AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Shorebird_Priority_Areas_NAWCA_2024Update

These data depict areas of the U.S. where NAWCA projects should be developed and favored based on benefits to wetland-associated shorebirds. The idea is that protecting, enhancing, or restoring wetlands within these landscapes has greater value than conducting these same conservation activities outside the landscape boundary. Shorebirds include families of birds that dependent on wetland, grassland, and beach habitats to complete portions of their life cycles, such as, avocets and stilts, plovers, oystercatchers, sandpipers, and phalaropes. Technical Question #3 for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) asks applicants to describe how the proposed grant and match activities will address the national and/or continental geographic priorities for wetland habitat conservation as outlined in the four major migratory bird conservation plans and makes reference to geographic priority maps for these bird groups. These data were compiled by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Partnership in consultation with regional U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird biologists, state shorebird biologists, NGO shorebird experts, and staff of the bird habitat Joint Ventures to develop a national-scale map that depicts areas where habitat acquisition, enhancement, and restoration would yield the greatest benefits for the highest priority wetland-associated shorebird species. The original shorebird map illustrated coarse areas (i.e. blobs) of national importance to shorebirds (2004). These areas focused on wetland landscapes that were used by large numbers of migrant shorebirds (>20,000 individuals) or that supported high densities of breeding or wintering shorebirds. The landscape approach was chosen because of the geographic variability in shorebird use of discrete versus dispersed sites throughout the nation and the attempt to balance use during the breeding season with migration and wintering. The same landscape approach was used for the 2012 revision, with the goal of improving the usefulness of the coarse map. The 2004 “blob” map did not define very precisely the boundary of important areas. To remedy that problem, we used (generally) the EPA’s Level IV Ecoregion boundaries, which are available for every state except Alaska and Hawaii. We produced state-scale maps designating refinements to the previous blob map for review. A 2024 update now includes important shorebird areas of Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Maps originate from one national, scalable shapefile that will be available to applicants and other users. Although the idea of providing levels of importance to sites (e.g., WHSRN categories) has been previously considered, we believe the complexity would be difficult to portray on a single map, particularly considering the differences between breeding and migrations sites discussed above. Regional importance of sites to shorebirds is assessed separately as a second part of Technical Question #3.
Wetland Complex DSM for Waterfowl thematic

FOR non-AGOL ACCOUNT HOLDERS, DOWNLOAD THIS GEOSPATIAL DATA HERE: https://gis-fws.opendata.arcgis.com/search?tags=lmvjv We defined a wetland complex as an area of appropriate size for conservation planning with suitable water coverage and persistence, heterogeneity and structure of vegetation, energy density and quality, and sanctuary to provide all of the resources needed by ducks during a portion of the non-breeding period (late fall to early spring). Based on this definition, we developed three primary sub-models for those factors that we could measure geospatially. We developed sub-models for Wetland Type to capture water coverage and heterogeneity of vegetation, Sanctuary, and Energy. The three sub-models were combined into a final Wetland Complex model. Our final Wetland Complex Model highlights several areas on the landscape where multiple habitat components (e.g., optimal configuration of wetland types) are present and create important focus areas for waterfowl conservation planning. The highlighted red areas are where we would predict to see high waterfowl use throughout the winter. The highlighted red areas could also be used as anchor points to improve the surrounding landscape to increase attractiveness to waterfowl. The vector version of this data loses some of the detail and nuance that the original data retains. Please be aware when using the vector data that it is not as precise as the raster format of this data.
FWS NFHS CMT Points

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Corporate Master Table (CMT) is the official source of Service organization codes and related information. Information in the CMT includes, but is not limited to, organization codes, organization names, Federal Budget Management System (FBMS), cost center codes, fire unit identifiers, program names, mailing and physical/shipping addresses, telephone and fax numbers as well as latitude and longitude coordinates. This dataset has updated labels which have been abbreviated for better cartographic display. The CMT enables all Service automated systems to utilize a corporate data set of known quality, eliminating the workload required to maintain each system's data set, and thereby facilitating data sharing. Other customers for the CMT are Service personnel who maintain directories, communicate with Congress and with the Public, maintain World Wide Web sites, etc. These spatial data were created using the information in the CMT. The CMT contains location information on all the offices within the Service that have an organization code. Unstaffed offices and some other facilities may not be included. The latitude and longitude points used are usually the location of the main administrative site. The latitude and longitude data is not completely verified but is the best we have at this time. This data set is intended to give an overview of where USFWS has stations across the United States and Territories, including locations outside the 50 states. It is not intended to be the exact location of every USFWS office. The CMT is primarily used for accounting purposes and therefore one location in the CMT can represent many different offices. Some points are duplicates where a station, most usually an Ecological Field Office, may be associated with more than one USFWS program. This data is updated from an internal authoritative source every night at 2:30am EST. For a direct link to the official Enterprise Geospatial dataset and metadata: *link pending*
NACC_Waterfall_Database

