Description: This data set contains Ecoregional subsections which represent regional patterns of geomorphology, stratigraphy, geologic origin, topography, climate, and dominant associations of potential natural vegetation. For additional information, see the <A href="http://granitweb.sr.unh.edu/GRANITView3.0/MetaData/ECEcologicalSubsections.html" target="_blank">Metadata Lite record</A>
Description: This data set contains Watershed Groupings which are the result of an environmental classification, developed by The Nature Conservancy, to combine New Hampshire's HUC10 (10 digit hydrologic unit code) watersheds into similar planning units, or major system groups. For additional information, see the <A href="http://granitweb.sr.unh.edu/GRANITView3.0/MetaData/ECWatershedGroupings.html" target="_blank">Metadata Lite record</A>
Description: WAP 2020: Wildlife Habitat Land Cover
This is derived from a 30 meter grid that maps upland and wetland wildlife habitats/ecological systems for the Northeast, including all 13 states from Maine to Virginia. Habitat types are drawn from the Northeastern Terrestrial Habitat Classification System (NETHCS), based on NatureServe’s Ecological Systems Classification, augmented with additional information from individual state wildlife classifications and other information specific to wildlife managers. A terrestrial ecological system is defined as a mosaic of plant community types that tend to co-occur within landscapes with similar ecological processes, substrates, and/or environmental gradients, in a pattern that repeats itself across landscapes. Systems occur at various scales, from "matrix" forested systems of thousands of hectares to small patch systems. NH Natural Heritage Bureau provided a crosswalk with NH Wildlife Action Plan habitat classes.
Copyright Text: The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Division Conservation Science, 2014. Revised by NH Fish and Game Department, 2015.
Description: WAP 2020: Rivers and Streams
This dataset represents the results (9/30/2008) of the Northeastern Aquatic Habitat ClassificationSystem (NAHCS) GIS map for streams and rivers. This classification focused on mapping a stream habitat types across 13 northeastern states (ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, NY, NJ, PA, MD, DC, DE, VA,WV). Stream and river centerlines were extracted from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NH-Plus) 2006 1:100,000 data. These reaches were attributed and placed into classes representing their biopysical setting in terms of stream size, gradient, and geology, and expected natural water temperature regime. Please see the attribute descriptions for more information on the variable thresholds and the summary taxonomy. NH Fish and Game Department transfered the TNC attributes to the 1:24,000-scale high-resolution NHD data for New Hampshire.
Copyright Text: United States Geological Survey and the US Environmental Protection Agency, 2006; The NatureConservancy (TNC) Eastern Conservation Science, 2008. NH Fish and Game Department, 2017 (added Important Fish Habitat attributes).
Description: WAP 2020 Estuarine and Marine
This data set represents the extent, approximate location and type of wetlands and deepwater habitats in the United States and its Territories. These data delineate the areal extent of wetlands and surface waters as defined by Cowardin et al. (1979). The National Wetlands Inventory - Version 2, Surface Waters and Wetlands Inventory was derived by retaining the wetland and deepwater polygons that compose the NWI digital wetlands spatial data layer and reintroducing any linear wetland or surface water features that were orphaned from the original NWI hard copy maps by converting them to narrow polygonal features. Additionally, the data are supplemented with hydrography data, buffered to become polygonal features, as a secondary source for any single-line stream features not mapped by the NWI and to complete segmented connections. Wetland mapping conducted in WA, OR, CA, NV and ID after 2012 and most other projects mapped after 2015 were mapped to include all surface water features and are not derived data. The linear hydrography dataset used to derive Version 2 was the U.S. Geological Survey's National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Specific information on the NHD version used to derive Version 2 and where Version 2 was mapped can be found in the 'comments' field of the Wetlands_Project_Metadata feature class. Certain wetland habitats are excluded from the National mapping program because of the limitations of aerial imagery as the primary data source used to detect wetlands. These habitats include seagrasses or submerged aquatic vegetation that are found in the intertidal and subtidal zones of estuaries and near shore coastal waters. Some deepwater reef communities (coral or tuberficid worm reefs) have also been excluded from the inventory. These habitats, because of their depth, go undetected by aerial imagery. By policy, the Service also excludes certain types of "farmed wetlands" as may be defined by the Food Security Act or that do not coincide with the Cowardin et al. definition. Contact the Service's Regional Wetland Coordinator for additional information on what types of farmed wetlands are included on wetland maps. This dataset should be used in conjunction with the Wetlands_Project_Metadata layer, which contains project specific wetlands mapping procedures and information on dates, scales and emulsion of imagery used to map the wetlands within specific project boundaries.
Copyright Text: National Wetlands Inventory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, May 2015.
Description: WAP 2015: Lakes and Ponds
We developed a mapped classification of lakes and ponds based on variables that structure lacustrine natural communities and that could be mapped consistently across Northeastern US. The classification was built upon four key attributes: water temperature, trophic state, alkalinity, and depth. Water temperature was mapped into three classes (very cold, cold, and warm-cool) to reflect the requirements and limits of aquatic organisms. Trophic states, representing the productivity of a lake, were mapped into two classes (oligomesotrophic -mesotrophic and eutrophic- hypereutrophic). Alkalinity was grouped into three classes (high, medium, low) to reflect how well the lake system was buffered from acidification. Depth was divided into two classes (lake, pond) based on a light penetration zone, using maximum depth and trophic state as a proxy for this zone. A steering committee of state and regional experts contributed sampled data with measured values of these and other variables for waterbodies in their states. To create the mapped classification, we compiled the location of every waterbody in the region (n = 36, 675) , and for each waterbody we generatedover 300 descriptive attributes including: morphology, dams, climate, soils, geology, conservation lands, landforms, and land cover in the buffer zone or watershed. We used Random Forest software to develop a predictive model for each classification variable class based on the sampled data points and the descriptive attribute variables, and we then extrapolated the model to the unsampled waterbodies to estimate their class. After estimating each variable class, all waterbodies were assigned to one of 18 classification types based on the combination of 3 variables, temperature + trophic + alkalinity class. These types can be further subdivided into lake or pond categories to yield mapped occurrences, for example: cold, oligo-mesotrophic, low alkalinity, lake. The 18 primary lake and pond types are described in the addition to the “Northeast Terrestrial and Aquatic Habitat Guide”, December 2015.
Copyright Text: The Nature Conservancy reserves all rights in data provided. All data are provided as is. This is not a survey quality dataset. The Nature Conservancy makes no warranty as to the currency, completeness, accuracy or utility of any specific data. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data. It is strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data.