The Environmental Management Technical Center hosted the first
Upper Midwest Gap Analysis Workshop to initiate the coordination
and implementation of Gap Analysis in the states of Minnesota,
Michigan, and Wisconsin. Presently, Gap Analysis projects are
being completed on a state-by-state basis, depending on level of
interest and need by each state. Because Gap Analysis provides
a standardized method and format, as state projects are
completed the data can be edge-matched with adjacent states to
reveal actual patterns of biodiversity at scales relevant to
both the magnitude of present-day changes and the multiple
levels of biological organization. Gap Analysis products are
being used by state and local governments, schools, and research
institutions for many additional purposes. A significant volume
of habitat diversity exists in the Upper Midwest, including tall
grass prairie, oak savanna, boreal forest, northern hardwood
forests, and a dune ecosystem. This biologically diverse
habitat supports approximately one-third of the listed species
and a significant portion of the candidate and rare species.
The purpose of this workshop is to identify cooperators and to
initiate implementation of Gap Analysis in the Upper Midwest.
