Geology topics

Karla Rogers

Publications and source records attributed to Karla Rogers.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2025

Using public participatory geographic information systems (PPGIS) to explore uses and values for Mojave Trails National Monument, California

Many people ascribe a variety of values to public lands and waters, but some values are more difficult to assess and quantify than others. Public participatory geographic information systems (PPGIS) are tools that have been used to help quantify and map the public’s diverse values for a landscape. This work describes the first known Office of Management and Budget–approved use of PPGIS by a Department of the Interior bureau. The U.S. Geological Survey developed an internet-based application to aid in gathering PPGIS data, called Values Mapping for Planning in Regional Ecosystems (VaMPIRE). Further, this work describes the first pilot of the VaMPIRE application in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management to collect spatial data and other survey data regarding the public’s uses of and values for locations within Mojave Trails National Monument. We emailed the link to the VaMPIRE application to an interested party email list in 2024 with 207 valid emails and received 74 responses; we also received 47 responses from members of an off-roading social media group. Of the list of 16 value options, recreation was the most popular value for the monument, followed by wilderness and inspirational. Over 1,000 points were placed throughout the monument, indicating locations people use or value, with the locations spread throughout the entire monument. Additionally, most survey respondents stated their ability to receive benefits in locations they mapped would not change in response to a hypothetical scenario related to recreational facility development. This report describes exploratory results from the first use of the VaMPIRE tool in Mojave Trails National Monument and includes reflections on how the process went and considerations for future use of VaMPIRE.

California↗

USGS2024

Delineating draft inventory analysis units for National Scenic and Historic Trails inventory, assessment, and monitoring programs

As of 2024, there are 32 National Scenic and Historic Trails (NSHTs) in the system administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The BLM administers, manages, and protects 19 of these trails as part of its system of national conservation lands. Various laws, regulations, and policies require that the BLM conduct and maintain an inventory to protect trail-related resources, qualities, values, associated settings, and primary use or uses. There are set procedures for conducting inventory, assessment, and monitoring (IAM) of NSHTs, as outlined in volumes 1 and 2 of BLM Technical Reference 6280-1. One of the first steps in the IAM process is deciding the area along a trail to inventory. However, volumes 1 and 2 of BLM Technical Reference 6280-1 do not specify how the land area to be inventoried should be delineated. The BLM calls these focus areas for IAM efforts “inventory analysis units” (IAUs), which are defined as the geospatial boundary for the location of an inventory along a trail. This report reviews the approach used to delineate the IAUs for an inventory effort and identifies best practices for creating initial IAUs, termed “draft IAUs.” Draft IAUs would provide standardization across multiple management jurisdictions by applying the same parameters for their delineation. These draft IAUs would provide trail managers with an area surrounding NSHTs that would trigger the need for an inventory if a project were proposed within it and are meant to be refined during localized inventory efforts. The best practices herein are for creating draft IAUs using standard parameters for performing a viewshed analysis to identify a proxy of land to include in an initial inventory effort.

New Mexico↗