Within our Strategic Plan 2020, a key stewardship priority is to manage our lands for biodiversity. In order to accomplish this, Steep Rock Association (SRA) applies science-based knowledge of our land’s natural resources and wild inhabitants. A broad spectrum of research has been performed on the preserves by state biologists, professional contractors, SRA staff, and trained citizen scientists. The data acquired allows us to make informed decisions on all aspects of our mission from prioritizing preservation, planning recreational use, to enhancing habitat. Below is a list of topics SRA has investigated along with acquired data and developed protocols where appropriate.
- Soil Classification and Distribution
- Native American Archaeology
- Rare Plants and Critical Habitats
- Eastern Hemlock Fitness, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Assessment, and Biological Control
- Census of Butterflies and Dragonflies | SRA Butterfly Field Checklist
- Macroinvertebrate and Fish Sampling
- Water Quality and Temperature Monitoring
- Census of Breeding and Wintering Birds | SRA Bird Field Checklist
- Wintering Bald Eagle Surveys | DEEP Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey 2017 Results
- Cavity Nesting Bird Monitoring | NestWatch 2017 Results
- Marsh Bird Callback Surveys
- Northern Goshawk Acoustic Broadcast Survey | SRA Northern Goshawk Broadcast Survey Protocol and Poster
- Amphibian and Reptile Surveys
- Vernal Pool Monitoring | Vernal Pool Survey Form
- Acoustic Bat Monitoring | Acoustic Bat Monitoring Summer 2016 Report
- New England Cottontail Pellet Sampling
- Black Bear Population Density | http://clear3.uconn.edu/viewers/bears/
- Bobcat Tracking
Resources
- Connecticut Wildlife Action Plan | www.ct.gov/deep/wildlifeactionplan
- Connecticut Invasive Plant List | https://cipwg.uconn.edu/invasive_plant_list/
- Connecticut Natural Resource Maps and Geospatial Data | http://www.cteco.uconn.edu/maps.ht
