Save the date for SCGIS-DC's next networking event!

[Janet Nackoney]

Hello SCGIS-DC, 

Please save the date for our next networking event to be held at World Wildlife Fund's headquarters located in Dupont Circle/West End (1250 24th St NW, Washington, DC 20037) on Thursday, October 23 at 3pm!

We will hear from a selection of presentations focused on the intersection of conservation and geospatial applications. Around 4:30 or 4:45, we will head to a nearby happy hour venue. 

I will share more details on the topics and presenters soon-- stay tuned!

I hope that you can join us-- I look forward to seeing you there!

Best,

Janet

[Janet Nackoney]

Hi SCGIS-DC,

To follow up on my prior email, here is an agenda for next Thursday's SCGIS-DC meeting at the World Wildlife Fund below. Please note a small change in the time; we will meet at 3:30 pm. Presentations will last until 5pm, and then we will head to a nearby venue for a networking happy hour (optional). I look forward to seeing you there! And a big thank you to Rachel Golden-Kroner and WWF for their help and support!

Best,

Janet (please see agenda below!)

1. Welcome, quick introductions and a brief intro on SCGIS

2. Presentations (see below) until 5pm

3. Networking happy hour social at nearby venue (TBD)

 

Craig Beatty, World Wildlife Fund

PIE: WWF’s Place-Based Impact Estimator

What are the most optimal places to achieve sustainability objectives? Why we work where we work can have many answers. As part of WWF’s Risk Filter Suite, the Place-Based Impact Estimator (PIE) provides a free and openly accessible way to support location-based decision making around sustainability priorities for companies, NGOs, foundations, and anyone that wants to maximize impact and minimize trade-offs from conservation, management, or restoration actions in place. PIE is a GIS tool for people without GIS experience and provides bespoke, placed based optimization of sustainability priorities in a decision-support context through the generation of maps that can be used to understand where the best places might be to achieve the highest benefits for people, climate, and nature through place-based actions.

Spencer Harman, Analytical Mechanics Associates

Mapping Historical Burned Areas and Identifying Drivers of Fuel Load Growth to Inform Desert Tortoise Habitat Management in Southern Nevada

In the American Southwest, invasive grasses including red brome (Bromus rubens) and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) are outcompeting native vegetation, creating swaths of fuel susceptible to ignition. In this project we investigated factors driving fuel load growth and mapped historical burn events to support our partners in minimizing harm to the critically endangered Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii).

Maria Zubkova, University of Maryland

Woody Encroachment: What, Where, and Why?
Many of the world’s grasslands and savannas are transitioning from herbaceous to woody plant dominance, raising concerns about its potential impacts on ecosystem functioning and services, especially the reduction in productivity and the loss of biodiversity. Despite the large number of studies on woody encroachment worldwide, our understanding of this phenomenon is still lacking. There is neither a consensus on a working definition nor agreement on what drives it. Woody encroachment has been attributed to a variety of causes, including an increase in cattle population in rangeland, rainfall variability, exclusion of fire activity, and an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This presentation will present current knowledge and demonstrate what data is available to map woody encroachment and analyze its possible causes from the local to the global scale.

Christina Sabochick, National Forest Foundation
Enhancing the stories and management of our National Forests and Grasslands with geospatial tools
The National Forest Foundation’s GIS Team supports innovative, data-driven geospatial solutions that promote the health and public enjoyment of the National Forest System. Our team leverages GIS for storytelling, data management, analytics, and more. This presentation will cover lessons learned in the beginning stages of the NFF GIS program’s transformative work and future considerations. I will share example geospatial products from our Reforestation, Field Programs, Marketing, and other programs that involve ArcGIS Hub, Experience Builder, Survey123, and more. I hope to generate ideas you can directly incorporate into your work.

On Fri, Oct 10, 2025 at 4:03 PM Janet Nackoney <jnac...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello SCGIS-DC, 

Please save the date for our next networking event to be held at World Wildlife Fund's headquarters located in Dupont Circle/West End (1250 24th St NW, Washington, DC 20037) on Thursday, October 23 at 3:30 pm!

[Janet Nackoney]

Hello SCGIS-DC!

For security access to WWF and to ensure that we have enough space and seats for folks, we need to have attendees register in advance. Please register for the WWF event here: https://ticketbud.com/events/1207c73a-ade0-11f0-ad78-42010a7170c8

If you are unable to join us at WWF, we encourage you to meet us at the networking happy hour at Circa Foggy Bottom (no advance registration required) shortly after 5pm. 

I hope to see you there!

Best,

Janet

On Fri, Oct 17, 2025 at 2:01 PM Janet Nackoney <jnac...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi SCGIS-DC,

To follow up on my prior email, here is an agenda for next Thursday's SCGIS-DC meeting at the World Wildlife Fund below. Please note a small change in the time; we will meet at 3:30 pm. Presentations will last until 5pm, and then we will head to a nearby venue for a networking happy hour (optional). I look forward to seeing you there! And a big thank you to Rachel Golden-Kroner and WWF for their help and support!

Best,

Janet (please see agenda below!)

1. Welcome, quick introductions and a brief intro to SCGIS

[Janet Nackoney]

Hi SCGIS-DC!

Just a reminder to join us tomorrow, Thursday 11/23 for our fall networking event at WWF at 3:30pm. You must register in advance. 

If you cannot join us at WWF, please come to the bar area at Circa Foggy Bottom for a no-host networking social a bit after 5pm!

Best,

Janet

[Janet Nackoney]

Hi SCGIS-DC,

Registration for this afternoon's event is now closed, but you can still join us for a no-host networking happy hour at or around 5pm at Circa Foggy Bottom. We will gather near the bar. 

I look forward to seeing you there!

Best,

Janet