CABEZA PRIETA NWR GIS SYSTEM APPLICATIONS

Provided herein is a brief description of the main GIS projects in which the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge is involved. Projects are broken down into several categories which describe their primary applications to refuge objectives. The refuge's GIS program is expanding rapidly and branching out into new applications to further support refuge functions.

Resource Management

• Base maps have been created for the following refuge and regional features: land ownership boundaries, roads, water developments, mountain ranges, wilderness boundaries, airspace (military flight corridors), hydrography, topography, habitat types, and geology. This information has been used to create, for example, an improved visitor map which clearly displays refuge features to visitors and improves the quality and safety of their visit.
• A 15,000 record wildlife database has been created bringing "on-line" all archived wildlife data from previous refuge managers, biologists, and researchers spanning over 50 years. For the first time, this wealth of information is available in a way that can be quickly queried and analyzed. A grid system has been developed and wildlife records are being geocoded for GIS analysis and mapping. This database will allow for the analysis of historic vs. contemporary species distributions, seasonal and annual distribution patterns, home ranges, migratory routes, habitat preferences, species response to disturbance, etc.

Inventory & Monitoring

• The refuge GIS system has been used extensively to support our work with Sonoran pronghorn, a federally endangered species.
• Range-wide aerial surveys were conducted in 1993-94 in both Mexico and the US. GIS has been used to plot pronghorn group locations and distributions within their range. This data has been shared with other federal agencies (NPS, BLM, DOD) and with Mexican counterparts.
• In the fall of 1995, 20 pronghorn were captured and collared as part of a long-term telemetry study. Weekly telemetry flights are being flown to monitor animal movements and condition. Maps of each animal's location are created after every flight. This information has cut flight time nearly in half through increased frequency scanning efficiency and has resulted in great savings in flight time and expense. This project is the result of a partnership with the AZ Game & Fish Dept. Data are shared with other federal agencies and Mexican counterparts.
• GIS is being used to investigate important biological and ecological questions concerning Sonoran pronghorn, such as: use of free standing water, fawning areas, seasonal habitat use, foraging preferences, migratory patterns, and response to human disturbance.

Research

• GIS and GPS are being used to record wildlife observations and develop contemporary distribution maps.
• GIS and GPS are being used to establish and track permanent ecological monitoring plots on the refuge. Such plots provide an ecological baseline for the refuge and a benchmark against which change can be measured.
• GIS and GPS are being used to ground-truth vegetation data developed by the FWS Coop unit at the University of AZ for the Arizona GAP mapping project.
• Cabeza Prieta has begun a collaborative project with NPS (Organ Pipe Cactus NM) to develop a regional precipitation model. The model will be used to analyze spatio-temporal precipitation patterns and be correlated with floral and faunal distributions. All refuge rain gauges and water developments have been surveyed and entered into the GIS system.

Ecoteam

• Cabeza Prieta has been providing GIS support to the Gila/Salt/Verde Ecoteam in the form of maps which depict generalized ecosystems within the ecoregion, generalized elevation gradients, major cities, roads, and federal properties within the ecoregion, etc. This data has been used by ecoteam members to assess ecoregion needs, make decisions regarding ecoregion priorities, and modify ecoregion boundaries to be more reflective of the true physical/biological divisions within the G/S/V ecoregion.

Collaboration with Other Agencies

• Cabeza Prieta has collaborated with numerous state, federal, and private agencies involved in GIS data sharing and collection. For example, a request for data on Sonoran pronghorn research during the 1980's was met through data shared with the Arizona Game & Fish Department. Current pronghorn data is shared jointly. Data have also been shared with Dames & Moore in support of their efforts to develop EIS's for the military (Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range and Yuma Training Range Complex). Data have been exchanged with military GIS specialists operating at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma. As mentioned above, a joint project to analyze regional precipitation patterns has been started with Park Service GIS staff at Organ Pipe Cactus NM. Collaborative efforts have also been successfully completed with the Advanced Resource Technology Lab at the University of AZ. Data have been shared in support of T.R.I.P. (Transboundary Resource Inventory Program) to develop a pilot internet project along the Arizona / Sonora, Mexico border.

Facilities Management

• Maps have been made of refuge radio system repeater coverage to support maintenance operations.
• Maps have also been prepared to support funding proposals for FM projects.

Miscellaneous

Various mapping and database projects have been undertaken to support the International Sonoran Desert Alliance and promote greater regional cooperation on critical resource management issues. This has resulted in increased awareness of regional environmental issues and the creation of a joint NPS/FWS GIS project.

Hopefully, this brief provides a summary of the GIS program at the Cabeza Prieta NWR. As mentioned earlier, the program is growing and branching out into new areas of support for refuge functions.

Any questions or comments should be directed to Steve Henry, Ecologist and GIS Specialist (520) 387-6483.

For additional information regarding this Web page, contact Chris Lett, in the Division of Information Resources and Technology Management, at Chris_Lett@fws.gov

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Keywords=GIS, data,Cabeza, Prieta
Last Modified January 02, 2001 10:36 AM