Section 03 · Instruments & InfrastructureBuilt · In Progress · Planned
Section 03 · Short’s Resort Field Station
Instruments &
Infrastructure
The things we build to do the work — from the propagation bench to the bioacoustic listening node — and the open software that runs them. Not inventions; a small-scale kit of parts a family holding can actually build and maintain.
The Builds
Fig. 03·1 — Status marks read built, in progress or planned. Nothing here is a mockup we can’t hand you the plans for.
Built
INF-01
Propagation Unit No. 01
A three-shelf, semi-automated bench that raises native restoration stock from seed and cutting with per-shelf moisture, light and air. The flagship — with a live demo and operator control.
In Progress
INF-02
Mobile Field Unit No. 01
One towable platform doing two jobs: a tank-and-pump rig that carries water to new plantings through the establishment years, and a mount for trail cameras and a weather station that feed the same open record as the bench. Irrigation and monitoring, on wheels.
In Progress
INF-03
Bioacoustic Node No. 01
A listening post for the property — a weatherproof microphone surveying the bird and bat populations around the clock, with calls identified by BirdNET and BatDetect2, both open source. What the restoration brings back should be audible, and this is how we keep count.
Planned
INF-04
Bat Houses
Multi-chamber roosts along the river edge for insect control and habitat — a small build with an outsized effect on the evening sky.
Planned
INF-05
Public Water Supply
A separate initiative to bring potable water on site — for drinking, to fill the Mobile Field Unit’s watering trailer and as a remote on-site water source for cabin visitors.
Planned
INF-06
Water Well
A dedicated well to supply the Mobile Field Unit’s watering trailer, provide potable water on the far side of the property, put a water source closer to the cabin and water surrounding and native plantings directly from the well.
Flagship · Built
Propagation Unit No. 01
The bench is built and running on its own controller. Its live board — bench status, reservoir level, per-bay moisture and temperature — will publish here once the controller API is online. Until it does, this page shows no readings: we would rather show nothing than dress the sheet with placeholder numbers. The build itself is documented in the Field Journal.
The Software · Open Source
unit-firmwareArduino / C++
Controller firmware
ESP32 sketch — sensors, valves, lighting, fan; serves the state API.
unit-uiReact
Rack + dashboard UI
The 4.5-inch touchscreen and web control center you can try below.
section-atlasGeoJSON
Section atlas
The tract, restoration sections and care classes as portable GeoJSON + SVG.
field-schemaJSON Schema
Field-record schema
The specimen, seed-lot and event formats behind the stamps and logs.
# get the station kit
git clone https://github.com/shortsfieldstation/propagation-unit
cd propagation-unit
# serve the interface locally
npm install && npm run dev
# flash the controller
make flash PORT=/dev/ttyUSB0
Restoration R&DEvery bit of software we build — systems automation, wildlife monitoring, weather tracking and the restoration work itself — is free and open source. Very little of it is wholly new; we’re fitting existing ideas and other open source projects together so a small restoration project can build at the scale it actually needs.