Resources
Conservation Resources in Print and on the Web
Species at Risk in Canada
www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/Species/English/Default.cfm
Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service provides this informative site on species at risk in Canada. The searchable site offers basic information on each species, including conservation status as assigned by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) and proposed recovery. The site may be searched by species (use common or scientific name or risk status) or geographic distribution (interactive map). The mapping feature provides excellent information in an intuitive format — such as the option to map more than one species’ distribution in one view. Each species account includes taxonomic information, a description of characteristics, photograph, distribution map, and brief accounts of biology, population, distribution, habitat, threats, protection, recovery efforts, and references.
Marine Stocks at Risk of Extinction
www.fisheries.org/publications/epubs/mstocks/mstocks.shtml
The American Fisheries Society’s (AFS) recently concluded three-year Marine Stocks at Risk Project has posted a collection of articles, policy statements, and symposia proceedings on marine stocks at risk. The documents include “the first-ever list of marine fish stocks and species at risk of extinction” (MSRE), of which 82 species or populations are vulnerable, threatened, or endangered in North American waters. The list (excluding Pacific Salmonids) was first published in November 2000 in the journal Fisheries: 25(11):1-25 and may be downloaded in that format as a .pdf document. Links to additional resources are provided in the summary note.
Migratory Birds
www.ns.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/migratory.html
Environment Canada’s Migratory Birds Homepage serves as a hub of information on the agency’s research and education programs related to birds. Featured at this metasite are the Canadian Bird Trends Database, The Breeding Bird Survey Homepage, the Maritimes Breeding Bird Survey, Partners in Flight, and several other bird monitoring projects. The site also provides management information, hunting regulations, and relevant information on wildlife, pollution, and meteorology.
SPARROW: Spatially Referenced Regressions On Watershed Attributes
The SPARROW model was developed by U.S. Geological Service researchers to estimate the origin and fate of contaminants in streams, based on regional water-quality monitoring data. The SPARROW Website provides examples of the model’s application at the national, regional, and watershed scales; examples vary in detail, and some include links to technical resources. Also provided are examples of watershed data used in model applications.
Major Land Resource Areas
www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/land/mlra/
This interactive map from the U.S. Department of Agriculture displays U.S. land use areas by color. Clicking on a region of the map takes you to a page featuring a blown-up map and a paragraph describing the major land use of the area (e.g., agriculture, residential, industrial, etc.). From there, you can also access regional elevation, climate, water, and soil information.
Tree Species Range Maps
climchange.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/little/
The Earth Surface Dynamics section of the U.S. Geological Service provides this excellent collection of graphics depicting range maps for more than 100 common North American tree species. From Abies amabilis to Yucca brevifolia, these color maps may be viewed or downloaded. Most of the ranges depicted here were digitized for vegetation-climate modeling studies; graphics are best viewed as downloaded files.
Web site reviews provided by The Scout Report for Science & Engineering, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001.
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