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Current Projects
Great Lakes Fisheries GIS
Digital Water Atlas
Ecological classification of rivers for environmental assessment
Wildlife Conservation Strategy - Aquatic Species
Completed Projects
Michigan Rivers Inventory
Geographic Distribution Maps of Michigan Fishes
National Hydrography Dataset - High Resolution
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Current Projects
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Great Lakes Fisheries GIS
Ecosystem management of Great Lakes fisheries requires analysis of multiple, spatially explicit factors. A comprehensive GIS can facilitate analysis of factors influencing fish abundances, distributions, and harvest in the Great Lakes, and help provide information to managers as they make decisions.
Our overall objective is to develop a GIS database and software for use in research and management of Great Lakes fisheries resources.
Specific objectives include:
(1) Map historic and projected fishing efforts, harvests and fish tag returns for the tribal fisheries negotiations.
(2) Describe and explain spatial trends in distributions, movements and harvests of Great Lakes fishes.
(3) Link dynamic fish production models to GIS coverages for Great Lakes ecosystems.
(4) Identify and map critical habitats of key Great Lakes fishes.
This project and related positions have been relcoated to the Institute for Fisheries Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Lake Huron GIS was recently completed, and work on the Lake Erie GIS and Lake Michigan GIS are underway, with Lake Superior being next.
Primary Funding Sources: State Wildlife Grant administered throught the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
Contact: Ed Rutherford, UM School of Natural Resources and Environment, PERM Faculty, MI Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division; Chris Geddes, UM Research Associate; Emily Marshall, UM Research Assistant
Project status - as of 3 December 2003 -
Currently, an assessment of impediments to fish habitat are being inventoried for the Lake Michigan drainage. A database of dams in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois is
being built and the stream gradient is being examined.
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Digital Water Atlas of Michigan
( < links to DWA web site)
The Digital Atlas project is designed to develop both comprehensive,
spatially explicit information describing the natural resources of
Michigan inland waters and applications to support assessment of
resource status and management options. The main objective of this
project is to provide resource managers and other agencies with
desktop access to such information and applications.
The objectives are:
(1) Develop a comprehensive Geographic Information System for Michigan's inland waters
including map themes of landscape features and databases of water body characteristics
(2) Support ecological classification of lakes and streams
(3) Support fisheries management planning including river assessments and lake management plans
(4) Provide information on water resources to users
(5) Support research on inland lakes and streams
(6) Provide links to databases of other agencies.
Potential deliverables include:
(1) Supporting and facilitating the creation of the High-Resolution National Hydrography Dataset (NHD), which allows routing of water and fish
(2) Access to maps and linked databases, such as valley segments, coldwater stream designations, water quality
(3) Maps of watershed boundaries
(4) Maps of dam locations, with dam characteristics
(5) Maps of precipitation, groundwater potential, streamflow
(6) Digital maps of lake bathymetry, with info on lake volume, mean depth, littoral area.
Primary Funding Source: State Wildlife Grant administered throught the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division.
Contact: Jim Breck, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division, Research Biologist, University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment, Adjunct Professor; Lidia Szabo Kraft, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, Research Associate
Project status - as of 31 August 2004 -
The first version of these datasets, known as the Digital Water Atlas v1.0, was made available for distribution in February 2003. Currently, work is underway to evaluate alternate distribution mechanisms (ArcIMS, Citrix Server). Please contact Lidia Szabo Kraft for more information.
Deliverables
Version 1.0 includes a number of base layers related to angler information, state/political boundary layers, fisheries management units, landscape features and information on the inland waters of Michigan (lakes, streams and the 1:100,000 NHD). Notably, metadata are available for most datasets and documentation explaining the creation and development of the DWAv1 is included. Visit the Digital Water Atlas website for more detailed information. Please contact Lidia Szabo Kraft for additional information.
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Ecological classification of rivers for environmental assessment
Our goal is to couple landscape-based modeling from large, regional data sets and regional Land Transformation Models with a valley segment ecological classification approach already being employed in several Midwestern states. Objectives include completion of a GIS based river segment classification and provision of a comprehensive status and risk assessment of river systems across the upper Midwestern states of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
We will build on existing pilot work to delineate and validate ecological valley segment units for all river systems in IL, MI, and WI. Using state resource agency survey databases we will build mathematical models for predicting riverine site habitats and biological reference conditions from mapped landscape and local variables. These models will be used to extrapolate results to unsampled river segments, producing regionwide summaries of current ecological status. Finally we will couple this modeling system to a Land Transformation Model, and provide spatially explicit risk assessments for the river systems of the upper Midwest.
