Document dwarf palmetto trampling at the swamp boardwalk, the Ottine Swamp Trail boardwalk near the trailhead

The dwarf palmetto understory bordering the Ottine Swamp Trail boardwalk near the trailhead has not had a recent boardwalk-only record of visitor trampling or crushed fronds; the swamp is fed entirely by artesian groundwater rather than rainfall, making its understory slow to recover from off-boardwalk foot traffic.

Where

the public Ottine Swamp Trail boardwalk, Palmetto State Park, 78 Park Road 11 South, Gonzales, TX 78629 (Ottine, Gonzales County) · Open the map

Pay

$85 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

document only boardwalk stand off photo log plus trampled length note plus GPS plus ranked follow on note

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

Level

entry

Open until

2026-11-05

Posted by

0x034F…6c89

The creator wallet. Its signature is what approves proof and settles the wage.

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 45–120 minutes. Method of record: Point-count / transect species survey (Breeding Bird Survey + Xerces pollinator-count protocols)

Bring

• binoculars
• field ID guide or app
• GPS phone
• data sheet / recorder
• timer
• camera

Steps

1. 1. Navigate to the first survey point; record GPS; note start time, weather, and wind (surveys pause in rain/high wind).
2. 2. Wait a settling minute, then run a fixed-duration count (e.g., 5 min) within a fixed radius; record every species seen/heard and the count of each.
3. 3. Photograph the habitat and any species you can; note any threatened/target or invasive species.
4. 4. Move to the next point along the transect (keep points >=200 m apart) and repeat the count.
5. 5. Record total effort (points, duration) and observer.
6. 6. Enter the per-point species lists + counts, GPS, weather, effort, and photos into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Threatened/at-risk or target species observed -> flag for the land steward (with location) for protection planning.
• Invasive species dominant / native diversity very low -> flag for a management plan.
• Rain or high wind -> pause/reschedule; counts under poor conditions are not valid.

What counts as done

• Photo of the trampled or crushed understory taken from the boardwalk
• Trampled area length and social-trail pattern noted
• Confirmation that this job never stepped off the boardwalk or maintained trail into the swamp, never waded, and never walked on saturated ground; that no water sample was collected from the artesian springs, seeps, or river and no plant was collected or its precise location published; that any river-adjacent work stayed bank-top only with the current weather and flash-flood forecast checked before starting; and that insect repellent, sun protection, and adequate water were carried given Central Texas heat, humidity, and mosquito/chigger/snake presence.
• Ranked follow on note naming the boardwalk section for an edge-barrier install crew
• GPS waypoint of the boardwalk vantage

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.