This reference contains archived geospatial data for the survey Invasive Plant Species Inventory and Monitoring (PRIMR record FF01RTBL00-006), for the years 2004-2021.

The refuge began using a GPS based survey for invasive species in 2004 using a modified version of the Montana State Survey Protocol. The survey was designed to systematical inventory and map 25 invasive plant species on the entire refuge to assess the current biological integrity of terrestrial plant communities and identify areas in need of control and management. The survey requires navigation to waypoints on a 50-meter point grid and collecting information on the presence and cover of invasive species in a 0.1 acre plot. In addition, encounters of invasive species between grid points are also mapped as pints and areas greater than 0.1 acre are mapped as a polygons. The survey provides geographic location of invasive species to focus control and management activities and the systematically sampled point grid provides important information on the level of infestation with a surveyed unit and attributes associated with invasions such as plant community, slope, aspect, proximity to roads and facilities and level of disturbance . Revisits of sites following control treatments allow comparisons to determine efficacy of treatments or potential spread of occurrences. Surveys typically occur from July to October.