Course:LFS350/Projects/2014W1/T1/Proposal

Version Control

Version	Author	Role	Changes	Date
1.0	UBC-Group 1		Initial version	Sat Oct. 4 2014
2.0	Hailey Swift		Basic edits	Wed Oct. 15 2014
3.0	Connie Pang		Edited Deliverables	Sun Oct. 19 2014
4.0	Hailey Swift		Edited Milestones	Mon Oct. 20 2014
5.0	Connie Pang		Edited Delieverables	Mon Oct. 20 2014
6.0	Julia Manke		Edited Qualitative Methods	Tues Oct. 21 2014
7.0	Arman Sharbatdaran		Edited Research Background	Tues Oct. 21 2014
8.0	Cody Alba		Edited Stakeholders	Fri Oct. 24 2014
9.0	Julia Manke		Edited Qualitative Methods	Wed Oct. 29 2014
10.0	Cody Alba		Edited Research Question	Wed Oct. 29 2014
11.0	Cody Alba on behalf of Rosalie Boulter		Edited Project Background	Thurs Oct. 30 2014
12.0	Arman Sharbatdaran		Edited Research Background	Thurs Oct. 30 2014
13.0	Hailey Swift		Edited Milestones & Approvals	Thurs Oct. 30 2014
14.0	Elisabeth Barrows		Edited Quantitative Methods	Fri Oct. 31 2014
15.0	Julia Manke		Edited Purpose and Project Background	Fri Oct.31 2014
16.0	Julia Manke		Edited Quantitative Methods, Success Factors, and Communication Plan	Sat Nov.1 2014
17.0	Elisabeth Barrows		Edited Quantitative Methods, Success Factors, and Deliverables	Sat Nov.1 2014
18.0	Hailey Swift		General Edits on each section	Sat Nov.1 2014
19.0	Arman Sharbatdaran		Edited Methods	Sat Nov.1 2014
20.0	Connie Pang		Edited Deliverables and References	Sat Nov.1 2014

Project Background (__ / 10)

The Gambier Island Sea Ranch (GISR) is located on the east side of Gambier Island and started in 1980. It is a water access only strata community with 58 residential cabins on 66 lots as well as approximately 300 acres of common property comprised of woods, paths, and a farm with 7 fenced fields. Based on the 2004 Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory, it has been indicated that a small northwest portion of the Sea Ranch property is a tertiary herbaceous ecosystem and a large southeast portion is part of the Rare Ecosystem occurrence of Mature Forest. The common farmland has seven fenced fields that were left fallow in 2013. This means in order to improve the pasture quality, there were various actions that took place including mowing, reseeding as well as harrowing, which is breaking up and smoothing out the surface of the soil on heavy ground. Sheep, pigs, peacocks, turkey, chicken and ducks were brought to the island in May 2014 being raised during the summer and taken off the island for slaughter in the fall. The pigs worked the field and improved the soil through clearing a grassy and sod area of vegetation as well as rooting and tilling the soil, a successful outcome to the project.

While rehabilitating the fields, GISR noted that one field 'Thistle Down’ that was used for sheep pasture in the past was not as productive as the other fields. There appeared to be several factors that were contributing to the lack of productivity in this field such as the slope of the field, quality of the soil and predators. The field has a moderately steep slope therefore the quality of the soil may be poor due to the nutrients leeching from the soil GISR is interested in finding a way to utilize the field, such as creating an orchard or growing other crops. A few challenges associated with planting crops at 'Thistle Down' include: crops that do not require a lot of attention such as frequent watering or crops that will not attract the deer.

Stakeholder Summary (__ /5)

List and describe the responsibilities of the student team, community partner(s), and other key stakeholder groups and their associated teams and roles.

UBC-Land & Food Systems Faculty LFS-350 Group 1 Student Team Members Arman Sharbatdaran Cody Alba Connie Pang Elisabeth Barrows Hailey Swift Julia Manke Nadia Mehrvarz Simone O'Sheehan	Responsibilities Meeting Minutes-Julia Create project documents on Google docs/Wiki-Hailey Soil Consultant-Elisabeth Room Bookings/Facebook Updates-Connie Data Analyst-Arman Lessons Learned-Cody Communication Coordinator with Rosalie-Simone Beforehand Researcher-Nadia Create Project Documents required to gather information Work Collectively with Rosalie to establish a plan for 'Thistle Down' Field
Community Partner Gambier Island Sea Ranch (GISR) (Rosalie Boulter)	Responsibilities Provide high level guidance to and approve scope, budget and schedule Provide connections and linkages with community Sign off Charter and Plan Sign off on changes to Charter or Plan Introduce UBC to the GISR community Work collectively with UBC to determine best practice for 'Thistle Down' Field
Strata Council 66 cabins Registered as part of Strata Community-each cabin is a part-owner of GISR	Responsibilities Ability to voice opinions regarding changes to GISR Contribute maintenance and labour to GISR Contribute equal shares to purchase farm animals and/or community garden plots Grants approval for projects proposed by the Farm Committee Informally discusses with the people who will be affected by any project implementation
Farm Committee	Responsibilities Looks at what needs to be done and what the strata and community wants Provides recommendations for new changes/projects Proposes projects to the strata council for approval Have executive meetings for general Sea Ranch related matters Executive decisions on budgets and infrastructure improvements at GISR

Purpose and Research Question (__ / 20)

Purpose:

The purpose of our project is to determine the best crops and farming techniques for soil-based farming on "Thistle down" field, based upon both our analysis of the site and information from the key stakeholders during interviews.

