Some studies fall into more than one of the categories. Having an idea of what species are present in what habitats on the refuge is important for identifying refuge resources and allows visitors to know what animals and plants they may see in different areas of the refuge. Examples of ongoing inventory efforts include studies on the vegetation, vertebrates, and insects on tree islands, migratory bird surveys, and reptile and amphibian surveys in the cypress swamp and impoundments.
Monitoring provides information on how things change over time.
This may be the number of species, the condition of a habitat, or the amount of phosphorus in the water. Monitoring can show if the objectives of a management action have been achieved or not. For example, an increase in the number of birds observed in the impoundments after treatment would indicate that that the objective of attracting more birds had been achieved. Monitoring also allows us to gather information on the natural fluctuations in animal and plant numbers and communities. Ongoing monitoring efforts include sampling the water entering the refuge for phosphorus other nutrients, and contaminants, alligator surveys in the marsh and canals, and wading bird nesting surveys.