Springs Inventory Protocol (SIP)
Following SSI's systematic Springs Inventory Protocol (SIP) will guide surveyors through a comprehensive survey of a spring ecosystem, covering geology, geomorphology, water quality, flow, biota, and management recommendations. A team of experts with knowledge of geography, hydrology, and biology can typically complete the protocol in 1.5 to 3 hours using SSI’s standardized field sheets. Resulting data provide a detailed, interdisciplinary snapshot of the site; information on aquatic, wetland, riparian, and upland linkages; and alert land managers to current and future threats to the site. This information is crucial for assessment, monitoring, and planning, and facilitates effective management practices.
The SIP is based on the Springs Ecosystem Conceptual Model of Stevens and Springer (2005), and informs the next stage of inventory, the Springs Ecological Assessment Protocol. The techniques used in the SIP are derived from careful review of scientific literature and over a decade's worth of field experience across North America. SSI staff have inventoried many different spring types subjected to a variety of uses, from pristine springs in national parks, to springs developed for livestock grazing or domestic water supplies, and even urban springs used for intensive recreation.