Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project: Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project: An Overview of Project Goals and An Overview of Project Goals and

OrganizationOrganization

Southwest Regional Gap Analysis ProjectArizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah

US-IALE 2004, Las Vegas, Nevada: Transdisciplinary Challenges in Landscape Ecology

Julie Prior-MageeJulie Prior-MageeUSGS - Biological Resources Discipline

The Southwest RegionalThe Southwest Regional Gap Analysis ProjectGap Analysis Project

A Multi-agency InitiativeA Multi-agency InitiativeSWReGAP

USGS BRDUSGS EDC

US EPABLM

CDOWUSU

NMSUNAUCSU

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

Presentation TopicsPresentation Topics

What is GAP – mission, objectives, and What is GAP – mission, objectives, and productsproducts

SWReGAP – SWReGAP – project organization, project organization, responsibilities, and timelineresponsibilities, and timeline

Benefits of a regional approachBenefits of a regional approach

What Is GAP?

A “gap” is the lack of representation or under-representation of an element of biodiversity (plant community or animal species) in an area intended for its long term maintenance.

Gap analysis is a process to keep common species common by plugging the gaps in our network of lands managed for biodiversity.

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

Mission Statement

“To promote conservation of biodiversity through information...

by providing conservation assessments of natural communities and native species,..

and to facilitate the application of this information to land management.”

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

GAP Objectives1) map the distributions of natural communities using NVCS –

LAND COVER MAPPING

2) map predicted habitat of native animal species – ANIMAL HABITAT MODELING

3) map the degree of management for biodiversity maintenance of land tracts and water bodies focusing on intent – STEWARDSHIP MAPPING

4) analyze the representation of biotic elements in the conservation network to identify “gaps” in long-term security – GAP ANALYSIS

5) provide this information to the public and those entities charged with land use research, policy, planning, and management.

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

Analyses: Animals

Who are the land stewards and how well is the animal species protected?

% USFS: 53.0%% BLM: 0.85%% Protected: 7.3%

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

Products of GAP

Digital products on CD-ROM and the Internet: Land Cover GIS Coverage Animal Habitat GIS Coverages Stewardship/Ownership GIS Coverages Analyses of “gaps” and general

representation Areas of species richness Ancillary data used in modeling A report of methods and results

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

The Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP) maps according to biogeographic zones rather than state boundaries to achieve a regional seamless biotic data set.

Work is coordinated as a regional effort among 5 state-based institutions, NatureServe, and other cooperators.

NMCFWRULas Cruces

USULogan

EPALas Vegas

CPFSFlagstaff

CDOW &BLM NSTC

DenverNREL/CSU

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

State Project Principle Investigators and NatureServe Cooperator:

AZ: Kathryn Thomas, USGS Colorado Plateau Field Station, Northern Arizona

University, Flagstaff.

CO: Don Schrupp, Colorado Division of Wildlife; Lee O’Brien, NREL, Colorado

State University; Dianne Osborne, BLM-NSTC.

NV: William Kepner and David Bradford, EPA – National Exposure Research Lab,

Las Vegas.

NM: Ken Boykin, USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, New

Mexico State University, Las Cruces.

UT: Doug Ramsey and John Lowry, Utah State University;

Collin Homer, USGS EROS Data Center.

NatureServe: Regional plant ecology coordination – Pat Comer and Keith Schulz

Who is SWReGAP?

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

Project Components and Responsibilities Land cover mapping is coordinated by the RS/GIS

Lab at Utah State University. Animal habitat modeling is coordinated by the

NMCFWRU at New Mexico State University. Stewardship mapping and analysis are also

coordinated by the NMCFWRU. Individual state labs work cooperatively

through the regional labs to produce regionally consistent and seamless data sets for the Southwest.

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAPProject Timeline

1998 First organizational workshops held.

1999 Planning workshop held and initial GAP funds distributed. Regional and State coordinators hired.

2000-1 Primary landsat imagery acquired along with field data. Regional animal habitat modeling methods established. Land cover mapping and animal habitat modeling work ongoing.

2002-3 Land cover mapping and animal modeling continues. Stewardship mapping begins in 2003.

2004 Land cover mapping and stewardship mapping will be complete in September 2004.

2005 Animal modeling will be complete in March 2005. Analysis completed, report written, and data published by fall 2005.

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

Some SWReGAP Vital Statistics

Project area: 530, 415 sq mi, 339,465,600 ac

- 93% of the size of Alaska BLM lands: 31% of area USFS lands: 14% of area State lands: 7% of area Tribal lands: 9% of area

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAPBenefits of Regional SWReGAP

Partnership Consistent data provides a common base for interagency

analysis (regional consistency spatially and thematically with NVCS).

Regional data will allow regional planning as a context for site-level management and NEPA compliance.

A high quality data set will permit regional assessments of landscape health and trends and reveal patterns only visible at that scale.

It provides a sampling frame for finer-scale data collection and study.

The Gap Analysis ProgramThe Gap Analysis Programhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gaphttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu/gap

SWReGAPSWReGAP

ContactsContacts Regional Coordinator: Regional Coordinator:

Julie Prior-Magee jpmagee@nmsu.eduJulie Prior-Magee jpmagee@nmsu.edu

SWReGAP website:SWReGAP website: http://leopold.nmsu.edu/fwscoop/swregap/default.htmhttp://leopold.nmsu.edu/fwscoop/swregap/default.htm

National GAP website: National GAP website: http://www.gap.uidaho.eduhttp://www.gap.uidaho.edu or or search “gap analysis”search “gap analysis”

Contains all GAP contacts, state project status and links, and Contains all GAP contacts, state project status and links, and state data.state data.

The National GAP Office: 208/885-3555The National GAP Office: 208/885-3555