T-10-T-5, Study 237001 – 1
T-10-T-5, Michigan
Study 237001New Study: 2014-15
Name of Study:Great Lakes and inland GIS support and development
A.Problem/Need: The goal of Michigan’s Wildlife Action Plan (MWAP) is to “provide a commonstrategic framework that will enable Michigan’s conservation partners to jointly implement along-term holistic approach for the conservation of all wildlife species.” Five of eight mandatedfactors included in the plan directly relate to locations, abundance, and/or distributions of speciesof greatest conservation need (SGCN) and their habitats. A geospatial tool is needed for inventoryand classification of Great Lakes habitats and distributions of SGCN. The GIS tool will facilitateprotection and restoration efforts for SGCN, enable decision makers to more effectively evaluatedevelopment impacts on SGCN and plan holistically for the basin’s future, and be easily accessedand understood by end users including scientists, managers and the public.
The Great Lakes Geographic Information System (GLGIS) is a standard, basin-wide platform forinventory, classification, and holistic management of SGCN and their aquatic habitats. TheGLGIS provides a planning tool for managers to access and query habitat data on a landscapescale to implement strategies identified in the MWAP, and also for lake committees, e.g., the Fishand Wildlife Service Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission,agency personnel, and others. The tool is needed for use in planning of assessment, rehabilitation,and enhancement projects for habitats of SGCN, and for implementation plans that address thepriority threats and conservation needs of aquatic SGCN.
According to Michigan’s Wildlife Action Plan, conservation and management strategies are needed for fish species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) as well as common fish species. Prerequisites for preparation of such strategies for lake fish include determination of the patterns in fish habitat use and identification of the lake fish assemblage types to which they belong, as part of the description of their life history characteristics. For such lake fish species this will require quantitative and qualitative descriptions of the lakes and rivers in which these species occur, using both landscape and local variables.
In the current application, aspects of projects supported under previous Aquatic Habitat Management grants (studies 237000, 237001, and 230748) have been combined under a single project designed to provide GIS support for all State of Michigan aquatic habitat management efforts as detailed in the Michigan State Wildlife Action Plan. These efforts include inventory, classification, and management of aquatic resources in Great Lakes waters; development of tools to support conservation of inland lake aquatic resources; and expansion and improvement of Michigan’s Statewide River Segment GIS to support non-game wildlife management in Michigan river systems. Combining these efforts under a single project will help to ensure consistency in development and application of cutting-edge management tools across the full spectrum of Michigan’s aquatic resources and will add value by facilitating collaboration among staff involved in these various efforts. We envision submitting a similar project(s) in the future, to provide ongoing support for the Michigan State Wildlife Action Plan.
B.Purpose and Objectives: The goal of this project is to provide geospatial databases, tools, and models to assist in developingmanagement plans to implement the MWAP. This goal will be addressed by meeting thefollowing objectives:
Objective 1. To continue the development of an ecological database containing information onthe aquatic habitats of the Great Lakes.
Objective 2. To conduct ecological classification of nearshore and offshore Great Lakes habitatsin Lakes Huron, Superior and Ontario, and compare with existing classifications ofnearshore zones and streams.
Objective 3. Continue development of a spatial database of lake habitats using landscape and local variables that can be used to characterize lake types and the patterns of fish assemblages in inland lakes.
Objective 4. Support the preparation of river ecological assessments through development of spatial databases and GIS tools. These documents facilitate several priority actions and conservation needs.
Objective 5. To determine suitable indices of relative habitat quality for sensitive life stages ofimportant non-game species.
Objective 6. To develop GIS-based decision support projects to facilitate evaluation of potentialimpacts to non-game wildlife habitat from a variety of pressures.
Objective 7. To develop and deliver educational programs for end-users on the use of GLGISuse for science inquiry and decision support.
Objective 8. To develop and implement long-term, Internet-based strategies for projectmaintenance and distribution.
