2026 Maps as Infrastructure
General
Maps do more than show people where to go. Well-designed maps help communities understand, access, value, and care for landscapes.
In this one-hour Zoom seminar, Michael Hermann, founder and lead cartographer of Purple Lizard Maps, will explore how maps can serve as infrastructure for conservation, education, public access, and stewardship. Through examples of partnerships with land trusts, agencies, watershed groups, trail organizations, and regional partners, including the new PA Wilds Dark Skies map, he will show how maps can translate complex landscapes and information into useful public-facing tools.
The session will also examine how maps can strengthen communication with communities and funders, reveal overlooked recreational and conservation assets, and help people form lasting connections with the places conservation professionals work to protect.
Presenter
Michael Hermann | Founder | Purple Lizard Maps
Michael Hermann is the founder and lead cartographer of Purple Lizard Maps, an independent map publisher known for its detailed, field-tested outdoor recreation maps of public lands and trail systems. An award-winning specialist in recreation, conservation, and place-based cartography, Michael has spent more than 30 years designing maps that help people understand and navigate complex landscapes.
In addition to developing Purple Lizard’s industry-leading line of retail recreation maps, he has created maps for nonprofits, land trusts, government agencies, universities, visitor bureaus, trail organizations, and commercial publishers. His work combines extensive research, field exploration, visual storytelling, and practical design to make landscapes clear, accessible, and meaningful to the people who use them.
Purple Lizard Maps currently publishes recreation maps covering public lands and trail systems across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and Puerto Rico.
Pricing
$25.00 Virtual Seminar Fee (free for WeConservePA members)