Primary Funding Source: US Environmental Protection Agency
Contacts: Rick Clark, UM School of Natural Resources and Environment; Arthur Cooper, UM Research Assistant
Project Status- as of 31 August 2004 -
For the most up-to-date information, please refer to the River Classification Project's website.
Deliverables
Our ultimate products will be:
1) a GIS based river classification and modeling system, developed in cooperation with each state resource agency (and coordinated among states) that contains a series of standard landscape maps and a map of ecological river. Also, associated data tables containing attributes linked to segments: raw data, attribute classes, and risk assessment classes; and
2) the illustration of a landscape based approach to modeling, classification, and status/risk assessment of rivers that would be transferable to other regions.
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Wildlife Conservation Strategy for Michigan
In Michigan, a lack of emphasis and attention on non-game species has characterized research studies. Lack of funding dedicated to species has further prevented such studies. Amphibians, reptiles, non-sport fish, and invertebrates could particulary benefit from research attention. State Wildlife Grants (SWG) provide federal funding to support efforts related to conservation of these importnant wildlife species. In order for the State to continue to recieve this federal funding, which supports multiple State of Michigan DNR Fisheries Division projects, the State must develop a process to determine how these funds will be allocated - this strategy is the Wildlide Conservation Strategy (WCS). The WCS is the document that will adress species of greatest conservation need in the context of all of Michigan's terrestrial and aquatic wildlife.
A number of groups and agencies are involved in this large-scale effort: MDNR, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, International Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Development Assistance Teams (US FWS), additional stakeholder organizations, technical experts, other governmental agencies, tribes and other interested individuals.
Primary Funding Source: State Wildlife Grant to the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, administered through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Contacts: Liz Hay-Chmielewski, Michigan DNR Fisheries Division, Fisheries Biologist Specialist; Mark Irwin, UM Research Assistant
Project Status- as of 2 September 2004 -
This project began May 24, 2004 and the final draft is due on October 1, 2005. For the most current information, please refer to the State of Michigan DNR Widlife Conservation Strategy website.
Deliverables
Staff are working to identify critial species and the habitats required to support them. Databases of relevant information are being assembled and maps are being made of species and habitat using a GIS. A draft of the Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Strategy is due in January 31, 2005. A final Wildlife Conservation Strategy document is due to the US Fish & Wildlife Service by October 1, 2005.
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Completed Projects
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Michigan Rivers Inventory
This project
is a long-term, collaborative
research effort established in 1988 by scientists from the Institute
of Fisheries Research, Michigan Department of Natural
Resources (IFR/MDNR) and the School of Natural Resources,
University of Michigan (SNRE/UM). Initially a Dingell-Johnson
funded inventory project directed by Dr. Paul Seelbach (MDNR)
and Dr. Mike Wiley (SNRE/UM), the collaboration has grown to
include active scientists from multiple research institutions. The
MRI focuses on the development of :
a regional, spatially explicit, inventory framework;
collaboratively managed research database; and
scientific models and methods for studying the large-scale
ecology of Michigan's rivers.
The MRI database currently includes site and catchment-level
data for 700+ study locations linked by an extensive
geographic information system (GIS). This combination of a GIS
and extensive field inventory database is designed to provide the
ability to both describe and model key features of the biology,
hydrology and water quality of the Michigan's major rivers
systems. Collaborating scientists and institutions access centrally
and distributively held data, GIS coverages, and models based on their
participation in the MRI data sharing agreement.
Primary Funding Source: Fisheries Division, MDNR
Contacts: Mike Wiley, UM SNRE School of Natural Resources and Environment
Please refer to the MRI Website for more information on the current status of this project.
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Geographic Distribution of Michigan Fishes
An atlas of Michigan fishes will be created, consisting of a distribution map for each species by
watershed, taxonomic keys to the species, and a drawing of each species showing distinctive taxonomic
field characters. In December 2000, a report entitled Distribution Maps of Michigan Fishes was
prepared for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) using primarily records for
vouchered specimens from University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ). The database for the
distribution maps consists of approximately 50,700 georeferenced records. In addition to those
from UMMZ, there were records from MDNR, Michigan Rivers Inventory (MRI) compiled by Drs. Paul
Seelbach, Mike Wiley, and students from School of Natural Resources and Environment, UM, and
collections made by Dr. David Jude of the UM Center for Great Lakes and Aquatic Science. However,
the voluminous records on the distribution of the five species of Michigan lampreys dating from 1957
compiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were not included in these maps. Likewise, the large
databases for distributions of Great Lakes fishes assembled by the U.S. Geological Survey laboratory
and MDNR Great Lakes research stations were not included. The atlas as planned will contain all of
this distribution information.
