Take the soil-health baseline of a degraded high-desert parcel, Lucerne Valley

Disturbed high-desert parcels around Lucerne Valley shed dust on every wind because their soil crust is broken and no one has measured what the ground actually needs. A simple NRCS-style baseline turns 'restore it' into numbered targets. Standard: USDA NRCS soil health — CPS 340 (cover crops) + CPS 336 (soil carbon amendment) conservation practice standards. Proof: zone map + geotagged sample-point photos + field-test log + lab submission receipt Method (USDA NRCS soil health — CPS 340 (cover crops) + CPS 336 (soil carbon amendment) conservation practice standards.): 1. Grid the parcel into representative zones and photograph each zone as found (crust condition, bare patches, rills). 2. Collect standard soil-health samples per zone (0–6 in): texture-by-feel, infiltration bucket test, and a lab sample bag per NRCS protocol. 3. Record GPS per sample point and label bags to the zone map. 4. Ship/deliver lab samples and compile the field results into the baseline sheet naming the follow-on practices (seed cover, compost, basins) per zone. Done when: zone map + geotagged sample-point photos + field-test log + lab submission receipt

Where

High-desert parcel area near Camp Rock Rd, Lucerne Valley, CA 92356

Pay

$80 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

zone map + geotagged sample-point photos + field-test log + lab submission receipt

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

entry

Open until

2026-09-01

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 60–150 minutes. Method of record: USDA NRCS soil health assessment — sample to a fixed depth and pattern so results compare across sites and seasons

Bring

• soil probe or auger
• clean bucket
• sample bags + labels
• tape measure
• gloves
• camera + phone with GPS

Steps

1. Photograph the site BEFORE with GPS on and a legible timestamp; confirm you are inside the posting radius.
2. 2. Call 811 before probing deeper than 30cm.
3. 3. Define the sampling pattern (zigzag or grid) and record it; a single hole is not a sample.
4. 4. Clear surface residue without removing topsoil.
5. 5. Take 10-15 cores to the SAME depth (typically 0-15cm unless the packet states otherwise).
6. 6. Composite the cores in a clean bucket and mix thoroughly.
7. 7. Fill and label one sample bag: site, depth, date, pattern.
8. 8. Photograph the labelled bag and record GPS for the sampled area.

If it does not match the plan

• Utility locate marks cross the sampling area -> resample elsewhere; do not probe.
• Soil is saturated or frozen -> reschedule; both distort structure and biology results.
• Bucket or probe contaminated with fertiliser or another site's soil -> clean before sampling or the result is void.
• Depth varies between cores -> discard and retake; mixed depths are not a composite.
• Visible contamination (fill, ash, debris) -> document and flag rather than sampling blind.

What counts as done

• Before and after photos from the same position, GPS inside the posting radius, timestamps legible
• Sampling pattern named and 10-15 cores taken
• All cores to the same recorded depth
• Composite mixed and a single labelled bag photographed
• 811 locate confirmed for any probe over 30cm

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.