1,591 results returned
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts NHESP Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife (June 1999)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: The Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife datalayer consists of polygons representing estimations of the habitats of Massachusetts state-protected rare wildlife populations that occur in Resource Areas*. (*The definition of 'Resource Area' (Area Subject to Regulation) is included in the Wetlands Protection Act Regulations (310 CMR 10.02(1)).) These habitats are based on rare species records maintained in the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program's (NHESP) database. Estimated population locations are spatially represented at 1:25,000 or 1:24,000 scale on NHESP's series of USGS topographic maps. NHESP scientists draw estimated habitats by analyzing population records, species habitat requirements, available information about the landscape (particularly from topographic maps and wetland inventory maps), as well as personal observations. Most habitat sites are not visited prior to the drawing of these estimated habitats. Estimated habitats are not equivalent to Resource Area delineation. These estimated habitats are designed for use with the Wetlands Protection Act Regulations (310 CMR 10.00). Projects that are subject to the Wetlands Protection Act and that fall within Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife require the filing of a Notice of Intent form with NHESP.
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Coastal Natural Community Systems (April 2003)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer contains polygons representing Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Coastal Natural Community Systems. These systems extend from the ocean to the inland limits of tidal influence and salt spray. Community types include dunes, beaches, salt marshes, tidal flats, undeveloped barrier beaches, interdunal swales, maritime rock and erosional cliffs, rocky shores, maritime forest and shrubland, coastal forest, brackish marshes and shrublands, and coastal salt ponds. Brackish marshes and swamps located along a river system were included in the Riverine community system and not here. Users should add subtidal eelgrass beds from the statewide DEP Eelgrass data layer. This layer is part of the MassGIS Priority Natural Vegetation Communities dataset, which depicts the distribution of the eight natural community systems identified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) as most critical to the conservation of the Commonwealth's biological diversity (Barbour et al., 1998).
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts NHESP BioMap Supporting Natural Landscape (July 2001)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: Supporting Natural Landscape is one of two datalayers resulting from the BioMap biodiversity mapping project (also see the NHESP BioMap Core Habitat datalayer description). The Supporting Natural Landscape buffers and connects Core Habitat polygons, which depict the most viable habitat for rare species and natural communities in Massachusetts, and identifies large, naturally vegetated blocks that are relatively free from the impact of roads and other development. The quality of undeveloped land considered in the landscape analysis was evaluated based on four major components: natural vegetation patch characteristics; size of relatively roadless areas; subwatershed integrity; and contribution to buffering BioMap Core Habitat polygons for plants and exemplary communities. These components were represented in seven Factor Maps in 30-meter x 30-meter raster datasets: size of natural vegetation patch; distance from development; forest history; size of individual roadless blocks; size of aggregated roadless blocks; subwatershed integrity; and distance to BioMap Core Habitat. A weighted overlay was performed on these Factor Maps using the Model Builder extension of Spatial Analyst in ArcView 3.2a to produce the Supporting Natural Landscape datalayer.
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Pine Barrens Natural Community Systems (April 2003)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer contains polygons representing Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Pine Barrens Community Systems. The data covers only a portion of eastern Massachusetts. Pine Barrens Systems are a mosaic of pitch pine and scrub oak, with heath and grassy openings, located on nutrient-poor, acidic, drought-prone soils. This datalayer can be used with the Pine Barrens Community Systems (UMass) datalayer which is separate and covers portions of the towns of Plymouth, Kingston, Bourne, Carver, and Wareham, Massachusetts. This layer is part of the MassGIS Priority Natural Vegetation Communities dataset, which depicts the distribution of the eight natural community systems identified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) as most critical to the conservation of the Commonwealth's biological diversity (Barbour et al., 1998).
