Comparing BCC and BHS

Introduction

Soils samples were taken from the Blackfeet Community College (BCC) and the Buffalo Spirit Hills Ranch (BSH) in summer 2022. Comparing the soil organic carbon (SOC) percentages between the two sites, BSH had slightly more SOC, averaging 4.4%, as compared with 3.7% for BCC. The following figures compare the two sites and elaborate on specific soil pits within the sites.

Mean Soil Organic Carbon Percentages

Blackfeet Community College: 3.7%

Buffalo Spirit Hills Ranch:  4.4%

Figure 1. A box plot comparing the soil organic carbon percentages between the Blackfeet Community College (BCC) and the Buffalo Spirit Hills Ranch (BSH).

Figure 2. A boxplot comparing the soil organic carbon percentages between the different sampling sites of the Blackfeet Community College.

Figure 3. A boxplot comparing the soil organic carbon percentages between the different sampling sites of the Buffalo Spirit Hills Ranch.

Maps of the Sampling Sites

Map 1: The northwest-most grouping of sampling sites is the Blackfeet Community College. The southeast-most grouping of sampling sites is the Buffalo Spirit Hills Ranch.

Map 2: The five sampling sites for the Blackfeet Community College are arrayed as a catena, or sequence of hillslope soils, from the crest at the southern end to the Depot Creek-side soil profile just upstream of the student bridge. Of note, the fence soil pit was surrounded by 1-2-foot-tall snowberry shrubs, resulting in a thin O horizon only at this location.

Map 3: The sampling sites for the Buffalo Spirit Hills Ranch