Students in the Geographical and Sustainability Sciences program develop a methodology for mapping blufflands using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology.

Winneshiek County is committed to protecting blufflands. The County developed a zooming ordinance that restricts development on or near these landforms, and the Winneshiek Comprehensive Plan also emphasizes the need to protect and sustain their associated natural and cultural assets. However, it is difficult to identify and map blufflands, and as a result the implementation of the protective measures in place were restricted by lack of complete knowledge about the extent and distribution of these features throughout the county.