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts NHESP Certified Vernal Pools (June 1999)
Contributors:- Point data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer contains points for all vernal pools which have been certified by the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) according to the Guidelines for Certification of Vernal Pool Habitat (5/88, MA Division of Fisheries & Wildlife). The 1999-2001 version of the datalayer shows all pools that were certified as of June 30, 1999. Vernal pools are small, shallow ponds characterized by lack of fish and by periods of dryness. Vernal pool habitat is extremely important to a variety of wildlife species including some amphibians that breed exclusively in vernal pools, and other organisms such as fairy shrimp which spend their entire life cycles confined to vernal pool habitat. Many additional wildlife species utilize vernal pools for breeding, feeding and other important functions. Certified vernal pools are protected if they fall under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act Regulations (310 CMR 10.00). Certified vernal pools are also afforded protection under the state Water Quality Certification regulations (401 Program), the state Title 5 regulations, and the Forest Cutting Practices Act regulations. However, the certification of a pool only establishes that it functions biologically as a vernal pool. Certification does not determine that the pool is within a resource area protected by the Wetlands Protection Act.
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts NHESP Potential Vernal Pools (December 2000)
Contributors:- Point data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer identifies the locations of more than 29,000 potential, unverified, vernal pool habitats. Vernal pools are small, shallow ponds characterized by a lack of fish and annual or semi-annual periods of dryness. Vernal pool habitats are extremely important to a variety of wildlife species, including some amphibians that breed exclusively in vernal pools, and other organisms such as fairy shrimp which spend their entire life cycles confined to such locales. Potential vernal pools visible on aerial photographs were interpreted and included in this layer. However, this datalayer does not include every vernal pool in Massachusetts. Many vernal pools have not been identified due to unfavorable conditions in the landscape topography, pool physiography and/or photograph quality. Furthermore, vernal pool habitats occur in a wide variety of landscape settings, including forested swamps, bogs, and other wetlands. Vernal pools within these settings were not typically interpreted, but are nonetheless legitimate and valuable vernal pools. Also, field verification of all potential vernal pools in this study will identify errors such as the inclusion of features that are not actually vernal pools. Potential vernal pools identified in this survey are not to be confused with Certified Vernal Pools. Data pursuant to the official 'Guidelines for the Certification of Vernal Pool Habitat' must be collected in the field and presented to the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program to obtain official certification for a vernal pool. Potential vernal pools identified in this survey do not receive protection under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act Regulations (310 CMR 10.00), or under any other state or federal wetlands protection laws.
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Upland Forest (April 2003)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer contains polygons representing Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Upland Forest. The data covers only a portion of southeastern Massachusetts. This theme is a polygon coverage vectorized from classified satellite imagery. It depicts the distribution of several upland forest types derived from Landsat 5 imagery acquired on April 7, 1998. Additional information about the methods used to create these data is available from Philip John at MassGIS at (617) 626-1185. This layer is part of the MassGIS Priority Natural Vegetation Communities dataset, which depicts the distribution of the eight natural community systems identified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) as most critical to the conservation of the Commonwealth's biological diversity (Barbour et al., 1998).
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Sandplain Natural Community Systems (April 2003)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer contains polygons representing Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Sandplain Natural Community Systems. The data covers only a portion of southeastern Massachusetts. Sandplain Systems are complex mosaics of native grassland and heathland found on dry sandy soils, usually near the coast. Non-sandplain grasslands that might still have habitat value are included as GR, CGR, or G2. This layer is part of the MassGIS Priority Natural Vegetation Communities dataset, which depicts the distribution of the eight natural community systems identified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) as most critical to the conservation of the Commonwealth's biological diversity (Barbour et al., 1998).
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Coastal Plain Pond Systems (April 2003)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
- MassGIS (Office : Mass.)
- Manomet Center for Conservation Science.
- Massachusetts. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program
Summary: This datalayer contains polygons representing Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Coastal Plain Pond Systems. The data covers only a portion of southeastern Massachusetts. Coastal Plain Pond Systems consist of certain kettlehole ponds and the pondshores developed around their fluctuating water levels. This layer is part of the MassGIS Priority Natural Vegetation Communities dataset, which depicts the distribution of the eight natural community systems identified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) as most critical to the conservation of the Commonwealth's biological diversity (Barbour et al., 1998).
