NWHI Maps and Publications

The Northwest Habitat Institute's mission statement includes the development and dissemination of data-rich and verifiable information, maps, and tools to promote and facilitate the conservation of our native species and habitats. As our Habitat Mapping Program addresses this goal by creating wildlife-habitat and vegetation maps, NHI's Data Modeling Program works toward this goal by creating extensive databases as well as tools for dissemenating and analyzing the collected data.

The databases created by NHI focus on Pacific Northwest fish and wildlife species, their habitats, and the interactions of these species and habitats. These data are collected and stored so that they can be spatially linked to the GIS (geographic information system) data created in our Habitat Mapping Program and combined with other spatial data sets for analysis and modeling. The following sections present a history of NHI's Data Modeling Program.

NHI founders originally focused their data modeling efforts on Oregon. They assembled habitat and species data used in the first edition ot the Atlas of Oregon Wildlife: Distribution, Habitat, and Natural History which was a joint effort of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Oregon State University (OSU), the Oregon Natural Heritage Program, and the National Biological Service (NBS). The Atlas was the first comprehensive guide to the current distribution, habitat, and natural history of most of Oregon's wildlife species, documenting this information for the 422 terrestrial vertebrate species that are native to and breed in the State. In addition, the Atlas provided a forum for producing and distributing a product that utilized the efforts and accomplishments of several projects including the Oregon Gap Project Vegetation Map and wildlife habitat associations identified through cluster analysis by investigators at ODFW, OSU, and NBS (O'Neil et al. 1995). The Northwest Habitat Institute also helped update the second edition of the atlas which was published in 2001. The Atlas of Oregon Wildlife is published by OSU Press and can be purchased at bookstores or directly from the distributor (1-800-426-3797). For more information about the atlas, please click here.

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The Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington (WHROW) Book. NHI data collection and modeling efforts were subsequently expanded to include Washington as well as Oregon. Working cooperatively with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and with funding provided by 34 project partners, NHI created a wildlife-habitat database and maps for Oregon and Washington. The data base contains not only peer reviewed species and habitat attributes but information on the interactions of species with their habitats. This joint venture culminated in the publication of the Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington (Johnson, D. H. and T. A. O'Neil. OSU Press. 2001) book and CD-ROM. Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington CD-ROM This book is the first to compile and synthesize in a single convenient, comprehensive volume a vast amount of diverse information on 593 wildlife species and their relationships with the 32 terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitat types of Oregon and Washington. It includes photographs of each habitat type, as well as hundreds of maps, diagrams, and other illustrations. The accompanying CD-ROM contains additional wildlife data and color maps, and seven matrixes that link wildlife species with their respective habitat types. For more information about this project, please visit the Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington Support section on our web site.

Since the completion of Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington, NHI has been working to expand that wildlife-habitat database to include all of the Columbia River Basin in the US and British Columbia and to develop an Internet application allowing free, dynamic queries of this and other data. This project has been named the Interactive Biodiversity Information System or IBIS. IBIS is an ongoing project that will allow a range of simple to dynamic, spatial and non-spatial, queries of NHI's wildlife-habitat database and GIS (geographic information system) data. Though the early stages of IBIS are limited to rather static query capabilities, eventually it will include a dynamic mapping application and query system allowing users to create habitat maps, species rangemaps, and a variety of statistics for any user-defined area in the Pacific Northwest. To find out more about the Interactive Biodiversity Information System, please visit the IBIS web site.

In addition to data collection and delivery, the Northwest Habitat Institute is committed to developing and applying new environmental data analysis techniques. NHI is currently focusing on the application of data mining and smart systems techniques to leverage new information from existing IBIS data.

Click the below link to access selected chapters from the WHROW book.

WHROW Chapter 1: Oregon and Washington Wildlife Species and Their Habitats.

WHROW Chapter 2: Wildlife Habitats: Descriptions, Status, Trends, and System Dynamics.

WHROW Chapter 3: Structural Conditions and Habitat Elements of Oregon and Washington.

WHROW Chapter 6: Key Ecological Functions of Wildlife Species.

WHROW Chapter 20: Terrestrial and Marine Management Activities: Links to Habitat Elements and Ecological Processes.

WHROW Chapter 24: Decaying Wood in Pacific Northwest Forests: Concepts and Tools for Habitat Management.

WHROW Chapter 24: Updated tables.

