| accessInformation:
|
USDA Forest Service - Region 5 and Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW): The USDA Forest Service makes no warranty, expressed or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or utility of these geospatial data, or for the improper or incorrect use of these geospatial data. These geospatial data and related maps or graphics are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such. The data and maps may not be used to determine title, ownership, legal descriptions or boundaries, legal jurisdiction, or restrictions that may be in place on either public or private land. Natural hazards may or may not be depicted on the data and maps, and land users should exercise due caution. The data are dynamic and may change over time. The user is responsible to verify the limitations of the geospatial data and to use the data accordingly.--------------------------------US Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center: Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.--------------------------------California Department of Fish and Wildlife: Terrestrial Connectivity, Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE), version 3.1. Last updated 08/21/2019.The Terrestrial Connectivity dataset is one of the four key components of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) suite of terrestrial conservation information |
| description:
|
California spotted owl is continuously distributed on the western slope of the Sierra and inhabits elevations ranging from 1,000 to over 7,000 feet, it is a Region 5 Forest Service “Sensitive Species” and a “Management Indicator Species” (representing late seral closed canopy coniferous forest). In November, 2019, the USFWS issued a 12-month finding on a petition to list the California spotted owl under the Endangered Species Act and determined listing to be not warranted at this time (USDI Fish and Wildlife Service 2019). Although the species is declining throughout much of its range and faces continued threats due to wildfire, habitat loss, and competition from barred owls, the USFWS determined that existing regulatory mechanisms are sufficient (USDI Fish and Wildlife Service 2019). This species is also recognized as a California “Species of Special Concern and a Species of Greatest Conservation Need.”--------A conservation assessment for California spotted owl was conducted in 2017 (Gutiérrez, Manley, and Stine 2017). This was followed by the development of a conservation strategy to guide habitat management on National Forest System Lands (USDA Forest Service 2019). The conservation strategy for the California spotted owl in the Sierra Nevada aims to balance the need to conserve essential habitat elements around sites occupied by California spotted owls, while simultaneously restoring resilient forest conditions at the landscape scale (USDA Forest Service 2019).--------The USDA Forest Service designates a 300-acre protected activity center (PAC) around each known nesting area or activity center. PACs are a USFS land allocation designed to protect and maintain high-quality California spotted owl nesting and roosting habitat around active sites. Territorial owls typically defend a geographic area consistently used for nesting, roosting, and foraging, containing essential habitat for survival and reproduction. The USDA Forest Service calls for an area of 1,000 acres in the central Sierra Nevada around core use areas, including the associated protected activity center, with a minimum of 400 acres of suitable habitat.----------------This raster has been modified from the base 30m version in the following ways:-------- - It has been aggregated from a 30m to a 300m scale by averaging across the 30m values----------------- Unit Of Measure: Resolution dependent--------30m data - Binary, 0/1--------300m data - Continuous, 0 (Low Suitability) to 1 (High Suitability) |