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The Short-eared Owl occurs widely throughout North America. An owl of open country, theynest on the ground inhabiting marshes, grasslands, and tundra throughout their range. LikeSnowy Owls, Short-eared owl population dynamics are linked to cycles in their primary prey -small mammals (Holt and Leasure 1993). In the Alaskan Arctic, they typically nest on driertundra sites, usually with enough vegetation to conceal incubating females. They often forage inwet tundra habitats, though not exclusively (Holt and Leasure 1993). Short-eared Owls migrateto wintering grounds in the lower 48 and northern Mexico (Holt and Leasure 1993). The currentglobal population is estimated at 2 million (Rich et al. 2004).
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The Greater White-fronted Goose, with a nearly circumpolar distribution, has the most expansiverange of any species in its genus. In Alaska, this species breeds in large numbers in both theYukon-Kuskokwim Delta and also on the Arctic Coastal Plain, but they will also nest in theinterior. On the coastal plain breeding habitat ranges from lowland wet to upland dry tundraoften near ponds or lakes (Ely and Dzubin 1994). The Greater White-fronted Goose diet isdominated by vegetative matter, primarily grass and sedge rhizomes, tubers, and berries (Ely andDzubin 1994). Arctic Alaskan populations winter on the Gulf Coastal plain in Louisiana andTexas as well as northern Mexico (Ely and Dzubin 1994). The Alaskan Arctic Coastal...
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The Buff-breasted Sandpiper is known for its dramatic lekking displays and breeds near arcticcoastlines from central Alaska into Canada (Lanctot and Laredo 1994). This species nests in avariety of habitats ranging from dry sedge tussock tundra to wet sedge-graminoid meadows andstrangmoor (Lanctot and Laredo 1994). Buff-breasted Sandpipers typically forage in areas ofdry, elevated tundra with sparse vegetation primarily consuming terrestrial arthropods (Lanctotand Laredo 1994). This species is one of the few shorebirds that do not show a seasonal shifttoward lowland, wet sites during brood-rearing (Jones 1980, R. Lanctot, unpublished data). BuffbreastedSandpipers spend winters on the pampas of South America. Current...
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Cackling and Canada Geese were recently split into two species. The Cackling Goose tavernerisubspecies is thought to be the dominant breeder on Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain although someevidence suggests they may interbreed with Canada Goose parvipes subspecies (Mowbray et al.2002). Coastal plain Cackling/Canada geese nest in moist sedge shrub tundra with brood rearingin wet sedge meadows, often near the coast (Mowbray et al. 2002). On the coastal plain their dietis dominated by Carex spp. (J. Hupp, pers. comm.). Arctic Alaskan populations winter primarilyin w. Washington and Oregon as well as n. California (Mowbray et al. 2002). The AlaskanArctic Coastal Plain population is estimated at ~8,000 with a stable population...
The Open Space Institute (OSI) disseminated knowledge and tools across the northeast U.S. and the Canadian Maritimes to advance the application of NA LCC data sets for land conservation. Guidance documents were developed to help organizations build buy-in from their constituents, learn from past applications of the data, and develop strategic planning for conservation. The documents were informed by surveys, field tested and distributed by established leaders in assisting land trusts in conservation planning. Strategic partnerships aligned to help distribute guidance include the Land Trust Alliance, Highstead Foundation, and other select organizations that serve as resource ‘hubs’ for the land conservation community....
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A vector polygon GIS file of all city and town boundaries in New York State. The file was originally a compilation of U.S. Geological Survey 1:100,000-scale digital vector files and NYS Department of Transportation 1:24,000-scale and 1:75,000-scale digital vector files. Boundaries were revised to 1:24,000-scale positional accuracy and selectively updated based on municipal boundary reviews, court decisions and NYS Department of State Local Law filings for annexations, dissolutions, or incorporations. Currently, boundary changes are made based on NYS Department of State Local Law filings (http://locallaws.dos.ny.gov/). Additional updates and corrections are made as needed in partnership with municipalities.
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Resilience concerns the ability of a living system to adjust to climate change, to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with consequences; in short, its capacity to adapt. In this project we aim to identify the most resilient examples of key geophysical settings (e.g. sand plains, granite mountains, limestone valleys, etc.) in New york State to provide conservationists with a nuanced picture of the places where conservation is most likely to succeed over centuries.The project had three parts: 1) identifying and mapping the geophysical settings, 2) developing a quantitative estimate of resilience for each setting based on landscape complexity and permeability, and 3) identifying...
