Environmental Data Initiative logo
EDI Staging Environment

Data Package Metadata   View Summary

Pellet group surveys of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY 2014-2024.

General Information
Data Package:
Local Identifier:edi.1127.1
Title:Pellet group surveys of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY 2014-2024.
Alternate Identifier:DOI PLACE HOLDER
Abstract:

Black Rock Forest in Cornwall, NY began using deer pellet group surveys in 2014 to assess deer abundance. Observers walked set transects and recorded the number of pellet groups in a 1.2m radius circular plot every 30.5m. Data include, date, transect location within Black Rock Forest, observer, number of pellet groups per plot, and observations.

Publication Date:2024-10-16
For more information:
Visit: DOI PLACE HOLDER

Time Period
Begin:
2014
End:
2024

People and Organizations
Contact:Terlizzi, Katherine (Black Rock Forest, Research Manager) [  email ]
Contact:Culotta, Aaron (Black Rock Forest, Environmental Educator and Visitor Services Coordinator) [  email ]
Creator:Schuster, William (Black Rock Forest)
Creator:Culotta, Aaron (Black Rock Forest, Environmental Educator and Visitor Services Coordinator)
Creator:Terlizzi, Katherine P (Black Rock Forest, Research Manager)
Creator:LaPoint, Scott (Black Rock Forest, Director of Research)

Data Entities
Data Table Name:
BRF_deer_pellet_data_RAW
Description:
Raw unfiltered version of pellet group count survey data from Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY
Data Table Name:
BRF_deer_pellet_data_clean
Description:
cleaned version of the raw file of deer pellet group count survey data
Data Table Name:
BRF_deer_pellet_transect_locations
Description:
Latitude and longitude for start and end points of pellet group survey transects at Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY
Other Name:
BRF pellet data cleaning
Description:
R script used to clean the raw data file
Detailed Metadata

Data Entities

Data Table

Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/edi/1127/1/bec278d8926b9b3de4f72cbf83b74842
Name:BRF_deer_pellet_data_RAW
Description:Raw unfiltered version of pellet group count survey data from Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY
Number of Records:6646
Number of Columns:8

Table Structure
Object Name:BRF_deer_pellet_data_RAW.csv
Size:469835 byte
Authentication:34cf5d7045282b9e854017debe95112a Calculated By MD5
Text Format:
Number of Header Lines:1
Record Delimiter:\r\n
Orientation:column
Simple Delimited:
Field Delimiter:,
Quote Character:"

Table Column Descriptions
 yeardatetransect.locationtransectIDreaderpointnopellet.countnotes
Column Name:year  
date  
transect.location  
transectID  
reader  
pointno  
pellet.count  
notes  
Definition:year data was collecteddate data was collecteddescription of location start and end points within BRF property boundariesLetter A-V assigned to transectsInitials of the observer recording the datanumber of the plot along the transectnumber of pellet groups found in the 4ft radius circular plotany notes about the surrounding area or plot noted by the observer
Storage Type:integer  
dateTime  
string  
string  
string  
float  
float  
string  
Measurement Type:ratiodateTimenominalnominalnominalratiorationominal
Measurement Values Domain:
Unitdimensionless
Typeinteger
FormatYYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss
Precisionday
Definitiontext
Definitiontext
Definitiontext
Unitdimensionless
Typereal
Unitnumber
Typereal
Definitiontext
Missing Value Code:  
CodeNA
ExplNo date was written on fieldsheets
CodeNA
Explno transect location was written on fieldsheets
CodeNA
Explno transectID was given to the transect
CodeNA
Explno observer was recorded
CodeNA
Explno point was recorded on the fieldsheet
CodeNA
Explno data was recorded for the plot
CodeNA
Explno notes were recorded
Accuracy Report:                
Accuracy Assessment:                
Coverage:                
Methods:                

