                    WETLANDS INVENTORY AND CONSERVATION PROGRAM

                               Lands and Natural Areas Program

                                  Protocol for Data Distribution

1) By accepting data, the user agrees to abide by all terms listed below

2) Data may not be used for regulatory purposes

3) Data may not be redistributed without prior written approval from the W.I.C.P coordinator

(Joe Carboni : 916/324-1414)

4) Graphic or textual representation of data shall include appropriate references to author and/or agency

5) Data shall not be amended, edited, or revised, or used inappropriately to produce inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading analyses, reports, or maps.

                         

                         SUMMARY

This coverage is a polygon layer of vernal pool complexes greater than 40 acres in size for 29 counties throughout the greater Central Valley, and some north bay counties.  In 1995, Dr. Robert F. Holland identified the complexes on aerial photos (the most recent available for each county) and traced the polygons onto USGS 7.5' quads from which they were digitized.  Vernal pool complexes were then given a density rating.  The coverage was refined in June of 1998, with SPOT Imagery and recent U2 (low-flying aircraft) photography. The layer does not contain delineations of individual vernal pools and was not intended for use in wetland delineations. 

FULL METADATA (DRAFT)

COVERAGE NAME: usfwsvp2

COVERAGE DATE: June 22nd, 1998

METADATA FILE: vpool_meta.txt

METADATA DATE: August, 1998

COVERAGE DESCRIPTION:

The VERNAL POOLS coverage (USFWSVP) is a polygon coverage representing existing vernal 

pool complexes in California's Central Valley, as identified and mapped by Dr. Robert F. Holland.   The purpose of the inventory was to map the distribution of extant CA Central Valley vernal pool complexes for use by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in recovery planning for listed and sensitive species.  True color aerial slides from the Dept of Water Resources were interpreted, and vernal pool complexes were identified.  Complexes more than 40 acres in size were then digitized as polygons and given a density rating (described below). 

This coverage was created to help biologists and resource planners make informed decisions in their recovery and planning efforts.  It depicts vernal pool complexes, not individual vernal pools.   Since the minimum mapping unit of the coverage is 40 acres, it may not provide the level of detail required for larger scale (smaller area, more site-specific) conservation planning. 

The coverage was created using the Arc/Info command `CREATE', using an existing coverage as a template for cartographic parameters.   After the initial setup of the coverage for data input, vernal pool polygon complexes were digitized into the G.I.S database. The coverage was then built, the tolerances set and the attribute fields added. The polygon boundaries were refined by Dr. Holland by reviewing U2 (low-flying aircraft) photographs and 1:130,000 scale paper plots of the original data laid over SPOT Imagery.  The changes were then edited in the G.I.S. database.

VITAL STATISTICS: 

 

                                   Datum:                             NAD 27

                              Projection:                   Albers

                                   Units:                             Meters

                              1st Std. Parallel:            34 00 00 (34.0 degrees N)

                                   2nd Std. Parallel:                 40 30 00 (40.5 degrees N)

                              Longitude of Origin:          -120 00 00 (120.0 degrees W)

                              Latitude of Origin:           00 00 00 (0.0 degrees)

                              False Easting (X shift):      0

                              False Northing (Y shift):     -4,000,000 

                                   Source:                            Department of Fish and Game

                    Source Media:       paper maps              

                         Source Projection:       Teale Albers         

                         Source Units:            meters            

                              Source Scale:                 1:24,000

                              Capture Method:               Digitized

                              Conversion Software:          ARC/INFO rev. 6.1.1

                              Data Structure:               Vector

ARC/INFO Coverage Type:   Polygon

                              ARC/INFO Precision:           Double

                         ARC/INFO Tolerances:     fuzzy = .002V

                         Number of Features:      1918

                         Layer Size:              1.92 MB

                    Data Updated:       June, 1998

  

DATA DICTIONARY:

  

Non-standard POLYGON attribute fields:

  

  COLUMN   ITEM NAME     WIDTH   TYPE  

  ---------------------------------------------------------

  

                              49        QUAD_NAME 20   C    

                         69        LUCODEOLD 1    N

                              70        DATEOLD        4    N

                              74        COUNTY         20   C

                         94        LUCODENEW 1    N

                              95        DATENEW        4    N

NOTE: Items common to all POLYGON coverages: AREA,   

        PERIMETER, USFWSVP# and USFWSVP-ID are not described here.