Sierra meadows are natural marvels. For millennia they have been cultural havens, hotspots ofbiodiversity and, recently, valued components of California’s natural water infrastructure. Sierrameadows absorb snowmelt in early spring and gradually release the stored water throughout thedry summer months. Healthy meadows keep cool water flowing; they also keep streams clear andclean by filtering out sediment and absorbing floodwaters. In 1889 John Muir’s laments forovergrazing in Tuolumne Meadows and in the headwaters of the Merced River prompted hisproposal to create the nation’s third National Park. In 2016, the Governor’s Water Action Plan againelevated meadows. “Meadows provide a natural storage opportunity, critically...
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The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) will facilitate integration of regional science through local land-use decision-making to enhance stewardship of North Atlantic LCC conservation priorities. The WCS will identify North Atlantic LCC science data layers that are most relevant for state and regional conservation priorities and determine opportunities for integrating this information into state and regional planning. This information will be used to identify and prioritize communities with the greatest potential to achieve conservation outcomes in locations of high conservation value on private lands through small science-based modifications to existing land-use planning tools. WCS will demonstrate on-the-ground...
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The Lapland Longspur is the most abundant passerine breeder on the North Slope of Alaska.This species is most commonly associated with the Arctic Coastal Plain, but also nests in alpinehabitats in the interior Brooks Range. High nesting densities have been found throughout theAlaskan coastal plain (Custer and Pitelka 1977, Liebezeit et al. 2011) with nesting sites often indry/moist tundra near tussocks and less frequently in wetter tundra habitats (Hussell andMontgomerie 2002). During the breeding season they typically forage in a wide range of habitatson a variety of invertebrates but also consume seeds and other vegetative matter (Hussell andMontgomerie 2002). Alaskan Lapland Longspurs are short-distance migrants...
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The Tundra Swan is the more widespread and northerly ranging of the two native swan speciesin North America. In Arctic Alaska, they nest in wet to dry tundra habitat types preferring islandsin lakes or ponds, or naturally occurring frost heaves at the intersection of polygon pond rims.Nesting territories almost always include a large lake that the family will use as a safe havenfrom terrestrial predators (Limpert and Earnst 1994). During the breeding season, their diet isprimarily vegetarian, eating emergent and submerged vegetation in lakes and ponds. They alsograze on terrestrial vegetation near the water (Limpert and Earnst 1994). Most North Slopebreeders winter on the east coast Mid-Atlantic States (Limpert...
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The Hoary Redpoll, closely related and often difficult to distinguish from the Common Redpoll,is a common finch of the circumpolar arctic. In Alaska their range is largely sympatric with theCommon Redpoll although they tend to be more common further north. Like the CommonRedpoll, they utilize both forested and tundra habitats although they tend to utilize tundrahabitats more extensively (Knox and Lowther 2000). In Arctic Alaska tundra, this species nestsin willows (primarily along riparian areas) or on the ground in shrubby areas (Knox and Lowther2000, J. Liebezeit, unpublished data). While primarily a seed eater, in summer this speciesconsumes arthropods to feed young (Knox and Lowther 2000). Hoary Redpolls often...
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The Snow Goose is a common breeder in Arctic Alaska, typically nesting in small, densecolonies scattered near the coast. This species nests on flat tundra, near ponds, shallow lakes,streams, and islands in river deltas (Mowbray et al. 2000). During the breeding season, their dietis primarily vegetarian, eating both aquatic and drier tundra vegetation (Mowbray et al. 2000).For brood rearing, one of the more important habitats is salt affected tundra on islands in riverdeltas (J. Shook, pers. comm.). Most North Slope breeders winter in western North Americafrom British Columbia into California (Mowbray et al. 2000). Current Arctic Coastal Plainpopulation is estimated at approximately 9,000 with an increasing trend...
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The Willow Ptarmigan is an abundant and conspicuous breeding bird in Arctic Alaska and is oneof the few birds that remain in the Arctic year-round. During the breeding season this speciesnests in tall shrub habitats as well as in well-drained tundra sites (Hannon et al. 1998). In earlyspring Willow Ptarmigan are willow bud specialists (constituting up to 80% of their diet); insummer the dietary breadth widens substantially to include insects, berries, equisetum, andleaves (Hannon et al. 1998). In Alaska, female Willow Ptarmigan may move as far south as thesouthern side of the Brooks Range in winter while males stay closer to the tundra breedinggrounds (Irving et al. 1966). Global population estimate is 40 million...
