<p>
	<i>Data collection</i> is the accumulation of the numbers and observations needed in order to support or refute a hypothesis that has been formulated. In collecting data, it is important to be smart about how it is collected in order to avoid spending a lot of time collecting data that doesn&rsquo;t hep with the research:</p>
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		Make defensible research plans
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					Important rule for plant &amp; animal sampling</h4>
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							<span style="background-color: rgb(111, 168, 220);"><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">If there is only one of a plant or animal, or if it&rsquo;s known to be rare or endangered, never collect, harass, cut or pick it.</span></b></span></div>
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		Collect only the information needed</li>
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		Be systematic and collect the same type of data in the same way</li>
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		Take very careful field and lab notes</li>
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		Enter the data into a spreadsheet in order to analyze and graph it</li>
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		Check it twice to minimize errors whenever you can</li>
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<p>
	<i>Observations</i> can be either quantitative (numeric) or qualitative (words, relative amounts) and observations can be made of anything you can see. You can count invertebrates, list species, weigh a fish, say whether a certain animal or plant is present or absent.<br />
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	Sampling and mercury analysis can be done for anything solid: soil, leaves, tree bark, moss, lichen, plants, fish, insects, algae, hair.<br />
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	To sample vertebrates such as fish it is necessary to get permission first. It is the ethical thing to do, and the law requires it. You will need to contact your cooperating scientist well in advance of doing any field work in order to obtain the necessary permits. To minimize the effects our sampling has on the ecosystem we will take no more than five individual fish of any species and no more than three individual American eel from any study site.<br />
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	You also can design a lab experiment for environmental research. It is often set up like a mini‐ecosystem indoors, such as putting soil in a container and exposing it to different conditions. Sometimes combining field research with a lab experiment is a powerful approach, but again, you have to be really clear about your specific question and hypothesis.</p>
<h3>
	<a name="TOC-Additional-Background-Information"></a>Additional Background Information</h3>
<p>
	What follows is a set of links to tools and documents that you can use as you guide students through the process of designing their research, preparing for sampling, and actually doing the sampling.</p>
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		<a name="TOC-Resources-on-Sampling-Techniques"></a><u>Resources on Sampling Techniques</u></h4>
	<p>
		If you are sampling invertebrates, you will want to look at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection&#39;s very useful booklet titled &quot;<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Methods for Biological Sampling and Analysis of Maine&#39;s Rivers and Streams</span>.&quot; It contains suggestions for selecting sampling sites and construction of sampling devices. It also contains an example of the field sheet that DEP uses. The one change we will need to make to the sampling protocol regards preservation: they talk about preserving the invertebrates in alcohol, but, since we are sampling for mercury, we will simply freeze the samples.</p>
	<p>
		In general, the DEP&#39;s <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">biomonitoring resource page</span> is a treasure trove of good information specific to the climate and other environmental factors that you will be working with.</p>
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