Description of items (fields): 

        

QUADNAME: Name of USGS quadrangle (24K) where data were originally digitized from.

LUCODEOLD: There are nine fields, marked 1-9.

  

     Cut_Out = 0

     Density Index = 1

     Density Index = 2

     Density Index = 3

     Cultivated = 4

     Developed  = 5

     Mitigated Site = 6

     Extirpated = 7

     Disturbed DI 1 = 8 (disturbed vernal pool/density index of 1)

     Disturbed DI 2 = 9 (disturbed vernal pool/density index of 2)

Density Indexes Described

0 = CUT_OUT.  These polygons are 'do-nut' holes within vernal pool complexes; e.g. a 

cultivated feld surrounded by habitat.

1 = LOW DENSITY.  Pools are small, widely and patchily scattered.  At least 2

pools and usually 5 or more exist within the delineated complex.

2 = MEDIUM DENSITY.  Pools are larger, more numerous, and more pervasively

scattered, but still patchy within the delineated complex.

3 = HIGH DENSITY.  Pools are all sizes and numerous.  Pools are distributed over

the entire delineated vernal pool complex.  Also includes large, isolated playa-like pools.

                                        

4 = CULTIVATED.  Pools are present and persist in spite of obvious cultivation, 

usually of hay crops.

5 = DEVELOPED.  Pools are present and still visible in spite of subdivision into parcels smaller than minimum mapping size.

6 = MITIGATED SITE.  The site is a mitigated area consisting within a vernal pool

complex. (Not used in this project)

7 =EXTIRPATED.  Pools were present in earlier photos, but were gone in 1997 U2 

flight photos..

8 = DISTURBED DI 1.  This is a polygon/delineated complex that is fits the criteria 

of 'density index of 1', but that is disturbed in some way or form.

9 = DISTURBED DI 2.  This is a polygon/delineated complex that is fits the criteria

of 'density index of 2', but that is disturbed in some way or form.

DATEOLD:  This is the year of the photographs used for each county in the original 1995 aerial photo interpretation.

COUNTY:   This is the county in which the polygon is contained.

LUCODENEW: These are 1997-1998 updates of LUCODEOLD, especially where land use changes have taken place.

DATENEW: This is the year the check was done with SPOT Imagery and U2 photography.

DATA QUALITY ASSESSMENT

This coverage depicts vernal pool complexes, not individual vernal pools.  The density ratings are subjective but were validated with actual point occurrence data of individual vernal pools.  (For a copy of the paper "A Comparison of Two Methods for Mapping Vernal Pools" contact Monica Parisi, Wildlife Biologist at (916) 657-4341 or e-mail mparisi@dfg.ca.gov.)  The validation suggested that 1.) dense complexes of vernal pools were being picked up by aerial photo interpretation and 2.) the density ratings should not be the sole basis for identifying high priority preserve areas, especially at the local planning level. At the local level,  this layer is probably best used for suggesting new areas for regional preserves, areas which may never have been considered because of a lack of information.

DATA CONTACTS

Please contact one of the individuals below for questions about the data or for a copy of  "Mapping Project for the Vernal Pool Recovery Plan Methodology", a report by Dr. Robert F. Holland to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (January, 1996).

Craig Turner, Research Analyst (G.I.S)

Phone: (916) 324-8298

E-mail: cturner@dfg.ca.gov

Kari Lewis, Land Conservation Planner

Phone: (916) 322-1869

E-mail: klewis@dfg.ca.gov

California Department of Fish and Game

Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch

Wetland Inventory and Conservation Branch

1807 13th street Suite 202, Sacramento 95814.

