Masonville Cove

Looking at various climate and weather predication sources I have found that many of them rely of different climate models and current weather events to analyze climate over time. The NOAA and National Weather service storm prediction center site  is easy to understand and use. Many times the maps are difficult to understand what the data is showing you. These maps are clear and even show you when it was last updated, often showing live data.  I found the NOAA Climate Data Online  to be slightly more complicated. While trying to look at the maps and pull up the location I wanted to see the data it is showing is not exactly explicit or clear. Despite the maps being somewhat hard to digest the other options such as the Tool Search or Data Tool selection must be ordered in data sets and are not exactly accessible to the average person.  Additionally I found this interactive map from USGS  that I found to be the most accessible, and understandable. The user can adjust the location of focus

                                           MyMap Using the MyMap program was simple, easy and understandable for a novice user. The program is easy to navigate and access for people who often use Google programs. The MyMap program could be very useful when displaying environmental sites in an effective and interactive way. Some of the different capabilities it has that I thought would be useful when doing a biodiversity study of the Masonville Cove are as follows:  different layers to show different species sitings or known locations, or for different wetlands/ locations within the environmental area various colored labels for different types of animals such as birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish easy to navigate and learn how to use create polygons to define certain areas for visual understanding ability to import to websites and export to KML files to upload to other programs such as ArcGIS add links, pictures and videos to specific points for better visual impact and understanding

Slides

My definition of biodiversity is as follows: Biodiversity is the collection of various flora and fauna that can reveal the health of an ecosystem based on the number and types of species present. It can be measured on various levels from small micro-ecosystems to the entire world. Biodiversity has three levels species diversity, genetic diversity and ecosystem diversity. Within these three levels we can break down diversity even further. Looking into genetic diversity, ecological succession and functionality. Biodiversity is such a general concept that has an almost unlimited amount of factors that play into its measurements it makes it difficult to summarize in two sentences. 

Working in the Survey department of an environmental organization is not where I thought I would find myself. Since beginning in this position I have found a new appreciation for this side of environmental work. Although most of my days are spent on construction sites for new environmental projects, I do get to spend time on wetland sites that have been completed. One such site is Masonville Cove. It consists of various wetlands, upland forests and successional forests. Combining all of these unique habitats in one small area you can find a wide variety of species from bald eagles, snapping turtles to water snakes. I enjoy exploring this site every time we go because each visit I see something new. Not only is it an incredibly diverse site in a small area, but it is also within Baltimore City limits so it is a very unique urban green space as well. I think doing a biodiversity study at a location like this would prove how important they are to create in urban areas. It would show that