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A gull of the Subarctic and Arctic, the Sabine’s Gull, with its distinctive plumage, commonlynests in the Alaskan Arctic, often in association with Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea). Thisspecies typically nests near fresh water in swampy low-lying tundra, in tidal marshes, and onsmall coastal islands (Day et al. 2001). During the breeding season, aquatic insects and otherinvertebrates are their most important food items (Day et al. 2001). Sabine’s Gulls spend theirwinters offshore primarily in subtropical and tropical coastal upwelling zones (Day et al. 2001).The northern Alaska population estimate is rarely surveyed extensively. Two surveys in 1996indicate a population somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 (Day et...
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Large forest blocks are important features on the landscape and worthy of conservation attention. Maintenance of large blocks of intact habitat is perhaps the most oft recommended biodiversity conservation strategy. We created a map of large forest blocks by selecting all of the forest formations from the Ecological Systems dataset and converting this raster coverage into a polygon coverage using ArcMap. We then used the area function within the resulting attribute table to calculate areas of forest habitats across the state. Last, we classified them according to parameters originally developed by the Orange County Open Space Plan (Orange County Planning Department, 2004) and further utilized by Cornell University’s...
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The Ruddy Turnstone, named after its habit of turning over stones and other objects in search ofprey, occurs throughout the circumpolar arctic. In Alaska, this species typically nests in barrenhalophytic, sparsely vegetated sites (Bart et al. 2012, Nettleship 2000), usually near the coast oralong rivers, and rarely inland (Johnson et al. 2007). During the breeding season, RuddyTurnstones feed primarily on dipteran insects obtained in dry to wet habitats near ponds andstreams and often along pond margins (Nettleship 2000). This species winters along both coastsof North America in the west from northern California down into South America (Nettleship2000). Current population estimate for Alaska is 20,000 (Morrison...
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The Common Raven is wide-ranging throughout much of North America utilizing a variety ofhabitats from deserts in the southwestern U.S. to tundra habitats in Arctic Alaska (Boarman andHeinrich 2000). Historically, this species did not nest in the northern portion of the ArcticCoastal Plain of Alaska but with the growing human presence in the region, particularly from oildevelopment activities, they have been able to utilize human structures for nesting (Johnson andHerter 1989, Day 1998). Ravens are a generalist species and take advantage of a wide variety ofprey and are a noted nest predator. Although some individuals may move south in the winter,many remain on the coastal plain (Johnson and Herter 1989). The global...
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The Semipalmated Sandpiper is likely the most abundant breeding shorebird on the ArcticCoastal Plain of Alaska, with the highest densities occurring in the western portion of the coastalplain (Johnson et al. 2007). In Arctic Alaska, this species nests in a range of upland dry to moistand wet tundra habitats near water and typically focus their foraging along marsh and pond edges(Gratto-Trevor 1992). The current North American population estimate is 2 million (Morrison etal. 2006). While the Alaska breeding population appears to be stable, there is evidence thateastern Semipalmated Sandpiper populations are declining (Andres et al. 2012).


map background search result map search result map City and Town Boundaries Land Classification for the Adirondack Park, New York Local Connectivity, New York State Large Forest Blocks, New York State Enhanced Stewardship of Priority Habitats and Species on Private Lands Using NALCC Science Across Four Northeastern States Short-eared Owl Semipalmated Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Willow Ptarmigan Lapland Longspur Ruddy Turnstone Common Raven Sabine's Gull Canada/Cackling Goose Tundra Swan Snow Goose Hoary Redpoll Greater White-fronted Goose Land Classification for the Adirondack Park, New York Enhanced Stewardship of Priority Habitats and Species on Private Lands Using NALCC Science Across Four Northeastern States City and Town Boundaries Large Forest Blocks, New York State Short-eared Owl Semipalmated Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Willow Ptarmigan Lapland Longspur Ruddy Turnstone Common Raven Sabine's Gull Canada/Cackling Goose Tundra Swan Snow Goose Hoary Redpoll Greater White-fronted Goose Local Connectivity, New York State