Alabama

Under way

Anticipated completion date: June 2005

Contact: James B. Grand

Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Auburn University, Auburn

Land cover: Data acquisition is in progress. Goals for the next 12 months include:

• Developing a protocol for creating the general land cover map of the state,

• developing a preliminary land cover map,
• initiating ground-truthing, and
• refining the list of vegetation alliances to be mapped.

Animal modeling: During the coming year, we will develop the list of vertebrate species for the state and obtain species and habitat requirement lists from neighboring states for entry into a relational database. This database will be used to identify species for which habitat requirements are lacking, and to build the models for use in generating distributions maps.

Land stewardship mapping: The Alabama Natural Heritage Program is preparing a land ownership coverage that will include boundary files for all state-owned lands and available federal lands.

Not started

Update under way (see Southwest Regional GAP)

Complete (see http://www.cast.uark.edu/gap/)

Complete (see http://www.biogeog.ucsb.edu/projects/gap/gap_home.html)

Update under way (see Southwest Regional GAP; see also final report summary on page )

(for status, contact Curtice Griffin at cgriffin@forwild.umass.edu)

(see Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey)

Complete (see final report summary, see also  http://www.wec.ufl.edu/coop/GAP/)

Contact: Leonard Pearlstine

Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

University of Florida, Gainesville

pearlstinel@wec.ufl.edu, (352) 846-0630

Land cover: The final FL-GAP land cover map was completed in the summer of 2000. The final map contains 71 land cover classes.

Animal modeling: Modeling was completed in the summer of 2000 for all Florida mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, butterflies and skippers, and ants.

Land stewardship mapping: The stewardship map for Florida was completed in the summer of 2000.

Analysis: Accuracy assessments and comparisons of species richness to land stewardship categories were completed in the summer of 2000.

Reporting and data distribution: The final report is complete and will be released shortly. Discussions are under way for data distribution through the University of Florida Libraries.

Under way

Anticipated completion date: April 2002

Contact: Elizabeth Kramer

Natural Resource Spatial Analysis Laboratory

Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens

lkramer@arches.uga.edu, (706) 542-3577

Land cover: The land cover mapping protocol was further refined, especially in regards to mapping suburban sprawl and delineating wetlands in the coastal plain. General land cover mapping of the state proceeded on a county-by-county basis. To date, 106 counties (out of 159) are either in progress or completed (Figure 1). Land cover maps from completed counties were edge-matched. We continued to develop an accuracy assessment protocol to be implemented after the draft of the land cover map is complete.

In cooperation with SC-GAP, flight lines were developed and used in late October and early November 2000 to fly digital video for ground-truth collection. We acquired high-resolution (1-meter) DOQQs (year 2000) of the Atlanta metropolitan area for accuracy assessment. We met with a TNC representative to further refine the list of vegetation alliances to be mapped in the state. We continue to develop rules for predicting aggregated vegetation alliances.

Animal modeling: Habitat affinity matrices for all of the vertebrates in the state continue to be developed. The general land cover affinity matrix for the state’s breeding birds has been completed. Alliance level information, other environmental features, and references are being added to the matrix. The matrix is complete for all bird species and about 80 herp species that occur in the state, pending review in February or March 2001. A preliminary matrix for mammals has also been completed.

Development of methods for predicting salamander habitat is under way. We are developing and testing vertebrate models in the counties for which the land cover has been completed. Three part-time vertebrate technicians were hired to enter point locations from various data sources. Approximately 70% of the records that will be digitized have been completed. While inspecting the Georgia Museum of Natural History collections, we discovered a 1976 record of Tantilla relicta neilli (Central Florida crowned snake), which was previously not recognized as occurring in the state. This extends the range of the species approximately 29 km NNE of the previous northernmost known site, which was in Florida.

Aquatic Gap Analysis: We continued protocol development.

Other accomplishments and innovations: Methods for using the GAP products in greenspace planning are being developed in cooperation with county governments and city planners. We are developing a protocol for the Georgia Land Use Trends Program that will use the land cover map in a 30-year land cover change detection analysis for the state.

We began forging relationships with the Coastal Division of Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the FWS, and the Corps of Engineers to update them on the progress of the GAP data sets and possible applications for coastal resource management.

Under way

Anticipated completion date: December 2004

Contact: Samuel M. Gon III

The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, Honolulu

sgon@tnc.org, (808) 537-4508 x241

GAP has finally returned to Hawaii, where it all began. The coalition of agencies co-sponsoring HI-GAP is quite extensive and includes The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, The University of Hawaii, The Hawaii Heritage Program, The Department of Land and Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS Biological Resources Division, and the Bishop Museum. This broad-based coalition brings some of the best biologists, remote sensing/GIS specialists, and land managers in the state together under the GAP umbrella and provides us with the opportunity to produce products with a high degree of credibility and agency buy-in.

HI-GAP began in earnest in October with the hiring of a full-time project coordinator, Don Robinson, who brings mapping, modeling, and project management skills to the effort. The HI-GAP office was established at the University of Hawaii and is collocated with the Hawaii Natural Heritage Program and the University of Hawaii’s Center for Conservation Research and Training.

Land cover: HI-GAP will be proposing several additions and revisions to the NVC to accommodate anticipated major vegetation mapping units. Of particular interest will be several extensive alien-dominated alliances and associations present in Hawaii.

Co-PIs Dr. Sam Gon III (TNC-Hawaii) and Ron Cannarella (DLNR) attended the 2000 National GAP Meeting in San Antonio, where they were joined by Steve Raber, Manager of NOAA’s Coastal Remote Sensing Program. One of NOAA’s major initiatives in Hawaii is mapping the land cover of the major islands through the Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP). (All lands in Hawaii are considered the "coastal zone" by NOAA.) Like GAP, C-CAP uses the latest Landsat imagery but produces final map products with fewer land cover classes than does GAP. At San Antonio, HI-GAP and C-CAP decided to join forces by sharing data and expertise in their respective mapping projects. Our first collaboration came in November. The C-CAP team and GAP staff jointly collected field data and refined the first set of draft C-CAP land cover maps utilizing Landsat 30 m imagery. When completed in early 2001, the C-CAP land cover maps will be used by GAP to form the foundation for the more detailed analysis required by HI-GAP.

Several other agencies are initiating mapping projects in Hawaii that are also potentially complementary to our GAP efforts, and we are pursuing cooperative efforts with them. Land cover mapping is our primary objective for year one.

Animal modeling: Mapping for endangered forest birds was completed by Hawaii Natural Heritage Program. Contacts with species experts are being initiated.

Land stewardship mapping: Major land ownership patterns for the state have been determined. Agricultural and urban land classes will be derived from complementary work of C-CAP and NRCS.

Update near completion

Anticipated completion date: May 2001

Contact: Leona K. Svancara

Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Moscow

leonab@uidaho.edu, (208) 885-3774

http://www.wildlife.uidaho.edu/idgap.htm

Land cover: The Idaho land cover layer and final report chapter are complete. The Idaho land cover classification recognizes 81 cover types and is mapped at a resolution of 0.09 ha with a 2 ha MMU. The land cover data, metadata, and final report chapter can be obtained at the URL above or by contacting the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

Animal modeling: Second-generation wildlife habitat relationship models have been completed for 373 terrestrial vertebrates in Idaho. The models are stored as georeferenced TIFF images with a native resolution of 0.09 ha. The models and all documentation may be obtained by contacting the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

Land stewardship mapping: The revised Idaho land stewardship database is also complete. This data set represents a significant improvement over the original Idaho land stewardship layer by increasing spatial resolution to a 2 ha MMU and incorporating many of the smaller managed areas in Idaho. This data set, its metadata, and final report chapter are available for download at the URL above or by contacting the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

Analysis: Analysis of the protection status of Idaho’s land cover types and wildlife habitat distributions is complete. Current analyses include accuracy assessments of the wildlife habitat models and identification of conservation opportunity areas.

