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Track: Natural Resources and Conservation
Mark Wimer
Los Angeles County Breeding Bird Atlas
900 Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Telephone: 213-745-2473
Fax: 213-746-2999
E-mail: wimer@bcf.usc.edu
Building and Using a GIS To Manage a Breeding Bird Atlas
Breeding Bird Atlases are intensive field projects to map breeding bird distribution over an entire county or state. A breeding bird atlas divides a state or county into manageable regions and a grid, (e.g., 10 square miles) for surveying. In each grid cell or block, field volunteers survey a representative of each habitat to look for proof of breeding, such as birds carrying nest material. The goal of the Los Angeles County Breeding Bird Atlas is to publish an atlas, with distribution maps and a text summary for each of roughly 200 species. A second goal is to end up with a data set in digital format that can be linked to other existing and future natural resource inventories. This paper will specifically address methods and challenges in setting up the GIS for the Los Angeles County Breeding Bird Atlas and the main uses of the GIS in coordination of a volunteer effort. Topics on setting up the GIS include 1) choosing a grid system and dividing the County into regions, 2) setting up and linking the
database (we use MS Access), 3) potential biases in data collection and therefore, in maps, and 4) methods of getting digital data and software. Management uses of the GIS include 1) visualizing progress by region and over the entire County, 2) assessing data quality and gaps in data collection, and 3) demonstrating progress to volunteers to maintain levels of interest and coverage. The paper will also make recommendations for other fledging breeding bird atlas projects.
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