Ecological systems map

/in , , /by

A land cover map based on the map of ecological systems  originally developed by The Nature Conservancy – The Northeast Terrestrial Habitat Map – and subsequently modified by UMass/Designing Sustainable Landscapes. Major changes include updates to roads, development, streams, and coastal wetlands. This is the basemap used to build both the Index of Ecological Integrity and species landscape capability (wildlife habitat). It is therefore important in the selection of terrestrial core areas.

View this product as a web map on Data Basin.

Access this data as a GIS download from the North Atlantic LCC website. 

Read the Technical Abstract for this data layer (dslLand.tif).

TNC geophysical setting

/in , /by

A geophysical settings (abiotic aspects of the environment, such as topography, geology, and soils) map created by The Nature Conservancy. Full details on the TNC Northeast Resilience Project are available from the TNC Conservation Gateway. This layer is used to create the TNC terrestrial resiliency index (tResiliency.tif), described below.

View this product as a web map on Data Basin.

Access this data as a GIS download from the North Atlantic LCC website

Read the Technical Abstract for this data layer (geosetting.tif).

The Nature Conservancy Secured lands

/in , /by

Polygon layer based on The Nature Conservancy’s secured lands database. Secured lands are those with some form of permanent protection from development, and can include lands owned by organizations like TNC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or lands protected by certain easements. TNC updates this information on an annual basis; the layer provided here is a snapshot of the dataset as of 2011.

View this product as a web map on Data Basin.

Access this data as a GIS download from the North Atlantic LCC website. 

Read the Technical Abstract for this data layer (secure.shp).

HUC 6 Watershed Boundaries

/in , /by

Based on USGS data, showing the two HUC 6 subwatersheds that comprise the Connecticut River watershed (itself a HUC 4). Hydrologic units are hierarchical, Smaller  units (larger HUC values) correspond to units with less total area, and hydrologic units at each level are nested within the level above. The two HUC 6 watersheds in the Connecticut River watershed divide the watershed into northern and southern units and were used to ensure an even distribution of aquatic and terrestrial core areas across the watershed. This was particularly important in the CT River watershed that tends to be heavily forested in the northern components of the watershed and less so in the southern portion. Scaling by the entire CT River watershed (HUC 4) would have led to a greater concentration of cores in the northern portion of the watershed. The result of scaling is that IEI scores and other measures are relevant only to others within the particular HUC 6 watershed.

View this product as a web map on Data Basin.

Access this data as a GIS download from the North Atlantic LCC website.

Read the Technical Abstract for this data layer (huc6Ctr.shp).

HUC 8 watershed boundaries

/in , /by

Based on USGS data, showing the thirteen HUC (Hydrologic Unit Code)-8 subwatersheds that comprise the Connecticut River watershed (itself a HUC 4). Smaller hydrologic units (larger HUC values) correspond to units with less total area, and hydrologic units at each level are nested within the level above. Scaling at this level might be helpful for county or town planning commissions, or local land trusts.

View this product as a web map on Data Basin.

Access this data as a GIS download from the North Atlantic LCC website.

Read the Technical Abstract for this data layer.

Hillshade

/in , /by

Layer showing light and dark areas as if sun were shining on the surface. Hillshade layers lend texture to maps when used as a base layer under a semi-transparent top layer because they allow the user to visualize mountains and valleys within the focal area. It can also be helpful in informing impacts to vegetative communities.

View this product as a web map on Data Basin.

Access this data as a GIS download from the North Atlantic LCC website. 

Read the Technical Abstract for this data layer.

Roads

/in , /by

Classified road types within the watershed, developed from data from Open Street Map. Road classes include (in order of decreasing size/ecological effect) motorways, primary roads, secondary roads, tertiary roads, local roads, and tracks. The primary purpose of including this layer is for display. Roads are included in the ecological systems map.

View this product as a web map on Data Basin. [Coming Soon]

Access this data as a GIS download from the North Atlantic LCC website. 

Read the Technical Abstract for this data layer (roads.shp).

Stream class

/in , /by

Vector version of streams by ecological system classification. Streams are mapped among their centerlines. This product is a continuous stream network. The primary purpose of including this layer is for display. Streams are included in the ecological systems map.

View this product as a web map on Data Basin.

Access this data as a GIS download from the North Atlantic LCC website.

Read the Technical Abstract for this data layer (streamClass.shp).