Robert B. McKusick, Ph.D.,
Vice President and Senior Principal
Duane A. Paul, Ph.D., Senior Consultant and Senior Associate
Lora Kay McKusick, B.A., GPS/GIS Manager and Associate
Ms. McKusick joined NEA’s full-time professional staff
in 1994, after completing dual bachelor degrees in Criminal Justice and Sociology
at Washington State University. Prior to joining the firm full-time, Ms. McKusick
conducted surveys related to Indian water rights and cultural homeland issues
on reservations in Nevada and Arizona during the summers of 1989-93. Ms. McKusick manages NEA's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) programs. She has been using ESRI ArcInfo™ and PC ArcInfo™
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) since 1994. During that time she has taken three Global Positioning
(GPS) certification courses on Trimble Pathfinder Systems from certified Trimble
trainers through Trimble Navigation Limited, and has used these systems for
data collection and analysis.
As NEA’s primary GPS analyst, Ms. McKusick uses a 12-channel Trimble Pathfinder™ Pro XRS system for field data collection. She is fully responsible for GPS mission planning, field data collection, post-processed differential correction of data, final conversion to GIS, and the preparation of mylar overlays for quality control. She has used this GPS data collection method for water rights studies for Indian reservations in California, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Washington, and flooded lands analyses for dam relicensing in Minnesota, Michigan, and Maine. Ms. McKusick also used GPS technology for a streamside restoration project in Colorado and a recent assessment of forest fire damages in New Mexico. She has integrated GPS with sonar to map bathymetric data, and used GPS for navigation and data collection from a helicopter. She also used GPS with a laser to map flooded lands.
Ms. McKusick is currently conducting GIS and GPS analysis in support of water rights claim litigation and negotiation on behalf of six Indian tribes. She also serves as GIS analyst for several FERC relicensing studies for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
