ON THE HORIZON: February 2017, Issue 4
Posted by WAFWA on February 1, 2017
![]() This conservation easement is another milestone in the successful implementation of the range-wide plan and will permanently secure important habitat that the birds need to thrive, said Roger Wolfe, WAFWA’s Lesser Prairie-Chicken Program Manager. We appreciate the collaboration with Pheasants Forever, our industry partners who are funding this effort, and the conservation-minded landowner who has made this possible. ![]() ![]() WAFWA’s Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool (CHAT) pulls state-vetted knowledge together into one system to make scientific information readily available to guide development decisions. CHAT analyzes the best available data to provide a ranking of habitat quality based on a number of categories, such as species of concern, wildlife migration corridors, and intact landscapes. This guides development decisions that will be good for both wildlife and for people. The tool was created under the auspices of the Western Governors’ Association and turned over to WAFWA to manage in 2015. Over the past year, more than 400 users a month have logged in to access this wealth of information. A key feature of CHAT is its use of a standard mapping grid that links data to a one square-mile hexagon. The hexagon grid allows data from different projects, regions and scales to be incorporated into the same framework, facilitating data integration while obscuring sensitive data points. The CHAT will allow for the best decision-making possible in determining low impact utility corridors and energy production areas, as well as helping target conservation efforts. For more information, go to http://www.wafwachat.org/ or contact Mike Houts at mike.houts@wafwa.org |
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