GSS Fieldwork Continues with California Trip

In September, GSS staff members Kevin Stark and Keely Hansen traveled to Northern California for seven days to complete a wetland mapping fieldwork trip. The study area covered varying ecoregions along the California coast north of San Francisco and north of Napa Valley. These fieldwork efforts allow GSS staff to complete critical field verifications of previously observed digital aerial imagery and photointerpretation conventions for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) program. Staff were able to evaluate draft data on the fly utilizing state of the art technology, and were able to compare what they were seeing in the field with what GSS staff had previously mapped in real time. Using Esri Field Maps mobile application, and ArcPro mapping software running on a Panasonic ToughBook, the team was able to bring back valuable data and observations.

During this particular trip, Kevin and Keely traveled across robust landscapes that included arid plains, irrigated farmlands, high elevation montane forests, and many seeps and springs. Of significance on this visit were observations of the California coastline and the various estuarine wetlands that are very unique compared to the typically arid western lands that GSS encounters. Additional insights gained included an enhanced understanding of how wetlands in the west have responded to historic drought conditions, as well as how water flows are manipulated to irrigate various croplands in California.