Student Uses GIS to Enhance Conservation Efforts 

SALISBURY, MD---Steve Foley, a senior geography and geosciences major at Salisbury University, interned this summer with the Nature Conservancy’s Nanticoke River Project.  Using Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Foley created two different databases that will enhance conservation efforts in the watershed. 

 Foley’s first priority was to compile a list of all landowners within three focus areas on the Nanticoke that are rich in biodiversity.  Liz Zucker, the Conservancy’s Nanticoke Project director, will use the database to mail information to landowners about conservation programs and options for their properties. 

Because no one knew exactly how much land was protected within the Nanticoke’s watershed, Foley’s second project collected information about protected land from all the agencies and organizations that work in the watershed, both in Delaware and Maryland.  He used GIS technology to create an accurate representation of the total number of acres protected so that the Conservancy and its partners can pursue more effective conservation initiatives.