Reporting and data distribution: The final report for Idaho Gap Analysis is awaiting the results of current analyses. Final updates are being made to the metadata. All data, metadata, and documentation are currently available via download at the URL above or by contacting the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

Other accomplishments and innovations: We have conducted a gap analysis of geomorphologic and climatic features in Idaho and will compare the results of this analysis with those from land cover and wildlife habitat analyses. We have developed programs that create hypergrids (grids containing the distributions of all input grids in condensed, binary form) in order to facilitate the identification of conservation opportunity areas that satisfy multiple selection criteria including species richness, species protection status, size of area, and contiguity of area.

Recent GAP-related publications include:

Under way

Anticipated completion date: September 2002

Contacts: Patrick Brown, PI

Illinois Natural History Survey

pbrown@mail.inhs.uiuc.edu, (217) 244-4289

Tari Weicherding, Coordinator

Illinois Natural History Survey

tweicher@uiuc.edu, (217) 265-0583

Land cover: Classification to the community/alliance level has been completed for southern Illinois including the St. Louis region and has been delivered to the regional coordinator. We have obtained ancillary data such as DEMs and forest inventory information. The northeastern scene for 1999 in Illinois, which includes Chicago, has been completed to the natural community level. Classification has begun on the northwestern portion of the state. The rest of Illinois will be classified to the level of natural communities. We have been working cooperatively with the Illinois State Geological Survey, USDA-NASS, and the Illinois Department of Agriculture to obtain 1999 and 2000 imagery and to include more detail in the agricultural classes.

Animal modeling: We have completed mapping the amphibians and reptiles and have begun to produce hexagon maps for expert review. We are continuing to map the mammal records and have completed a few predicted distributions for species occurring in southern Illinois. We are well along with our habitat associations database for amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles. Information gathered for the Illinois Fish and Wildlife Information System has been and will continue to be helpful in developing habitat associations. We have bird data from the Illinois Breeding Bird Atlas, USGS Breeding Bird Survey, USFWS Bird Banding Laboratory, Illinois Spring Bird counts, Natural Heritage database, and the Audubon Society. These data will be used to create predicted species distributions for birds in Illinois.

Land stewardship mapping: We have developed a land stewardship map for Illinois, attributed general ownership categories, and assigned management status levels. The GAP coding scheme for land units has been assigned to each property. The database includes federal, state, and county properties. The data are currently being reviewed and updated and, once complete, a draft version of the database will be delivered to the regional coordinator.

Analysis: We have completed some preliminary analyses using amphibian, bird, mammal, and reptile locational data to create species richness maps using the EMAP hexagons. We have also conducted preliminary analysis of predicted distributions for species that occur in southern and northeastern Illinois. We will continue to do more analyses as our species and vegetation mapping progresses.

Reporting and data distribution: We have started writing some portions of the final report and will continue as our project progresses.

Other accomplishments and innovations: The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and the Illinois Department of Agriculture have joined the Illinois Gap Analysis Project (IL-GAP) as cooperators. They have helped us obtain 1999 and 2000 TM imagery as well as classify some of the agricultural areas in Illinois.

Presentations on IL-GAP were given at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Chicago, Illinois, in December 1999, 10^th Annual National Gap Analysis Program meeting, San Antonio, Texas, in August 2000, and the Wildlife Society Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, in September 2000. In October, representatives from Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin attended a vertebrate modeling meeting in Wisconsin. The objective was to start sharing data such as species lists and hexagon maps among adjoining states in order to build predicted distribution models for the whole Upper Midwest region.

Listed below are projects that are using the land cover database of Illinois as well as other data that were developed as part of the Illinois Gap Analysis Project.

• Habitat modeling of eastern wild turkeys in Illinois. T. Van Deelen, P. Brown, J. Aycrigg, D. Greer, M. Joselyn, T. Maples, and J. Garver.
• Fox and coyote ecology in central Illinois. T. Gosselink, T. Van Deelen, R. Warner, and P. Mankin.
• Deer in the urban ecosystem. D. Etter, T. Van Deelen, and R. Warner.
• Identification and classification of critical wildlife habitat. P. Brown, J. Aycrigg, and L. Suloway.
• Map Illinois. J. Aycrigg, D. Stigberg, J. Westervelt, and M. Joselyn.
• Use of spatial technology to assist with the ecological risk assessment process. J. Aycrigg, J. Levengood, T. Weicherding, S. Lavin, L. Schwab, and L. Suloway.

Near completion

Anticipated completion date: September 2001

Contact: Forest Clark

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bloomington

forest_clark@fws.gov, (812) 334-4261 x206

Land cover: This data layer is complete and available through the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center.

Animal modeling: An original set of models is complete; however, internal review suggested the need for revisions, which are in process.

Land stewardship mapping: This data layer is complete except for minor metadata components.

Analysis: The project has taken preliminary steps to start the analysis. We propose to have the analysis finished in the next six months.

Reporting and data distribution: Some data are now available through the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center. Many clients have already used data generated by the project.

Under way

Anticipated completion date: December 2001

Contacts: Kevin Kane, Co-PI

Director, GIS Support and Research Facility

Iowa State University, Ames

kkane@iastate.edu, (515) 294-0526

Bruce W. Menzel, Co-PI

Professor and Chair, Department of Animal Ecology

Iowa State University, Ames

bmenzel@iastate.edu, (515) 294-7419

The Iowa Gap Analysis Project (IA-GAP) is beginning its fourth and final year in 2001. The IA-GAP home page is accessible at http://www.iowagap.iastate.edu/.

Land cover: Land cover mapping is 85% complete. Only far western Iowa needs to be updated from phase I to phase II. The final land cover map will be finished by February 2001; final analysis operations will begin then. Final accuracy assessment will take place in summer 2001. Current classification is shown in Figure 1 (see Web version of Bulletin at http://www.gap.uidaho.edu/Bulletins/9/).

Animal modeling: Draft vertebrate models have been completed for about 2/3 of all species (Figure 2). Iowa is a cooperator in the Upper Midwest vertebrate modeling initiative along with North and South Dakota. Initial distribution maps (Figure 2) are being shared with cooperators via the Web to obtain feedback. Final models will be started in February 2001 and finished by July 2001, when final reporting begins.

Land stewardship mapping: Stewardship mapping is 95% complete. Managed area boundaries are being edited with the help of the Iowa Geographic Image Server available at http://ortho.gis.iastate.edu/. The IA-GAP stewardship mapping image map server (Figure 3) can be accessed at http://baykal.gis.iastate.edu/gapims/. Addition of some county conservation board lands and federal reservoir lands will be complete for analysis by February 2001.

Analysis: Preliminary analysis is proceeding with draft data sets to develop final models. All draft and final analyses are expected to be finished by July 2001.

Reporting and data distribution: Documentation for the project is being compiled as we go. There has been no attempt at this point to finalize this documentation. Draft data sets are available to cooperators on-line. Documentation of the project will proceed as we enter our analysis phase. Final documentation will be compiled starting around July 2001. All data will be submitted with the final report and also be available on-line via ftp by the end of 2001.

Aquatic Gap Analysis: The Iowa Rivers Information System (IRIS) project started with Iowa DNR as partner. Funding for a 3/4-time position was established through 6/02. Staff attended a National Hydrologic Dataset (NHD) training session in Austin, TX, in December 2000. Figure 4 shows some of the data being developed for Iowa Aquatic GAP. More information can be found at http://mombasa.gis.iastate.edu/Present/IRIS%20Plus/index.htm.

Goals for 2001 are to:

• build the spatial database for IRIS with the DNR's GIS Section using the NHD;
• collect and add specific data attributes to the IRIS spatial structure;
• integrate IRIS into a GIS environment where queries can be done for location or attribute information from a user's desktop. This will involve writing programming code in an ArcView environment using Avenue, Visual Basic, or C++.

