Bio-Inventory and Monitoring Projects

Appalachian Inventory and Monitoring Information Synthesis (AIMIS)

The purpose of SAIN’s Appalachian Inventory & Monitoring Information Synthesis (AIMIS) project is to access, synthesize, and disseminate information from inventory and monitoring activities of various agencies and organizations throughout southern Appalachia. We are using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to access the various I&M datasets. Visit our SAIN maps section to experience all of our maps -including the ones produced for the SAMAB's Southern Appalachian Volunteer Environmental Monitoring (SAVEM) project. If you want to know more about the project, go to the SAIN SAVEM page. We are continuously adding agency I&M data. We invite you to partner with us, contact PJ Nabors if you would like to contribute to this effort.

Brook Trout Population Status

The thematic Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (NBII-FAR) node and the regional Southern Appalachian Information Node (NBII-SAIN), are working together with Federal and State management agencies and nongovernmental agencies to share information on eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). In June 2004, more than 60 individuals from state and federal management agencies and nongovernmental agencies met to discuss the current status of eastern brook trout populations and began developing a strategy to reverse their decline. As part of this effort, NBII has developed an ArcIMS application where management agencies contribute data on the current assessment of brook trout populations. If you want to learn more about this project contact Shelaine Curd-Hetrick from NBII-SAIN or Doug Beard, from NBII-FAR. For more information, go to our Brook Trout Population Status Project page or download our PDF (You'll need Acrobat Reader®).

Discover Life in America (DLIA) and the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

NBII-SAIN is assisting the Great Smokies Mountain National Park ATBI and Discover Life in America with increased information exchange for research, education, and better resource management. The node is providing web page hosting, development and design as well as database assistance and coordination with other ATBIs and inventory & monitoring projects. If you want to learn more about this project contact Shelaine Curd-Hetrick or go to the ATBI homepage.

Tennessee River Gorge Bio-inventory

Using NBII-SAIN protocols and working closely with the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, SAIN staff has created a geographic information systems database and an interactive map for the river gorge that readily integrates the data obtained from the topography, geology, biology, hydrology and human dimensions of the river gorge and surrounding environs. The node has also created a three-dimensional model of existing conditions in the river gorge utilizing the databases previously mentioned. Contact Robert Keller or Robb Turner if you would like to participate in this on-going project.

Examination of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Re-introduction Effort of the Endangered Red Wolf in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Southern Appalachian Information Node seeks to facilitate the dissemintaion of any viable data sets in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Geological Survey and the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency. We are adopting any needed protocols and standards necessary to participate and contribute to the GAP analysis process. To learn more about this project contact Robert Keller.

Cave and Karst Inventory

SAIN is mapping and cataloging a cave system as part of a pilot project aimed at enhancing the delivery of sensitive cave and karst data without threatening the integrity of the system. To date, a detailed cave system located in Bath County, Virginia has been incorporated into a GIS platform and modeled three dimensionally by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Environmental Research and Mapping Facility. Physical mapping of the karst system was performed by the Richmond Area Speleological Society, using compass, clinometer, and tape. The methods and techniques developed during this pilot study will be used in a future National Park Service research project, located in the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. For more information and participation requests contact Dr. Robert Keller.