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts NHESP Priority Sites of Rare Species Habitats & Exemplary Natural Communities (June 1999)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: The Priority Habitats of Rare Species datalayer consists of polygons that represent estimations of important state-listed rare species habitats in Massachusetts. These habitats are based on rare species population records maintained in the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) database. The polygons are spatially represented at 1:25000 or 1:24000 on the Program's series of USGS topographic maps. Program scientists draw approximate habitats by analyzing population records, species habitat requirements, and available information about the landscape (particularly from topographic maps and aerial photographs). Most habitat sites are not visited prior to the drawing of these habitats. These polygons are NOT equivalent to 'significant habitat' as may be designated according to the regulations of the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA). Priority habitats are not protected under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, but the rare species that use the habitats are protected by that law.
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Riverine Natural Community Systems (April 2003)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer contains polygons representing Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Riverine Natural Community Systems. The data covers only a portion of eastern Massachusetts. Riverine Systems are complex areas defined by the extent of river flooding. They include floodplain and alluvial forests, riverside marshes and shrub swamps, and brackish and freshwater wetlands along tidal rivers. Ditched, channelized and dammed areas are excluded. This layer is part of the MassGIS Priority Natural Vegetation Communities dataset, which depicts the distribution of the eight natural community systems identified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) as most critical to the conservation of the Commonwealth's biological diversity (Barbour et al., 1998).
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Acidic Peatland Community Systems (April 2003)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer contains polygons representing Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Acidic Peatland Community Systems. The data covers only a portion of eastern Massachusetts. Acidic Peatland Systems include evergreen forest and shrub bogs, Atlantic White Cedar (AWC) swamps and bogs, and shrub and graminoid fens. This layer is part of the MassGIS Priority Natural Vegetation Communities dataset, which depicts the distribution of the eight natural community systems identified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) as most critical to the conservation of the Commonwealth's biological diversity (Barbour et al., 1998).
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts NHESP BioMap Core Habitat (July 2001)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: Core Habitat is one of two datalayers resulting from the BioMap biodiversity mapping project (also see the NHESP BioMap Supporting Natural Landscape datalayer description). The Core Habitat layer depicts the most viable habitat for rare species and natural communities in Massachusetts. Using a variety of data sources, primarily field data, ancillary literature, and color-infrared aerial photographs, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program scientists delineated Core Habitat polygons. A Core Habitat polygon may consist of many individual species or natural community polygons- this individual species information is not identified in the Core Habitat layer.
-
Title: Massachusetts (Certified Vernal Pools, 2006)
Contributors:- Point data
- 2006
Summary: This datalayer contains points for all vernal pools that have been certified by the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) according to the Guidelines for Certification of Vernal Pool Habitat (MA Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, 2000).Vernal pools are small, shallow ponds characterized by lack of fish and by periods of dryness. Vernal pool habitat is extremely important to a variety of wildlife species including some amphibians that breed exclusively in vernal pools, and other organisms such as fairy shrimp, which spend their entire life cycles confined to vernal pool habitat. Many additional wildlife species utilize vernal pools for breeding, feeding and other important functions. Certified vernal pools are protected if they fall under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act Regulations (310 CMR 10.00). However, the certification of a pool only establishes that it functions biologically as a vernal pool. Certification does not determine that the pool is within a resource area protected by the Wetlands Protection Act. Certified vernal pools are also afforded protection under the state Water Quality Certification regulations (401 Program), the state Title 5 regulations, and the Forest Cutting Practices Act regulations.
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Pine Barrens Natural Community Systems (UMass) (April 2003)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
- MassGIS (Office : Mass.)
