Tony McKinney, GIS Coordinator, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, welcomes National 4-H GIS/GPS Leadership team at the Chula Vista Nature Center. Photo courtesy Jim Baumann.
In July, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) invited the National 4-H GIS Leadership Team and EquipoGIS, an international youth group, to conduct geographic information system (GIS)-based service projects for the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The results of their projects were presented at ESRI’s Education User Conference in San Diego, California.
The first project was conducted at Gunpowder Point, an area that was once the site of the Hercules Powder Company Plant, where kelp was processed into acetone that was used to make cordite, a smokeless gunpowder used by the British during World War I.
“Using old maps, current aerial photographs, and structural remains in the field, we determined the historic location of the 156 redwood digestive tanks where kelp,” said Tony McKinney, GIS Coordinator at the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office. “Other remains from the historic facility were also located in the field and recorded.” The data collected will help develop interpretive materials that tell the story of Gunpowder Point’s role during World War I.
“The neatest aspect of our project was the fact that we were bringing a no longer existent facility from 1916 back to life by taking note of its former existence,” said Fatima Murillo, a 4-H’er from Tennessee.
For their second project, the students journeyed to the South San Diego Bay Refuge Unit, where they mapped the future route of a nature trail and delineated the edge of the wetland habitat around an existing salt pond by evaluating soils and plant life.
“We are very proud of the accomplishments of the GIS community mapping clubs in our 4-H youth development program,” said Jim Kahler, Program Specialist at National 4-H Headquarters.
Adapted from content submitted by Jim Baumann, ESRI.