Other accomplishments and innovations: The final report on land cover accuracy assessment was submitted to EPA Region VII. The report can be viewed on the IA-GAP home page (http://www.iowagap.iastate.edu/). We will be assessing the accuracy of our land cover classification this summer. If funding is available, we will be following guidelines from Sarah M. Nusser, et al. 2001. Survey Design for Iowa GAP Accuracy Assessment Pilot Study. Department of Statistics and Statistical Laboratory, Iowa State University, funded by Region 7 EPA. In the absence of funding, we will conduct our accuracy assessment through comparison of previously collected data points.

Iowa is the third state to implement the NatureMapping program in the U.S. Phase I of Iowa NatureMapping was funded by a Resource Enhancement and Protection—Conservation Education Program (REAP-CEP) grant (state allocated funding). Current efforts include forming a statewide steering committee for the project, preparing a NatureMapping Web site, developing and conducting beginner-level workshops across the state, and receiving data on Iowa's terrestrial vertebrates (birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians). Goals for 2001 are to begin advanced training for NatureMappers; further develop the NatureMapping Web page to improve database management to allow electronic checking of data prior to submission; and work with the DNR's Wildlife Diversity Program and the IOWATER program to link similarities in these programs and to share volunteer efforts.

The Iowa Geographic Information Image Server is up and running and serving orthophotos, topographic maps, and other Iowa grid data from http://ortho.gis.iastate.edu (Figure 5). This service is being heavily used by IA-GAP as well as many other Iowa users for a variety of applications. In 2001, storage will be updated to provide data at higher resolution and serve more data, including integrated vector data.

Kansas

Under way

Anticipated completion date: July 2001

Contact: Glennis Kaufman

Kansas State University, Manhattan

gkaufman@ksu.edu, (785) 532-6622

Land cover: The land cover layer was completed in September 2000. Currently, the land cover map is undergoing accuracy assessment; 75% of the assessment points have been entered into the database. Figure 1 demonstrates current progress (see Web version of Bulletin at http://www.gap.uidaho.edu/Bulletins/9/).

Animal modeling: An Access database expert system has been developed both for KS-GAP and the Great Plains Regional GAP effort to assist in modeling vertebrates relative to habitats and range distributions (see article on page ). We continue to upgrade the system with a ProCite and Word97 interface for on-line, user-friendly review by experts. The database is complete. We have completed draft and final models for 50% and 15%, respectively, of the vertebrate species (n =422) in Kansas. Currently, 35% of the models are either in review by experts or in revision. We anticipate that six months may be required to complete remaining draft models, conduct expert review, revise, and finalize models. Wintering birds may not be mapped as originally proposed due to time constraints. Vertebrate layers are expected to be completed within the next 4-6 months.

Land stewardship mapping: The stewardship boundary layer is 98% complete relative to land unit boundaries. A survey was conducted to obtain information from agencies and organizations to attribute a spreadsheet that will assist in assigning status codes to public and private conservation lands. Currently, the stewardship survey is 97% complete. We anticipate assigning status codes within the next 1-2 months. The stewardship layer should be complete by February 2001.

Analysis: Analysis will be completed within the next eight months.

Reporting and data distribution: Reporting and data distribution are expected to be completed within the next eight months.

Other accomplishments and innovations: We have created a stewardship survey form that can provide information for evaluating the suitability of lands for conservation of species. Information collected from the survey can be used in conjunction with the dichotomous key provided in the GAP manual to assign stewardship status codes. The stewardship survey is available as part of the GAP handbook at http://www.gap.uidaho.edu/handbook/Stewardship/kssurvey.pdf.

Under way

Anticipated completion: June 2002

Contacts: Keith Wethington, PI

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Frankfort

keith.wethington@mail.state.ky.us, (502) 564-7109 x.405

Tom Kind, Co-PI

Murray State University, Murray

tom.kind@murraystate.edu, (270) 762-3110

Land cover: Our main goal for 2000 was achieved, as draft vegetation maps for each of the state’s six physiographic regions were completed by year's end. If necessary, additional modeling will continue until May 2001, when we expect to publish our final land cover map. The draft map will be used when testing the animal models. If feedback

from state experts and/or preliminary results from animal modeling indicate

land cover errors, this information will be used to refine the map. Approximately 10,000 ground-truth points for 30 map units have been gathered; however, we have retained enough flexibility to be able to revisit the field should it become necessary.

A considerable effort to map crops and pasture was undertaken during fall 2000. Good results were achieved in most areas of the state. A poster detailing progress was presented at the GAP conference in San Antonio, and the methods and results will be documented in the final report. The land cover portion of the project will end with the completion of the final map. We will use the remaining time in winter and spring of 2001 to gather metadata and write the land cover portion of the final report.

Animal modeling: The majority of the vertebrate modeling work involved finalizing the range maps, habitat associations, and Wildlife/Habitat Relationship Model (WHRM) for each species. After the review and editing process, we posted the final ranges of terrestrial vertebrates in Kentucky on our Web page (www.kfwis.state.ky.us/kygapweb/index.htm, Vertebrate Mapping Update). The database of habitat associations for each species has been completed. A Web page was constructed for the habitat association review with the aid of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). The review process of the habitat association database proved to be a time-consuming task for both the reviewers and us. We recently completed the editing required after the review process. The WHRMs for each species were completed and are being tested on a rough draft version of the vegetation map in western Kentucky. We incorporated vegetation, elevation, National Wetland Inventory (NWI) wetlands, forest size, and edge associations into the KY-GAP models.

We continued the analysis of species richness of terrestrial vertebrates in Kentucky. In addition to mapping species richness in the ecoregions and physiographic provinces, we analyzed the value of some abiotic variables in predicting species richness in Kentucky and presented our findings at the National GAP meeting in San Antonio, TX, and the Kentucky Academy of Science in Lexington, KY.

Upon completion of the vegetation map of Kentucky, all vertebrate distributions will be mapped in 2001. Predicted distributions maps will be reviewed and edited as needed. After the distribution maps are complete, we will assess the accuracy of the predicted distributions for all species. Once the accuracy assessment process is finished, the predicted distributions will be prepared for the final gap analysis.

Land stewardship mapping: As of the spring of 2000 the inventory and acquisition phase of properties to be included in the stewardship layer was complete. A total of 80 potential property owners within Kentucky were contacted for data; 23 responded. Some agencies either had no data on property boundaries or were unable to share. While the current stewardship layer is lacking some potentially eligible properties for gap analysis, we did obtain complete coverages for federal, state, and NGO entities with conservation mandates. Work during the summer and fall of 2000 concentrated on merging all data to a common projection and datum and resolving sliver and overlap issues. We now have in place a single, merged coverage of all stewardship lands. Currently we are gathering metadata in order to assign stewardship categories to properties. Our goal is to have the stewardship layer completed during January 2001.

Analysis: The gap analysis is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2001, pending completion of the animal modeling layers, and will be completed in early 2002.

Near completion (see final report summary, see also http://sdms.nwrc.gov/gap/gap2.html )

Anticipated completion date: March 2001

Contacts: Jimmy Johnston, Project Leader

USGS/National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette

jimmy_johnston@usgs.gov, (318) 266-8556

Steve Hartley, Coordinator

USGS/National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette

steve_hartley@usgs.gov, (318) 266-8543

Land cover: Complete.

Animal modeling: Complete.

Land stewardship mapping: Complete.

Analysis: Complete.

Reporting and data distribution: The final report is complete, editing of report is in progress as per National GAP recommendations. Final data distribution CDs were delivered to National GAP; no changes were requested.

Complete (see http://wlm13.umenfa.maine.edu/progs/unit/gap; see also final report summary on page )

Near completion

Anticipated completion date: June 2001

Contact: Ann Rasberry, PI (land cover)

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

arasberry@dnr.state.md.us, (410) 260-8558

Rick McCorkle (animal modeling)

Delaware Bay Estuary Project

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

richard_mccorkle@fws.gov, (302) 653-9152 x17

Land cover: During 2000, land cover mapping was completed for Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. Accuracy assessment started with Delaware, and the gap analysis of the mapped classes has begun. Completion of metadata and preparation of data for delivery to the national office are under way. We plan to complete these activities by 31 March 2001.

