Homestead Conservation

  Seek by iNaturalist - Photo: (iNaturalist, 2023)   Seek is a straightforward, image-recognition tool for identifying plants, insects, and animals in the field. Unlike most apps that require you to upload a photo and wait for a result, Seek uses your camera to perform real-time identification directly on your screen. When you point your camera at plants, trees, fungi, insects, birds, mammals, or amphibians, the app’s interface displays a taxonomic bar that fills in as it gains confidence. It moves from general classifications (e.g., "Flowering Plants") down to the specific Genus or Species.   Benefits ·         Efficiency: Because processing happens locally on your device, you receive immediate feedback without having to clutter your phone’s gallery with test photos. ·         Privacy: The app is functional without a login or account registration. It does not require you to share loca...

  At Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in Virginia, park rangers and conservationists face a multi-front battle against aggressive invasive species that threaten the region’s rich natural and historical landscapes. On land, destructive feral hogs tear up the historic battlefields and native ecosystems with their rooting behavior, while dangerous plants like the toxic giant hogweed present a physical hazard to unsuspecting visitors due to its skin-blistering sap. The park’s forests are also under heavy siege: the emerald ash borer continues to decimate the native ash tree population, and the invasive tree-of-heaven rapidly spreads, actively crowding out native flora. This rapidly multiplying tree unfortunately serves as the preferred host plant for the spotted lanternfly, a sap-sucking insect that severely threatens local agriculture and vineyards. Meanwhile, the park's waterways are not spared from disruption, as the highly predatory northern snakehead fish dom...

  NOAA: Climate at a Glance City Mapping   The above picture is from the “Climate at a Glance” web search and mapping tool. The area of Middletown, VA has limited data most likely due to the fact that it is a very small town with very little infrastructure or anything of significance which would require constant weather monitoring. After search through the site and several of the service offered, I realized the in-depth library of various file types which can be used with other design and GIS software. I was previously unaware that this much data is available for public access and use. NOAA: U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access In addition to the previous dot mapping, this data from the “U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access” give a quick look at data like temperature and rainfall over a given period of time within a particular region. Using different search criteria, you can do historical searches for data or search for data which is more local in terms of timelines.   ...

  Photo Credit:  (United States Department of Agriculture, 2018) Throughout my experience with the WSS, I learned some new features I was not previously aware of. The things I found most interesting was the ability to export the data in several different ways so that it can be incorporated into other software applications. One application I learned to use earlier this semester is Arc GIS. The layer data and tables produced on the WSS can be imported to systems like Arc GIS to compare data and see a better environmentally complete picture of the area. In addition to exporting the data to another program, the ability to import files into the WSS is an amazing feature. The two-way flow of data provides the best opportunity to regulators and other stakeholders to increase transparency and collaboration. Resources United States Department of Agriculture. (2018). Web Soil Survey . USDA; United States Department of Agriculture. https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurv...

  This aerial perspective captures an 8.01-acre conservation easement situated in the Back Creek Magisterial District, positioned just on the outskirts of the historic Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in Middletown ( Land Preservation , 2021). (Photo Credit: Land Preservation, 2021)   This ArcGIS data layer displays the network of active conservation easements surrounding Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. By visualizing parcels like the 8.01-acre tract in Middletown's Back Creek Magisterial District, this map illustrates how spatial data tracks public-private partnerships aimed at keeping historic battlefields and rural viewsheds safe from commercial development.   (Photo Credit: Land Preservation)     Resources Land Preservation . (2021, October 26). ArcGIS StoryMaps; Esri. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/de7ccf6c35a541d4b5681ec221879226