Adobe Acrobat required.

This book is being given away free to schools and school districts through charitable donations. The printing and distribution of the book is supported by The Fred Meyer Foundation, Oregon and Washington Fish and Wildlife Departments and Oregon and Washington Chapters of The Wildlife Society. This book would be excellent for environmental education and appropriate age levels are classes from middle to high school.

Please contact Amber Johnson, Information Specialist, if you are interested in supporting this creative and exciting educational endeavor! amber@nwhi.org

Two publications have recently come out to which NHI staff have made substantial contributions, they are: The Wildlife Society's Techniques for Wildlife Investigations and Management -Chapter 15: Application of Spatial Technologies in Wildlife Biology and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute's A Guide to Oregon's Forest Wildlife.The Oregon Department of Transportation Statewide Mitagation Banking Program has won The Environmental Excellence Award for Environmental Streamlining given by the Federal Highway Administration in Washington D.C. in April 2005. This award recognizes the unique approach to repairing highway bridges trhoughout the state while addressing environmental issues. Our habitat value approach was a key part of this process.

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The Pacific Northwest Habitat Classification Systems (PHaCS) Database is now available!

Habitat classification systems differ greatly throughout the PNW depending on agency, organization, or monitoring group, often complicating data-sharing and collaboration.

Have you ever wondered...

• Is your definition of an “herbaceous wetland” the same as someone else’s?
  
• What exactly is measured when “riffles” are reported in a stream inventory?
  
• Do different groups define "large woody debris" the same way?
• What is a "riparian-wetland" and is it the same as a "forested wetland"?

The Northwest Habitat Institute has endeavored to compile different habitat classification systems into a single database and cross-walk these to a common system. This project, funded by the Northwest Environmental Data Network (NED) and the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), is intended to improve communication between groups that may use different habitat classification systems. 

This database tool provides:

• Systems Information: A list of each habitat classification system in PHaCS, including the name, type (Terrestrial, Aquatic, Wetland, or Marine), an initial list of who is using it, a brief description, citation, and website, if available.
• System Categories: A list of all categories associated with each system; definitions are included if available.
• Complementary Systems: A list of other systems that complement, or are similar to, the system you choose.
• IBIS Habitat Types, Structural Conditions, and Key Environmental Correlates: The Interactive Habitat and Biodiversity Information System (IBIS) was used as a "common system" to which each classification system was cross-walked. PHaCS includes names and definitions of all IBIS categories.
• System Cross-walks: Cross-walks from each system to the appropriate IBIS Habitat Type, Structural Condition, or Key Environmental Correlate. These cross-walks can also be used to compare between systems.
   

This PHaCS tool can be downloaded and used by the public free-of-charge.
Please note: PHaCS is still in draft form; the Northwest Habitat Institute is looking for any feedback users could provide regarding its use and design. We are also interested in incorporating additional habitat classification systems into the tool. To send feedback or information on additional systems, please contact Candace Russo at candace@nwhi.org.

VEMA Vegetation Manager Program is now available!

VEMA is a Microsoft Access relational database that helps record, calculate and report vegetation performance based on user determined performance thresholds. The database was largely designed around a vegetation monitoring protocol developed by a team of agency and academic plant ecologists and expert practitioners to provide both an efficient tool for monitoring, and to increase our knowledge base on the effectiveness of different restoration treatments. The database allows users to document and record vegetation data at reference sites for the purposes of helping develop vegetation mitigation and restoration plans and subsequent vegetation performance criteria and thresholds.  

VEMA testing has to date been primarily in Oregon 's Willamette Valley . But this should not mean that you cannot use VEMA to record, calculate, and report vegetation performance in other areas. VEMA will provide vegetation performance reports for any site where vegetation data is collected as percent cover and/or woody stem counts. If you are working in an area that the existing VEMA plant list does not cover, as many new plants can be added to the list as you like. While VEMA includes a predefined set of vegetation performance criteria, it allows the user to set the vegetation performance thresholds. We have attempted to make VEMA flexible enough to allow use over a broad geographical range and to conform to a variety of vegetation monitoring challenges.  

VEMA was built with Microsoft Access 2003. It is important to understand that VEMA is not a stand-alone software product but rather a customization of the Access software provided by Microsoft. Because of this you must have your own copy of Microsoft Access software to open and use VEMA. For the highest compatibility, we recommend you use the 2003 version or later.