Back in action! (and Jenson order)

[ECOdork]

Shooot, with all the pork products around here, they have more chicharones than a carneceria in South Texas!!! I haven't even ever seen some of the varieties of pork products! I made a big ol'pot of north carolina beans this weekend with some homegrown and home-smoked chipotles, a big ol'North Carolina Hamhock, and a beer--I am half-mexican after all!

Tasty stuff!

Thanks for the kind words guys, I really do hope to get out there soon!

[MTBMaven]

Originally Posted by ECOdork

I turned in a draft of my dissertation and plan to defend it in Jan and graduate

Congrats! I am still working on my masters thesis... You use any GIS in your research?

[ECOdork]

Thanks, man!

Funny you ask about GIS. I didn't use it during grad school as usually looked at effects on environment on aquatic organisms. It just didn't apply to my research. But, I taught myself how to use it over last winter and use the heck out of it now! It has turned into part of my specialty and niche at work.

You figure nearly everything we do in state government and field biology is intimately tied to landscape-level stuff; where are you, where is what you are looking for, and why might it be there? So, distance to streams, soil and vegetation types, records of endangered species, wetland boundaries, project boundaries, parcel information, survey areas based on a proposed project boundaries, etc. As you might imagine, State and county governments have some pretty extensive GIS databases that we have access to. I'll use on everything from calculating impacts of a proposed project on a population of some endangered species to evaluating a plot of land for manangement potential based on soil and water features to uploading large survey areas to a GPS unit so we know where we are and where to survey while in the middle of a forest or estuary. That pic I posted with me in the water was a prime example of that latter use. I don't know how I'd do my job without it!

That's great that you use it as I felt that was one of the biggest problems with my resume when I first got out here. I just didn't have the GIS background and know that I missed out on some interviews because of it. Oh well, their loss! Sucka's!

Stay strong bro! You'll get through the degree! Let me know if I can help or offer advice in any way!

Originally Posted by MTBMaven

Congrats! I am still working on my masters thesis... You use any GIS in your research?

[MTBMaven]

I'm glad you have found value in GIS for your research. It is really cool stuff. I am the GIS Coordinator for a San Gabriel Valley city. My first internship in college was mapping the Bolsa Chica Wetlands with a GPS unit. Amazing job.

My thesis topic is trying to validate the viewshed algorithm by comparing field derived viewsheds with computer derived viewsheds using DEMs from LiDAR at 5 different spatial resolutions.

[ECOdork]

Nice! That sounds like a heavy thesis topic! At a recent Stream ID Training class there was some talk about using LiDAR to develop watershed maps. Sounded a bit like the stuff you're working on. Well keep at it! Better algorithms and technology help us all.

Originally Posted by MTBMaven

I'm glad you have found value in GIS for your research. It is really cool stuff. I am the GIS Coordinator for a San Gabriel Valley city. My first internship in college was mapping the Bolsa Chica Wetlands with a GPS unit. Amazing job.

My thesis topic is trying to validate the viewshed algorithm by comparing field derived viewsheds with computer derived viewsheds using DEMs from LiDAR at 5 different spatial resolutions.

[ECOdork]

Not to pour salt on the wound, but I just finished reading though the entire Santiago Fires thread...I was out of town when that happened and didn't have internet access.

Man...what a bummer...but I'm glad to hear life, property, and the national forest were not as damaged as bad as could have been. Sounds like it was a crazy time to be in the OC. On the positive side, as many have already commented, the OC is a heavily fire-dependent ecosystem and it will come back. Especially with the help of the fine mtb'ers on STR helping when and where they can. Just look at Aliso. Wasn't that area toast back in the early 90's?