Difference between revisions of "California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM)"

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CRAM was developed by a committee consisting of federal, state, and local agency personnel and scientists, NGO scientists, and consultants. <ref name="about"> About California Rapid Assessment Method https://www.cramwetlands.org/about </ref> CRAM is considered "rapid" because it can take less than three hours for only two or three practitioners to asses a representative wetland area. <ref name="about"/>
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CRAM was developed by a committee consisting of federal, state, and local agency personnel and scientists, NGO scientists, and consultants.<ref name="about"> About California Rapid Assessment Method https://www.cramwetlands.org/about </ref> CRAM is considered "rapid" because it can take less than three hours for only two or three practitioners to asses a representative wetland area.<ref name="about"/>
  
 
==Why use CRAM?==
 
==Why use CRAM?==
CRAM has been adopted in California because it is consistent, scientifically defensible, and affordable.<ref name="manual">California Rapid Assessment Method for Wetlands User’s Manual Version 6.1 https://www.cramwetlands.org/sites/default/files/2013-04-22_CRAM_manual_6.1%20all.pdf</ref> There are several public and private fund investments aimed at the protection, restoration, and management of California wetlands, but the impact of these investments are difficult to evaluate because there are often inconsistencies in data collections and quality control. <ref name="manual"/>
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CRAM has been adopted in California because it is consistent, scientifically defensible, and affordable.<ref name="manual">California Rapid Assessment Method for Wetlands User’s Manual Version 6.1 https://www.cramwetlands.org/sites/default/files/2013-04-22_CRAM_manual_6.1%20all.pdf</ref> There are several public and private fund investments aimed at the protection, restoration, and management of California wetlands, but the impact of these investments are difficult to evaluate because there are often inconsistencies in data collections and quality control.<ref name="manual"/> With CRAM, wetland health can be compared and monitored under consistent conditions. Additionally, the results of the monitoring are hosted on the EcoAtlas website, making records of CRAM data available to analysts and decision makers.<ref name="ecoatlas">About EcoAtlas https://www.ecoatlas.org/about/</ref><ref name="about"/>
 
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==When to use CRAM==
 
==When to use CRAM==
[[file:CRAM.png|thumb|600px|center|CRAM flow chart]]
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[[file:CRAM.png|thumb|600px|center|Flow chart to determine which wetland type is appropriate for CRAM.]]
  
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Unlike conventional assessment methods, CRAM is applicable to virtually all of California's diverse range of wetlands.<ref name="manual"/>
  
 
== Links ==
 
== Links ==

Revision as of 16:08, 30 March 2020

A summary of one of the Technical Tools used in Environmental Science and Management within California's Central Coast Region created by ENVS 560/L Watershed Systems class at CSUMB.


Summary

California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) is a standardized approach to monitor and assess the ecological conditions of wetlands California's wetland resources.[1][2] CRAM is represented as a single score that reflects the wetland's condition and stressors based on metrics of landscape and buffer condition, hydrology, biotic structure, and physical structure.[1]


CRAM was developed by a committee consisting of federal, state, and local agency personnel and scientists, NGO scientists, and consultants.[3] CRAM is considered "rapid" because it can take less than three hours for only two or three practitioners to asses a representative wetland area.[3]

Why use CRAM?

CRAM has been adopted in California because it is consistent, scientifically defensible, and affordable.[4] There are several public and private fund investments aimed at the protection, restoration, and management of California wetlands, but the impact of these investments are difficult to evaluate because there are often inconsistencies in data collections and quality control.[4] With CRAM, wetland health can be compared and monitored under consistent conditions. Additionally, the results of the monitoring are hosted on the EcoAtlas website, making records of CRAM data available to analysts and decision makers.[5][3]

When to use CRAM

Flow chart to determine which wetland type is appropriate for CRAM.

Unlike conventional assessment methods, CRAM is applicable to virtually all of California's diverse range of wetlands.[4]

Links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 California Creates Rapid Assessment Method for Wetland Protection https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/california-creates-rapid-assessment-method-wetland-protection
  2. California Rapid Assessment Method Website https://www.cramwetlands.org/
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 About California Rapid Assessment Method https://www.cramwetlands.org/about
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 California Rapid Assessment Method for Wetlands User’s Manual Version 6.1 https://www.cramwetlands.org/sites/default/files/2013-04-22_CRAM_manual_6.1%20all.pdf
  5. About EcoAtlas https://www.ecoatlas.org/about/

Disclaimer

This page may contain students' work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students...