aquatic base data

Ecological systems map

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).

HUC 6 Watershed Boundaries

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

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.

Stream class

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).