Handheld GPS Beginner Workshops Offered

Handheld GPS receivers are a great resource for landowners, natural resource professionals, and other outdoor recreationalists. Current GPS units are accurate (+/- 15 feet) and can be used for marking hunting locations, structures, streams, your vehicle location, as well as for fun activities such as geocaching. Professional natural resource managers can save valuable field time by using GPS with a computer to locate inventory plots, access roads, outline sale areas and property boundaries, direct customers and workers to locations, and much more. Many volunteers for land trusts and other conservation organizations are using GPS to map, locate and measure trails, structures, tree planting sites, and other areas of interest. This hands-on instruction is excellent and will provide you with all the skills you need to use GPS.

The University of Maryland Extension is offering Beginner GPS Workshops to teach those interested in learning how to use GPS handheld receivers with a computer, using applications specific to land conservation and forestry uses. No special skills are required. Workshops run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the cost is $50. Garmin GPSMAP76Csx units and computers are provided for the training . All knowledge and skills learned are easily transferred to other GPS units. Lunch and course materials are provided. Topics to be covered include the basics of using a GPS receiver, as well as:
• Marking waypoints
• Creating routes
• Entering and finding coordinates
• Determining acreage or perimeter of an area
• Incorporating coordinates into documents
• Locating roads, stream crossings, and points of interest
• Downloading and uploading data to a computer (computer provided)
• Computer software options
• Comparing different GPS handheld units

Workshops are being offered at the following locations:

October 19 - 8:30-3:30 p.m. Location: Northern Outreach Center
Garrett Community College
12601 National Pike, Grantsville, MD 21536
Cost: $50. Make check payable to: University of Maryland

Send to: Pam Thomas (pthomas@umd.edu), University of Maryland Extension, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756; 301-432-2767 x315

Register by: Thursday, October 14

November 16 – 8:30-3:30 p.m. Location: Maryland 4H Center
8020 Greenmead Drive
College Park, MD 20740
Cost: $50. Make check payable to: University of Maryland

Send to: Carol Taylor (carolt@umd.edu), GPS Training, University of Maryland Extension, 124 Wye Narrows Drive, Queenstown, MD 21658. 410-827-8056

Register by: November 12, 2010

For more information or to access the brochure with registration form, please use the following links:
Brochure/Registration Form: http://www.naturalresources.umd.edu/Documents/Events/GPS2010.pdf

GPS Education Page: http://www.naturalresources.umd.edu/EducationalGPS.html