Improved Gulf Hypoxia Planning Tool: Landscape scale planning tools focus conservation priorities through a series of region-specific lenses. These tools include: CHAT; SECAS; Gulf Hypoxia Initiative - Precision Conservation Blueprint v1.5; and landscape designs developed by the Great Plains LCC and Gulf Coast Prairie LCC. Discussions with industry, agency and organizational leaders across the mid-continent suggest that the time is ripe for opening a dialogue about how to bridge the planning between the west and east to find the appropriate stakeholder-driven set of mid-continent connections for a network of lands and waters. The recipient will assist staff from multiple LCCs and other interested entities in setting up the products and tools to support stakeholders as they explore and develop the vision of a mid-continent conservation adaptation strategy. Key tasks include refinement of the Gulf Hypoxia Initiative’s (GHI) Precision Conservation Blueprint (Blueprint), expansion of outreach activities, and alignment with key conservation initiatives at multiple scales. Task 1. Assist FWS staff in reformulation of existing Blueprint data layers, pre-planning and outreach to support stakeholder engagement in mid-continent workshop(s) or other activities, including development of user case studies, acquisition of additional data layers, and refinement of the spatial analysis for use with landscape-scale initiatives and programs that affect the Mississippi River Basin. Task 2. Provide technical support to users of the Blueprint, individuals, pilot projects, and other conservation initiatives, in particular supporting exploration of mid-continent objectives for connected lands and waters through customized data delivery and cartographic products in workshops, technical sessions, webinars or related events. Task 3. Refine the Blueprint or a second-generation mapping analysis for potential integration into a mid-continent conservation adaptation strategy, including new or update existing data layers, and work with developers to assist with linking data layers to online tools or platforms for user-friendly access to the Blueprint. Task 4. Based on objectives identified through interactions with stakeholders, assist in the development of a proposed set of performance metrics related to species and habitats, using existing measures to identify and acquire associated data layers in order to project or track relevant landscape-level changes using the Blueprint analysis.
