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Resources for Conservation

Photo: David Giblin

This section will contain many different kinds of information, including resources on plants, animals, and ecosystems. For now, we start with resources that we hope will answer many of your questions about the availability of conservation data for Washington State.

Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy

The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is intended to create a new management framework for the protection of Washington’s species and habitats in greatest need of conservation. Additional guiding principles include keeping common species common and building and strengthening partnerships.

Geospatial One Stop

A geographic information system (GIS) portal, the Geospatial One-Stop serves as a public gateway designed to facilitate communication and sharing of geographic data and resources. Includes Federal and other spatial datasets and access to the National Map.

Natural Resources Information Portal

The Natural Resource Information Portal provides a single place to discover, learn about, and access available salmon and watershed data for Washington State. It includes a searchable catalog with simple links to datasets and their associated metadata ("data about the data"). This site has been designed for a wide range of users who may be interested in salmon and watershed data and associated applications. Users include scientists, watershed planners, decision makers and the general public.

Priority Habitats and Species

The Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) Program fulfills one of the most fundamental responsibilities of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) -- to provide comprehensive information on important fish, wildlife, and habitat resources in Washington. It provides access to management recommendations, recovery plans, and data.

Salmon Recovery Planning

This web site on Salmon Recovery Planning sponsored by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is intended to provide natural resource managers, local governments, volunteers, educators, and other citizens with the information and resources they need to become effective participants in salmon recovery.

Washington Gap Analysis Program

The overall goal of Gap Analysis is to identify elements of biodiversity that lack adequate representation in the nation's network of reserves (i.e., areas managed primarily for the protection of biodiversity). Gap Analysis is a coarse-filter approach to biodiversity protection. The Washington GAP Analysis site provides land cover and vertebrate distribution data and links to reports.

Washington Natural Heritage Program

The Washington Natural Heritage Program (WNHP), in the Department of Natural Resources, collects and distributes information products designed to answer the most common questions about Washington's native ecosystems and rare species and to provide an objective, scientific basis from which to prioritize conservation actions. The program also develops and recommends strategies for protection of the native ecosystems and species most threatened in Washington.

Washington State Geospatial Clearinghouse

The Washington State Geospatial Clearinghouse is a node on the National Spatial Database Infrastructure (NSDI) national network of spatial information servers. Through this resource you will be able to discover what spatial information is available for Washington State or for other geographic entities.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Interactive Mapping

The interactive mapping applications available on the WDFW web site provide a relatively easy way to directly view their geographic information system (GIS) data without being a GIS expert. These applications draw data from their GIS databases and present it in a web browser interface. This site provides access to Salmonscape, GoHunt, and the Marine Bird Density Atlas.