Review general work plan for proceeding with mapping methodology development. Review latest iteration of core/corridor mapping in the Highlands

Transcription

1 AGENDA Review Project short range goals Review general work plan for proceeding with mapping methodology development Review latest iteration of core/corridor mapping in the Highlands Review ownership layer compiled by Rutgers University Discuss joint meeting to focus on prioritization of cores/corridors Next steps volunteers to help accomplish short range goals: Put terrestrial species information in presentable/usable format Develop draft validation plan Solidify and document mapping methodology for the Highlands and border Draft prioritization schema for core/corridors

2 SHORT RANGE PROJECT PLAN/GOALS MAPPING: Put terrestrial species information in presentable/usable format Develop draft validation plan Solidify and document mapping methodology for the Highlands and border Draft prioritization schema for core/corridors GUIDANCE DOCUMENT: Draft economic analysis Draft Road/Wildlife Best Management Practices Draft Habitat Management Best Management Practices Draft prioritization schema for core/corridors COMMUNICATION: Meet with Communication Departments and seek lead for Communication team Complete and distribute newsletter Draft public website structure Complete draft of project diagram Develop one page description of project that can be used on our website and as hand-out Seek feedback from WAConnected Communication lead

3 MAPPING WORK PLAN 1. Continue to develop methodology in the Highlands using best available data 2. Develop and implement validation 3. Decide how to handle areas outside NJ border Apply national datasets and see if works well both within and outside NJ If not, figure out a hybrid approach 4. Apply methodology to other regions Validate results to determine if modifications will need to be made on a regional basis If regional modifications are needed, make them and validate 5. Complete statewide draft mapping

4 Analysis Area This boundary (Fig. 1.2) encompasses common patterns of geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, water quality, and hydrology. We added a 25 km buffer around the ecoregion to allow for habitat concentration areas and linkages up to and beyond the ecoregional boundary, without artificial or arbitrary breaks due to boundary selection. Washington Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Working Group (WHCWG) Washington Connected Landscapes Project: Analysis of the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion. Highlands Region + 5 km buffer (just chosen as a pilot, smaller than statewide area to experiment with methodology) WA applied 25 km buffer to ecoregion? Do we want to evaluate regions differently? If so, how should we define them?

5 Data Development WA: WA: Used 30m cell size and then generalized LI Condition and Resistance rasters to 90m 9x faster processing speed & more biologically realistic NJ: Used 30m cell size Region Size (km 2 ) Columbia Plateau Ecoregion ~83,138 New Jersey ~20,170 NJ: Land Cover Developed Land Roads Railroads

6 Data Development Land Cover Assign a landscape integrity condition value (to define cores) and a permeability value (to define corridors) scaled from 0 to 1 Difference between condition value and permeability value: open water In NJ, also included riparian Condition Value Permeability Value

7 Data Development Housing Density (WA) Assign a landscape integrity condition value and a resistance value scaled from 0 to 1 Housing Density Census 2000 >80 acres per dwelling unit Housing Density Census 2000 >40 and 80 acres per dwelling unit Housing Density Census 2000 >20 and 40 acres per dwelling unit Housing Density Census 2000 >10 and 20 acres per dwelling unit Housing Density Census acres per dwelling unit CV RV Developed Land (NJ) Valued all of our lulc developed the same and calculated the percentage of developed land within a 100m radius circle, then broke those percentages into 4 equal interval categories Previously: just residential, used a 250m radius buffer, and values ranged from

8 Data Development Railroads WA: Assign a landscape integrity condition value and a resistance value scaled from 0 to 1 Railroads Active Centerline Railroads Active Inner buffer 0-500m Railroads Active Outer buffer m Railroads Inactive Centerline Railroads Inactive Inner buffer 0-500m Railroads Inactive Outer buffer m NJ: Used 2 different sources: Transit rail (njgin) = Active US rails (US Census Bureau) = Inactive Reduced buffers to 0 50m and m

