Cartography

Cartography, simply stated, is the art and science of making maps. Maps that portray the surface of the earth as well as the oceans and heavens are as necessary today as they have been for centuries. The first wildlife refuge maps were drawn by hand, and reflected little more than a dashed boundary line surrounding the land and water being protected. While the days of using ink pens to create maps are mostly a thing of the past, accurate and detailed maps of our wildlife refuges are needed more than ever.

The Cartographers working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today create a variety of maps for a multitude of purposes. Using computers and special software, they produce maps that show the boundaries of the refuge, the land ownerships inside those boundaries, the wildlife habitats, and refuge management plans. Employing geographic information system (GIS) technology, the maps can be made "intelligent" by linking to a variety of databases that provide information about the lands the FWS currently manages and those lands proposed as future refuges.

For more information about Cartography & GIS within the various Regions of the Fish and Wildlife Service, contact:

• Region 1 (Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Pacific Remote Islands)
  Dave Hoy, Regional Cartographer
  (503) 231-2230 or e-mail David_Hoy@fws.gov


• Region 2 (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas) 
  Holger Benkert, Cartographer 
  (505) 248-7400 or e-mail holger_benkert@fws.gov


• Region 3 (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin) 
  Jessica Campbell, Regional Cartographer 
  (612) 713-5481 or e-mail Jessica_Campbell@fws.gov


• Region 4 (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico)
  Ashley Potter, Cartographer 
  (404) 679-7168 or e-mail Ashley_Potter@fws.gov


• Region 5 (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia)
  Michael J. Hayden, Cartography and Geospatial Services Branch 
  (413) 253-8535 or e-mail Mike_Hayden@fws.gov


• Region 6 (Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming)
  Linda Moeder, Regional Cartographer
  (303) 236-4384 or e-mail Linda_Moeder@fws.gov


• Region 7 (Alaska)
  John Brewer, Mapping Sciences Branch Chief
  (907) 786-3462 or e-mail John_G_Brewer@fws.gov


• Region 8 (California and Nevada)
  Valerie L. Howard, Regional Cartographer 
  (916) 414-6454 or email Valerie_Howard@fws.gov


• Headquarters (Washington, D.C.)
  Ron Salz, Chief Cartographer
  (703) 358-2404 or email Ron_Salz@fws.gov