Once the rest of the GAP project is completed, we will try to import our aerial video into a GIS format. This will enable us to use additional video in the classification process where GPS capture was intermittent during video flights (e.g., over the mountains in western Maryland). We will use this additional information for an update after data delivery.

Animal modeling: In 2000 we identified landscape metrics (e.g., percentage of forest cover within 250 m of breeding ponds) for amphibian modeling and developed GIS approaches to incorporating those metrics into the modeling. Landscape metrics were also identified for grassland birds, and GIS approaches to including metrics in models for area-sensitive, forest-dependent birds were fine-tuned.

The modeling software has been updated to allow for three different approaches to mapping distributional limits (i.e., range within project area). There are two hexagon-based approaches for common species, one of which relies on the existing species-hexagon association database, and the other allowing for additional hexagons to be added (e.g., for a species that an expert reviewer considers more widespread than reflected in the existing range map). The third approach, for extremely rare or endangered species, relies on a species-quad (USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle) association database. A controlling table determines which approach is used for a particular species.

With the completion of the land cover, the process of cross-walking the land cover classes to habitats (i.e., the habitats listed in the species-habitat association tables) was initiated. The first set of draft models and distribution maps will be sent to expert reviewers shortly.

Land stewardship mapping: During 2000 the stewardship layer for the project was completed. Quality control checks and last-minute changes are nearly complete.

Analysis: GAP investigators expect to complete analysis of the protection and management status of biodiversity by 31 March 2001. The determination of the statistics for the land cover classes has been completed, and further assessment is under way. We will conduct the analysis for the vertebrate modeling in 2001.

Reporting and data distribution: Final report writing for Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey has begun and should be completed by 31 March 2001. The GIS layers will be distributed in ARC/INFO/ArcView format, with associated data tables in Microsoft Access format and dBase format on CD-ROM. The status and availability of these products will be reported via the GAP Web page.

Other accomplishments and innovations: The mid-Atlantic GAP data have been distributed to several partners, including the New Jersey Natural Heritage Program and the Maryland Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. TNC is using the data to aid in their ecoregional planning of the Chesapeake Lowlands Ecoregion in Maryland and Delaware. Staff in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have been using the data for ecoregional planning, identifying viable plant and animal corridors for connecting other habitats, and targeting forest land parcels for conservation instead of, or in addition to, timber management.

(for status, contact Curtice Griffin at cgriffin@forwild.umass.edu)

Under way

Anticipated completion date: September 2002

Contact: Mike Donovan

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Land and Mineral Services Division, Lansing

donovanm@state.mi.us, (517) 335-3445

Land cover: Land cover mapping follows the Upper Midwest GAP protocol at ftp://ftp.umesc.usgs.gov/pub/misc/umgap/98-g001.pdf. Mapping of the southern Lower Peninsula will continue this fiscal year and should be completed by the end of September 2001. Almost all fieldwork was completed in fiscal year 2000; this year’s effort will be focused on image classification, accuracy assessment, and metadata development.

Mapping of the Upper Peninsula and revision of the northern Lower Peninsula will start this year in cooperation with the DNR’s IFMAP project. This year’s effort will concentrate on the collection of training sites and the refinement of the vegetation classification system. A major effort to cross-walk the classification to the NVCS is planned for 2001, pending GAP support for collaboration with TNC/ABI.

Animal modeling: Research faculty in the Wildlife Division at Michigan State University (MSU) will continue working with the Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) and other Wildlife Division staff on a species distribution modeling project. Almost all program funding received from Upper Midwest GAP for fiscal year 2001 will be applied toward this work.

During fiscal year 2001, work will continue on the integration of existing species habitat databases into the GAP modeling process. Further refinement of the databases will occur with additional literature review. Initial distribution/occurrence models will be developed for some species.

Land stewardship mapping: The stewardship layer should be delivered to UMESC by mid-January 2001.

Reporting and data distribution: Draft land cover data for the northern Upper Peninsula is available from the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center. Additional land cover data and stewardship data are expected to become available in 2001. Contact Daniel Fitzpatrick at (608) 781-6298 or Daniel_Fitzpatrick@usgs.gov.

Under way

Anticipated completion date: September 2002

Contact: Dave Heinzen

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Resource Assessment Unit, Grand Rapids

david.heinzen@dnr.state.mn.us, (218) 329-4449 x222

Land cover: Land cover mapping follows the Upper Midwest GAP protocol at ftp://ftp.umesc.usgs.gov/pub/misc/umgap/98-g001.pdf. The state is about 80% finished with the following classification units completed and available: North Shore, Border Lakes East, Border Lakes West, North Tamarack Lowlands, South Tamarack Lowlands, East Chippewa Plains, West Chippewa Plains, Nashwauk Uplands, Laurentian Uplands, St. Louis Moraines, Pine Moraines & Outwash Plains, Mille Lacs Uplands, Agassiz Lowlands East, Agassiz Lowlands West, Anoka Sand Plain, Blufflands and Oak Savannah and Rochester Plateau. A major effort to cross-walk the classification to the NVCS is planned for 2001, pending GAP support for collaboration by TNC/ABI.

Animal modeling: The DNR began to partner with UM-GAP last year in an ongoing state vertebrate mapping effort, and cooperation will expand in 2001. Species expert review teams have been formed, and draft habitat suitability matrices have been distributed to the teams for review. The animal modeling coordinator for the Minnesota DNR is Jodie Provost (jodie.provost@dnr.state.mn.us).

Land stewardship mapping: Stewardship mapping is essentially completed and available. The Public Land Survey (PLS) was used as a base map. The section corners are located, and the 40-acre tracts are generated from an algorithm. Each 40-acre parcel is attributed for public landowner, manager, and stewardship status. The coverage is clipped and served in 1:100k mapquad tiles. Some work still needs to be done to standardize the file naming.

Reporting and data distribution: Draft land cover data and stewardship coverages are available from the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center. Additional land cover data are expected to become available in 2001. Contact Daniel Fitzpatrick at (608) 781-6298 or Daniel_Fitzpatrick@usgs.gov.

Near completion

Anticipated completion date: December 2001

Contacts: Francisco J. Vilella, PI

MS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Mississippi State University

fvilella@cfr.msstate.edu, (662) 325-0784

Richard B. Minnis, Coordinator

MS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Mississippi State University

rminnis@cfr.msstate.edu, (662) 325-3158

Land cover: The land cover for Mississippi GAP has been completed. Fifty-three classes were identified to an accuracy level of 80%. Innovative analyses allowed for delineation of structural categories for several vegetation classes. Specifically, pine classes were classified into five structural categories with > 80% accuracy. Additionally, several urban classes were developed but had fairly low accuracy levels. The land cover section of the MS-GAP report will be forwarded to reviewers soon.

Animal modeling: Habitat matrices were constructed for all terrestrial vertebrate species. Range maps are completed for all species. Distribution maps are undergoing final review. Final adjustments to models will be made once the final reviews are returned. The vertebrate section of the report is well along; the first draft will be completed after final map reviews are returned. We expect to provide the report to reviewers in late spring 2001.

Land stewardship mapping: The land ownership layer has been finalized. Status 1 lands in the state are very rare (< 0.1% of the state). Status 2 is much more common (~5% of the state).

Analysis: Analysis is being conducted on animal distribution at the current time. Any models that change during the final review process will be reassessed in this process. Final analysis tables are being constructed for each species because we expect few changes in the latest round of distribution models.

Reporting and data distribution: A first draft of the final report is expected to be issued to reviewers in mid- to late summer 2001.

Near completion

Anticipated completion date: June 2001

Contact: Timothy L. Haithcoat

Geographic Resources Center

University of Missouri, Columbia

haithcoatt@missouri.edu, (573) 882-1404

Land cover: Phase II has been completed, and land cover classes for urban areas not mapped in Phase I have also been completed.

