ESRI Conservation Program Resources:

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(ECP and CTSP grantees, reports, and other sites of interest for conservation geograpy, mapping and GIS. Grantees are coded by program and year of grant at the end of their name/state, i.e. e91 means ECP grant in 1991. c=cstp, cm=ctsp-mac, cs=ctsp-software)

Alaska Marine Conservation Council Ak c97 . (P.O. Box 101145, Anchorage, AK 99510 ph (907) 277-5357 fax (907) 277-5975 GIS contact: Dorothy Childers email:dorothy@akmarine.org) GIS STATUS: "We created a statewide map showing juvenile halibut distribution. We chose to depict juvenile halibut areas throughout coastal Alaska since halibut is a species of fish that is important to Alaskans economically, culturally, and for personal use. Halibut has a directed commercial fishery, is caught by sports fishermen, and highly valued in subsistence use. Additionally, it is a "bycatch" species in North Pacific groundfish fisheries which is a major problem. We created maps that illustrate some of the problems of bycatch in several of the bottom trawl fisheries, expanding to other kinds of bycatch including salmon, herring, and crab. We used bycatch maps and the data that went into them to wage a successful campaign to eliminate bottom trawling in the pollock fishery of the Bering Sea by demonstrating bycatch savings in a non-bottom trawl pollock fishery. Using GIS maps in our outreach to coastal Alaskans to convey fishery/fishery regulatory information, as well as important marine habitat areas (i.e. juvenile halibut and/or nursery grounds). We're mapping changes in distribution and abundance of red king crab of the Kodiak Archipelago over the last thirty years....Our GIS work has been of great use in outreach to coastal Alaskans. The sharing of the statewide halibut map helped spark discussions with particular communities and their immediate concerns of marine habitat and bycatch. As a result of this, we've embarked on a second major project to map the change in abundance and distribution of red king crab around the Kodiak Archipelago. As an important part of this mapping, we are including a layer of local and traditional knowledge to add to the breadth of government agency and commercial fishery data. The maps we'll have from this project are instrumental elements of marine conservation education and advocacy. " GIS LESSONS: "One very interesting and significant lesson we learned through our work with GIS is that the questions we ask of the data don't necessarily give us useful answers. Creating maps just for maps sake doesn't necessarily help in advocating for conservation. However, nothing is lost in this educational process which focuses us then on the important and relevant questions we need to ask. "

California Ocean Resources Management Program (California Ocean Resources Management Program The Resources Agency of California 1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311 Sacramento, CA 95814 Brian Baird, Ocean Program Manager (916) 657-0198 mailto:brian@resources.ca.gov . or Melissa Miller-Henson, Policy Analyst (916) 654-2506 mailto:melissa@resources.ca.gov) "The mission of the California Ocean Resources Management Program is: To ensure comprehensive and coordinated management, conservation and enhancement of California's ocean resources for their intrinsic value and for the benefit of current and future generations." see: California's State Classification System for Marine Managed Areas: .

Catalina Island Conservancy, Avalon, Santa Catalina Island CA e94 .(Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, 125 Claressa Avenue, P. O. Box 2739, Avalon, CA 90704. Telephone: (310) 510-2595 ext. 105. FAX: (310) 510-2594. E-mail: seer@catalinas.net )..a private, non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the preservation of the natural heritage of Santa Catalina Island. "The mission of the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy is to conserve the land it owns in perpetuity; to restore it to a natural state; to provide education and recreational uses of the land consistent with conservation; to foster and develop research to promote understanding of the resources of Santa Catalina Island and Conservancy activities and to promote an understanding of the underwater habitat surrounding the Island. ". Catalina Conservancy GIS Projects: GIS Tutorial: Overview of GIS, Linking GPS (Global Positioning System) Data into the GIS, List of data layers in the GIS . IWS Raptor Survey , IWS Feral Pig Control Program , Conservancy Membership Data, Spatial Analysis of the Thorne Flora Data , The Ironwood Project , RESPMAP: Rare and Ecologically Significant Plant Mapping Project, Wildland Weed Mapping Project . See: GIS-Based Conservation and Land Use Plan Demonstration...Catalina Conservancy Divers (CCD) Projects: Marine Biodiversity Survey, Marine Thermograph Project, Marine Refuge Census, Kelp Growth Survey, Abalone Restoration, Marine Conservation Video, Casino Point Scuba Trail. . . . GIS HISTORY AND ESRI GRANT: "Initially (1991) the Conservancy's GIS project used IDRISI software because it was very capable and extremely affordable ($100) for a non-profit institution. However, IDRISI was not easy to use which made it difficult to deploy the GIS to all Conservancy departments. In 1994 the Conservancy was able to purchase Atlas*GIS software thanks to special pricing from Strategic Mapping, Inc. While this software was easier to use, it had several limitations. The data model employed in Atlas*GIS required that specific data layers (such as roads) required in different "views" of the island be duplicated in each data file. In addition, this early version of Atlas*GIS did not allow raster data (such as satellite images) to be integrated with vector data (such as roads or plant locations). In 1995 Dr. Bill Bushing asked Charles Convis of Environmental Systems Research Institute's Conservation Support Program if ESRI would be willing to donate a copy of their market-leading ArcInfo GIS software to the Conservancy. Charles discussed the donation with Jack Dangermond, ESRI's founder, who offered not only ArcIInfo software, but also Windows-based ArcView (and later ArcView's Spatial Analyst extension) at a very substantial discount making acquisition of this industry-standard product a reality for the Conservancy's GIS program. "

