[Geysers] GIS People on Minute Man Geyser

[Freund, Udo]

I agree this is unnecessary and damaging and especially dumb.   From
what I've read the best this equipment can do is 10cm resolution (3.94
inches).  To stand on top of features is overkill.  I believe these
folks were making a valiant effort to obtain the most accurate data,
which was the goal of the GIS effort.  Did they overstep their authority
and common sense?  Probably.
 
As far as damaging features goes, four legged critters can do
substantially more without repercussions.  But does that justify what
those two-legged critters were doing?  No.  They should know better.
 
As usual, much scientific research within the Park has little or no
oversight despite regulations.  Can't wait to see pix of microbe
hunters' methods of species collections in the name of science and the
almighty dollar.
 
Regulation enforcement and ethics training may need to be embraced a tad
more strongly by NPS and higher -ups in Washington.

Thanks, 
Happy Holidays! 
Udo Freund 

 

________________________________

From: geysers-bounces at lists.wallawalla.edu
[mailto:geysers-bounces at lists.wallawalla.edu] On Behalf Of SCOTT BRYAN
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 7:58 PM
To: geyser observation reports
Subject: Re: [Geysers] People on Minute Man Geyser


Well, as I think I personally made rather clear, permit or not they are
(were) standing on a rare and delicate natural feature, and whether they
were "trained" or not, they caused damage to the formation. Clearly, the
NPS does not wish to admit to that. And, I might add, why did the person
writing the data also have to be on the formation?
 
Anyway, I note this evening that the subject photo of Minute Man is not
longer on the website. My, my. But as Paul Strasser noted, check out the
photo of Mortar Geyser. Ah well, why don't I just attach it before it,
too, gets removed!
 
Those people were involved with the production of the Geothermal
Inventory that has gotten recent attention in these missives. As I've
noted, the NPS people seem to believe that their GPS positions are
accurate to the 1/10,000,000th of a degree -- for example here, they
cite Minute Man Geyser as being at latitude 44.3547549 [deg N] longitude
110.7984134 [deg W]. As pointed out previously, it is [my opinion again]
rather dumb to presume that accuracy: 1 degree of latitude is a bit more
than 69 miles (1 degree of longitude is, too, but only at the equator).
So 1/10,000,000 of 69 miles (1 degree) = approximately 0.437 inch of
latitude and considerably less than that of longitude. So what happens
if the equipment jiggles just a little bit....?]
 
OK, so I'm a Curmudgeon. But this ----- (errr, ticks) me off.
 
Scott Bryan


	Subject: RE: [Geysers] People on Minute Man Geyser
	
	Wild guess - they're most likely geologists, in the back
country, they have
	a permit and are doing more accurate cartographic work?
	
	Janet White
	
	
	
	

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