Animal modeling, land stewardship mapping, and analysis: Complete.

Reporting and data distribution: Complete. The second draft of the final report was submitted in January 2001. Data distribution from the analyses will be posted on the Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (MSDIS) at http://msdis.missouri.edu. A link will be created on this site to the AMLs and programs written in support of this effort.

Complete (see http://www.wru.umt.edu/reports/gap/  see also final report summary)

Under way (http://www.calmit.unl.edu/gap/)

Anticipated completion date: October 2001

Contacts: Geoffrey M. Henebry, Coordinator

CALMIT, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

ghenebry@calmit.unl.edu, (402) 472-6158

James W. Merchant, PI

CALMIT, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

jmerchant1@unl.edu, (402) 472-7531

Land cover: We have worked over the past year on refining the land cover product through inclusion of other data sources and an extensive county-level review by NRCS District Conservationists (see article in this issue for details). We have incorporated three additional data sources to augment the classification based on Landsat TM data from the early 1990s. First, after an extensive cross-comparison with the USGS’s NLCD land cover map of Nebraska, we incorporated two of their classes: low-intensity residential and commercial-industrial-transportation. These classes enhance discrimination between the concrete and asphalt urban desert and resource-rich park and suburban habitats. We have also included select data from the Cooperative Hydrological Study (COHYST) project of the Central Platte River. These data include crop-level discrimination based on 1997 TM imagery. We aggregated these classes to active and fallow croplands, which improved discrimination between fallow fields and persistent grasslands in western Nebraska. Finally, we imported polygonal data from the National Wetlands Inventory data currently digitized for Nebraska. These data enhanced our ability to resolve wetland complexes and riparian corridors. Plans for the next twelve months include preparing metadata and publishing the land cover map as an outreach product.

Animal modeling: We have georeferenced all herpetile and mammal voucher specimens from Nebraska since 1969. We have incorporated the Breeding Bird Survey data for Nebraska since 1969. We have assembled over 100 ancillary data layers at 150 m resolution that include climate variables (means, extremes, variances), selected soils data from STATSGO, and terrain data from USGS DEMs. We are seeking appropriate data from the Natural Heritage Program on occurrence of species lacking records in our current dataset. We have commenced vertebrate modeling using a recursive partitioning algorithm, related to but distinct from CART. During the coming year, we will complete assembly of the occurrence database, complete initial vertebrate models, perform accuracy assessments, solicit reviews of the models, and prepare metadata.

Land stewardship mapping: Attribution of polygons not yet complete. Plans for next 12 months: prepare metadata; finalize stewardship database.

Analysis: Analysis is pending completion of animal models.

Reporting and data distribution: Metadata assembly, data lineage and methods documentation ongoing.

Other accomplishments and innovations:

1. Continuing work with regional partners in Great Plains GAP consortium.
2. Working with Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Kansas on cooperative vertebrate modeling of regionally distributed species.
3. Cooperating with the Nebraska Research Initiative in Geospatial Decision Systems.
4. Received $49,000 from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to purchase 2,000 Landsat 7 ETM+ data to enhance and update land cover maps for the Niobrara River watershed in northern Nebraska.
5. We are part of a team that has received a $1.2M grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a three-year project to develop methods for lake classification in Nebraska. This will involve characterization of lake watersheds and provide additional data relevant to GAP.
6. Cooperating with Nebraska Audubon on locating potential tallgrass prairie remnants in southeast Nebraska using Landsat TM imagery.
7. Collaborating with researchers at Oak Ridge National Lab to apply a new computational approach to "ecoregionalize" Nebraska using climate and soils data.
8. Participating in a $100,000 NSF Biocomplexity Incubation Activity project on the ecology and geology of the sandhills of Nebraska.
9. Collaborated with the UNL Conservation and Survey Division to prepare a CD-ROM containing 30-meter digital elevation data for Nebraska.

Update under way (see Southwest Regional GAP)

(see Vermont and New Hampshire)

(see Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey)

Update under way (see Southwest Regional GAP)

Completed (see final report summary, see also  http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/gap/finishedproduct.html )

Under way

Anticipated completion date: December 2001

Contact: Alexa McKerrow

North Carolina State University, Raleigh

mckerrow@unity.ncsu.edu, (919) 513-2853

Land cover: The current focus of the land cover mapping effort is the sandhills regions of North Carolina. While this is generally considered a subunit of the coastal plain ecoregion, the vegetation is distinct enough to warrant separate treatment. The coastal plain and outer banks have been completed, with some processing to improve the mapping in the vicinity of the Dismal Swamp planned for the early winter of 2001. A pilot study for mapping in the mountains has been completed, and a continuation of that work is scheduled for winter 2001. The land cover mapping work is scheduled for completion in June 2001.

Animal modeling: Vertebrate ranges have been developed for the 420 vertebrate species being modeled in North Carolina (75 mammals, 199 birds, 70 reptiles, and 76 amphibians). Ranges were derived using the Vertebrate Characterization Database, specimen records from the Museum of Natural Sciences collection, as well as the Breeding Bird Atlas. Expert review of the vertebrate ranges has occurred, and updates to the data set are scheduled for January 2001. Habitat associations for the mammals and birds are in draft format and ready for internal review. Following the internal review, expert reviews will be conducted in winter 2001. Arc Macro Language code for translating the habitat associations into predicted distributions have been written and tested for a subset of the species. Predicted distributions for the 420 species are scheduled for completion in June 2001.

Land stewardship mapping: In cooperation with the North Carolina Heritage Program and the Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, the land stewardship layer is nearly complete. Boundaries and ownership information of existing public lands and private conservation lands have been compiled from a variety of existing data layers. Attributing the GAP status is ongoing. Completion and external review are planned for February 2001.

Analysis: The three data layers are scheduled for completion in June 2001, leaving June through December for analysis and report writing.

Reporting and data distribution: Data will be distributed through the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis as well as the North Carolina State University Library.

Other accomplishments and innovations: With support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NC-GAP is developing the GAP Ecosystem Data Explorer, a decision support tool. This is an ArcView-based tool designed for the Roanoke-Tar-Neuse-Cape Fear Ecosystem for use by Fish and Wildlife Service personnel. In addition to making GAP data more accessible to refuge biologists, the explorer will have a GIS version of the Land Acquisition Prioritization System (LAPS), currently used by the USFWS. While the information required by LAPS cannot be entirely translated to a spatial framework, a good proportion of the information can. By adding the capacity for user input, the system should be able to incorporate many of the questions currently addressed by biologists in filing out LAPS questionnaires.

Under way

Anticipated completion date: March 2003

Contact: Larry Strong

Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown

larry_strong@usgs.gov, (701) 253-5524

Land cover: The primary activity in 2000 was the construction of training data sets. Vectors were constructed for vegetation surveys conducted on thirty 28.6 x 28.6 km study areas in the summer of 1999. Three dates of Thematic Mapper imagery corresponding to polygons in the vectors were extracted and exported to S-PLUS data frames. Exploratory statistical analyses of the spectral separability among vegetation and land cover types were begun. Plant species composition and biomass data from range surveys on almost 3,500 tracts of state school land were entered from microfiche and word-processing files into a SAS data set. Linkage of the database to a vector of the state school lands is under way. Land cover maps for tallgrass prairie in Richland and Ransom counties, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and the Little Missouri National Grasslands were acquired from cooperators, and procedures were developed for their use. Ancillary data sets constructed in 2000 included National Elevation Database, soil texture, soil depth, and soil moisture surfaces from STATSGO, and mean annual precipitation and temperature surfaces. Classification and regression tree analyses were conducted on a data set of plant species canopy cover for 180 sample units in ND to gain experience with the statistical techniques. Primary activities in 2001 will include completing the construction of training data sets and their use in land cover classification and mapping, regression trees for predicting relative biomass (%) of dominant grass species, and ordination and classification analyses of the ND State School Land Range Inventory Database. Additional land cover classes identified by this exploratory analysis will be reviewed with ABI ecologist.