Data Table

Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/edi/1127/1/6f44a0b14ce654c852211506450f8198
Name:BRF_deer_pellet_data_clean
Description:cleaned version of the raw file of deer pellet group count survey data
Number of Records:6550
Number of Columns:8

Table Structure
Object Name:BRF_deer_pellet_data_clean.csv
Size:367191 byte
Authentication:f7f08752c7689e0f130e13a18cc89f72 Calculated By MD5
Text Format:
Number of Header Lines:1
Record Delimiter:\r\n
Orientation:column
Simple Delimited:
Field Delimiter:,
Quote Character:"

Table Column Descriptions
 yeardatetransect.locationtransectIDreaderpointnopellet.countnotes
Column Name:year  
date  
transect.location  
transectID  
reader  
pointno  
pellet.count  
notes  
Definition:year data was collecteddate data was collecteddescription of location start and end points within BRF property boundariesLetter A-V assigned to transectsInitials of the observer recording the datanumber of the plot along the transectnumber of pellet groups found in the 4ft radius circular plotany notes about the surrounding area or plot noted by the observer
Storage Type:integer  
dateTime  
string  
string  
string  
float  
float  
string  
Measurement Type:ratiodateTimenominalnominalnominalratiorationominal
Measurement Values Domain:
Unitdimensionless
Typeinteger
FormatYYYY-MM-DD
Precision
Definitiontext
Definitiontext
Definitiontext
Unitdimensionless
Typereal
Unitnumber
Typereal
Definitiontext
Missing Value Code:  
CodeNA
ExplNo date was written on fieldsheets
CodeNA
Explno transect location was written on fieldsheets
CodeNA
Explno transectID was given to the transect
CodeNA
Explno observer was recorded
CodeNA
Explno point was recorded on the fieldsheet
CodeNA
Explno data was recorded for the plot
CodeNA
Explno notes were recorded
Accuracy Report:                
Accuracy Assessment:                
Coverage:                
Methods:                

Data Table

Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/edi/1127/1/032fe3615a97a96dc20f3df4eac6e18d
Name:BRF_deer_pellet_transect_locations
Description:Latitude and longitude for start and end points of pellet group survey transects at Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY
Number of Records:22
Number of Columns:8

Table Structure
Object Name:BRF_deer_pellet_transect_locations.csv
Size:2441 byte
Authentication:e409421a0946989e66d1982ab07898a9 Calculated By MD5
Text Format:
Number of Header Lines:1
Record Delimiter:\r\n
Orientation:column
Simple Delimited:
Field Delimiter:,
Quote Character:"

Table Column Descriptions
 transectIDlatitude_startlongitude_startlatitude_endlongitude_endlocationcountystate
Column Name:transectID  
latitude_start  
longitude_start  
latitude_end  
longitude_end  
location  
county  
state  
Definition:unique identifier for transectlatitude in decimal degrees of start pointlongitude in decimal degrees of start pointlatitude in decimal degrees of end pointlongitude in decimal degrees of end pointlocation of transectcounty of transectstate of transect
Storage Type:string  
float  
float  
float  
float  
string  
string  
string  
Measurement Type:nominalratioratioratiorationominalnominalnominal
Measurement Values Domain:
Definitiontext
Unitdegree
Typereal
Unitdegree
Typereal
Unitdegree
Typereal
Unitdegree
Typereal
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeBlack Rock Forest
Definitionname of property
Source
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeOrange
Definitioncounty in NY state
Source
Allowed Values and Definitions
Enumerated Domain 
Code Definition
CodeNY
DefinitionNew York state
Source
Missing Value Code:                
Accuracy Report:                
Accuracy Assessment:                
Coverage:                
Methods:                

Non-Categorized Data Resource

Name:BRF pellet data cleaning
Entity Type:.R
Description:R script used to clean the raw data file
Physical Structure Description:
Object Name:BRF pellet data cleaning.R
Size:2926 byte
Authentication:dc9124194a75562107aedcbeb344a14d Calculated By MD5
Externally Defined Format:
Format Name:.R
Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/edi/1127/1/d7e89aed09cbefaf2171a764de9b98ad

