The Project So far... again.

Since the last time I wrote about my project on this blog, a fair bit has changed, in a good way. I spent several hours looking over data, research, other information and so on; then I spent many more hours creating the foundation of the website – words, around twenty or so single spaced pages of descriptions, explanations and so forth. While it may sound like a lot, when broken down and separated across The Gray Ratsnake Project website it is a very manageable amount. Some of the site pages feature no more than a couple of paragraphs, while other pages feature a page or two worth of typed information.

That being said, it’s not all gloomy and wordy, or at least it won’t be when the project is finished. Over the past couple of days and the weeks to come I will be slowly transforming the website from a jumble of text into a more visually pleasing online exhibit. The most prominent feature of the exhibit will be photographs. Over the course of the summer I took well over a thousand pictures and a fraction of these photos will be placed on the website to divide up the text, provide better explanations and examples, as well as just give people something to look at.

Along with photographs, there will be some short video clips as well as a handful of maps that will help in creating “big picture scenarios” such as helping see the overall movements of radio telemetry subjects. While there will be lots of imagery of the surface, there is still a lot of valuable information beneath, for this is not an “all sizzle and no steak” type of project. Vast data bases have been referenced to help better describe the snake’s population and the movement of the snakes over the course of the summer. I have also turned to some moments of personal experiences, having been the Gray Ratsnake Technician to compliment the information I talk about on the site.

While there is still a lot to do, and a lot of polishing to come after that, I am reaching the end. I am in contact with the park biologist at Murphys Point every now and then to get additional information and images, which has been more than helpful. A general suggestion to anyone creating a website; its helpful to be closer to your main source of information than I currently am. A five hour travel gap means most of your information needs to be collected remotely, which can prove difficult at times.