5. Preparing to monitor a site
Prior to monitoring, it is important to document key information about your field site.
Materials 
Visit Log
Have youth fill out a Visit Log each time they visit the site to gather data. Have them begin by filling out the site name, group name, date, season, and monitoring time. They may need to consult with a local newspaper or weather.com to fill in the information related to local weather conditions 24 hours prior to their visit.
Site Survey Data Sheet
Using the Site Survey Data Sheet, youth can record descriptions of the site habitat(s) along with the condition of the overall site and the observed plants and animals.
Information on the site's physical structure (e.g., trees vs shrubs vs open areas) will help explain the presence or absence and the distribution of organisms at each individual site. When compiled, information about many separate sites will help explain the broadcast of different species in your community as well as the changes that occur there over time. This information can help develop strategies to improve the condition of these natural areas.
Site Sketch Data Sheet
Using the Site Sketch Data Sheet, invite youth to draw a detailed picture of the site. Sample Site Drawing This information will help contribute to the visual record of the site. (You may want to have youth take photographs as well.)
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Prior to drawing, have students walk over the entire site, observing changes in the landscape.
Then invite them to walk through the site again and sketch different features.
 If the site is very large, have them draw each part separately.
Note the location of streets or other boundaries.
In addition to documenting the landscape, have them draw any buildings, parking lots, or other features on the site, showing their location and size relative to each other and to the site as a whole.
Also have participants sketch where various kinds of vegetation are growing—grass, trees, shrubs—plus areas containing waters such as streams, lagoons, or ponds.
When students are finished, have them compare their sketches to ensure they are drawn to scale.
Instruct them to add a key or legend to explain various symbols on their sketch.
6. Choose a monitoring route
Using the drawings below as examples, choose and outline a route through your monitoring site that students can follow.
Detailed Example
It is helpful to stake out this route using rope so that you and future youth observers will be able to follow the same route on monitoring visits.
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Materials
- rope
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stakes (and a mallet or other tool to pound the stakes if needed)
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Site Sketch Data Sheet
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clipboards
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pencils
Have your students sketch the route on the Site Sketch Data Sheet and include a written description of landmarks that will enable other youth to retrace the route.
You will be monitoring 5 meters (approximately 15 feet) on either side of the centerline of the route you select, so place your loops accordingly, making sure they do not cross or overlap.
7. Start monitoring
Materials
Record the start time of your walk in the appropriate place on the BES Taxa Data Sheet. Then have students start slowly walking the designated route at 1 mph, which is approximately of the pace of normal walking. The BES route should take roughly one hour and be approximately one mile in length.
As the youth walk the entire route, have them identify the BES organisms that you have selected that are found within the route corridor--5 yards on either side of your path. Refer to the Biodiversity Taxa List and Rapid Identification Card to help identify evidence of plants and animals.
On the BES Taxa Data Sheet, have the youth record the taxa codes in the order in which all the plants and animals were reached. For example: Blue Jay-B2, Coneflower-P3. When youth encounter a group of selected taxa, it is important to record each distinct plant, fungus, or animal. If each individual is not recorded, your later calculations will be skewed.
Once the youth have finished, have them record the end time and calculate the total amount of time for the walk.
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