C.Expected Results and Benefits:This project will result in development of operationalmanagement plans that convert the strategic needs identified in the WAP to on the groundactivities to provide and enhance habitat for aquatic species of greatest conservation need. Theproject will provide comprehensive GIS projects containing data on habitat and distributions ofSGCN for each of Michigan’s Great Lakes. Existing GIS databases (i.e., Huron, Superior,Michigan, Erie) range in size from 40-60 GB, and are stored on individual hard drives. Thesedatabases can be distributed individually or collectively, facilitating a basin-wide, holisticapproach. Data are not limited to GIS files. Microsoft Access databases, biological index tables,and images (e.g., aerial photographs, nautical charts, topographic maps) are also part of therepository.
In addition to hundreds of data layers, project files are provided with the database. Project filesare of three types: 1) pre-manufactured map files that store data related to a particular theme; 2)“mini-projects,” or directories that are comprehensive with respect to a particular researchquestion, will facilitate use of the GIS and aid communication between natural resource scientistsand managers; and 3) habitat classification layers that will be generated from existing data layersand distributed with the GLGIS. Habitat classification will allow determination of referenceconditions for SGCN and their habitats, as well as facilitate application of Habitat suitabilitymodels. These acts will allow managers to prioritize restoration activities and fundingopportunities.
Decision support projects will be developed to address specific management needs related to nongamewildlife habitat. The projects will facilitate visualization and evaluation of scenarios for real-worldphenomena (e.g., consequences of dam removal, dredging, land-use change, lakebed alterationsthrough windmill construction, shoreline hardening) that are likely to affect non-game species.Education is a critical element of the GLGIS. In addition to the map files and “mini-projects,”there are two resources designed to facilitate use. A self-paced tutorial will familiarize end-userswith data included in the GIS and serve as a “getting started” guide. In addition, half- to full-day,guided workshops will be offered to groups of users interested in becoming better acquaintedwith GLGIS data and functionality. The workshops will be similar to the self-paced tutorial andwill be designed to familiarize participants with data in the GIS and increase proficiency withGIS software.
The calculation of lake morphometry and summarization of the associated landscape and local variables will enable the identification of lake types and the range of variation in inland lakes. This will also permit the identification of lake habitats used by SGCN as part of the characterization of their life history requirements, information required to prepare adequate conservation and management plans. The spatial databases and GIS tools developed in support of river ecological assessments will enable these documents to include much additional information, thus increasing their value for conservation and management-related activities. The GIS tools developed will allow the new spatial information that is prepared for these documents to be captured in a way that will make it more easy to share and use for future analyses.
D.Procedure:
Job 1.Develop ecological units.–Refine definitions of ecological units based on a clusteranalysis of geo-referenced data on relevant physical habitat variables. Represent units in a GIS shapefile, and attributed with habitat and biological data.Include biologicalinformation and habitat suitability preferences of SGCN as attributelayers (i.e. Minns et al. 2008).
Job 2.Determine indices of relative habitat quality.–Existing information on critical physicalhabitat needs or preferences of selected non-game species will be acquired andsynthesized. Habitat suitability criteria will be collected for selected non-game aquaticspecies including fish, mussels, turtles, and selected aquatic macroinvertebrates. Habitat and ecoregion polygons will be attributed with habitat suitability indices forselected SGCN developed from habitat preference information. Compare predictions with data on relative abundance or presence/absence surveydata for the selected non-game species. Derive HSIs for selected non-game fishes, aquatic invertebrates, reptiles, andamphibians.
Job 3.Provide support to the lake classification and assessment project for inland lakes and ponds.–This job will involve evaluating the delineated catchment boundaries, summarizing additional landscape variables for the catchments of lakes and larger ponds, and assembling additional information on aquatic habitats.
Job 4.Digitize lake contour maps and calculate morphometric variables.–This job will work on digitizing the 1,150 remaining lake maps, including identifying the deepest point, and calculating several variables, such as volume, mean depth, and percent of area (and volume) less than 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 feet deep.
Job 5.Link information on geographic distribution of fish species and other data to the NHD.–Information currently available only as figures in reports or other data formats will be converted to spatial data by indexing to stream and lake reaches in the 1:100,000 or 1:24,000 NHD.
