Western Field Work Continues

GSS staff members Peter McColl, Kevin Stark, and Eric Lindquist visited BLM lands in Wyoming during mid-May to verify draft wetland and riparian mapping and inform future mapping. They visited nearly 200 predetermined sites and made field observations at additional sites found while travelling between the predetermined field sites. Peter, Kevin, and Eric traveled the majority of central Wyoming from north to south as well as the southern BLM lands along the Colorado border. The team first moved from Casper to Lander.  Then they worked through Thermopolis on to Cody before heading south to Rawlins and Rocksprings, finally departing from Salt Lake City, UT. The group was also joined in the field by senior staff from the BLM for both project discussion and wetland and riparian verification.

The team verified and confirmed preliminary mapping done by GSS and worked to learn more about the newly created LLWW key for inland wetlands of the Western U.S. This information will be processed, and mapping will be adjusted for project completion.Additionally, new sites were visited to prepare for wetlands mapping in new areas. This work is being completed as part of a larger project that will map portions of eight states (see “New Projects”). With the completion of this field trip to Wyoming and a previous trip to New Mexico, staff have completed fieldwork in two of the eight states. June will take project managers to Idaho and July will have staff members doing work in Alaska. Future field trips will include Utah and California/Nevada.