 
Fountain County Soil Survey Update
December 1998
March 1996 Jerry Larson appointed Project Leader, Indianapolis May 1996 First acre observance Fountain Co. update July 1996 Scot Haley to Indianapolis, full time soil scientist (SS), Fountain Co. update July 1996 Field work begins for Fountain Co. update August 1996 Tommy Etudor hired as SS trainee, full time Fountain Co. update September 1996 Scot Haley to Resource SS, 20 % time Fountain Co. update October 1996 Mike Wigginton (former SS Ohio) full time SS Fountain Co. update March 1997 Jerry Shively, Resource SS, 20 % time, Fountain Co. update May 1997 Jerry Larson transfers duties to SS, Indianapolis May 1997 Mike Wigginton acting Project leader, Indianapolis August 1997 Bennie Clark appointed Project leader, Indianapolis September 1997 Mike Wigginton subset leader Fountain Co. update October 1997 Jerry Shively 80 % time Fountain Co. update November 1998 Tommy Etudor resigns
November-December 1998 Dena Marshall, Steve
Niehouse to Fountain Co. update
In 1990, Jerry Shively completed approximately
50 transects in addition to doing some road checks and quarter
section mapping. Based on that information the update process
was begun in 1996. To date we have completed approximately 450
more transects in Fountain County. We have described many soils
and sampled at least 10 soils for laboratory analysis. We have
also done special studies to try and improve the data we collect.
Most of the field work for the update process
has been completed. We will no doubt have some loose ends to tie
up, so some limited field work as well as road checks will be
conducted over the next few months.
We are currently evaluating the data we have
gathered in order to make decisions about what map units we will
have. There are going to be some changes made. Some new soil series
names will be included. Some of the names that folks are familiar
with will be changed but many will remain the same.
We are also in the process of transferring
soil lines from the 1966 soil maps onto the 1992 NAPP flight.
Why not transfer the lines directly to the orthophotography? Some
of the soil lines will be transferred directly to the orthophotography
but with many people working on the update and the time frame
involved, we need to take this extra step on many of the photos.
We anticipate that the orthophotography, derived from the 1998
flight, will be arriving early in 1999. Once the ortho arrives
we can transfer all of the lines onto it. Once the lines are transferred
onto the ortho, the digitizing process can begin.
During the winter months we have plenty of
other work to do. Basically, the entire soil survey report has
to be written. Lab data needs to be evaluated and interpretation
tables generated and reviewed. We will need to have input from
guest authors and come up with enough acceptable photos, block
diagrams, etc.
Barring any unforeseen difficulties, no problem
is anticipated with delivering the final project by December 1999.
Mike Wigginton
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