Animal modeling: All vertebrate range maps are being reviewed by experts. Wildlife habitat relationship (WHR) modeling was begun in conjunction with Iowa and South Dakota GAP projects. Modeling is performed using a customized Microsoft Access database and data-entry form initially created by Kansas GAP. Regional checklists of species were examined, and species found in all three states were divided up among the three state GAP projects for literature review and model development. An on-line database search has been completed for all species and geographic areas within the region. Literature sources for each species' habitat requirements are entered into a ProCite database which can produce a species report from the Access database. North Dakota’s portion of the literature reviews and WHR models have been completed for 53 bird species, 12 mammal species, and 4 herptiles and distributed to expert reviewers. Activities in 2001 will include literature review, WHR model development and expert review, development of environmental data for modeling species distributions, and development of draft species distribution maps.

Land stewardship mapping: Cooperators have continued to provide significant in-kind resources with regards to public land stewardship maps. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has almost completed a vector coverage for fee-title lands and has made significant progress on vector coverage development for easements. The ND Game and Fish Department has almost completed vector development for fee-title lands. Public land ownership data for 1:100,000 scale quads in western ND were acquired from the Bureau of Land Management. Land ownership coverages were obtained for the Fort Berthold and Standing Rock Reservations. In 2001, we will acquire the coverages constructed by the FWS and the ND Game and Fish Department and begin the process of adding land stewardship attributes.

Under way

Anticipated completion date: May 2003

Contact: Donna N. Myers

U.S. Geological Survey, Columbus

dnmyers@usgs.gov, (614) 430-7715

Land cover: The land cover map will be produced using 1999 Landsat 7 Thematic Mapper data obtained in March 2000 from the OhioLink program. The Nature Conservancy’s vegetation classification for Ohio is being used. A pilot study of classification procedures for vegetation is under way, and hiring of a vegetation classification specialist is planned for March 2001. Areal videography taken by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 1998 was reviewed, and it was determined that additional data are needed. The pilot study will be completed in September 2001, and the land cover map is anticipated to be 25% completed within the next 12 months.

Terrestrial vertebrate modeling: A database containing records of Ohio’s terrestrial vertebrate species occurrence and distribution was obtained in 2000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The literature review of habitat preferences of Ohio’s terrestrial vertebrate species is 25% complete. A database is being created from the literature review information. The database relates vertebrate species distribution to the habitat affinity information for the species. The database and literature review are to be completed over the next 12 months.

Aquatic species modeling: Ohio Aquatic GAP is using the Missouri Aquatic GAP model as a template. Valley segment classification of Ohio’s perennial streams is 90% complete. The final 10% will be completed by March 2001. A database of fish species distribution containing over 6,000 records from field surveys conducted from 1976-99 was obtained from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA). Included in the OEPA database are data collected by OEPA, Department of Natural Resources, and Department of Transportation. Other databases reviewed for inclusion in Aquatic GAP were the Ohio Historical Society’s dragonfly database and OEPA’s aquatic macroinvertebrate database. The aquatic macroinvertebrate database containing species-level data for mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, and midges will be used in Aquatic GAP. Ohio’s freshwater mussel database is not available for use at this time. A database for Ohio crayfish will be developed and completed over the next 24 months in cooperation with the Ohio Biological Survey.

Land stewardship mapping: A base map of land stewardship in Ohio was obtained from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The map includes all state parks, state wildlife areas, and state-owned natural areas. Over the next 12 months, federal, county, and private parks, wildlife areas, and natural areas will be added to the map from available sources. Public and private lands identified on the map will be classified by conservation status.

Reporting and data distribution: Plans are to publish a CD containing spatial data themes developed from Ohio’s Aquatic GAP project during the next 12 months. These same themes will become available on the Ohio GAP home page during the next 12 months. A USGS fact sheet describing Ohio’s terrestrial and aquatic GAP projects is in review.

Other accomplishments and innovations: A proposal was accepted to conduct a gap analysis of Ohio’s Lake Erie wetlands. The USGS Ohio Office and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission will fund this project cooperatively. Project start date is January 2001 and end date is September 2003. The Terrestrial GAP project is working cooperatively with the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development to map impervious surfaces in Ohio’s Eastern Corn-belt Plain ecoregion. The product of this work element will be used for habitat quality assessment in the Aquatic GAP project.

Animal modeling tools were investigated. One tool is GMS (Genetic Algorithms for Prediction modeling System) (Stockwell and Peterson 1999), an expert system that includes several statistical and nonstatistical modeling routines for spatial data analysis. GIS and Internet resources are integrated into GMS. This tool will likely be chosen for Ohio’s Aquatic GAP.

Near completion

Anticipated completion date: May 2001

Contact: William L. Fisher

Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Stillwater

wfisher@okstate.edu, (405) 744-6342

Land cover: The land cover map of Oklahoma is complete. The map contains 39 land cover types ranging from oak-pine forest in southeastern Oklahoma to eastern redcedar-oak woodland in central Oklahoma to grama-buffalograss prairie in the western Oklahoma panhandle. Accuracy assessment is complete.

Animal modeling: Wildlife/habitat relationship models were run for 402 terrestrial vertebrate species, including 50 amphibians, 81 reptiles, 178 birds, and 93 mammals. All maps of modeled species were reviewed by state experts and revised. Accuracy assessment is complete.

Land stewardship mapping: The land stewardship map is complete. Over 94% of the land in Oklahoma is in private ownership. Status 1 lands comprise only 0.2% and status 2 lands 1.7% of the area of Oklahoma.

Analysis: Preliminary analyses indicate that because of the small percentage of status 1 and 2 lands in Oklahoma, few vegetation and animal species elements are actively managed for biodiversity conservation.

Reporting and data distribution: The draft final report is under way. The Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Oklahoma State University are handling initial distribution of the OK-GAP final report and data.

Complete (see final report summary, see also http://www.abi.org/nhp/us/or/index.htm)

Complete (see final report summary, see also  http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/r/jrr131/editedPA-GAP-0.htm )

Contact: Wayne L. Myers

Penn State University, University Park

wlm@psu.edu, (814) 863-0002

The final report is complete and has been produced in printed form. The 90-meter data are available on the www.pasda.psu.edu web site. A few adjustments to the files requested in the GIS review are being addressed for production of the national CD-ROM version.

(for status, contact Curtice Griffin at cgriffin@forwild.umass.edu)

Near completion

Anticipated completion date: December 2001

Contact: Elise Vernon Schmidt

South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Clemson University, Clemson

schmidt@water.dnr.state.sc.us, (803) 734-9097

Land cover: The land cover mapping effort is nearly complete. We have completed an initial map and are preparing ancillary data. Modeling of the final land cover is completed for the coastal plain, sandhills, and most of the piedmont. We plan to finish the mountains and the piedmont by the end of January 2001. Accuracy assessment of the map began in October with collection of aerial videography for all physiographic regions. Flights and data assessment will continue until the end of 2001.

Animal modeling: The vertebrate habitat database is complete. Experts reviewed distribution maps and habitat affinities in a series of group meetings at which discussion and literature consultations were very helpful. Data for accuracy assessment has been prepared. We expect to complete vertebrate distributional modeling and accuracy assessment by March 2001.

Land stewardship mapping: The protected lands database is completed and has been through an initial QA/QC process. Final reviews of data accuracy and GAP status classification are under way and expected to be completed by March 2001.

Analysis: We will begin analysis early in 2001 and expect to complete by May 2001.

Reporting and data distribution: We expect to have the report completed by December 2001 and data ready for distribution soon thereafter.

Other accomplishments and innovations: SC-GAP cooperated in a study of imported red fire ant distribution and impact on endangered species, sponsored by Clemson University. This study will provide us with data on distribution of all ant species within South Carolina. We also assisted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Ecosystems Program in producing a model of potential Red-cockaded Woodpecker habitat.

