Maps

I've always liked maps, and I still prefer paper. Exploiting the creases of a big map to fold it down to just the area you need is a unique pleasure. But there's no denying the power and pure usefulness of interactive digital maps. The digitization of spatial data has revolutionized many fields of study– though at this point I sometimes wonder whether the ease of making beautiful and informative maps has led to overemphasizing spatial variation at the expense of variation along other dimensions.

Regardless, the latest issue of Bay Nature includes a couple of outstanding map displays. Before I go any further... you will subscribe, won't you? And now, the maps...

In the lower left panel, darker areas are both relatively intact (less degraded) and less protected... targets of conservation opportunity! You may note a particularly dark double-blob southeast of the Bay Area: the Diablo Range.

You can read more about this wild and rugged part of our fine state in the aforementioned current issue of Bay Nature. Here's a cool diptych that will give some idea just how wild... bring your telescope and leave your phone at home.