Data Package Usage Rights

This information is released under the Creative Commons license - Attribution - CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The consumer of these data ("Data User" herein) is required to cite it appropriately in any publication that results from its use. The Data User should realize that these data may be actively used by others for ongoing research and that coordination may be necessary to prevent duplicate publication. The Data User is urged to contact the authors of these data if any questions about methodology or results occur. Where appropriate, the Data User is encouraged to consider collaboration or co-authorship with the authors. The Data User should realize that misinterpretation of data may occur if used out of context of the original study. While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and associated documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available "as is." The Data User should be aware, however, that data are updated periodically and it is the responsibility of the Data User to check for new versions of the data. The data authors and the repository where these data were obtained shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of the data. Thank you.

Keywords

By Thesaurus:
LTER Controlled Vocabularyecology, species abundance, herbivores, surveys, population dynamics

Methods and Protocols

These methods, instrumentation and/or protocols apply to all data in this dataset:

Methods and protocols used in the collection of this data package
Description:

Deer pellet group survey methodology

Methods described by McCain (1948) and deCelesta (2013) were used to conduct pellet group surveys for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at Black Rock Forest (BRF) from 2014 to 2024. Non-intersecting transects of varying length and azimuth were overlayed on a map of BRF (N = 22). From 2014 to 2019 transects were established annually and were not always the same from year to year. Standardized transects were defined in 2019 and were resampled annually from 2020 to 2024. A mixture of community volunteers and BRF staff conducted visual surveys each year between late-March to early-May.

A survey consisted of the observer navigating to the first sampling point of a transect and walking the transect using a compass (2014 — 2020) or a mobile map app (2020 — 2024). Observers stopped every 30.5 m (100 ft) and recorded the number of deer pellet groups (>10 pellets) within a 1.2m (4 ft) radius circular plot. Counts were made every 30.5 m until the end of the transect was reached. The number of transects and points along transects varied between years.

DeCalesta, D.S. 2013. "Reliability and precision of pellet-group counts for estimating landscape-level deer density". Human-Wildlife Interactions 7(1):60-68.

McCain, R. 1948. "A method for measuring deer range use". Transactions of the North American Wildlife Natural Resources Conference 13:431–441.

People and Organizations

Publishers:
Organization:Environmental Data Initiative
Email Address:
info@edirepository.org
Web Address:
https://edirepository.org
Id:https://ror.org/0330j0z60
Creators:
Individual:Dr. William Schuster
Organization:Black Rock Forest
Individual: Aaron Culotta
Organization:Black Rock Forest
Position:Environmental Educator and Visitor Services Coordinator
Address:
65 Reservoir Rd,
Cornwall, New York 12518-2135 United States
Phone:
8455344517 (voice)
Email Address:
aaculotta@blackrockforest.org
Individual: Katherine P Terlizzi
Organization:Black Rock Forest
Position:Research Manager
Address:
65 Reservoir Rd,
Cornwall, New York 12518-2135 United States
Phone:
8455344517 (voice)
Email Address:
kterlizzi@blackrockforest.org
Id:https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5403-0247
Individual:Dr. Scott LaPoint
Organization:Black Rock Forest
Position:Director of Research
Address:
65 Reservoir Rd,
Cornwall, New York 12518-2135 United States
Phone:
8455344517 (voice)
Email Address:
slapoint@blackrockforest.org
Id:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5499-6777
Contacts:
Individual: Katherine Terlizzi
Organization:Black Rock Forest
Position:Research Manager
Address:
65 Reservoir Rd,
Cornwall, New York 12518-2135 United States
Phone:
8455344517 (voice)
Email Address:
kterlizzi@blackrockforest.org
Id:https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5403-0247
Individual: Aaron Culotta
Organization:Black Rock Forest
Position:Environmental Educator and Visitor Services Coordinator
Address:
65 Reservoir Rd,
Cornwall, New York 12518-2135 United States
Phone:
8455344517 (voice)
Email Address:
aaculotta@blackrockforest.org

