GeoSpatial Services Awarded New Projects

GSS was recently awarded new work from their partners/clients in multiple areas of the country.

New Alaska project areas are shown in yellow.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wetlands mapping group of GSS recently bid on and won numerous projects in both Alaska and the Lower 48 states. The group will take on additional project work in Idaho and 5 new project areas in Alaska. This is in addition to the current mapping work going on in Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, California, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, and Alaska. The BLM group within GSS currently has 5 full-time staff members and 17 students engaged in landscape-level wetland mapping under the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Counties in red are new areas where GSS will be mapping wetlands.

Another group within GSS, also working with the USFWS on NWI wetland mapping in North Dakota, has recently been awarded contracts to complete mapping across 14 additional counties in central North Dakota. The GSS North Dakota group will work towards the completion of this project over the next 18 months. After its completion, the GSS mapping teams will have completed mapping across most of the state. The North Dakota project engages 14 SMUMN students and 3 full-time GSS staff members.

GSS SPOTLIGHT!

Ted Sweet

What is your education and/or professional background?

I’m a senior at Saint Mary’s majoring in Math and Physics with an engineering emphasis. I started working for GSS in May 2019.

What led you to GIS? More specifically, how did you get to Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (SMUMN) in Winona? 

I came to campus on a tour with my sister and decided this is where I wanted to go to school.

Explain briefly a project at GSS you've done that contributed to your overall knowledge and educational experience.

Currently I am working on a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wetland mapping project in all of southern Wyoming, where I am learning all about connectivity.

How do you see GIS fitting into your future? 

I am not sure how I see GIS fitting into my future but it is a distinct possibility.

Where can we find you outside of GSS?

Outside of GSS, you can find me on the track or in the weight room.

GSS Sends 3 to Northern California for Field Verifications

In mid-October, GeoSpatial Services’ (GSS) Andy Robertson, Kevin Stark, and Eric Lindquist spent a week in Northeastern California and Western Nevada for the purpose of verifying GSS’s wetland mapping work. GSS has been a major contributor to the National Wetland Inventory and a long-time partner with the BLM to complete much of their wetland mapping in the western United States and Alaska.

Much of the data taken to the field for evaluation and on-the-ground corrections was created by the team of students working with the GSS/Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mapping team at Watters Hall on SMUMN’s Winona campus. GSS student technicians are guided through a training and learning protocol of wetland mapping skills and exposure to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software in order to be employed by GSS/SMUMN. Staff members Peter McColl, James Loken, Matt Hogan, Shauna (Frahm) Larson, and Eric Lindquist work with students who are in “real-world”, paid positions within GSS. The students gain skills in the software used, data creation, natural resource mapping, and much more.

Currently, GSS employs approximately 40 students at both the Winona and Twin Cities campuses on various projects throughout the U.S.

GSS SPOTLIGHT!

JASON HALL

What is your education and/or professional background?

After graduating from Rushford-Peterson H.S., I attended Rochester Community and Technical College where I played football and earned my Associates of Sciences degree. After deciding on a business major, I transferred to Winona State University where I earned my B.S. in business administration. Soon after graduating, I relocated to the Twin Cities to work in the pharmacy at the Veterans Affairs Hospital located in Minneapolis. While working there I began looking at master’s programs and eventually settled on Saint Mary’s GIS program. Originally seeking the certificate, my interest grew into pursuit of the master’s degree.

What led you to GIS? More specifically, how did you get to Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (SMUMN)? 

My journey to Saint Mary’s DIGA program was a combination of many variables. Growing up in Rushford, the local universities gained many of my peers as students (my sister is a recent graduate of SMUMN’s Ed.D. program). While attending both high school and college I would spend most of my free time outdoors. After researching programs and consulting friends and family, I touched down at Saint Mary’s University.

Explain briefly a project at GSS you've done that contributed to your overall knowledge and educational experience.

Most recently, I’ve been working on a project located in Western Alaska’s coastal region, digitizing wetland features that will be used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. One of the more challenging aspects of mapping wetlands in Alaska is its inundation of water. I believe all of my time spent studying aerial imagery, planning trips on or near the water, from hiking miles of trout streams, navigating hundreds of miles of local rivers and lakes as well as coastal brackish and offshore waters, has aided my image interpretation of wetlands.

How do you see GIS fitting into your future? 

GIS is wide-reaching and ever-evolving. It plays a part in the lives of countless people every day, probably without many of them knowing. In addition, it will be used to guide future decisions, sectors including but not limited to natural resource management, business modeling and medical breakthroughs, which will affect our quality of life for generations to come.

Where can we find you outside of GSS?

