The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) of Colorado State University (CSU) proposes to use its expertise in wetland mapping to digitize original National Wetland Inventory (NWI) maps for the Colorado portion of the Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SRLCC). Over the past five years, CNHP has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS)'s NWI Regional Coordinator for Region 6 to digitize original NWI maps for a total of 596 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic quadrangles (quads) covering several areas of Colorado. This proposal will apply that experience to the Colorado portion of the SRLCC to digitize original NWI maps for the remaining 316 quads that lack digital wetland data. CNHP will utilize [...]
Summary
The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) of Colorado State University (CSU)
proposes to use its expertise in wetland mapping to digitize original National Wetland
Inventory (NWI) maps for the Colorado portion of the Southern Rockies Landscape
Conservation Cooperative (SRLCC). Over the past five years, CNHP has worked with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS)'s NWI Regional Coordinator for Region 6 to digitize
original NWI maps for a total of 596 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic quadrangles
(quads) covering several areas of Colorado. This proposal will apply that experience to the
Colorado portion of the SRLCC to digitize original NWI maps for the remaining 316 quads
that lack digital wetland data. CNHP will utilize automated image processing techniques to
digitize scanned versions of the original NWI maps and convert them into geo-referenced,
polygonal data. This project applies to Funding Category II of the Funding Opportunity
Announcement(FOA): Protecting the resiliency and vulnerability of natural or cultural
resources that affect or are affected by water resources management in a changing climate.
Specifically, this project will provide base data essential for addressing both Science Needs
A and B. Increased digital NWI data for Colorado will allow SRLCC science partners to
better model and predict the potential effects of future climate scenarios on wetland and
riparian habitats and the species that rely on them.