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Temporal, Geographic and/or Taxonomic information that applies to all data in this dataset:

Time Period
Begin:
2014
End:
2024
Geographic Region:
Description:Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY
Bounding Coordinates:
Northern:  41.426Southern:  41.379
Western:  -74.069Eastern:  -73.989
Taxonomic Range:
Classification:
Rank Name:Kingdom
Rank Value:Metazoa
Common Name:metazoans
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 33208 (Metazoa)
Classification:
Rank Name:Phylum
Rank Value:Chordata
Common Name:chordates
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 7711 (Chordata)
Classification:
Rank Name:Subphylum
Rank Value:Craniata
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 89593 (Craniata)
Classification:
Rank Name:Superclass
Rank Value:Sarcopterygii
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 8287 (Sarcopterygii)
Classification:
Rank Name:Class
Rank Value:Mammalia
Common Name:mammals
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 40674 (Mammalia)
Classification:
Rank Name:Superorder
Rank Value:Laurasiatheria
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 314145 (Laurasiatheria)
Classification:
Rank Name:Order
Rank Value:Artiodactyla
Common Name:even-toed ungulates & whales
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 91561 (Artiodactyla)
Classification:
Rank Name:Suborder
Rank Value:Ruminantia
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 9845 (Ruminantia)
Classification:
Rank Name:Infraorder
Rank Value:Pecora
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 35500 (Pecora)
Classification:
Rank Name:Family
Rank Value:Cervidae
Common Name:deer
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 9850 (Cervidae)
Classification:
Rank Name:Subfamily
Rank Value:Odocoileinae
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 9881 (Odocoileinae)
Classification:
Rank Name:Genus
Rank Value:Odocoileus
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 9871 (Odocoileus)
Classification:
Rank Name:Species
Rank Value:Odocoileus virginianus
Common Name:white-tailed deer
Identifer:National Center for Biotechnology Information - Taxonomy (NCBI)
Info for ID: 9874 (Odocoileus virginianus)

Project

Parent Project Information:

Title:BRF: Forest Monitoring
Personnel:
Individual: Isabel Ashton
Organization:Black Rock Forest
Address:
65 Reservoir Rd,
Cornwall, NY 12518 United States
Phone:
8455344517 (voice)
Email Address:
iashton@blackrockforest.org
Id:https://orcid.org/000-0002-5356-2547
Role:Executive Director
Abstract:

Black Rock Forest is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization with a mission of advancing scientific understanding of the natural world through research, education, and conservation programs. The organization maintains a 3,920-acre forest and a scientific field station in the Hudson Highlands, 60 miles north of New York City. We collaborate with our Consortium members – universities, schools, scientific and cultural institutions – to pursue and foster scientific inquiry, and to create educational programs for K-16 students, teachers, and the general public. Black Rock Forest works with many partners to pursue conservation goals in the Hudson Highlands and the greater mid-Hudson Valley region.

As part of managing forest health, Black Rock Forest manages and monitors deer abundance.

Maintenance

Maintenance:
Description:

This dataset is complete and will not be added to.

Frequency:notPlanned
Other Metadata

Additional Metadata

additionalMetadata
        |___text '\n      '
        |___element 'metadata'
        |     |___text '\n         '
        |     |___element 'emlEditor'
        |     |        \___attribute 'app' = 'ezEML'
        |     |        \___attribute 'release' = '2024.10.09'
        |     |___text '\n      '
        |___text '\n   '

Copyright 2024 Environmental Data Initiative. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants #2223103 and #2223104. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Please contact us with questions, comments, or for technical assistance regarding this web site or the Environmental Data Initiative. Please read our privacy policy to know what information we collect about you and to understand your privacy rights.

EDI is a collaboration between the University of New Mexico and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Center for Limnology:

UNM logo UW-M logo