Outside of GSS, you can find me in multiple locations depending on the season. From Florida to Wisconsin, North Dakota to Colorado, and of course Minnesota; I enjoy spending time with my wife, family, and friends, which usually entails outdoor adventures exploring the myriad of sights, sounds, and tastes nature provides.

GSS SPOTLIGHT!

KAYLA BOETTCHER

What is your education and/or professional background?

I am a senior environmental biology major at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. I graduated from Menomonie High School in Wisconsin in 2017. I not only work at GSS but I am also a Resident Assistant through the university.

What led you to GIS? More specifically, how did you get to Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (SMUMN) in Winona? 

I found GIS through a course that was held on campus. During one of our classes, GSS Director Andy Robertson came and spoke on what GIS is and why it is important, and I thought working with GIS would give me good insight into what I may want to do in the future. When it comes to how I ended up at SMUMN, it is actually a funny story. During my senior year of high school, I was being recruited for diving and SMUMN found me on my profile. The coach began to contact me a lot and at the time I was not super excited about going to SMUMN. I agreed to come for a visit, and after being on campus and meeting the environmental staff, I knew this was the place for me. Not only is Winona beautiful, but I also felt really connected to the community as a whole.

Explain briefly a project at GSS you've done that contributed to your overall knowledge and educational experience.

I had the opportunity to start working with NWI 2.0 in MRG. MRG stands for Middle Rio Grande and it is a project area in New Mexico. I was given the completed data set and was asked to go through and make connections so the flow paths would be complete. Through this opportunity, I was able to learn more about the National Wetland Inventory and develop an understanding for what all the codes mean and how all of these pathways come together. It has been very interesting to be able to work in an area that is very different from what we see around us in Minnesota. Working with GSS has allowed me to gain a lot of respect for the effort and time it takes to create databases that move on from us to the customer, where everyday people and organizations can use and explore the data. 

How do you see GIS fitting into your future? 

I am hoping to use my experience with GIS to map and develop databases for farm land that can be used to map where the runoff water travels and use that information to attempt to limit the amount of pollutants that leave the fields. By understanding where the water goes, we can then begin to better plan and manage the land to ensure high production with the smallest environmental effect. 

Where can we find you outside of GSS?

Outside of GSS you can find me all over in the community doing service work, within Winona and on campus. I am the reigning Miss Winona, which keeps me very involved and busy. You can also find me rocking out to music in my car and in the residence life office on campus. As an RA, I have the opportunity to connect with lots of students and help develop community. I can also be found wandering through the bluffs and trying to spot fish in Gilmore Creek!

18 Days Above the Arctic Circle

GeoSpatial Services (GSS) Director Andy Robertson and GSS Analyst Eric Lindquist completed a ‘marathon’ fieldwork trip this past July to Northern Alaska. The trip was a culmination of months of effort and planning related to current work, as well as a kicking off of new projects.

Fieldwork for US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory mapping projects is a normal part of GSS summers; however, due to a large number of projects in Alaska and the travel restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 situation, the decision was made to combine 3 major projects and spend a lengthy time in the field this summer. Current GSS clients in Alaska include the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) as well as partnerships with Arctic Slope Regional Corp (ASRC) as well as others.

GSS Fieldwork consists of correlating computer landscape imagery or ‘signature’ to actual landscape features, soils, and plant communities.  Nearly 1,000 field check sites were visited to develop mapping conventions that will allow 7-10 staff and numerous students to tackle these very large mapping projects for months, and in some cases years, to come.

Typically, all Alaska fieldwork is completed by helicopter with professional pilots, necessary permits, and planning. This year the team was able to work from the areas along the ‘haul road’, also known as the Dalton Highway. The team based out of Coldfoot Camp, Galbraith Lake, and Happy Valley, as well as flying to Kavik River Camp for the last 4 days of work (see map below). The team worked 18 straight days to complete the necessary work and compile data for use upon return to SMUMN. Sites were selected on mostly Federal and state-owned lands including the Kanuti Wildlife Refuge, Gates of the Arctic Refuge, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and others to enhance and inform wetland mapping.

GSS has worked hard to continue ‘business as usual’ during these trying times and is proud to have been successful in this endeavor, to the point of even expanding in order to continue its mission of providing to the University and giving real-world work experiences to students.

GSS Data Featured in Arizona News

Data from an analysis we completed for the legal advocacy group Earthustice, stemming from our Clean Water Rule work, was featured in an online story for Cronkite News, an Arizona PBS affiliate. The article discusses two court cases filed against the Trump administration’s “Navigable Waters Protection Rule”, which replaces an Obama-era rule that expanded federal Clean Water Act protections to seasonal and other waterways. To read the article, including a link to our analysis for an Arizona watershed (shown below), click here.

GSS SPOTLIGHT!

MICHELE REMER

What is your education and/or professional background?

