Today is Tuesday, May 21, 2013

GoogleEarth Missouri Department of Conservation

An indispensable tool for scouting public land in Missouri and elsewhere, is Google Earth and "KMZ" files that add overlays for areas of interest to Google Earth.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has created a really nice add-on to Google Earth for its conservation areas in Missouri.  It allows the user who has installed the necessary KMZ file to view conservation areas in Google Earth with their outlines mapped as overlays on Google Earth imagery.  There is even clickable links which brings up useful short descriptions of species populations, area regs, and activities permitted on the area.  The imagery can be used as a useful first step in analyzing an area for hunting activities.

First, you need to have Google Earth installed on your computer.  Go to Google Earth Download, read the easy installation steps and platform requirements, and get it on your computer to start.

Next, download and install the MDC KMZ file.  If you place these on your desktop and double-click them, Google Earth will open with these overlays displayed. 

Finally, to see USFS boundaries in Missouri (and elsewhere) you can display parks and US national forest borders by enabling the Parks and Recreations layer folder in Google Earth.  It will display campsites, national forest info, trailheads, and more.

Below is an image of Google Earth with the MDC KMZ file loaded. Note all the conservation areas in the state of Missouri!


Below is a closeup image of Google Earth layers that are available.



If we zoom in on the state of Missouri we see a better view of the areas.


Finally, if we click on an icon in the Google Earth window, we can see details about that location.