Knowing where falls occur in the stream network can help researchers better understand and model aquatic species distributions and species migration patterns. This dataset is intended to support national scale species distribution modeling efforts by documenting potential natural barriers to aquatic species' passage. This is a dataset of waterfalls at the national scale originally created by USGS for the CONUS found at [this link]. This dataset has been supplemented with local waterfall information from partners and data traded back to USGS. The data within this dataset and collected within this form is used in SARP's Aquatic Barrier Prioritization Tool (https://connectivity.sarpdata.com). Original base source: Wieferich, D.J., Daniel, W.M., Procopio, J.M., and Morningstar, C.R., 2020, Waterfalls and Rapids in the Conterminous United States Linked to the National Hydrography Datasets V2.0: Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9QQTKA0.
Spatial Prioritization of Conifer Management Deciles_Reinhardt_et_al_2024

#### #### [Abstract] File-based data for download: [https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/68926f30d4be0275ee63fd19] Sagebrush ecosystems across the western U.S. are in decline due to numerous threats, including expansion of coniferous woodlands and forests. The interagency Sagebrush Conservation Design effort recently quantified sagebrush ecological integrity (SEI) to map remaining core sagebrush areas (relatively intact and functional sagebrush ecosystems) and understand spatial and temporal patterns of change relative to primary threats. This work identified conifer expansion as the second leading cause of decline in sagebrush ecological integrity biome wide. Here, we sought to create a spatial prioritization of conifer management that maximizes return-on-investment to defend and grow core sagebrush areas. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was used to incorporate a series of biome-level inputs including SEI, invasive annual grass cover and risk, structural connectivity, and conifer cover and expansion vulnerability into a single prioritization based on collaborative expert input. Our analysis identifies priority areas for conifer management across the sagebrush biome, simulates conifer treatments based on those priorities, and estimates potential changes in SEI as a result of targeted treatment. At a broad scale, we found that the highest priority areas for conifer management were largely located east of the Rocky Mountains. This represents a departure from recent landscape-level trends conifer management efforts in sagebrush systems, which were focused primarily pinyon-juniper expansion in the Great Basin. A majority (52%) of the highest priority areas are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, 38 followed by a large proportion (26%) of priority areas located on privately-owned land – particularly in Wyoming and Montana. Targeting simulated conifer treatments using our prioritization resulted in higher within-core targeting percentages (≥93%) than business-as-usual efforts (23.8%), which would result in a four- to eight-fold reduction in the time to treat priority areas within cores. Finally, we demonstrate that these simulated treatments, targeted with our prioritization, have the capacity to improve SEI in and around treatment areas. This work provides an actionable path to “Defend the Core” as outlined by the Sagebrush Conservation Design effort by helping conservationists more efficiently address conifer expansion in and around core sagebrush areas.
WRE - Wetland Reserve Easements (MAV only) -- 2024

FOR non-AGOL ACCOUNT HOLDERS, DOWNLOAD THIS GEOSPATIAL DATA HERE: https://gis-fws.opendata.arcgis.com/search?tags=lmvjv Wetland Reserve Easements were formerly known as Wetlands Reserve Program easements and are voluntary easement enrollment program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers the program with funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation. The WRP was established by the 1990 Farm Bill. Producers enrolling in the program must agree to implement approved wetland restoration and protection plans. In return, participating producers receive payments based on the difference in the value of their land caused by placing an easement on a portion of it. This subset of WRE easement data for the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and the West Gulf Coastal Plain & Ouachitas ecological regions was derived from The Stewardship Lands Inventory (SLI) Program available at conservation.gov.
WRE - Wetland Reserve Easements

FOR non-AGOL ACCOUNT HOLDERS, DOWNLOAD THIS GEOSPATIAL DATA HERE: https://gis-fws.opendata.arcgis.com/search?tags=lmvjv Wetland Reserve Easements were formerly known as Wetlands Reserve Program easements and are voluntary easement enrollment program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers the program with funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation. The WRP was established by the 1990 Farm Bill. Producers enrolling in the program must agree to implement approved wetland restoration and protection plans. In return, participating producers receive payments based on the difference in the value of their land caused by placing an easement on a portion of it. This subset of WRE easement data for the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and the West Gulf Coastal Plain & Ouachitas ecological regions was derived from a National Conservation Easement Database (NCED) exported file. The Natural Conservation Resource Service (USDA) provides the easement information to NCED and NCED provides distribution via a nationwide easement download.
MAV forest core 2024

