Long-Term Watershed Monitoring-Do's and Don'ts.

The National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory initiated a watershed monitoring network in NE Indiana in 2002. This network has expanded from 3 ditch sites monitoring/sampling flow, to 9 stream stream/ditch sites and 5 surface/subsurface edge-of-field monitoring locations monitoring flow, turbidity, soil moisture, and weather, along with 4 weather-station/soil moisture locations, all networked wirelessly and accessible via the internet. This work has also allowed for the study and development of an NRCS approved alternative drainage systems, the blind inlet. Cooperator interaction is critical and an ongoing process, requiring face to face interaction and sharing of pertinent data. This poster will describe the lessons learned while developing a network such as this, which is now part of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) and the Long-Term Agro-ecosystem Research network (LTAR) network.