Balcones Canyonlands Preserve

  Kingdom: Animalia  - multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that consume organic material, breathe oxygen, and are able to move. Phylum: Chordata - animals that have a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail. Class: Aves - characterized by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Order: Passeriformes - Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by the arrangement of their toes (three pointing forward and one back), which facilitates perching Family: Parulidae - The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World Genus: Setophaga - Most Setophaga species are long-range migrants, wintering in or near the New World tropics and seasonally migrating to breed in N

I selected the NOAA and the National Weather Service as my primary sources highlighting the regions variable climate. They provided the most reliable, up to date, and relevant information on their databases. I can view outlooks far in advance with regards to temperature precipitation, stream flows and agricultural impacts. I also was able see the basic summary for the region based on historical averages and seasonal expectations. https://www.weather.gov/media/ewx/climate/ClimateSummary-ewx-Austin.pdf https://www.weather.gov/ewx/ https://www.drought.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/Southern%20Spring%202022.pdf

I really enjoyed using the web soil survey as a novice user. The user interface was little off putting at first but with the help of the tutorial and exploring a few options it is actually quite intuitive. The amount of data one has access to is phenomenal as you can gain insights remotely all in one database. Referencing this tool when managing natural areas can increase efficiency by having this access. This tool is great for preplanning field work as one can make assumptions on what type of flora and fauna they might encounter. If there is a particular research objective this can aid in narrowing down potential sites for research activities. I do like the ecological overviews that one can access through this database as well, which I have posted below. Overall, I think this tool can be beneficial to the skilled layperson to those who monitor or and improve habitat. Inferences and correlations can be made by cross referencing multiple ratings and looking for patterns in vegetation co