccessible, consisting of steep and highly unstable unvegetated escarpments.