Our analysis of the "Thistle Down" field will address issues pertaining to soil quality, slope and drainage. By measuring the slope of the land we can look in the literature and try to determine if erosion and soil quality will be impacted. In addition, we will need to take environmental, social, and economic factors into account when deciding upon the best use for this land.

The overarching goal of our project is to develop a practical, sustainable usage plan for the field based on our findings, which will include our objective recommendations for the plot of land and a realistic plan that could indeed be implemented by the farmers at GISR.

Research question:

What would be the best crops and agricultural techniques that could be used to improve the productivity of the Thistle Down field at the Gambier Island Sea Ranch when taking into account its slope constraints?

Methods (__ / 20)

Data Collection & Analysis:

We will be approaching our research using a mixed methods approach. Therefore will be utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods (Creswell, 2003).

Quantitative:

Qualitative:

Our quantitative research will take place at the Gambier Island Sea Ranch and it will focus on measuring physical attributes of the Thistle Down field. This testing will ensure that any recommendations made on the agricultural usage of the land will be specifically applicable to the Thistle Down field. We will be conducting field hand texturing of soil. This will allow us to determine the soil texture grade. Testing requires us collecting soil samples at different strata. We dug a hole in the field to gather several layers of the soil. Then the soil must be kneaded in the palm of the researcher's hand to determine the soil's characteristics. Once we have received soil samples, we plan to do a soil pH test. This involves the soil sample being brought to a lab where the pH can be assessed. Finally, we will survey the land. Surveying the land consists of determining the exact dimensions of the field and calculating the slope of the field using trigonometry. . Example of Research Questions: What is the pH of the soil? What is the slope of the field? What is the length and width of the field?

Our qualitative research will be done with the community members from the Gambier Island Sea Ranch. We will be conducting individual interviews and the questions will be based on their opinions surrounding Thistle Down field. To ensure a variety of perspectives, we will make sure that the participants have different roles within the strata council. Example of Research Questions for Key Stakeholder Interviews: What is the opinion about the usage of the fields? What is the soil type? What has the land be used for in the past? What is the budget for implementing the plan for "Thistle Down" Field?

Advantages	Disadvantages
Quantitative The physical soil tests are basic and easy tests that will help us understand the soil texture. This is important because it will help to determine what type of plants are suitable to grow in that particular soil. Soil texture also provides information about general water drainage and retention, how compact the soil is and nutrient content which are other factors that are necessary to know for plant growth. Testing soil samples in a lab can help us find out information regarding the soil’s nutrient content and pH. These factors are also key for finding plants that will grow optimally in this environment.	Quantitative While conducting these tests, there is always a chance of error. Since our group does not have much experience in the area of administering these tests, the chances of calculating the data wrong is greater. It will also be challenging to find a lab to test our soil samples.
Qualitative Through interviews, we will be able to gain a wide variety of information about the Thistle Down field. All of the participants are a part of the GISR community. Some of the material we receive will be pertaining to a summary of the field and more suggestions for the usage of the field which will guide our work to finding a solution for the field. As well. interviews will provide multidisciplinary perspectives on the issues at hand since the community members come from various backgrounds.	Qualitative Having numerous perspectives and ideas will also be a disadvantage for us because it will be challenging to organize all of the information and draw a conclusion. Their ideas about how to utilize the field will vary greatly based on their backgrounds and we may encounter personal bias about how best to use the land.

Deliverables (__ / 5)

Way Get To the Island	Contact the community partner and book the sea taxi to GISR.
Weekly Reports	Log our processes on a weekly basis.
Information Updated	Keep in touch with the community partner via E-mail and Skype.
Systems Diagram	Present our hand-drawn diagram about the boundaries and different levels of the GISR to the community partner.
Method of Measuring the Sunlight	Not within the scope of our research timeline. Instead we will look at climate.
Method of Testing the soil	Dig a hole in the field reaching two distinctly different soil strata. Collect the soil samples from different layers of soil, while recording depth the sample were taken. Save soil samples for further analysis.
Method to Determine Slope	Determined slope by using a 15-inch board,a carpenter level and a measuring tape to collect data in 9 evenly dispersed locations on the field. Using geometry of right angle triangles to determine the slope at each location. There was a range 22-25 degrees by taking the median, slope is approximately 23 degrees.
Method of Determining Climate	Weather Network for average rainfall and temperature in Gibsons, BC (Closest site documented to Gambier Island).
Project Proposal Presentation	Present our project background, research question, methods of research, and interests & concerns with the class.
Final Report	Include an executive summary, detailed description of the issue and research questions, methods used and our findings. This will be sent to our community partner and stakeholders at GISR for review.
Final Presentation	Present a detailed description of our research question, research process, collaboration with our community partner, and the final usage plan for the 'Thistle Down' field.