FOR non-AGOL ACCOUNT HOLDERS, DOWNLOAD THIS GEOSPATIAL DATA HERE: https://gis-fws.opendata.arcgis.com/search?tags=lmvjv Core Forest Patches -- Core forests are interior patches of forest buffered from edge effects of predation, cowbird parasitism and other anthropogenic deleterious effects and, thus, are beneficial areas for forest bird breeding success. The Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture (LMVJV) created the Core Forest Patch layer from a 2021 Forest Cover assessment for the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (also developed by the LMVJV) to determine the amount of bottomland hardwood forest and the number of quality core patches available to forest breeding-birds of the MAV. The LMVJV's Forest Breeding-bird Decision Support Model for Reforestation seeks to reduce forest fragmentation and increase the area of forest core (interior forest >250 m from “hostile” edge). Our primary objective is to increase the number of forest patches that harbor >2000 ha of forest core, but we also sought to increase the number and area of forest cores >5000 ha. Forest patches should be of sufficient size to support source populations of targeted bird species, to minimize the likelihood of extirpation, and to ensure a low probability of genetic degradation. The issues that must be resolved in order to select an appropriately‐sized patch of habitat for breeding birds are: 1) context, or how ought breeding birds be buffered from the negative influence of surrounding matrices; 2) desired number of breeding pairs to constitute a source population with a high probability of long‐term viability; and 3) the density at which birds tend to occur within habitat likely to be included in average patches. Area can be conceptually calculated using the formula: A = (N * D) + B where A = Area of forest required to support a source population (ha), N = Desired number of breeding pairs, D = Density of breeding birds (expressed as area / breeding pair), and B = The area (ha) of a 1‐km‐wide forested buffer around the core forest area (N * D).
FWS_R7_Realty_NWRs_dissolved_feature_layer

This feature class contains the external ANILCA boundaries of the 16 National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska. The original refuge boundray feature class contains several refuges which are comprised of multiple units. For example, Alaska Peninsula NWR contains four units (Ugashik, Chignik, Pavlof, and North Creek). Alaska Maritime, Innoko, Togiak, and Yukon Delta also have multiple units. This configuration works well for most purposes, however some use cases require that each refuge be composed of only one overall polygon. To address this, the refuge boundaries were dissolved so that there is only one multipart polygon per refuge. This dissolved feature class is suitable for situations where the map should be zoomed to the extent of the entire refuge rather than to the extent of just one of the refuge units.
Vegetated Wetland Density

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Program produces decadal Wetlands Status and Trends reports to Congress. These reports provide scientific estimates of wetland area in the conterminous United States as well as change in wetland area. This specific report spans the years between 2009 and 2019. This layer is in a web map that is a component in a[ story map ]that presents a summary of the results of the report as well as providing examples of the types of wetland change observed, the implications of wetland change, and the studies' recommendations for policies and strategies going forward. This map shows interpolated vegetated wetland density in the conterminous United States between 2009 and 2019. To learn more and access Wetlands Status and Trends reports, visit [https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/status-and-trends], and you can find more broad information about wetlands at [https://www.fws.gov/wetlands].
Salt Marsh Density

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Program produces decadal Wetlands Status and Trends reports to Congress. These reports provide scientific estimates of wetland area in the conterminous United States as well as change in wetland area. This specific report spans the years between 2009 and 2019. This layer is in a web map that is a component in a[ story map ]that presents a summary of the results of the report as well as providing examples of the types of wetland change observed, the implications of wetland change, and the studies' recommendations for policies and strategies going forward. This map shows interpolated salt marsh density in the conterminous United States between 2009 and 2019. To learn more and access Wetlands Status and Trends reports, visit [https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/status-and-trends], and you can find more broad information about wetlands at [https://www.fws.gov/wetlands].
freshwater Wetland Density

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Program produces decadal Wetlands Status and Trends reports to Congress. These reports provide scientific estimates of wetland area in the conterminous United States as well as change in wetland area. This specific report spans the years between 2009 and 2019. This layer is in a web map that is a component in a[ story map ]that presents a summary of the results of the report as well as providing examples of the types of wetland change observed, the implications of wetland change, and the studies' recommendations for policies and strategies going forward. This map shows interpolated freshwater wetland density in the conterminous United States between 2009 and 2019. To learn more and access Wetlands Status and Trends reports, visit [https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/status-and-trends], and you can find more broad information about wetlands at [https://www.fws.gov/wetlands].
Suggested FWS Visits Near DC

This point layer represents sites that are suggested as potential places to visit in the Washington DC. area for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director. These are areas within 150 miles or less from the Department of the Interior in Washington DC. Suggested sites include places such as National Wildlife Refuges, fish hatcheries, project sites, law enforcement ports, and more. All sites have a connection with the priorities of the Department of the Interior which you can learn about by clicking on a point. Point layer was developed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in August, 2025. Points are approximate and are for planning purpose only.
Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, Simplified Four Classes, no DEM 3m, Northeast U.S.

