134-9 From Values Mapping to Geologic Mapping: Translating data from a public participatory GIS survey of Mojave Trails National Monument visitors to identify and characterize future geoheritage sites

Session: Crossing Boundaries: Histories of Geoheritage

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Abstract:

Mojave Trails National Monument in southern California is a unique landscape of ancient lava flows and volcanic craters surrounded by deserts and mountains. The Monument covers 1.6 million acres and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with BLM, conducted a research project using a Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS) survey tool—Values Mapping for Planning in Regional Ecosystems (VaMPIRE)—to understand how the public values the Monument (Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5037, accessible at https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20255037). The intention was to identify differences and similarities in values among user groups to inform land management planning processes. These data also provide an insightful use case for translating PPGIS data into geoheritage site identification and characterization for consideration in the USGS Geoheritage Sites of the Nation inventory (GSNI).

Here, we explore how the 16 value terms presented as options to participants to map in the VaMPIRE application relate to the five geoheritage values—scientific, educational, cultural, economic, and aesthetic. Five of the sixteen VaMPIRE value terms directly align with these five geoheritage values. The remaining VaMPIRE values align in meaning with other GSNI terms used to characterize sites of geological and societal significance. We also investigate the unique geologic and geomorphologic features that underlie high-value locations as shown through spatial clusters of survey responses. One example is Amboy Crater, a nearly symmetrical cinder cone and a National Natural Landmark, with 21 VaMPIRE survey points from 16 respondents with seven unique values identified, the most common being recreation, or “geotourism” in the GSNI. With such a strong alignment in terminology and location-based identification of valuing a landscape, results support using these surveys as a tool for public engagement in selection of geoheritage sites. This exploratory research reveals a promising approach for: 1) giving the public a voice in identifying geoheritage sites; 2) informing public land management decision making; 3) enhancing the public’s enjoyment and appreciation of public lands; and 4) fulfilling the USGS mission to provide “…reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth…” reaching stakeholders beyond that of scientific researchers and geologic mappers.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7003

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