🚀 go-pugleaf

     Please Pardon X-Posting

     Announcing a new Website by Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (USGS)
     sponsored in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The
     National Park Service, SUNY Syracuse, and Pennsylvania State
     University.

     Power Analysis of Monitoring Programs:  How many samples?
     http://www.mp1-pwrc.usgs.gov/powcase/powcase.html

     While plant and animal monitoring programs are in widespread use by
     many land managers and conservation biologists, many may be "doomed
     from the start" simply by insufficient sample sizes.  With too few
     samples, a monitoring program will fail to detect population changes
     over time.  Adequate sample size serves to override the "noise" of
     count variability, and provides the precision necessary to detect
     trends.

     Power Analysis of Monitoring Programs is a Website designed to walk
     users through a "plain-speak," step-by-step approach to sample size
     determination and program evaluation.  Topics covered include:
     1. Types and levels of trend;
     2. Precision criteria;
     3. Estimation of variability, including a database of over 450 plant
     and animal CV's taken from the literature;
     4. Sample size determination through online graphs or by using the
     free power analysis program MONITOR, downloadable from this site;
     5. Consideration of bias.
     The site also includes a power analysis bibliography with over 50
     references, and links to other resources on the Web.

     The site is intended for use by anyone planning a monitoring program
     for local plant or animal population(s), and does not assume advanced
     knowledge of statistics.  The site will enable the user to:
     * Quickly estimate the sampling intensity you will need to detect
     population changes in a particular plant or animal group.
     * Obtain variability estimates of population indices of organisms
     similar to the one you are studying.
     * Find useful references for learning more about the finer details of
     designing effective monitoring programs.

     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...Another Patuxent
     Skunkworks Project.


     For more information please contact: Paige C. Eagle
     Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
     12100 Beech Forest Road
     Laurel, MD 20708-4038
     301-497-5559
     e-mail: paige_eagle@usgs.gov

     MONITOR by James P. Gibbs, Ph.D.
     Asst. Professor
     State University of New York
     College of Environmental Science and Forestry Department of
     Environmental and Forest Biology 350 Illick Hall
     1 Forestry Drive
     Syracuse, NY  13210
     315/470-6764
     e-mail: jpgibbs@syr.edu
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who
     make empty prophecies.
     The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant
     with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of
     Hell. St. Augustine: DeGenesi ad Litteram,
     Book II, xviii, 37
     [Note: mathematician = astrologer]