Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 16:05:49 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Re: "atlasing" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi All, I imagine many (most?) people who subscribe to the MDOsprey listserv probably know something about the Atlas Project. However there is a need for some explanation of the atlas and its jargon for those not yet in the know. There is a link on the MOS home page to a collection of web pages describing the atlas and providing access to an array of atlas resources and materials (www.mdbirds.org/atlas.html). The atlas project's ambitious aim is to map the nesting ranges of all birds that breed in Maryland and the District of Columbia. In order to map bird ranges the state has been subdividied into over 1200 standardized "blocks" of land each 1/6 of a 7.5 minute USGS topographical map (approximately 10 square miles). Birders then volunteer to survey each block with the charge to find as many bird species as possible in their block and to try to document their breeding status using a standardized code for various behaviors indicative of nesting. The entire state was covered by such an atlas in the mid 1980s (1983 to 1987), with the resulting book published by the Pittsburgh University Press in 1996. This second statewide atlas is being sponsored by MOS in cooperation with the Maryland DNR, the Biological Resources Division of USGS, and many more localized conservation organizations (e.g. ANS). I am the coordinator of the project for MOS. We hope to be able to track changes since the mid 1980s in the ranges of the state's and District's birds to give us some idea about the health of our bird populations. We expect to document some range expansions, some contractions, and the whereabouts of many of the state's rarest breeding species to aid in their conservation. Please feel free to direct questions and comments about the atlas project to me, I am here to respond to them. Good Birding, Walter Ellison MD/DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS 23460 Clarissa Rd Chestertown, MD 21620-3645 410-778-9568 rossgull@crosslink.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Franz Hespenheide" To: Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2002 10:57 AM Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] "atlasing" > I've read a lot of posts about "atlas blocks" > but I'm clueless as to what exactly is going on. > > Is there a web site which explains the "rules" of > the bird atlas census project, atlas blocks, etc. > Also, how does one participate and pick a certain > area? Who is organizing the effort ? > > > Franz Hespenheide > Gaithersburg, MD > hespen@erols.com > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================