This following content is replicated from Appendix H in the 2016 version of the Scientific Protocol for Salmonid Habitat Surveys Within the Columbia Habitat Monitoring Program.
As new information becomes available and monitoring efforts are refined, the protocol will be revised. Effectively tracking past and current protocol versions are important for data summaries and analyses that utilize data collected under different protocol versions. Protocol Editor will house previous and current protocol versions and the dates of their implementation. Reviews will be performed for all proposed changes to the protocol and the project coordinator will be notified so that the version number can be recorded in project metadata and any necessary changes can be made to database structure (Peitz et al. 2002).
Consistent with the recommendations of Oakley et al. (2003) this protocol includes a log of its revision history. The revision history log (adapted from Peitz et al. 2002) will track the protocol version number, revision dates, changes made, the rationale for the changes, and the author that made the changes. Revisions or additions to existing methods will be reviewed by CHaMP staff prior to implementation. Major revisions such as a complete change in methods will necessitate a broader review by outside technical experts. When the protocol warrants significant changes the protocol version and date on the title page should be updated to reflect the new version. Version numbers should increase incrementally by hundredths (e.g., Version 1.01, 1.02 etc.) for minor changes and by the next whole number (e.g., version 2.0, 3.0 etc.) for major changes (Peitz et al. 2002).
Some protocols from the “Field Manual of Scientific Protocols for Habitat Surveys within the Upper Columbia Monitoring Strategy” (Moberg 2010) have been incorporated into the CHaMP protocol. Revisions to the Upper Columbia protocol have been tracked in a revision log and can be referenced to inform future decisions. As development of the CHaMP protocol proceeds, those revisions will be tracked in the CHaMP log.
2015-2016: Note that there were no changes made to the 2015 and 2016 versions of the protocol.
Oakley, K. L., L. P. Thomas, S. G. Fancy. 2003. Guidelines for long-term monitoring protocols. Wildlife Society Bulletin 2003, 31(4):1000-1003.
Peitz, D.G., S.G. Fancy, L.P. Thomas, and B. Witcher. 2002. Bird monitoring protocol for Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Nebraska and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas. Prairie Cluster Prototype Monitoring Program, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.