I am a senior Environmental Biology major with minors in Psychology and Zoology. I worked as a park ranger at Turtle River State Park in Arvilla, North Dakota for a summer and was a science intern at SMUMN the following summer. This past summer was my first at GSS. Currently, I am continuing working at GSS and am also a tutor in the Writing Studio. After graduation, I will be going to Senegal to be a Forestry and Environmental Specialist in the Peace Corps.

What led you to GIS? More specifically, how did you get to Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (SMUMN) in Winona? 

I first heard about Saint Mary's through basketball, as I was recruited to play here. Once I visited the campus, I fell in love with the bluffs and the views around Winona, which also fit well with my Environmental Biology major. For that E. Bio major, I needed to take GIS, so the class was my first experience with GIS, which then led me to apply to work at GSS for the summer of 2019.

Explain briefly a project at GSS you've done that contributed to your overall knowledge and educational experience.

I've been working mostly on updating the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) in Alaska throughout my time at GSS, but one other project that I've grown to enjoy is orthorectifying photographs throughout various watersheds in Alaska. This allowed me to learn some new skills and solve any problems that the software was giving me. It also allowed me to learn a bit more about how governmental projects are carried out, which will be very helpful for any state or federal government jobs that I apply for in the future.

How do you see GIS fitting into your future? 

Even if I don't have a job that requires me to use GIS software, working at GSS has provided me with valuable tools for whatever trajectory I decide to take in future careers. Not only have I become a more independent worker and a better problem-solver, but I have also learned more about the flow of freshwater, where it can be found, and how to transition through software and layout updates. All of these lessons will be useful for any environmental biology or sustainability career, and also show that GSS interns are able to adapt with new technology. 

Where can we find you outside of GSS?

Outside of GSS, you can find me shooting some baskets in the RAC and hopefully outside once the weather warms up. You can also catch me hiking or canoeing in the canoe that I bought at the big Wenonah Factory sale last semester, once I finally set up the canoe rack. Sadly, those are the places you can find me when I don't have homework, so most of the time I'm actually in the library or the SLC. And since I'm a bit of a book fanatic, you might find me in the library or at home reading for fun and not for a class.

GSS Spotlight!

MATT REID

What is your education and professional background?

I have a Bachelor's degree in environmental science, policy, and management as well as a sustainability studies minor from the University of Minnesota. Currently, I am pursuing a Master's degree in Data Intelligence and GeoAnalytics (DIGA). In my professional career, I've worked as an Elections Administrator with the City of Minneapolis and more recently, with a small environmental startup. 

What led you to GIS? More specifically, how did you get to Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (SMUMN) in the Twin Cities? 

I felt like I wanted to develop a more technical skillset. I had been exposed to GIS in my undergraduate program as well as in my professional life. I decided I wanted to continue my education and started looking for GIS related programs. Both of my parents attended Saint Mary's, so I had a connection to the university. I also thought the DIGA program looked like a good fit so I applied. 

Explain briefly a project at GSS you've done that contributed to your overall knowledge and educational experience.

So I've worked on two projects updating the National Hydrography Dataset in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and Kuskokwim areas of Alaska. While working on these projects I've become very comfortable editing data inside the ArcGIS software, interpreting satellite imagery, and I've learned some basic principles of hydrology, understanding how water flows over the landscape. Knowing I'm contributing to an important national database makes this work feel exciting and worthwhile. 

How do you see GIS fitting into your future? 

One of the great things about GIS is it can be used in almost any field. Personally, I am very interested in energy and sustainability, so I hope to build a career in a similar field. Hopefully, GIS empowers me to become an effective problem-solver and contribute to a more resilient, and sustainable society. 

Where can we find you outside of GSS?

Outside of GSS you can find me at the bouldering gym, playing video games, camping, or playing soccer with my elite co-ed rec team. When I'm not studying, of course. 

Staff Travel to Florida

In late January, GSS staff members Andy Nadeau and Kathy Allen travelled to Jacksonville, Florida, to kick off our latest NRCA project at Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve. The Preserve boundary includes 46,000 acres of natural area and historic sites just northeast of downtown Jacksonville. Much of the natural area is tidal salt marsh with braided creeks, bounded by the St. Johns and Nassau Rivers. Areas and structures within the Preserve also hold historical significance for French, Spanish, and English settlers of America, as well as the region’s indigenous people. The NRCA for Timucuan will assess the condition of park resources such as herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles), hardwood hammock vegetation communities, fish, oysters, and water quality. During the trip, Andy and Kathy had the opportunity to visit several areas of the preserve, including Cedar Point, Fort Caroline National Memorial, Kingsley Plantation, and Round Marsh in the preserve’s Theodore Roosevelt Area.