A simple rule-based model using general range and winter/general range mapping that the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has compiled for Big Game species.
Dates
Creation
2017
Citation
Montana Natural Heritage Program. 2017. Elk (Cervus canadensis) predicted suitable habitat
models developed on August 18, 2017. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 4 pp.
Summary
See the Montana Distribution section under species accounts in the Montana Field Guide and Big Game species distribution, management unit, and hunting district information from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks at: http://datamtfwp.opendata.arcgis.com/ For compatibility with other predictive distribution models the Montana Natural Heritage Program produces, we have intersected the Big Game general range and winter/general range information with a uniform grid of hexagons that have been used for planning efforts across the western United States (e.g. Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool). Each hexagon is one square mile in area and approximately one kilometer in length [...]
Summary
See the Montana Distribution section under species accounts in the Montana Field Guide and Big Game species distribution, management unit, and hunting district information from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks at: http://datamtfwp.opendata.arcgis.com/ For compatibility with other predictive distribution models the Montana Natural Heritage Program produces, we have intersected the Big Game general range and winter/general range information with a uniform grid of hexagons that have been used for planning efforts across the western United States (e.g. Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool). Each hexagon is one square mile in area and approximately one kilometer in length on each side. Any hexagon that had at least one quarter of its area intersecting with general or winter/general range was coded as such with a default to winter range if it was present. National parks and tribal reservations were not evaluated by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and these hexagons are classified as not assessed. Model outputs are not evaluated and we suggest they be used to generate potential lists of species that may occupy lands within each hexagon for the purposes of landscape-level planning.
Model outputs should not be used in place of on-the-ground surveys for
species and wildlife and land management agency biologists should be consulted about the value of using model
output to guide habitat management decisions for regional planning efforts or local projects.
Communities
LC MAP - Landscape Conservation Management and Analysis Portal