The description for IWWH should have been:

This layer represents Inland Waterfowl / Wading bird Habitat (IWWH), a Significant Wildlife Habitat defined under Maine's Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA; http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/docstand/nrpapage.htm). IWWHs with a high or moderate rating meet the Significant Wildlife Habitat definition and are protected under NRPA. Low-rated IWWHs are NOT included in this layer because they do not meet the definition and are not protected under NRPA. Boundaries and attributes of polygons in organized townships were updated in 2008 by MDIFW staff using recent (2001-2007), high-resolution (<=1 m), color orthoimagery. For most polygons, multiple images from different years and seasons were used. Polygons in unorganized townships were mapped by MDIFW regional staff in the 1990s from lower-resolution orthoimagery, various wetland data sets, and field visits or via an automated process developed by Heather Rustigian and William Krohn (USGS Biological Resources Division) using statewide digital NWI (National Wetlands Inventory) data, aerial imagery, and hydrology data. Each IWWH boundary includes a 250-foot upland zone around the wetland perimeter. Upland zones were edited to exclude areas of intensive development, slivers crossing major roads into non-wetland habitat, and shorelines >250 ft from a vegetated, non-forested wetland on a Great Pond.

 

 

 

 

IWWH has been UPDATED in the MEGIS internet Data Catalog, http://megis.maine.gov/catalog.  This layer contains wetland "footprints" (i.e., the merged perimeter of the component wetlands) used to map and rate Inland Waterfowl / Wading bird Habitats (IWWH).  Please refer to the metadata for additional information.

 

 

 

David Kirouac

Maine Office of GIS

Office of Information Technology

207-624-9404

http://megis.maine.gov