Abstract
Vernal Pool Habitat Assessment at the Agate Desert, Oregon Track: Ecology and Conservation Author(s): Solomon McCrea Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands in California and Oregon that support some of the rarest plants and invertebrates in these states. The State of Oregon and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are developing a joint Wetland and Habitat Conservation Plan in conjunction with local governments to protect higher-quality vernal pool ecosystems while balancing development interests in the Agate Desert. Environmental Science Associates GIS staff and biologists developed a functional wetland assessment process and wetland inventory to evaluate and rank the vernal pool areas. They used GIS to evaluate existing field and remote-sensed data for habitat types, land use, ownership, land morphology, hydrological features, soils and rare and endangered species. The results identified 59 vernal pool polygons that were differentiated into high-, medium-, and low-quality habitats. Please join this presentation to learn more about how we developed the methodology for vernal pool habitat assessment. Solomon McCrea ESA GIS 8950 Cal Center Drive Sacramento , CA 95826 US Phone: 916 564 4500 E-mail: smccrea@esassoc.com |
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