North Fork of the CDA drainge environmental issue and elevation maps

       I chose the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene for my project. The north fork of the CDA drainage flows into Coeur d'Alene lake. This drainage has a large mine that is located on the upper drainage of the river has had mining operations on it. These mines were producing large amounts of mining by products that were being put into the river. These mining deposits were of toxic chemicals and caused the population of native cutthroat trout in the river to almost go extinct. The mining deposits then ran downstream and flowed into lake Coeur d'Alene, which then flows into the Spokane River. The Spokane river has a naturally occurring population of redband trout and now these fish are longer safe to eat of the river because of their high levels of toxins from the mining deposits.The mines have since been cleaned up, but there is a still the occuring problem of the sediments that are left over in the bottom of Coeur d'Alene lake, which when the lake turns over every spring, an occurring biological process that allows the lower levels of the lake to be re-oxygenated, these sediments are then transported downstream into the Spokane drainage. Fish eat the invertebrate and other prey species that are ingesting these sediments from the debris that these sediments are attached to. This then causes problems to fish since they are ingesting these toxins. Other factors have been related to these mining deposits, such as; changes in the stream quality, increased sediment levels, and other factors as well.

Proposed Airport Expansion

Working with ArcMap for the first time is a very trying experience. If you are not familiar with the system than there are lots of areas that ArcMap can become increasingly frustrating. It has a whole variety of buttons and sequences that if things are not just the right way the map that you are trying to accomplish will not work they way you want it to. Once this "secret" sequence is input though things will magically appear on the screen.
      ArcMap, although frustrating, is a very interesting program and can be utilized for a variety of different types of data and functions. These different applications make it a versatile tool for the engineer, biologist, and even a urban planner. The ability to take a large scale of data and input it into the program to create different layouts with in the map allows the user to make a use of a large amount of data in a small scale map. The system also uses different interfaces that make it easy for those that are trying to create different data points throughout a map and show there relevance to the reader.
     After using ArcMap for one assignment it became very clear that using the program is not the most user friendly scenario. Since the program constantly upgrades every year, if not every 6 months, the commands change and also the placement of buttons that operate the main functions also change as well. Luckily, there was a few students that had some experience with the program and they were able to help the rest of us out. Without the help of the knowledgeable students, along with Dr. D, completing the task we were asked to complete would have been a daunting task. The tutorial that was provided in the lesson, even though it was a step by step process, did have some steps that weren't clear and provided many students with sticking points until they could be resolved.
    I think ArcMap uses a variety of things that will be helpful in the future and in my career, fisheries biology. While using the program I could map the headwaters of a stream and also the different contour lines associated with the stream to show the elevational changes.  In my graduate project I think I can use ArcMap to show the different aquifer inlet points along the Spokane river to show where I did my sampling and why.

Spokane River Gaining/Losing Reaches Map

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=z_8zEnf-HcfI.kAaxxWN9VjNA

          The map that I created shows the gaining and losing reaches on the Spokane River. The Spokane aquifer creates these gaining/losing reaches with ground water. In gaining reaches the water actually flows into the stream from the underwater, and sometimes above water, inputs that are from the aquifer. In losing reaches the river actually flows into the aquifer and recharges it. In gaining reaches the water is at a temperature of 50 degrees F, plus or minus two to three degrees. This creates a cold water refugia during the summer months when the surface and ambient temperatures warm the river to above 70 degrees in the summer months. Since flows are controlled by the two dams that the Avista Power Corporation owns the flows are primarily delegated by them. These flows can be less than optimal for cold water species, such as redband trout that reside in the Spokane River. I am a Masters student at Eastern Washington University and my thesis will be on these gaining/losing reaches and wether or not as temperature increase, the there will be a higher density of fish at the gaining sites compared to the losing sites.
         After using the Google maps program there are certain plus and minus while using the system. On the plus sites if the area you are looking at is in a residential area the information that Google map provides makes the system very easy to use, but on the other hand if you are using the system in a less populated are or wilderness area you definitely can not use this system to map out your area. Google earth would be a better application for someone trying to show more of a wilderness area, but google earth will not allow you to make markers like on Google maps. One day Im sure Google will make a application that will allow you to do both. Until then, both the programs can be used to show the map your trying to accomplish. Google earth uses GPS coordinates, while Google maps uses the actually physical address or areas surrounding address.

GIS 323 Assignment #1

 This map is of the Spokane River and the Spokane Aquifer. The colored sections denote the gaining and losing reaches, with the blue showing the gaining reaches and the red the losing reaches. The gaining reaches can be defined as sections where the Spokane aquifer actually flows into the Spokane river. The losing reaches is where the river flows back into the aquifer and recharges the aquifer. My thesis will be on the Spokane River and the influence the Spokane aquifer has on the redband trout population densities throughout the summer.

The second map is of Steptoe Butte in Washington. Steptoe butte was donated by my family to the state in 1946. Virgil McCroskey was my great, great, great grandfather and donated the 120 acres that make up Steptoe Butte park and the park was increased to 150 acres of the land surrounding the butte. Steptoe Butte is a significant landmark in the Palouse area and is a quartzite mountain that stands above the farmlands that surround the Palouse. Steptoe butte is currently recognized as a National Natural Landmark because of its unique geological significance.



This is a map of the Elwha River watershed. The Elwha river shed is a major site of environmemntal issue because there has to been two major dam's removed in the past 8 years. This damn removal project is the largest to date so far in the United States and will be a major monitoring environmental project for the federal and state governments. This watershed used to have all 7 of the pacific salmon species and once the dams were put in the salmon were no longer able to travel to their natal spawning grounds since no fish ladders where installed in the initial build of the two dams. Since the damn removal there have been a number of documented salmon that have returned past the dam removal sites. This allows for a hopeful future for the Elwha watershed and gives more insight into future dam removal.

