Research on the Domain

It is the responsibility of the OESS to track all existing and proposed projects on the Domain and administer an approval process for reviewing new project requests for research projects. Before beginning Domain projects, all faculty, staff, students, and outside partners, should submit the requested information, as outlined below, for review and approval. All research request submissions should be made a minimum of two weeks prior to the project’s intended start date.

Project locations should be identified in coordination with the OESS and the Landscape Analysis Lab (LAL) in order to minimize conflicts between projects and active management. For help creating a map contact the LAL.

The following process describes the proposal tiers and how to submit a project for review. In the interest of facilitating partnerships, the OESS is open to communication with the sponsors of proposals and will work to accommodate existing proposals. Please see the section below titled “Research Proposals,” which outlines the information needed to adequately evaluate each proposal.

Proposal Tiers	Action
Tier 1.  Exempt Activities	Projects/activities exempt from the review process include classes/laboratories that do not meet regularly on any one part of the Domain and are non-consumptive or will not be placing any materials on the Domain.
Tier 2.  Non-Disturbance Activities of six months or less	Outside entities are required to submit a proposal under the review process outlined below. Faculty, staff, and students should submit a short notification email to OESSresearch@sewanee.edu or utilize the proposal form to minimize conflicts with other activities and projects.
Tier 3.  Non-Disturbance Activities of more than six months	Outside entities are required to submit a proposal under the review process outlined below. Faculty, staff, and students should submit a short notification email to OESSresearch@sewanee.edu or utilize the proposal form to minimize conflicts with other activities and projects.
Tier 4. Disturbance activities	Outside entities are required to submit a proposal under the review process. Faculty, staff, and students should submit a short notification email to OESSresearch@sewanee.edu or utilize the proposal form to minimize conflicts with other activities and projects.

Research Proposals

For proposals/research that would be occurring on the Domain, a proposal or completed proposal form will need to be submitted. An existing proposal may be submitted as long as it contains the requisite information. If the proposal does not have the required information, the OESS will withhold approval of the project in order to contact the applicant to resolve any concerns prior to issuing approval.

At a minimum proposals should include the following information:

A. Project Description
• Identify who is proposing the project.
• Identify who is conducting the assessments and provide credentials for this person(s).
• Describe the purpose or objective of the project.
• Define the scope of work.
• Identify the project area and study area (total acres, compartment of the Domain, lake, etc.)
• Identify the time table projected for the entire project, including when materials on the Domain will be removed
• Provide historical information relevant to the project.

B. Mapping
At a minimum project location information should:
• Identify the project location coordinates or
• Include a map that has been created by, in consultation with, or approved by the LAL

C. Description of the Affected Environment
1. Natural Resources
• Describe the geology, soils, topography, etc... within the study area specifically impacted by the proposed project.
• For all plant communities that will be impacted by this activity, describe the vegetation communities (cover type) specifically impacted by the project to include: dominant plant species, estimated height of trees, woody shrubs or brush; and estimated canopy coverage of woody vegetation. Total acreage or area of each cover type disturbed by the project should also be listed.
• Describe the fauna that would be associated with the dominant vegetation cover types identified above.

2. Cultural Resources (if applicable)
• Identify significant archaeological features within the study area.

Other 

All flagging, field markings, and equipment used on the Domain must be clearly labeled with the name of the project owner and the date of deployment. Any flagging or field markings not labeled may be removed by OESS at any time. 

When the proposed project is complete the project owner will be responsible for cleaning up flagging, signage, or other temporary marking from the Domain and submitting any final information as required in the initial scoping process. The project sponsor will need to inform the OESS they have completed the project and removed all materials from the Domain within one week of project completion via email.                                                

If there are any questions about how to submit a proposal or what proposals would qualify please do not hesitate to contact the OESS Office as we are willing to work with everyone to make this as welcoming and simple a process as possible.