Success Factors/Criteria (__ / 10)

The research will produce a report, that is agreed upon by both parties,that will provide the Gambier Island Sea Ranch decision-makers with objective and detailed, strategies and methods to address the issue of the usage of the 'Thistle Down' field. The report should focus on being practical for the Gambier Island Sea Ranch community to execute, taking into account their limited labor and fiscal resources. The plan should include links to third party resources, that the community partner would need to execute the plan, such as, if an orchard is the best plan of action, the contact information for a nursery to supply the trees. Also, the community partner should be able to then implement these strategies on the ranch and will be maintained by the onsite farm manager. The report should detail the methods and reasoning behind the conclusions, which will allow the community partners to apply this knowledge to other decisions on the farm even if they do not take the plan into action. Our project will be successful if it provides the Gambier Island Sea Ranch community with knowledge that will allow the farm to utilize the Thistle Down field in the long term. This research will empower them to have the to use the field for multiple projects, if they choose to alter it's usage.

Scope Change

Scope changes requested by any stakeholder of the project must be agreed upon, approved and signed by all stakeholders. The agreed format is to revise this charter with version controls. Because this is critical to keep track of, the version control is displayed at the beginning of the charter.

Communication Plan (__ / 5)

Action Item	Deliverable	Dates	Accountable
Email Communication with Key Stakeholder	Information on project background, transportation and proposed visit	September 10 - 28	Simone
In Person Interview with Key Stakeholders	Information on methods	Sundays September 28	Student Group members
Information sharing as it becomes available	Project specific information accessible through Google docs	Ongoing	All stakeholders to provide information in a timely manner and to provide prior and reasonable notice of dates when they will be unavailable
Communication within Group	Any updates, questions, and general information will be posted on our Facebook group page	Ongoing	All Student Group Members
Group Meetings	Taking notes, brainstorming, summarizing group discussions, and determining roles for next meeting	Weekly basis (Wednesday)	Julia is responsible for writing the meeting minutes. Everyone is accountable for attending the meetings. If unable to attend, they must inform the group in advance by texting a group member or updating the group through the Facebook group page.

Milestones (__ / 5)

Milestone	Event or Deliverable	Target Date	Responsibility
Milestone 1	Contact the Community Partner via email	Wednesday, Sep. 24	Simone
Milestone 2	Establish a visit with the Community Partner at GISR Tour of GISR Met key stakeholders at the Farm Observation of Thistledown Field (noted a sharp incline and large space-need further assessment to measure properly) Soil samples taken for 3 layers of soil Spread Grass Seed	Sunday, Sep. 28	7 members attended Arman Connie Elisabeth Hailey Julia Nadia Simone
Milestone 3	Proposal Presentation	Wednesday, Oct. 1	All members
Milestone 4	Written Project Charter and Proposal Rosalie was given a copy	Saturday, Oct. 4	All members
Milestone 5	Contact Community Partner regarding return trip to Gambier Island	Friday, Oct. 17	Simone
Milestone 6	Community Partner emailed Documents regarding bylaws at GISR	Sunday, Oct. 19	Simone
Milestone 7	Skype Meeting with Community Partner to Inquire about Strata Council, Bylaws, and Policies including Farm Committee and Island Trust	Wednesday, Oct. 22	All members
Milestone 8	Return to Gambier Island to collect: Official measurement of area using a 100ft measuring tape Official measurement of slope using a 100ft measuring tape, piece of wood, and a level	Sunday Oct 26	4 members attended: Hailey Cody Arman Nadia
Milestone 9	Send Rosalie updated Proposal & Charter for input Cody made changes on Rosalie Behalf	October 27, 2014
Milestone 10	Written Project Charter and Proposal Revised	Saturday Nov. 1	All members
Milestone 11	Academic and Experimental Review Paper	Saturday, Nov.8	All members
Milestone 12	Final Presentation	Wednesday, Nov. 26	All members
Milestone 13	Final Written Report	Wednesday, Dec. 3	All members

Approvals (__ / 5)

The following individuals hereby approve this Project Charter:

Role or Title	Name and Signature	Date
Rosalie Boulter Coaching, ORSCC Gambier Island Sea Ranch Project Liason	Rosalie Boulter	October 3, 2014
Group 1 LFS 350	Hailey Swift, Julia Manke, Connie Pang, Elisabeth Barrows, Simone O'Sheehan, Cody Alba, Arman Sharbatdaran, Nadia Mehrvarz	October 10, 2014
Group 1 LFS 350	Hailey Swift, Julia Manke, Connie Pang, Elisabeth Barrows, Simone O'Sheehan, Cody Alba, Arman Sharbatdaran, Nadia Mehrvarz	November 1, 2014
Rosalie Boulter Coaching, ORSCC Gambier Island Sea Ranch Project Liason	Rosalie Boulter	November 1, 2014

Writing Quality (__ / 10)

For a proposal report to receive full writing quality marks, it should be well organized and easy to read. It should address all of the topics articulated in the assignment details above, and it should be free of grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes.