{9E49350E-728C-4B75-90B5-A2A2A62C019E} eng; USA utf8 dataset EnviroAtlas Coordinator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development-Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program, EnviroAtlas Geospatial Data Owner (919) 541-3832 109 T.W. Alexander Drive Research Triangle Park NC 27709 EnviroAtlas@epa.gov https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas pointOfContact 2025-07-23 ISO 19115 Geographic Information - Metadata ISO 19115:2003/Cor.1:2006(E) EnviroAtlas - NatureServe Analysis of Imperiled or Federally Listed Species by HUC-12 for the Conterminous United States 2015-05-07 publication U.S. EPA Office of Research & Development (ORD) - National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Research Triangle Park NC publisher NatureServe originator This EnviroAtlas dataset includes analysis by NatureServe of species that are Imperiled (G1/G2) or Listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) by 12-digit Hydrologic Units (HUCs). The analysis results are for use and publication by both the LandScope America website and by the EnviroAtlas. Results are provided for the total number of Aquatic Associated G1-G2/ESA species, the total number of Wetland Associated G1-G2/ESA species, the total number of Terrestrial Associated G1-G2/ESA species, and the total number of Unknown Habitat Association G1-G2/ESA species in each HUC12. NatureServe is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and providing information about the world's plants, animals, and ecological communities. NatureServe works in partnership with 82 independent Natural Heritage programs and Conservation Data Centers that gather scientific information on rare species and ecosystems in the United States, Latin America, and Canada (the Natural Heritage Network). NatureServe is a leading source for biodiversity information that is essential for effective conservation action. This dataset was produced by NatureServe to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets). This dataset, which contains NatureServe analysis of species that are Imperiled (G1/G2) or Federally listed by HUC-12, is for use and publication by both the LandScope America website and by EnviroAtlas. The overall goal of EnviroAtlas is to employ and develop the best available science to map indicators of ecosystem services production, demand, and drivers for the nation. completed EnviroAtlas Coordinator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development-Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program, EnviroAtlas Geospatial Data Owner (919) 541-3832 109 T.W. Alexander Drive Research Triangle Park NC 27709 EnviroAtlas@epa.gov https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas pointOfContact asNeeded Ecosystem Environment theme EPA GIS Keyword Thesaurus 12-digit HUCs Biodiversity Biology Biota Conservation Ecosystem Services Endangered EnviroAtlas Environment Environmental Atlas Habitat Supply of Ecosystem Services Threatened Species theme EnviroAtlas Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas United States Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington DC West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming place None https://edg.epa.gov/EPA_Data_License.html otherRestrictions Use Constraints: None. Please check sources, scale, accuracy, currency and other available information. Please confirm that you are using the most recent copy of both data and metadata. Acknowledgement of the EPA would be appreciated. otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None PUBLIC https://project-open-data.github.io/schema/#accessLevel Standard Technical Controls eng; USA environment -128.02839229 -64.565191 17.673736 71.439573 2011-10-14 The data provided are for planning, assessment, and informational purposes. The data should not be considered a definitive statement on the presence, absence, or condition of biological elements at any given location. The lack of data for any geographic area cannot be construed to mean that no significant features are present. Site-specific projects or activities should be reviewed for potential environmental impacts with appropriate regulatory agencies. If ground-disturbing activities are proposed on a site, the appropriate state natural heritage program(s) can be contacted for a site-specific review of the project area. For a listing of all program websites, see the NatureServe home page at http://www.natureserve.org/visitLocal/index.jsp. Attribute_Accuracy_Report: 1) NatureServe Conservation Status Ranks: NatureServe has conducted quality control checks to assure that the local, national and global status information are consistent for the element range-wide. 2) Federal Status Designations: NatureServe staff update the central databases with changes in status due to proposals and determinations to add taxa to the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants within two weeks of publication in the Federal Register. Addition and removal of candidates in Notices of Review or Notices of Reclassification are entered within four weeks of their publication. Where species have a partial or mixed federal status designation, the correct federal status has been assigned at the element occurrence level and only those occurrence records that are federally listed have been provided. 3) Taxonomy is constantly being updated based on the publication of new sources. See "Classification Sources" information on NatureServe Explorer: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/class.htm. Logical_Consistency_Report: Spatial Data: All element occurrence records are mapped as accurately as recorded by member programs. Element occurrence (EO) locations are either (a) plotted manually on 1:24,000 USGS topographical maps and the coordinates are calculated in latitude and longitude using a map overlay; or (b) mapped in GIS using the Biotics Mapper tool (see process steps for information about mapping in this system). For point EOs, coordinates represent the population centroid of the element occurrence. Spatial data are updated and reviewed by the member programs on an ongoing basis. Any Element Occurrences known to be incorrectly identified or mapped have been excluded. Completeness_Report: The completeness of NatureServe data varies between species. NatureServe data is particularly strong and very complete in tracking the terrestrial and freshwater vertebrate species, vascular plants, and entities with status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) or Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Many invertebrate groups are completely tracked, but the databases on these elements continue to expand. The non-vascular plant data (lichens, mosses, liverworts & hornworts, fungi) is being actively developed and element occurrences of these groups will expand over the next few years. Marine species, even in coastal areas are not completely tracked and documented with element occurrences, however this varies across member programs. These data are dependent on the research and observations of many scientists and institutions, and reflect our current state of knowledge. Many areas have never been thoroughly surveyed, however, and the absence of data in any particular geographic area does not necessarily mean that species or ecological communities of concern are not present. In addition, new plants and animals are still being discovered. These data should not be regarded as a substitute for on-site surveys required for environmental assessments. If ground-disturbing activities are proposed on a site, the appropriate state natural heritage program(s) or conservation data center should be contacted for a site-specific review of the project area. For contact information, see the NatureServe web site at www.natureserve.org In general, species location data tends to be incomplete or unavailable for most marine species and for tribal lands throughout the U.S. Data was not available at the HUC 12 scale through NatureServe at the time of this analysis for DE, MA, and PA. All watersheds intersecting with these states were selected, and the value reported in all of the species count columns is -1 to indicate the watersheds were not included in the results (as opposed to a value of null or 0 indicating a watershed was included but there were no intersecting species records). Data for animal species in Washington is not available through NatureServe because it is tracked by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which is a separate agency from the Washington Natural Heritage Program and is not a member of NatureServe's network. All watersheds intersecting with WA were selected, and the value reported in all of the columns for total counts of all species, and total counts of animal species is -1 to indicate the watersheds were not included in the results (as opposed to a value of null or 0 indicating a watershed was included but there were no intersecting species records). Total counts of plant species are included for the watersheds in WA. Positional_Accuracy: Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy: Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report: The WBD was produced using Digital Raster Graphics (DRG's) as the source map. Data completeness for DRG files reflects content of the source graphic and may therefore be reflected in the completeness and accuracy of the WBD. The map was digitized from USGS 1:24,000-scale digital raster graphic base maps, with an inherited error of +/- 40 feet according to the USGS National Map Accuracy Standards. It is estimated that any errors detected were less than 10%. It should also be noted that while general rules of hydrology were used (i.e. natural water flow is downhill), the locations of boundaries is still somewhat subjective as the 1:24,000-scale DRG's do not always provide enough information for identifying the location of the boundaries. Vertical_Positional_Accuracy: Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Report: N/A --------------------------------------------------------- This EnviroAtlas dataset is based on data originally developed using a version of the Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD 2011) extracted for EnviroAtlas on March 22, 2011. In 2015, EnviroAtlas transitioned from the WBD 2011 to a newer version - the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) V2 WBD Snapshot, EnviroAtlas version - which includes updated 12-digit HUC boundaries for the Conterminous United States. This EnviroAtlas dataset was created by reallocating the original WBD 2011 dataset to the NHDPlus V2 WBD Snapshot using area-weighted reallocation. The area weighting process assumes that values are distributed evenly across HUCs. In cases where values are unevenly distributed within a HUC, this can result in misallocated values in the new dataset. Therefore, users should exercise caution when interpreting this data, especially in regions where there are significant changes to the 12-digit HUCs. The majority of spatial changes between the two 12-digit HUC versions took place along the California coast, in Minnesota, and along the US-Canada border, especially in New England. Metric values for most of the rest of the United States are essentially unchanged. If the user is interested in data for a specific small area, especially in areas that were modified, using the original WBD 2011 version of this dataset joined with the WBD 2011 boundary feature class should provide accurate metric values. As new versions of the dataset are developed using the 2015 HUCs, these will replace the reallocated datasets in EnviroAtlas. Before reallocating the metrics, edits were made to the area of some 12-digit HUCs. For example, along the coast of California some 12-digit HUCs had stopped at the coastline in the WBD 2011 dataset but were extended into the ocean in the NHDPlus V2 dataset. Instead of reallocating the metrics using the total area of the NHDPlus V2 HUCs, the land area based on National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011 was used to update the land area values. This ensured the land area of the NHDPlus V2 HUCs roughly matched the land area of the WBD 2011 HUCs. This method helped avoid incorrectly distributing terrestrial metrics, such as including the new ocean-extended area in the denominator of values that were originally calculated using land-only area as the denominator, which would result in artificially lowering the values of per-unit area metrics in the ocean-extended HUCs. true Entity and Attribute Information Entity and Attribute Overview: Detailed information about the Heritage methodology and data development methods are available online. These materials include detailed explanations and documentation of: Classification - Classification standards, methods, and references for plants, ecological communities, vertebrates, and invertebrates. NatureServe Conservation Status - Conservation status ranks related to relative imperilment on global, national, and subnational scales. National Status - U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Committee on Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Distribution - Data sources for plants, animals, and ecological communities. In addition, there is a summary of the processes used in plant, animal, and ecological community data development. For more information, see: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/methods.htm. Detailed documentation for the Element Occurrence (EO) Data Standard with the revised EO Methodology: NatureServe and the Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centres are currently in the process of implementing this standard and converting existing EO data to meet the updated methodology. Biotics Tracker and Biotics Mapper, the database software, incorporate the updated EO methodology. For more information, see: Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: http://www.natureserve.org/prodServices/eodata.jsp Process_Step: Process_Description: Analysis to generate total counts of G1/G2 and ESA species by habitat category by HUC12 watershed. 1) All tabular U.S. Element Occurrence (EO) records (except for MA and PA, which NatureServe does not have precise location data for in-house) were selected and exported for species with a Rounded Global Rank of G1 or G2 (including related infrataxa), or with federal U.S. ESA status. 2) Because most animal location data for ID exists as observation data that has not yet been converted to EOs in NatureServe's database, a copy of the tabular ID observation point data for G1/G2 and federal status animals was reformatted to have a common set of attributes as the EO data in step 1, and then was combined. 3) The following records were excluded from the dataset: - EO records known to have been incorrectly identified. - EO records flagged as historic or extirpated, and EO records for species that have been flagged as historic or extirpated at the state level. - EO records from the Tennessee Valley Authority program that have been flagged as being duplicates of state program records in the same jurisdiction. 4) For non-ESA species, records for infrataxa were "rolled-up" to the parent full species level. This was done by overwriting infrataxa attributes with the values of their related full parent species. This helps to create a more consistent dataset across watersheds, and avoid double counting species in situations where a watershed straddles a state line, and one state is tracking locations for a species at the infrataxa level, while a neighboring state is tracking the same species at the full species level. This was not done for ESA species because most states track location data at whichever taxonomic level it applies, and when counting total numbers of listed species it is usually preferred to count infrataxa separately if there are multiple infrataxa in an area that carry status. 5) A layer of the polygon shapes representing the tabular records in the steps above was created. Using ArcMap, the EO shapes and the boundaries of the 12-digit watersheds were intersected using Spatial Join operation. This resulted in a table containing a separate row for each 12-digit watershed that each EO record intersects with. 6) The output table from the Spatial Join was joined to the tabular attributes of the EOs, and a new table was created having a separate row for each EO in each watershed, along with all the related attributes. This table was then summarized to remove any duplicate EO/HUC-12 rows created from the GIS overlay. 7) The table from step 6 was summarized again to create a new table with a unique list of each species in each HUC 12 watershed. 8) Habitat domain information was exported for all species in the dataset for which it was available. Based on the habitat values, all species were flagged as aquatic, wetland, or terrestrial (or any combination - categories are not mutually exclusive). 9) Species for which no habitat data was available were sent to botany and zoology staff for review. Where possible, species were manually assigned to the aquatic, wetland, and terrestrial categories based on expert opinion. These species were then flagged accordingly in the dataset. Any remaining species that could not be designated under the 3 habitat categories were assigned to a 4th category - unknown. 10) Based on the habitat category assignments, tables were generated for the following: total counts of G1/G2 and ESA aquatic animal species per HUC12, total counts of G1/G2 and ESA wetland animal species per HUC12, total counts of G1/G2 and ESA terrestrial animal species per HUC12, total counts of G1/G2 and ESA unknown habitat animal species per HUC12, total counts of G1/G2 and ESA aquatic plant species per HUC12, total counts of G1/G2 and ESA wetland plant species per HUC12, total counts of G1/G2 and ESA terrestrial plant species per HUC12, total counts of G1/G2 and ESA unknown habitat plant species per HUC12. 11) The total counts tables of aquatic, wetland, terrestrial, and unknown species by HUC12 were each joined to the attribute table of the HUC 12 GIS layer, and the total counts were added to the layer table as a new set of attributes. 12) Data for DE, MA, and PA were not available for this analysis, and all 12-digit HUCs in those states were selected, and all of the species count columns in those watersheds were recalculated to a value of -1 to symbolize that data for those watersheds is not included in the results, even if there was data for portions of those states from neighboring jurisdictions. 13) Animal data for WA are not currently available through NatureServe, and all 12-digit HUCs in WA were selected, and all of the total species count columns and animal species count columns in those watersheds were recalculated to a value of -1 to symbolize that data for those watersheds is not included in the results, even if there was data for portions of those states from neighboring jurisdictions. (Counts of plant species are included in those watersheds however.) 14) The attribute table of the GIS layer containing the final counts of species was exported as a stand-alone .dbf table. Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: USDA NRCS WBD Process_Date: 201110 - 201201 Process_Step: Process_Description: Mapping With Biotics Using Biotics (version 3.1 and 4.0). The software essentially walks the user through the process for developing EO reps according to the revised EO methodology. For a comprehensive description of this methodology, see: http://whiteoak.natureserve.org/eodraft/index.htm. In addition, Biotics automatically creates and maintains separate themes for different feature types, along with associated attributes. In order to map a new EO using Biotics, the process is as follows: 1. Digitize and Evaluate Source Feature(s) a) Digitize the appropriate source feature (point, line, or polygon), based on the size of the observed area (compared with the minimum mapping unit for the scale map being used), and the amount and direction of uncertainty associated with that location. b) Assign attributes to source feature by entering fields in source feature window. c) If the source feature has areal estimated locational uncertainty, buffer with a graphic using the specified uncertainty distance class as the radius. d) Repeat the preceding three steps for each additional observed area for the Element. e) Evaluate separation distances (obtained from the EO specifications) between source feature(s) and other EO reps and independent source features of the same Element using circular graphics tool with diameter equal to appropriate separation distance. f) Indicate which feature(s) are to comprise an EO; when completed, remove uncertainty buffer graphics. 2. Develop EO Reps a) Based on the grouping of source features and their associated attributes, Biotics will automatically create EO reps, adding any uncertainty or procedural buffers as appropriate. b) Biotics will automatically assign a unique identifier and calculate spatial attributes, storing them with the appropriate themes. c) Periodically, batch import the spatial attributes for EO reps into the tabular EO database (BCD or other), and batch export tabular attributes from the tabular database back into Biotics. Process Description: Derivation of EOs polygons directly from field observations. Under current methodology and technology, all EOs are represented as polygon features. These features are derived from field observations that are digitized directly into GIS and buffered by locational uncertainty. Locational uncertainty can be measured/delimited directly from the field, estimated, or negligible (usually <6.25 m in all directions). Observations that are below a minimum mapping unit (12.5 m) distance in either two dimensions (points) or one dimension (lines) and that contain negligible locational uncertainty are buffered using a procedural buffer (6.25 m) to create polygons. Process Description: Derivation of EO polygons from EO point conversion. Under older methodology and technology, embodied by the Biological and Conservation Database (BCD), EOs were originally mapped as points on paper maps