<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:8.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>All-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Having access to a GIS can be extremely helpful for Land Trust organizations. At CLC, we have relied on ESRI’s ArcGIS suite of software, which is possible due to their very generous non-profit program. However, for organizations that are familiar with Google Earth there is some good news. Google just announced they are making their GIS, Google Earth Pro, available for free.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I haven’t explored Google Earth Pro myself yet, but it may be a viable option for some organizations.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2015/01/google-earth-pro-is-now-free.html">http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2015/01/google-earth-pro-is-now-free.html</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#00693C'>Sean Bloom, </span></b><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#00693C'>GIS Director and Biologist<br><b>Catawba Lands Conservancy</b><br></span><i><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#4A3614'>Leading the Carolina Thread Trail</span></i><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#00693C'><br></span><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#006A38'>4530 Park Road, Suite 420 <br>Charlotte, NC 28209</span><b><u><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#046A38'><br><br></span></u></b><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#00693C'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#00693C'>T: 704.342.3330 ext. 204<br>F: 704.342.3340<br>carolinathreadtrail.org<br>www.catawbalands.org<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#663300'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.facebook.com/catawbalands"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=30 height=30 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D03FC8.D162DA30" alt=Facebook-Icon></span></a> <span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#663300'><a href="http://www.facebook.com/catawbalands"><span style='color:blue'>Catawba Lands Conservancy</span></a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/carolinathreadtrail"><span style='color:blue'>Carolina Thread Trail</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>