9 Data Development Roads WA: Assign a landscape integrity condition value and a resistance value scaled from 0 to 1 Roads Freeway Centerline Roads Freeway Inner buffer 0-500m Roads Freeway Outer buffer m Roads Major Highway Centerline Roads Major Highway Inner buffer 0-500m Roads Major Highway Outer buffer m Roads Secondary Highway Centerline Roads Secondary Highway Inner buffer 0-500m Roads Secondary Highway Outer buffer m Roads Local Centerline Roads Local Inner buffer 0-500m Roads Local Outer buffer m WA also had a Low Use Roads category from Functional Classification system our DOT doesn t have that, so wasn t able to do centerline and bufs or densities like WA did NJ: Used NJ DOT road network and broken down by 3 subtypes: highways, county, local Also in one run coded bridges 0.9 (makes sense? need to provide dry passage) Reduced buffers to 0 50m and m

10 Data Development Transmission Lines, Wind Turbines, Irrigation canals (WA) Did not do this (NJ) Transmission lines LessThan 230KV Single Line Centerline Transmission lines LessThan 230KV Single Line Inner buffer 0-500m Transmission lines LessThan 230KV Single Line Outer buffer m Transmission lines LessThan 230KV Two or More Lines Centerline Transmission lines LessThan 230KV Two or More Lines Inner buffer 0-500m Transmission lines LessThan 230KV Two or More Lines Outer buffer m Transmission lines Greater Than or Equal 230KV Single Line Centerline Transmission lines Greater Than or Equal 230KV Single Line Inner buffer 0-500m Transmission lines Greater Than or Equal 230KV Single Line Outer buffer m Transmission lines Greater Than or Equal 230KV Two Lines Centerline Transmission lines Greater Than or Equal 230KV Two Lines Inner buffer 0-500m Transmission lines Greater Than or Equal 230KV Two Lines Outer buffer m Wind turbine point buffer Wind Turbine 45m radius Wind Turbine Buffer zone beyond point buffer 0-500m Wind Turbine Buffer zone beyond point buffer m Irrigation Infrastructure Irrigation canals

11 Landcape Integrity Condition Value Raster for delineating Cores 1. Take the minimum condition value cell across the layers: Land Cover Developed Land Railroads Roads 2. Results in landcape integrity condition values from 0 to 1

12 Delineating Habitat Cores Applied HCA Toolkit (Core Mapper) to delineate core habitat areas 1. Average habitat value is calculated for each pixel within a circular moving window (~ home range size) 2. Uses a minimum average habitat value (user specified) to convert into binary core/non-core habitat 3. Option to eliminate pixels of low value (there because surrounded by pixels of high value), using a minimum per pixel minimum habitat value 4. Optionally can expand outwards in a cost-weighted distance from core habitat up to home range movement distance to potentially link patches of core habitat into larger aggregates. Uses resistance surface to do this. Results in fewer, but larger cores. 5. Removes cores below a user-specified minimum area.

13 Landcape Integrity Resistance Value Rasters for delineating Corridors 1. Lihv = minimum resistance value cell across the layers: Land Cover Developed Land Railroads Roads 2. Apply equation 100 * (1-lihv) Results in resistance layers with values from 0 to 100

14 Linkage Modeling - using Linkage Mapper

15 Bog Turtle Core and Corridor Mapping 1. Known colonies = Cores 2. Maximum value across the layers: Lihv (resistance raster) Unranked bog turtle habitat patches used in Landscape Project mapping (coded as.9 and.95) 3. Minimum value across the layers: Raster described above Railroad centerlines Road centerlines 4. Apply equation 100 * (1-lihv) Results in resistance layers with values from 0 to 100

16 NEXT STEPS MAPPING: Put terrestrial species information in presentable/usable format Develop draft validation plan Solidify and document mapping methodology for the Highlands and border Draft prioritization schema for core/corridors