and then later digitized into GIS as point features. These features were assigned a precision value that indicated the accuracy of the locality of the EO. During conversion of these EOs from points to polygons, this precision value is used to determine the buffer distance used to create the EO polygon. Point EOs with a precision value of seconds (3-second radius) are given a default buffer of 0.062 mi during polygon conversion. Point EOs with a precision value of minutes (1-minute radius) are given a default buffer of 1.491 mi. Point EOs with a precision value of general are given a default buffer of 4.971 mi. Under this older methodology, some EOs were represented as rectangles, with the points of the rectangle representing the northernmost, southernmost, easternmost and westernmost extent of the EO. During conversion to polygons, the shape of these EOs remains a rectangle, but the feature itself is buffered by an estimated locational uncertainty distance. Process Description: Derivation of compound EO polygons. Discrete or non-contiguous EO polygons of the same species/element can be aggregated into one compound EO depending upon the distance that separates the non-contiguous EOs. This distance, the separation distance, is the amount of intervening area that determines whether source features of an element should be grouped as part of the same (complex) element occurrence, or should be considered as discrete element occurrences. When available, separation distances are specific to species/elements. When unavailable, a default separation distance of 1km is used Process_Date: ongoing Process_Step: Process_Description: NatureServe Central Data Exchange and Reconciliation: NatureServe's Central Database is linked to all the U.S. and Canadian databases of the Natural Heritage Program and Conservation Data Centre member programs through a process of regular data exchange and reconciliation. Member programs send their data to NatureServe Central for taxonomic and status reconciliation. If necessary, incoming member program datasets are converted from their native file format to a format that is compatible with the NatureServe Central Databases, and GIS files of Element Occurrences are reprojected to a common projection. NatureServe Central Databases are updated with the latest scientific information developed by the member programs at the state and provincial scale, including updated Element Occurrence data. In return, member program databases are updated with the latest scientific information developed at the global scale by NatureServe Central. The data exchange and reconciliation process is a primary mechanism by which network data standards are upheld, thus helping to ensure a high level of accuracy, currency and quality to the data. Process_Date: ongoing Entity and Attribute Detail Citation: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets EnviroAtlas Coordinator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development-Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program, EnviroAtlas Geospatial Data Owner (919) 541-3832 109 T.W. Alexander Drive Research Triangle Park NC 27709 EnviroAtlas@epa.gov https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas distributor https://enviroatlas.epa.gov/download/CONUS_metrics_FGDB.zip download Download The URL providing direct access to the downloadable dataset. download https://enviroatlas.epa.gov/download/CONUS_metrics_CSV.zip ESRI:ArcGIS API The endpoint of a web service to access the dataset (REST endpoint, WMS GetCapabilities URL, or a SOAP WSDL endpoint). webMapService https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-data information Documentation URL for accessing related documents such as data dictionary, technical information about a dataset, developer documentation, etc. information https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas information Home Page Alternative landing page used to redirect user to a contextual, Agency-hosted "homepage" for the Dataset or API information dataset Horizontal Positional Accuracy Report Data were collected using methods that have unknown accuracy (EPA National Geospatial Data Policy [NGDP] Accuracy Tier 10). For more information, please see EPA's NGDP at https://epa.gov/geospatial/policies.html Features represented have not been tested for completeness Features represented have not been tested for completeness Tests for integrity have not been performed. This lineage was generated by the FGDC CSDGM to 19139 transformation NatureServe Central Data Exchange and Reconciliation 9999-01-01T00:00:00 Mapping With Biotics (version 3.1 and 4.0) 9999-01-01T00:00:00 Analysis to generate total counts of G1/G2 and ESA species by habitat category by HUC12 watershed. 9999-01-01T00:00:00 Reallocated values from the original March 22 2011 WBD to the NHDPlus V2 WBD Snapshot, EnviroAtlas version for the Conterminous United States using area-weighted redistribution. 2015-04-07T00:00:00 unknown 2029-07-23 This metadata was automatically generated from the FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata standard (version FGDC-STD-001-1998) using the 2024-02-09T11:11:00 version of the FGDC CSDGM to ISO 19139 transform. EnviroAtlas Coordinator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development-Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program, EnviroAtlas Geospatial Data Owner (919) 541-3832 109 T.W. Alexander Drive Research Triangle Park NC 27709 EnviroAtlas@epa.gov https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas pointOfContact