Under way

Anticipated completion date: May 2001

Contacts: Jonathan A. Jenks, PI

South Dakota State University, Brookings

jonathan_jenks@sdstate.edu, (605) 688-4783

Vickie J. Smith, Coordinator

South Dakota State University, Brookings

vickie_smith@sdstate.edu, (231) 946-5794

Land cover: Land cover classification was completed in early spring of 2000. We identified 35 categories, including nine grassland, three shrubland, one dwarf shrubland, two woodland, five forest, six water and wetlands, three barren or badland, and six disturbance categories. Seven alliances were identified during classification. All other categories were cross-walked to TNC alliance classifications for modeling purposes. Accuracy assessment has been completed for eastern South Dakota, resulting in an overall accuracy of 85.6%. Accuracy assessment for western South Dakota will follow.

Animal modeling: Range extent maps for 98 mammals, 31 reptiles, 17 amphibians, and 226 birds are completed. Reviews are under way for reptiles, amphibians, and birds; mammal distributions are finalized. Literature review for all species is nearly completed. Models will be created using a "Tri-state Database" designed by KS-GAP. IA-GAP, ND-GAP, and SD-GAP have partnered to create approximately 200 regional models for species shared among the three states. Remaining models will be created only for South Dakota.

Land stewardship mapping: Land stewardship mapping and classification was completed in late summer of 2000. We identified 20 land stewardship categories, including South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service lands. Each land stewardship category was assigned a status code according to the flow chart provided by the National GAP Handbook.

Aquatic GAP: All river-reach files have been processed with 9 of the 10 necessary attributes for predicting fish distributions. The remaining attribute, ground water potential, is expected to be completed in December 2000. Once processing in complete, attributes can be concatenated to begin modeling. Eleven-digit watersheds and Ecoregional Drainage Units (EDUs) have been created for South Dakota. The final review for these coverages is under way. Digital locations of fish have been compiled into a database for watershed-based range map creation for each species. A literature search resulted in over 1,400 citations. Approximately 15% of these have been reviewed. This habitat information along with the locations will allow the prediction of fish distributions for approximately 130 species statewide.

Analysis: Gap analysis of the land cover was completed in fall 2000. Each land cover type was evaluated by owner and by status. Of 35 categories, one land cover type (Burned Pine) had 50% of its land area in status 1 and 2 lands, or highly protected. Two land cover types were protected in greater than 10% of their land area (Vegetated Badlands and Unvegetated Badlands); two were protected in 5% or more of their land area. All other types were protected in less than 5% of their respective ranges.

Gap analysis has also been completed for 11-digit watersheds statewide. Of 510 watersheds, 11 were protected in 5-10% of their land area, 8 were protected in 10-20% of their land area, 3 were protected in 20-50% of their land area, and only 2 were protected in greater than 50% of their land area. These two areas represent Badlands National Park and the Missouri River Scenic and Wild River protection areas.

Update under way for the five-state region encompassing Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Final products for the previous versions of NV-GAP, NM-GAP, and UT-GAP are available on the GAP home page. Draft AZ-GAP products are available at http://usgsbrd.srnr.arizona.edu/nbii/. The first version of CO-GAP was completed in December 2000 and its products will be available on Web and CD-ROM soon.

Anticipated completion date: September 2004

Contacts: Julie Prior-Magee, Regional Coordinator

USGS/BRD, Las Cruces

jpmagee@nmsu.edu, (505) 646-1084

Keith Schulz, Regional Ecologist

Association for Biodiversity Information, Boulder, CO

kschulz@tnc.org, (303) 541-0356

Arizona:  

Kathryn A. Thomas, PI

USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Colorado Plateau Field Station, Flagstaff

Kathryn_A_Thomas@usgs.gov, (520) 556-7466 x235

Colorado:  

Donald L. Schrupp, PI

Colorado Division of Wildlife, Denver

hqwris@lamar.colostate.edu, (303) 291-7277

Nevada:  

David F. Bradford, Co-PI

U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, Las Vegas

bradford.david@epa.gov, (702) 798-2681

William G. Kepner, Co-PI

U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, Las Vegas

kepner.william@epa.gov, (702) 798-2193

New Mexico:  

Bruce Thompson, PI

New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

New Mexico State University, Las Cruces

bthompso@nmsu.edu, (505) 646-6053

Utah:  

R. Douglas Ramsey, PI

Remote Sensing/GIS Laboratories

Utah State University, Logan

doug@cnr.usu.edu, (435) 797-3783

Land cover: The Remote Sensing/GIS Lab at Utah State University (USU) is acting as the regional land cover lab for the five-state southwest region. Coordination with the other four states is facilitated through a Web page that allows access to spatial data, procedural documents, and an Internet Map Server (http://www.gis.usu.edu/docs/projects/swgap). State coordination is also facilitated through the SW ReGAP Web site (http://leopold.nmsu.edu/fwscoop/swregap/default.htm).

Mapping zones: The RS/GIS Lab, in cooperation with the other four southwest states, has completed the development of mapping zones for the five-state region (Figure 1). Mapping zones define ecologically similar regions that will be used to improve spectral modeling and, ultimately, land cover classification. Mapping zones also facilitate partitioning the project into logical units independent of political boundaries. The mapping zone approach will (1) allow each team or lab to focus its efforts and specialize on interpretation of fewer, spectrally similar vegetation types; and (2) achieve a seamless, regional land cover map.

 Imagery: SW ReGAP will use Landsat 7 Thematic Mapper imagery from 1999-2001. Date selections for satellite scenes were discussed with participating states and EROS Data Center (EDC) in summer/fall 2000. Scenes for a prototype mapping zone in each state will be obtained and preprocessed by EDC in winter/spring 2000/01. The RS/GIS Lab will clip and mosaic the processed imagery for the prototype zones. They will provide this imagery and a preliminary cluster map for the prototype zone to each state in summer 2001. They will also provide initial cluster labels using existing data and first-generation GAP data later in the year. During the coming year the RS/GIS Lab will complete protocols for image classification and land cover modeling to be used throughout the five-state Southwest ReGAP effort.

Classification system: The Nature Conservancy’s National Vegetation Classification System (NVCS) is being employed to develop classification consistency across the five-state area. Land cover will be mapped to the alliance level and will include exotic and semi-natural types. The southwest states are working with the Association for Biodiversity Information to refine their alliance level classification as needed. For example, the NVCS will be expanded to include undescribed vegetation alliances in Arizona, including sparse vegetation. Vegetation/environment relationship models will be developed throughout 2001 and beyond to aid in the final labeling of the land cover map.

Field data: Since May 1999 the RS/GIS Lab has refined uniform field protocols for collecting training site data across the five-state region. An electronic field form and field plot location extensions to ArcView have been developed to facilitate collection of land cover mapping field data. ArcView extensions for random selection of field plots have been developed and applied to field data collection in eastern Colorado.

In 2000 and 2001, existing vegetation data for all states is being collected and incorporated into a database. For example, in New Mexico a preliminary training site database was compiled that includes existing training sites and 723 sites obtained during 2000. This regional database will provide information for initial labeling, verification, and accuracy assessment of the land cover map.

The Colorado GAP team hosted a workshop in May 2000 to review air videography and other remote-sensing approaches to collection of ancillary data to enhance land cover classification. Air video and helicopter sampling evaluations are being considered for spring 2001.

Animal modeling: The New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (NM-CFWRU) in Las Cruces is acting as the regional animal modeling lab for the five-state southwest region. In January 2000 the SW ReGAP states held the first workshop to discuss the regional animal modeling process. During 2000 the states began evaluation of the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) as a taxonomic standard for tracking model development and discussed desired spatial data themes for use in developing enhanced vertebrate habitat distribution models. A data review tool has been developed as an ArcView extension for review of range/distribution information.