The project data will provide for comparison of historic versus present distributions of common and
rare species, as well as the status of immigrants and introductions. These databases will also allow
analyses of distribution patterns with defined ecosystems, climate changes, and land use patterns.
The atlas will be available in printed form as well as in the form of an interactive website. The
printed version will serve as a field manual as well as desk reference for students and researchers.
The interactive website will allow users to request keys, drawings, and maps of species of interest
to them. In addition, the user will be able to download the data used to generate the maps via the
internet. The user will have access to information about the location, date, source of data, and
ecological data collected from the site. Users will be able to include the data in their own Geographic
Information System (GIS) projects. This will encourage researchers with diverse interests to address
questions related to the ecology and biogeography of Michigan fishes.
Primary Funding Source: Fisheries Division, MDNR
Contacts:
Dr. W. Carl Latta, Research Scientist, School of Natural Resources and Environment, UM, and retired
Fisheries Research Biologist, MDNR. Responsibilities: distribution of Michigan fishes at present
(1993-2001); taxonomic field characters
Dr. Gerald Smith, Director, UMMZ, and Curator of Fishes. Responsibilities: keys to fishes; taxonomic
field characters; historic distribution of fishes
Dr. Reeve Bailey, Curator of Fishes, Emeritus, UMMZ. Responsibilities: distribution of Michigan
fishes present and past; keys to fishes; taxonomic field characters
Project status - as of 31 August 2004 - PROJECT COMPLETED!
This project is complete and available for your use. Please contact Emily Marhsall for more information.
Deliverables
Fish sampling locations
MS Access database with locational and attribute information pertaining to the various collections
Distribution Maps for each species found in Michigan
Species Illustrations
Metadata is available for the various datasets included:
Michigan Fish Atlas
Location Information
UMMZ records
Source Information
Statistical grids
Watersheds
Available data
Currently, Version 1 of the Fish Atlas is available on the Michigan Geographic Data Library.
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Creation of the High-Resolution National Hydrography Dataset
The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that contains informaton about
occuring and constructed bodies of water, natural and artificial paths through which water flows, and related
hydrogrpahic entities. Within the NHD, features (arcs and polygons) are combined to form reaches, which provide the
framework for linking water-related data to the NHD surface water drainage network. These linkages enable the analysis
and display of water-related data in upstream and downstream order. The 1:100,000 NHD exists for the state of Michigan (and the USA)
(full coverage), and the move towards a higher-resolution dataset is one of multiple national efforts.
The University of Michigan, in partnership with the United States Forest Service, are working to produce the 12 Cataloging
Units of the NHD (which wholly or partially contain United States Forest Service lands) using a combination of USFS data
and Michigan Framework data, and in some cases, Wisconsin Hydrography Data.
Primary Funding Source: Cost-sharing agreement from the United States Forest Service, NRIS Water Division to the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment
Contacts: Lidia Szabo Kraft, UM School of Natural Resources and Environment, Research Associate.
Project status - as of 24 May 2004 - PROJECT COMPLETED!
Production of the high-resolution NHD (1:24,000) for the 12 contracted suubasins has been completed! Currently, staff are providing assistance to the Michigan Center for Geographic Information staff responsible for creating the high-resolution NHD for the six watersheds in southeastern Michigan.
Deliverables
Datasets are maintained and are delivered through the National Hydrography Dataset's web site. Currently, the following datasets are available for download:
Michigamme (04030107) - produced under a different contract
Manistee (04060103)
Pere Marquette-White (04060101)
Au Sable (04070007)
Waiska (04020203)
Fishdam-Sturgeon (04030112)
Tacoosh-Whitefish (04030111)
Betsy-Chocolay (04020201)
Carp-Pine (04070002)
Brule (04030106)
Black-Presque Isle (04020101)
Sturgeon (04020104)
Tools
On the NHD website (http://nhd.usgs.gov), the USGS provides tools and support for the use of the NHD in resource management. Updates are continually made. Check back frequently.
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Please check back for updates - last updated on 31 August 2004.
Questions? Please email ifr.web@umich.edu
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Institute for Fisheries Research