One of our tasks here was to find, photograph and get GPS coordinates on all of the signs at Alamosa and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuges. The refuge staff is starting a mapping project that aims to locate all of the infrastructure. Thank goodness they didn't want all of the little "Refuge Boundary" and "No Entry Beyond This Point" signs documented, as there are thousands of those things. But everything else needed to be found, photographed and GPS'ed.
This gave us a chance to completely explore the refuges. We were surprised at how many places we hadn't been.
Once a sign was discovered, I took a photo of it, and placed the GPS on it to get the most accurate reading. Teri kept the data sheet with sign description, picture number, and GPS coordinates. She later entered the data in a spreadsheet for the refuge to use in their mapping project.
We documented over 100 signs.
This is one of the large entry signs at Monte Vista.
See the GPS unit hooked to the top of the sign? It averaged 50 separate readings to get better accuracy.
Most signs were next to the road, but a few were over the fence and up in the weeds.
Some examples of the types of signs on the refuge:
 |
| Recognizing Partners |
 |
| Walking Trail |
 |
| Interpretive Panel |
 |
| Driving Sign |
 |
| Sign that needs to be replaced!! |
 |
| Kiosks in Hunter Parking Areas |
 |
| Main Refuge Entrance Signs |
Mark
That's a good way to get to see every nook and cranny of the refuges.
ReplyDelete