This dataset represents salt marsh communities in the Northeast Atlantic coast. The classification was produced using a combination of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) multispectral imagery. This dataset is a simplified version of “Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, no DEM, 3m, Northeast U.S.” This simplified version includes four of the original eight distinct cover/community types (High marsh, Low marsh, Salt pools/pannes, Terrestrial border, Phragmites, Mudflat, Open water, and Upland). The four classes included in this dataset are 1. High marsh: Area flooded during spring tides related to the lunar cycle and dominated by Spartina patens, Distichlis spicata, Juncus gerardii, and short form Spartina alterniflora. Other species include Juncus roemerianus, Scirpus pungens, Scirpus robustus, Limonium nashii, Aster tenuifolius, and Triglochin maritima 2. Low marsh: Area flooded regularly by daily tides and dominated by tall form Spartina alterniflora 3. Mudflat: Exposed muddy areas free of vegetation and 4. Phragmites australis: A species of considerable management interest due to the invasive nature of an introduced form, especially in marshes with freshwater input, upland development, and/or increased nutrients. Detailed zone descriptions, accuracy estimates for each cover type, and data limitation details are provided in this [white paper]. For more information about the development of the data please contact Mo Correll at maureen_correll@fws.gov. The complete original set of data are as follows: "Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, DEM, 3m, Northeast U.S.", "Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, no DEM, 3m, Northeast U.S.", and "DEM Difference in Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, 3m, Northeast U.S." and are products of the Saltmarsh Habitat and Avian Research Program (www.tidalmarshbirds.org) and can all be [downloaded here].
Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, Simplified Four Classes, DEM 3m, Northeast U.S.

This dataset represents salt marsh communities in the Northeast Atlantic coast. The classification was produced using a combination of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) multispectral imagery. This dataset is a simplified version of “[Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, DEM, 3m, Northeast U.S.]” This simplified version includes four of the original eight distinct cover/community types (High marsh, Low marsh, Salt pools/pannes, Terrestrial border, Phragmites, Mudflat, Open water, and Upland). The four classes included in this dataset are 1. High marsh: Area flooded during spring tides related to the lunar cycle and dominated by Spartina patens, Distichlis spicata, Juncus gerardii, and short form Spartina alterniflora. Other species include Juncus roemerianus, Scirpus pungens, Scirpus robustus, Limonium nashii, Aster tenuifolius, and Triglochin maritima 2. Low marsh: Area flooded regularly by daily tides and dominated by tall form Spartina alterniflora 3. Mudflat: Exposed muddy areas free of vegetation and 4. Phragmites australis: A species of considerable management interest due to the invasive nature of an introduced form, especially in marshes with freshwater input, upland development, and/or increased nutrients. Detailed zone descriptions, accuracy estimates for each cover type, and data limitation details are provided in this [white paper]. For more information about the development of the data please contact Mo Correll at maureen_correll@fws.gov. The complete original set of data are as follows: "Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, DEM, 3m, Northeast U.S.", "Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, no DEM, 3m, Northeast U.S.", and "DEM Difference in Tidal Marsh Vegetation Classification, 3m, Northeast U.S." and are products of the Saltmarsh Habitat and Avian Research Program (www.tidalmarshbirds.org) and can all be [downloaded here].
ACJV Coastal Marsh Project Database

This data shows the locations of the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV) project database, which catalogs salt marsh restoration, management, and enhancement projects along the coast. The projects support salt marsh conservation, including efforts specifically targeting the ACJV flagship species: Saltmarsh Sparrow, Black Rail, and American Black Duck. For more information, please visit: [https://acjv.org/tools-and-data/] The urgent need for coordinated attention and our shared responsibility for coastal marsh conservation prompted the ACJV Management Board to approve a strategic focus on coastal marsh habitat carried out through the lens of our three flagship species: American Black Duck, Black Rail, and Saltmarsh Sparrow (link). ACJV partners are developing a comprehensive conservation planning framework to address the needs of these three species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.