Layer: Wildlife Action Plan Connect COA (ID: 9)

Name: Wildlife Action Plan Connect COA

Display Field: COA

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Description: Connect COAData included: The goal of the Connect COA is to facilitate physical, structural, or functional connections amongst populations. The ecological data included habitat suitability maps for 14 species of greatest conservation need (SGCN), key habitat maps, and proximity to local, state, and federal protected areas and the Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connected Landscapes layer. The 14 species modeled were American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), eastern whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus), bridle shiner (Notropis bifrenatus), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), eastern hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platirhinos), ribbonsnake (Thamnophis saurita saurita), spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata), wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta), eastern pondmussel (Ligumia nasuta), frosted elfin (Callophrys irus), tiger spiketail (Cordulegaster erronea), yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola), New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), and tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus). These 14 species represent one or more key habitats and/or a taxonomic group. The key habitats included open upland, forested upland, estuarine, palustrine, land water interface, lacustrine, and riverine. The key habitat maps were compiled from existing geospatial data including the NOAA 1 m Coastal Change Analysis Program Landcover Data, Connecticut Young Forest and Shrubland Habitat Map, USGS National Hydrography Dataset Plus, Connecticut Hydrography Set, and Connecticut and Vicinity Town Boundary Set. Existing protected areas were compiled from Connecticut Protected Open Space Mapping Set, Federal Open Space Data, USGS Protected Areas Database, Aquifer Protection Areas, Connecticut DEEP property, Connecticut Fisheries Management Areas Set, and Connecticut Surface Water Quality (class AA).The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connected Network was retrieved to include regional connectivity in the Connect COA.View the full methods for all COAs in Appendix 4.6 in the 2025 CT State Wildlife Action Plan. Spatial Prioritization: Zonation software iteratively ranks each pixel in a 10.0 m resolution grid of Connecticut for its conservation value and gives each cell a score based on that ranking, prioritizing areas with a high density of layers, balance between layers, and minimizing conservation loss. Rank values range from 0-1, with 1 having the highest conservation value and 0 having the lowest. Each layer is given a relative weight based on its importance compared to the other layers used, where a positive higher weight makes that layer a higher conservation priority compared to the other layers. The 14 SGCN models and 7 key habitat maps were given weights of 1.0 and the distance to protected areas layers had a higher negative weight, -5.0 or roughly 25% of the combined weight of all other layers, to prioritize grid cells in proximity to current protected areas. The Resilient and Connected Network layer also had a higher weight of 5.0 due to the regional importance of the connected network. The rank values above 0.80 or top 20% of values were extracted to create the Connect COA Intended users: Partners interested in expanding current protected areas and establishing or expanding corridors may use this COA. Barriers were not included within this COA since barriers are species-dependent, thus partners using this map can consider features that affect connectivity for specific SGCN or taxa, such as dams, culverts, or other structures that impede movement of SGCN in aquatic or terrestrial landscapes. This map can also be used to demonstrate potential corridors for SGCN for grant applications.Recommended actions (example actions):Stewarding wild individualsUse exclusion devices to protect turtle nestsManage roost sites for bat populations affected by disease Maintain instream habitat features for cold-water fishConservation planningCreate updated and spatially explicit conservation plans for diadromous fish, vernal pool-dependent amphibians, and freshwater musselsMitigate human environmental impactReduce stormwater inputs and stabilize streambanks and shoreline vegetation in urbanized watershedsReduce recreational erosion, urban runoff, light and noise pollution, and physical disturbance of sensitive sitesRemove dams and barriers to fish passage where appropriateMinimize disturbance of spawning habitats for key SGCN fish speciesReintroduce or relocate individualsConduct species introduction/reintroductionFor questions about the layer, contact Katy Bischoff: kathryn.bischoff@uconn.edu

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COA ( type: esriFieldTypeString, alias: COA, length: 255 )
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