State Offers Grants for Land Mapping Software

“State Offers Grants for Mapping Software”
The Amesbury News, June 24, 2008

The Amesbury News reports that the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) is extending the Massachusetts Conservation Mapping Assistance Partnership Program (MACMAPP), an in-kind grants program that helps municipal conservation commissions and nonprofit land trusts obtain free GIS computer mapping software, training, and digital maps to guide local land use decisions. The grant packages are valued at $3,000. Since its inception two years ago, the MACMAPP program has provided GIS technology and training to more than 50 conservation commissions and more than 20 land trusts.

The EEA press release of June 18, 2008, quotes Mary Lawrence, Program Coordinator of AmeriCorps Cape Cod: “The GIS software our program received via the MACMAPP grant is a powerful resource for Corps members who serve the 15 towns in Barnstable County. Members have been able to map trails and open space, track invasive plant species, and support a number of other service projects on Cape Cod. These projects would not have been successful without access to our GIS software."