- Massachusetts. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program
- University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Summary: This datalayer contains polygons representing Massachusetts Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Pine Barrens Community Systems produced by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMass). The data covers only a portion of southeastern Massachusetts including the towns of Plymouth, Kingston, Bourne, Carver, and Wareham, Massachusetts. Pine Barrens Systems are a mosaic of pitch pine and scrub oak, with heath and grassy openings, located on nutrient-poor, acidic, drought-prone soils. Due to spatial accuracy issues, the UMass data should be used for regional analysis only, at scales of 1:30,000 and smaller. The datalayer can be used with the MassGIS datalayer: Priority Natural Vegetation Communities : Pine Barrens Community Systems, which covers a portion of eastern Massachusetts excluding the areas covered by this UMass datalayer. This layer is part of the MassGIS Priority Natural Vegetation Communities dataset, which depicts the distribution of the eight natural community systems identified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) as most critical to the conservation of the Commonwealth's biological diversity (Barbour et al., 1998).
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Orthophoto Wetlands (1:5,000) (February 2003)
Contributors:- Polygon data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
- MassGIS (Office : Mass.)
- Massachusetts. Dept. of Environmental Protection
- Massachusetts. Wetlands Conservancy Program.
- University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Summary: This datalayer consists of polygons representing wetlands (marshes, bogs, swamps, etc.) in the state of Massachusetts. It is one of two datalayers that comprise the MassGIS Orthophoto Wetlands and Streams (1:5,000) data (see also the Orthophoto Streams (1:5,000) arc datalayer). State coverage is incomplete. Portions of North Central and Western Massachusetts are not covered.
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts Orthophoto Streams (1:5,000) (February 2003)
Contributors:- Line data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
- MassGIS (Office : Mass.)
- Massachusetts. Dept. of Environmental Protection
- Massachusetts. Wetlands Conservancy Program.
- University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Summary: This datalayer consists of arcs representing streams and rivers in the state of Massachusetts. It is one of two datalayers that comprise the MassGIS Orthophoto Wetlands and Streams (1:5,000) data (see also the Orthophoto Wetlands (1:5,000) polygon datalayer). State coverage is incomplete. Portions of North Central and Western Massachusetts are not covered.
-
Title: MassGIS 2000 Abandoned Cranberry Bogs (March 1997)
Contributors:- Point data
- 1997
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
- Massachusetts. Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
- MassGIS (Office : Mass.)
- Massachusetts. Dept. of Environmental Protection
- Massachusetts. Wetlands Conservancy Program.
Summary: The abandoned cranberry bogs datalayer was compiled by the DEP GIS Group from source material provided by the DEP Wetlands Conservancy Program (WCP). The data set AB_CRAN is a point layer containing the location of 537 abandoned cranberry bogs in 41 Massachusetts municipalities in Barnstable, Bristol and Plymouth Counties.
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts MHD Major Roads (December 2002)
Contributors:- Line data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer represents the 'major roads' in the Commonwealth from the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) Roads datalayer. Four classes of road are included: Limited Access Highways (such as Interstates with on- and off-ramps as the only means of access), Multi-lane Highways without limited access, Other Numbered Highways (such as state and Federal routes that are not included in the previous two categories), and Major Road-Collectors (non-numbered routes that connect numbered routes). These major roads are stored as one statewide coverage.
-
Title: MassGIS 2003 Massachusetts MHD Routemarker Locations (December 2002)
Contributors:- Point data
- 2003
- Not owned by MIT (Owned by Harvard)
Summary: This datalayer is a point coverage that may be used for plotting route shields that have the look of those on actual highway signs (i.e. red, white and blue Interstate; U.S. shields; boxes for State routes). The layer is intended to be used in conjuction with other Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) datalayers. Please note that the locations of these points have been chosen to optimize display and do not represent actual roadside locations of route signs. To download and use Massachusetts highway route shields created by Jim Mossman, visit the MassGIS Web MHD page: http://www.mass.gov/mgis/majrdmhd.htm