Center for Marine Conservation e97 . (1725 DeSales Street, N.W. Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 (202)429-5609 Fax: (202)872-0619 email: ccmc@ix.netcom.com ) . Mission: The Center for Marine Conservation is committed to protecting ocean environments and conserving the global abundance and diversity of marine life. Through science-based advocacy, research and public education, CMC promotes informed citizen participation to reverse the degradation of our oceans. Projects: Marine Ecosystem Protection, Marine Wildlife And Fisheries Conservation, Science of Marine Conservation Biology, Marine Debris and Volunteer Cleanup Programs, Marine Debris Information and Resource Pages, Databases and links on Caribbean Biodiversity, National Marine Sanctuary Program,  Sea Turtles...Their new GIS MAP ROOM let's you see online maps of their project areas including: Protected Areas in Southern California, Protected Areas in Puget Sound, Selected US Protected Areas, Fully Protected Areas in the Northeast, Florida Keys Sambos Reserve, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary . Federal Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in Central California . Their Navassa Expedition also includes GIS maps. Search.

Center for Marine and Environmental Analyses . (Prof. Mark Harwell, RSMAS - University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149 Telephone: (305) 361-4157 Fax: (305) 361-4077 mharwell@rsmas.miami.edu) "The Center for Marine and Environmental Analyses (CMEA) has been established at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) to coordinate and promote ecological research to advance the state of ecosystem science, management, and policy, particularly focused on the coastal and marine environment. " GIS PROGRAM: Includes example maps of vegetation change in south Florida from 1900 to 1990: "The Geographic Information System at CMEA helps visualize and quantify the ecological effects of the rapid urbanization of South Florida." Data Library of CMEA GIS coverages for South Florida. See also: NOAA Coastal Ocean Program-Funded Geographic Information System for the Coastal Ecosystems of South Florida. "GIS at CMEA is centered around ESRI's ArcInfo standard for GIS data...CMEA continually updates its extensive GIS database of the South Florida coastal zone. The database includes satellite imagery, marine and land habitat coverages, and land use patterns, from past to present. Additionally, CMEA has integrated its hydrodynamic model of Biscayne Bay to the GIS, as well as its Biscayne Bay seagrass, sponge, and algae models. This facilitates the use of satellite imagery and field observations as initial conditions for the habitat models, and it allows for extensive spatial analyses of the model outputs. "

Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce, Astoria OR e94 . (750 Commercial Street, Room 205 Astoria, Oregon 97103 Phone: (503) 325-0435 Fax: (503) 325-0459 crest@OregonVOS.net) "Astoria-based bi-state quasi-governmental organization committed to the appropriate development and management of the natural, economic and human resources of the Columbia River Estuary...The Columbia River Estuary Data Development Program (CREDDP) has two purposes: to increase understanding of the ecology of the Columbia River Estuary and to provide information useful in making land and water use decisions. The program was initiated by local governments and citizens who saw a need for a better information base for use in managing natural resources and in planning for development. In response to these concerns, the Governors of Oregon and Washington requested in 1974 that the Pacific Northwest River Basins Commission (PNRBC) undertake an interdisciplinary ecological study of the estuary. At approximately the same time, local governments and port districts formed the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST) to develop a regional management plan for the estuary. " see: Streambank Landowner Handbook available free .

Cook Inlet Keeper Ak c98 . (P.O. Box 3269 Homer, AK 99603 tel:(907) 235-4068 fx:(907) 235-4069 email:keeper@xyz.net ) "Cook Inlet Keeper (Keeper) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Cook Inlet (Alaska) and the life it sustains. Local citizens concerned about pollution and short-sighted development formed Keeper in 1994, and formally incorporated it as an Alaskan nonprofit corporation in April 1995...GIS NEWS: In early 1997, Keeper compiled the first-ever digital datasets of point and nonpoint source pollution sources in the Cook Inlet watershed. This dataset includes information on Clean Water Act permits, wetlands dredge and fill permits, hazardous waste sites, contaminated sites, military sites, and Superfund sites, among others. Keeper used this information to create the GIS maps found in it State of the Inlet report 1997, and has developed a series of colorful maps and overheads for public presentations. For 1998, Keeper is compiling the first-ever GIS Atlas of Cook Inlet marine resources and the pollution sources affecting them. The Cook Inlet GIS Atlas will be available onCD ROM in Summer 1998...Watershed Information Network: Keeper helps citizens develop and implement local watershed-based conservation efforts by them with providing technical, organizational and legal support. The WIN includes Keeper's GIS Project, and Keeper supports local groups with GIS maps and other information for their local watersheds.. " Dont miss their CONSERVATION MAPS Page .

All text by the respective organizations, January 2, 1997

Compilation & web design: Charles Convis, ESRI Conservation Program, April 2, 1996