conservation-san rafael wsa survey - September 28, 2013

Our survey will see if WSA signs and barricades are in place and to look for illegal intrusions. The Price BLM office takes our reports and replaces signs, erects new or fixes old barricades and responds to problems. New regulations requiring BLM offices to protect WSA were issued in 2012 and require frequent surveys to ensure wilderness attributes are not impaired. The Price office is digging out our old reports and is working with the WMC on how to modernize the reporting though digital photos and GPS coordinates. The BLM is very interested in having us repeat our past surveys and developing efficient ways for volunteers to help them meet the new regulations. The target this fall is the northern and western parts of the Mexican Mountain WSA. I will be trying a number of techniques to make our trip efficient and effective through mixing driving on boundary roads with cross country travel. This will be a great way to learn and use GPS navigation, plus I will have copies of paper topo maps. We will be provided maps with sign and barricade locations and we will then search them out, so I guess this sort of like geocaching. The WMC will provide rugged, waterproof digital cameras with built in GPS so the date, time and exact location of the pic will be part of the electronic record. A high clearance vehicle is a must, 4X4 usefull. All camps will be dry so plenty of water is required. Some locations will take hiking to reach more obscure areas so there will be something for all degrees of difficulty. We'll try to get the survey work done Sat so we can hike to the Indian Art by Mexican Mtn Sun.

Organizer:Will McCarvill
Phone:801-942-2921
Date:Sat Sep 28 2013 — Sun Sep 29 2013
Meeting Place:Swinging bridge Campground, San Rafael River
Meeting Time:8:00 am