Station Map Fires

     This assignment was interesting because it allowed you to explore your own personal interest on the assignment. Since most people in our class come from different backgrounds in their schooling and interest the assignment have had a wide variety. With that in mind my background is in biology and more important in fisheries, so that is where my mind tends to go when thinking on this project. Since there was a variety of data that could be imputed from the L.A. GIS portal website, working with and choosing some data was problematic while other data seemed to be easier to manipulate.
    On the first map there is a multiple of a layers that are represented. Since this map was supposed to cover the L.A. county fires and how they impacted areas, I chose to show the relevance from mostly a biological standpoint. Fires are good for forest and can help renew them by inputing nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorous back into the soil from the burning of organic material. This can also help the forest as well because it burns the undergrowth areas and allows the main species of trees to grow because they receive more nutrients that was being utilized from the smaller vegetation. Since most forest are near urban areas, burning is restricted and so the forest are not able to rid itself of the main fuel for fires. Instead the areas collects major amounts of fuel for fires and once the ignite they burn at rapid rates. If fires were allowed to start and run there course, or area rangers could use prescribed burns, the major fires would not cause as much damage.
    Fires are good for forest, but there are a number of other biological processes that fires negatively impact. Fires cause major damage to riparian areas and streams as well. In areas of headwater streams, such in those areas that were burned in the L.A. county fire, the habitat around streams and the streams themselves are essential for many wildlife species as well as fish. Fires that are major cause that riparian areas to burn, which cause a increased stream temperature since the shading around the stream is reduced or non-existant. This long term increase in stream temperature can majorly impact species of fish that rely on cold water, like; rainbow trout, redband trout, cutthroat trout, and a variety of other species that in habit the mountain reaches of California. Fires can also cause the stream temperature to increase to such a high temperature that it causes fish kills within the stream itself. Another aspect of fires to streams is the increased nutrients, such as those mentioned above, which can cause increased algal blooms and changes in ph levels. These changes can be deadly to the stream communities as well, since the algal bloom chokes the stream of oxygen and the change in ph level cause a deadly shift to water that the fish can no longer reside in.
   For the first map that is shown in the blog, there are a variety of layers. This map shows the relevance between where the fire occurred and where the most protected ecological areas of the county are. It also shows the areas where the is the highest rate of fire severity. Since most of these areas are all synonymous, the ability for the fire to spread to areas that are have the highest significant ecological areas shows the impact on the wildlife community. The map shows that the county is mostly rural, and therefore the ability to fight the fire is less. This makes it a significant difficulty as well because the fire has the highest severity in the areas that burned as well.
   The second map shows mostly watershed data and how it interacts with the surrounding area that the fire occurred in. Since most of the areas that the fire occurred in areas where there are the majority of class 1 to class two streams, which then drain into class three streams, the amounts of ash and sediment in these streams is a very large issue. The amount shows how much debrie and sediment flow there is in these specific area around the fire and also on the downstream slopes from the fire. Another aspect the map shows, although not listed in the legend is the groundwater table. The groundwater is outlined in the larger, outlined in black, shapes in the lower half of the map. Since groundwater can be recharged by streams that flow into these areas, showing where the majority of the ground water table resides is important. Also, another aspect of the ground water is that most wells, i.e. fire hydrants, come from the groundwater or aquifer so showing how far away the groundwater was relevant.


 
   

    This exercise was very helpful in understanding how to take data from a website, such as the census website, and use it to apply the information into ArcMap. Using excel to manage the data was also very useful because most data sets that are large enough to provide applicable data into ArcMap are found by using excel spreadsheets. Utilizing this information helps those of us that will soon be using GIS and ArcMap in our careers.

    While using ArcMap the certain details, like how to transfer the data from excel and also how to match the data with what you are trying to get the data show, was a bit of a trying experience sometimes. Like every other assignment prior to this, a tutorial was essential to completing the data set and without it the completing  assignment would have been almost unattainable. ArcMap is not the most user friendly software, but once you understand how to work with it in the mode you are working towards it seems to all fall in place fairly easily.

    Using excel comes with its own problem sets and making sure the data has certain parameters before you can transfer the data makes it difficult for the average user to transfer the data into ArcMap. Once the data is transferred and the certain data format is obtained, the data is then user friendly. But, getting to step where you can actually work with the data from excel to ArcMap is a bit of a process.

    For someone that is going into the field sciences, using GIS is a key component to getting a job. Most natural science jobs now require some first hand knowledge of GIS and prefer that you have your GIS certification. While working with the ArcMap software I can see where utilizing it to map populations, river/drainages, migration patterns, and a variety of other types things. While the software is difficult to work with, it will eventually provide a large advantage while advancing a career in science work.

   This assignment was a good intro in how to work with data in ArcMap and more importantly on how to put the data into a useable form. It provided a building block of knowledge to incorporate in to future projects. With this building block, future assignments will be easier to manage.

 

   



Week Five GIS

The area I chose was Fog Mountain and Fog Mountain saddle. This area is up the Selway Wilderness area and has amazing lookout tower and had no roads into the area, this helps to keep in a pristine state. There are horse trails and hiking trails to access the mountain and saddle. This area is a popular area during elk hunting season and lots of people use horses to hunt this area. It overlooks the Selway river and Selway falls, which also only accessed by horses or hiking because it is a wilderness area.I have hiked to the top of this area and also rafted the the selway river from Moose creek airport down to Selway falls. It is one of the prettiest rivers I have ever been to in the fall.