Supplementary Map 8:
USFWS Gulf of Maine Habitat Map
Background Information:
The Gulf of Maine watershed, situated in the northeast corner of the United States and the southeast corner of Canada, includes more than 43,000 square miles of land in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The watershed includes the biologically productive Gulf of Maine as well as coastal habitats (salt marshes, mudflats, sandy beaches, intertidal zone, and islands) and inland streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, bogs, deciduous and coniferous woodlands, grasslands and alpine tundra. The Gulf of Maine watershed provides productive nurseries for many marine fish, riverine pathways for historically abundant populations of anadromous fish, important habitat for breeding, migratory and wintering waterbirds and neotropical migrants, and vital habitat for nationally threatened and endangered species. Many who live in the Gulf of Maine watershed appreciate its biological wealth. However, habitat loss and degradation from sprawling development, wetland and associated upland loss, overharvesting, oil spills, pollution, and other cumulative effects of development threaten the integrity of the Gulf of Maine watershed.
Data Components:
In order to protect fish and wildlife habitat for endangered, threatened or declining species in the region, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Gulf of Maine Coastal Program completed a project to identify, map and rank important fish and wildlife habitat for priority species throughout the Gulf of Maine watershed. USFWS biologists selected 91 species that regularly inhabit the Gulf of Maine watershed that meet the following criteria:
- federally endangered, threatened and candidate species,
- migratory birds, anadromous and estuarine fish that are significantly declining nationwide,
- migratory birds, anadromous and estuarine fish that have been identified as threatened or endangered by two of the three states in the Gulf of Maine watershed.
Biologists have identified, ranked and mapped habitat for all species -- from actual sightings, or by developing habitat suitability models reflecting the environmental requirements for each species. Once habitat maps were completed for each species, biologists combined all the maps to create composite maps that included all 91 species. This USFWS Habitat Map displays important habitat in each of the four basic habitat types: forested habitat, grassland habitat, freshwater wetlands and saltwater wetlands. The data within each habitat type is displayed in a three level gradient (the top 25%, the next 25%, and then the bottom 50%). The top 25% in each habitat type is considered the most important habitat and is also portrayed on the High Value Plant & Animal Habitats Map.
All of these data, along with the corresponding environmental themes, are available in GIS format from the USFWS Gulf of Maine Coastal Program.
Strategies for Local Action:
- Incorporate this habitat information into your local planning strategies, including Comprehensive Plans and Open Space Plans. Try to minimize or eliminate growth in the important habitat areas.
- Work with developers to minimize impact on important habitat by adjusting house placement and building envelopes appropriately. Make sure your town planner, planning board and conservation commission are aware of these important habitats and plan development appropriately.
- Use this data to catalyze, guide and support local land protection efforts. Try to protect areas with high value habitat and incorporate existing protected lands into the your habitat protection projects. Contact the USFWS for more information on federal funding sources for land protection.
To learn more about specific strategies for local action, visit the Beginning with Habitat (BwH) Toolbox or contact BwH.
