Apr 28 -- The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) invites comment by June 27, 2022 regarding the proposed use of a new Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS) mapping application to aid in gathering information from Bureau of Land Management (BLM) visitors about their values for public lands and waters for consideration during Federal planning, permitting, and management efforts.
The Values Mapping for Planning in Regional Ecosystems (VaMPIRE) PPGIS application is a partnership with the BLM and is designed to gather spatially referenced data on the values people attach to places and the activities they do on BLM lands. The spatially referenced data can be used to identify landscape values; how proposed management actions might affect use and value; where potential conflicts might occur; and high-performing areas where multiple values can co-exist. The mapping application incorporates a survey designed to assess behavioral changes by the public based on land use and explores if visitors would change locations, activities, or frequency of visits given possible land-use change scenarios. VaMPIRE also identifies if there is an overall change in the value received from public lands under specified management changes. Data will be collected entirely online by emailing a link to the application and survey to visitors who reserved BLM campgrounds or permits in certain locations where this data would be of interest for planning and management.
VaMPIRE website:
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/fort-collins-science-center/science/values-mapping-planning-regional-ecosystems-vampire
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-09101
