An estimate of Ephedra californica shrub densities at Elkhorn Plain, Carrizo National Monument, California

Google imagery was used to assess the range of Ephedra californica shrub densities at the Elkhorn Plain in Carrizo Plain National Monument. There is an extensive ephedra parkland beginning where Simmler Soda Lake Road becomes Elkhorn Road on the east side of the Monument. Imagery was regularly sampled at the scale of field plots in a supporting field experiments. Circular plots 10m in radius were gridded onto imagery and regularly, and randomly placed moving from the start of Elkhorn Road to the end of the parkland sampled in the associated ecological surveys. The purpose of this simple exercise was to validate field counts of shrubs.