NM-CFWRU drafted a preliminary taxa selection and allocation rule base for guiding decisions about selecting taxa for modeling and assignment of modeling responsibilities to different projects within the southwest region. The rule base was distributed in December 2000 to all state projects for review and revision. The final version will be directed toward a final taxonomic decision rule base to guide all projects in jointly selecting taxa that are to be modeled across the region. This rule base was preliminarily applied to a comprehensive SW ReGAP list of 865 taxa for preliminary assignment to individual state projects. A final list of taxa (species, subspecies, and exotics) to model will be completed in summer 2001. An effort to gather range and habitat data will begin in summer 2001.

Land stewardship mapping: The SW-ReGAP states will start land stewardship mapping in the spring of 2003. In New Mexico, an updated Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Public Land Survey System (PLSS) suite of maps with data current to 2000 was received, and a visual inspection was done of the surface ownership map. This PLSS land status ownership layer was compared with the layer used in the original New Mexico Gap Analysis Project. Further review of this layer is under way to understand implications of this update modification. In Utah, updates of individual management units for public and private lands will be completed in conjunction with the Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center, State of Utah.

Analysis: Analysis for SW-ReGAP will begin in the spring of 2004.

Reporting and data distribution: All products derived from SW ReGAP are scheduled for completion by 2004.

CO-GAP: A report by Driese et al., entitled "Statistical Evaluation of the Wyoming and Colorado Land Cover Map Thematic Accuracy Using Aerial Videography Techniques: Final Report," has been submitted to National GAP.

Imagery selection: The EDC has developed an approach to optimize selection of imagery for land cover mapping using NDVI graphing functions to select for temporal differences.

Coordination: Multiyear planning documents were developed for the National GAP Office by the five cooperating SW ReGAP states, the EDC, and TNC/ABI-Boulder to identify the collaborative approach proposed to perform a regional gap analysis. Dianne Osborne, of the BLM's National Science Technology Center, is a Co-Principal Investigator for Colorado's SW ReGAP efforts and has been providing input to SW ReGAP on remote sensing technologies for use in regional gap analyses.

Soils data layer: During the past year the RS/GIS Lab at USU has developed a soils data layer, based on the STATSGO database, to be used for post-classification modeling.

Nevada outreach: The Nevada GAP team is initiating an outreach to other agencies. They plan to meet in Reno, NV, with the State Mapping Advisory Committee and a number of federal and state land management agencies, e.g., BLM and U.S. Forest Service, to review plans for the 2001 field season.

Literature citations: A searchable listing of literature citations on gap analysis/natural resources with 877 entries was compiled and posted on the SW-ReGAP Web site by the New Mexico GAP team.

Near completion (see final report summary)

Anticipated completion date: January 2001

Contacts: Jeanette Jones, Project Coordinator

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Nashville

jjones2@mail.state.tn.us, (615) 781-6534

Sue Marden, Vertebrate Ecologist

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

smarden@mail.state.tn.us, (615) 781-6637

Land cover: Completed. The final map contains 30 land cover classes with 18 forest alliance groups.

Animal modeling: Predicted species distributions and species richness data have been completed for Tennessee’s 364 terrestrial vertebrate species.

Land stewardship mapping: Completed.

Analysis: Gap analysis has been completed.

Reporting and data distribution: The first draft of the final report and data deliverables have been reviewed by National GAP. Recommended revisions are in progress. Plans are to present TN-GAP data as part of the TWRA Web page.

Under way

Anticipated completion date: June 2001

Contact: Nick C. Parker

Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX

nparker@ttu.edu, (806) 742-2851

Land cover: The land cover map for Texas has been completed; all scenes have been stitched together. Data from fieldwork, completed in all 254 counties in Texas, were used to classify the scenes. Data from 94,868 videography images were used for accuracy assessment. Overall accuracy of the classified product was about 80%. We clipped the land cover map to populate hexagons with the dominant land cover. We ranked land cover by area for each hexagon and then

identified each hexagon by the dominant land cover/land use. This allows a quick classification of areas as urban, forest, grasslands, croplands, etc.. Approximately 6,000 photographs with UTM coordinates were taken in the field. These photographs are in a database and are being prepared for distribution through the Web.

Animal modeling: We have identified 665 terrestrial vertebrate species as being native to and breeding in Texas. GIS layers representing the range extents for each of these species have been developed from existing range maps. In addition, a database consisting of 34,441 location records for mammals and birds has been developed. Habitat profiles have also been prepared for all 665 species being modeled, and statewide GIS layers have been created from the following profile variables: precipitation, temperature, soil, hydrology, ecoregions, and elevation. Distribution models for herpetofauna and mammals have been completed and verified. Distribution models for birds have been completed, and about 75-80% of the models has been verified by recognized ornithologists.

Analysis: Distribution of vertebrates and land cover has been analyzed by EPA EMAP hexagon, by ecoregion, and by county. The actual gap analysis has not been done yet. Additional analyses are under way.

Reporting and data distribution: Draft maps were provided to 89 landowners in West Texas to solicit their evaluations for use in accuracy assessment. Draft maps have also been prepared for Texas State Parks, the National Park Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, USDA, and various cooperators in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mexico.

Other accomplishments: Data prepared for West Texas have been used to prepare selected species-specific maps (e.g., prairie dog towns and Scaled Quail distribution). Data have been used to identify species in the area of a proposed pipeline and at other construction sites. In a blind study, field crews working in the watershed of a Texas river were given land cover maps based on 1993 Landsat data from TX-GAP and maps produced by another university from 1998 data and found the TX-GAP data to be superior.

The TX-GAP team hosted the 10^th annual National GAP Meeting in San Antonio, TX, in August 2000. The meeting was attended by 165 registrants and featured 48 presentations and 26 posters. It was especially rewarding to have 11 scientists from Mexico participating in the meeting.

Complete (see final report summary, see also http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/vagap/frames.html )

Contact: Scott D. Klopfer

GIS and Remote Sensing Division Leader

Conservation Management Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg

sklopfer@vt.edu, (540) 231-7348

Land cover: Complete and available for download at

http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/vagap/frames.html

Animal modeling: Complete. Hexagon species distributions are available at http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/vagap/frames.html

Land stewardship mapping: Complete and available for download at

http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/vagap/frames.html

Analysis: Complete.

Reporting and data distribution: Final report submitted to National GAP office in December 2000.

Other accomplishments and innovations: The Conservation Management Institute continues to introduce VA-GAP data to our constituents through cooperative projects, training sessions, and on-line data delivery.

Complete (see http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/wlm/gap/dataprod.htm)

Near completion

(for status, contact Charles Yuill at cyuill@wvu.edu)

Under way

Anticipated completion date: September 2002

Contact: Daniel Fitzpatrick

U.S. Geological Survey

Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse

Daniel_Fitzpatrick@usgs.gov, (608) 781-6298

Land cover: Land cover mapping follows the Upper Midwest GAP protocol at ftp://ftp.umesc.usgs.gov/pub/misc/umgap/98-g001.pdf. Land cover mapping is completed and available. A major effort to cross-walk the classification to the NVCS is planned for 2001, pending GAP support for collaboration by TNC/ABI.

Animal modeling: Wisconsin vertebrate mapping will be undertaken by the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center. A regional vertebrate mapping approach, coordinated by UMESC, was initiated in the fall of 2000. Regional species lists, range maps based on EPA hexagons, and habitat suitability matrices stratified by Bailey’s Ecoregion Provinces are a few of the strategies being employed to minimize cross-state edge-matching and to reduce duplication of effort.

Land stewardship mapping: The Wisconsin DNR has completed compiling state lands and county lands and U.S. Forest Service lands. They are collaborating with UMESC to acquire coverages of DOI lands.

Reporting and data distribution: Land cover data available from the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center. Contact Daniel Fitzpatrick at (608) 781-6298 or Daniel_Fitzpatrick@usgs.gov.

Complete (see http://sdvc.uwyo.edu/wbn/gap.html)