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Army Corps GIS Protects Endangered Shore Species
21 Oct, 2009 By: JoAnne CastagnaThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collaborate to create a tool for monitoring threatened birds and plants.
Our health may be at risk, warns the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The agency whose mission is to monitor and manage threatened and endangered wildlife reports that bird populations are plummeting at an alarming rate, and the health of our feathered friends is "a critical indicator of the health of the environment on which we all depend."
One way that FWS is keeping an eye on birds at risk is through a website called the Threatened and Endangered Species System (TESS). The site — created in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District — includes a geographic information system (GIS) that is a repository of information on threatened and endangered bird and plant species living along the New York and New Jersey coasts.
Scientists, decision makers, and other interested parties can use this information to come up with joint solutions for protecting these species. "The purpose of the website is to provide a central point of data entry for surveys and site observations related to threatened and endangered species," said Rose Dopsovic, a GIS contractor with the Army Corps, Mobile District, who is assisting the New York District.
Any agency that has an interest in the monitoring and management of these threatened and endangered species can submit its observations to TESS. Presently, the site comprises data on threatened and endangered birds including the piping plover, common tern, and least tern, as well as plants including the seabeach amaranth.
TESS serves as a user-friendly interface to the GIS, a tool capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying spatial information. The GIS incorporates data from various sources, such as aerial photographs and electronic data. A primary source of data for the GIS is beach surveys conducted by members of the Army Corps and other agencies. These field workers visit beaches, observe birds and nests, and record their numbers and locations on forms available through TESS.
The TESS website allows users to download survey forms, view and search survey submissions, and plot observations of piping plover or seabeach amaranth in Google Earth. Image courtesy of Rose Dopsovic, Army Corps, Mobile District.
The GIS combines these layers of information to perform analyses, creating products such as maps, reports, and charts. For example, the beach survey data is used to create nesting and bird sitting maps that help officials decide when to close off certain areas of the beaches, thereby preventing human visitors from disrupting the nesting process.
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About the Author: JoAnne Castagna
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