Red Hills Geography Project

Introduction

As a land surveyor and someone interested in geographic information systems, I have an interest in geography. I decided to start a small volunteer project to answer the following types of questions:

How can I employ the tools and skills of a land surveyor to improve the study of geography?
How can a study of geography improve my skills and perspective as a land surveyor?
How do you measure more abstract geographical concepts (like the economic impact of a port on nearby communities)? How can surveying theory (like measurement error management) improve this process?
How can I produce GIS data products that capture the geography of a place and make it available for useful analysis and presentation?
How can I collect geograhical information from the community and turn it into a quality geospatial data set?

I have decided to study the geography of an area of public land in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near my home in Stockton, California known as the Red Hills. I hope to answer some of the questions listed above, and similar questions, as I work on this project.

What are the Red Hills?

The Red Hills are approximately 7,100 acres of public land managed by the BLM. The land is located near Chinese Camp, in Tuolumne County California. The Red Hills were designated as an “Area of Critical Environmental Concern” in 1993.

The Red Hills are home to rare native plants, including the Branching Trunk Gray Pine and Buckbrush. Three small plants found in the Red Hills grow in no other part of the world. Many animals live in the Red Hills as well. These animals include Deer, Foxes, Bobcats, Jack Rabbits, the Great Horned Owl, the Road Runner, and the Bald Eagle. The designation as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern protects the native plants and animals that live in the Red Hills.

The geology of the Red Hills is also unique. The underlying rocks of the Red Hills are Dunite. The soil of the Red Hills obtains its reddish color from iron in the Dunite rocks that begin to rust. This strange soil composition is the cause of the distinct vegetation that grows in the Red Hills.

Planned Geospatial Data Sets

Under construction.

Projet Milestones and Project Schedule