at the observation point by considering the following: 



a. Is the area at the observation point presently lacking 

 hydrophytic vegetation and/or hydrologic indicators due to 

 annual or seasonal fluctuations in precipitation or ground- 

 water levels? 



b. Are hydrophytic vegetation indicators lacking due to seasonal 

 fluctuations in temperature? 



If the answer to either of these questions is thought to be YES, 



PROCEED TO Section G. If the answer to both questions is NO, PROCEED 



TO STEP 6, 



• STEP 6 - Establish a Baseline. Select one project boundary area as a 

 baseline. The baseline should extend parallel to any major watercourse 

 and/or perpendicular to a topographic gradient (see Figure 17). Deter- 

 mine the baseline length and record on the base map both the baseline 

 length and its compass heading. PROCEED TO STEP 7. 



• STEP 7. Establish Transect Locations. Divide the baseline into a 

 number of equal segments (Figure 17). Use the following as a guide to 

 determine the appropriate number of baseline segments: 



Length of 

 Baseline Length, ft Number of Segments Baseline Segment, ft 



>50 - 500 3 18 - 167 



>500 - 1,000 3 167 - 333 



>1,000 - 5,000 5 200 - 1,000 



>5,000 - 10,000 7 700 - 1,A00 



>10,000* variable 2,000 



* If the baseline exceeds 5 miles, baseline segments should be 

 0.5 mile in length. 



Use a random numbers table or a calculator with a random numbers gener- 

 ation feature to determine the position of a transect starting point 

 within each baseline segment. For example, when the baseline is 

 4,000 ft, the number of baseline segments will be five, and the base- 

 line segment length will be 4,000/5 = 800 ft. Locate the first tran- 

 sect within the first 800 ft of the baseline. If the random numbers 

 table yields 264 as the distance from the baseline starting point, mea- 

 sure 264 ft from the baseline starting point and establish the starting 

 point of the first transect. If the second random number selected is 



74 