Job 6.Provide GIS and database support for river ecological assessments.–This will include development and revision of spatial databases and GIS tools, including the Michigan Valley Segment Ecological Classification 2.0, which provides the ecological foundation for river ecological assessments and the river portion of the Wildlife Action Plan.
Job 7.Develop GIS-based decision support projects.–Decision support projects will bedeveloped to help identify potential impacts of proposed lakebed alterations, coastaland shoreline development (e.g., dredging, shoreline hardening, marina construction, windmill sitings),and dam removals on SGCN and their habitats.
Job 8.Develop and deliver educational programs for end-users.–Workshops and self-pacedtutorials will be developed to familiarize end-users with data included in the Great LakesGIS and decision support tools developed in Job 7. Full-day, guidedworkshops will be offered to user groups interested in becoming better acquainted withGreat Lakes GIS data and functionality.
Job 9.Develop and implement long-term, Internet-based strategies for project maintenance anddistribution.
Job 10.Write annual reports and journal publications.
Job 11.Write final report.
E.Geographic Location: Institute for Fisheries Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
F.Schedule/Budget1:The schedule and budget detail presented cover five years (2014-19) from the period of the grant application (October 2014 through September 2015). Study 237001 (as designed) will be ongoing and regularly renewed to provide GIS support for State of Michigan aquatic habitat management efforts as detailed in the Michigan State Wildlife Action Plan.
Proposed work / 2014-15 / 2015-16 / 2016-17 / 2017-18 / 2018-19Job 1 / Develop ecological units / $6,589 / $6,785 / $6,989 / $7,199 / $6,741
Job 2 / Determine indices of relative habitat quality / $6,589 / $6,785 / $6,989 / $7,199 / $6,741
Job 3 / Provide support to the lake classification and assessment project for inland lakes and ponds / $6,589 / $6,785 / $6,989 / $7,199 / $6,741
Job 4 / Digitize lake contour maps and calculate morphometric variables / $12,420 / $12,797 / $13,181 / $13,578 / $13,311
Job 5 / Link information on geographic distribution of fish species and other data to the NHD / $12,420 / $12,797 / $13,181 / $13,578 / $13,311
Job 6 / Provide GIS and database support for river ecological assessments / $6,589 / $6,785 / $6,989 / $7,199 / $6,741
Job 7 / Develop GIS-based decision support projects / $6,589 / $6,785 / $6,989 / $7,199 / $6,741
Job 8 / Develop and deliver educational programs for end-users / $6,589 / $6,785 / $6,989 / $7,199 / $6,741
Job 9 / Develop and implement long-term, Internet-based strategies for project maintenance and distribution / $6,589 / $6,785 / $6,989 / $7,199 / $6,741
Job 10 / Write annual reports and journal publications / $6,588 / $6,785 / $6,989 / $7,199 / $6,741
Job 11 / Write final report / NA / NA / NA / NA / $6,741
Subtotal (payroll) / $77,551 / $79,874 / $82,274 / $84,748 / $89,310
Associated travel and other expenses / $20,500 / $21,115 / $21,748 / $22,400 / $23,072
Contract / $65,162 / $67,117 / $69,131 / $71,205 / $73,341
Total costs / $163,213 / $168,106 / $173,153 / $178,353 / $185,723
1NA = not scheduled
G.Personnel: Principal Investigator: Kevin Wehrly, Institute for Fisheries Research (IFR), Ann Arbor; GIS analyst, IFR, Ann Arbor; Dana Infante, MSU, East Lansing; Research Administrative personnel; editor; and other MichiganDepartment of Natural Resources Fisheries Division personnel.
H.Relationship with other federal grants: The proposed project will use data and information collected as part of numerous Fisheries Division survey and assessment projects (F-81).Additionally, fisheries management planning (F-94) and stocking decisions (F-62) may be influenced by findings from the proposed project.
I.Potential for interaction with federally listed threatened and endangered species: The majority of the work described will be office based in Ingham and Washtenaw counties and will be using data and information from other projects / surveys.There should be no species or critical habitat effects resulting from the proposed project.