Block Finder/Custom Mapper

Chestnut-sided Warbler. Photo: Chuck Musitano

The 2nd PBBA offers an interactive custom mapping tool for its volunteers. The 2nd PBBA Mapping Tools website was designed expressly for the 2nd PBBA by staff at Penn State's Institute of the Environment (PSIE). The team was led by Ryan Baxter, Information Technologies Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) program of PSIE.

This site, launched in July 2005, lets volunteers locate Atlas blocks in a number of ways:

• by entering specific latitude and longitude coordinates (in decimal degrees)
• by entering a street address
• or by zooming in and panning in any direction within an Atlas region, county, or zip code until the correct block is found

This site also allows volunteers to select hundreds of different combinations of geographic information system layers, enabling them to view and print customized maps of their Atlas block(s). Available GIS layers include:

• emergent wetlands in three size categories
• bird-habitat models (so-called GAP models) showing suitable breeding habitats for selected species within an Atlas block (i.e., volunteers can use these maps to plan visits to specific locations within their block that may harbor rare or difficult-to-detect species, like Golden-winged Warbler)
• National Audubon Society's designated Important Bird Areas
• Various land stewardship boundaries, such as state parks, state forests, state game lands, and more (areas that offer preserved habitats and excellent access for volunteers working in a block)

Our thanks to Maurie Kelly, Senior Research Assistant at PSIE, and Ryan Baxter, both of whom dedicated considerable time and energy to the Block Finder/Custom Mapper project. The availability of this tool to projects of volunteer and non-profit organizations is an example of the growing importance and value of geographic information system (GIS) resources and data provided through programs like PASDA. Click here for a recent review article on this very subject, written by PSIE/PASDA's own Maurie Kelly. The 2nd PBBA is among five case studies she discusses in detail in the article.

Click the Pennsylvania Map to open the Block Locator/Custom Mapping page.
(You will be redirected to the Penn State mapping site in a new window.)