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<DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><P STYLE="font-weight:bold;font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Connect COA</SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Data included:</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN> 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 (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Haematopus palliatus</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), eastern whip-poor-will (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Antrostomus vociferus</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), bridle shiner (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Notropis bifrenatus</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), brook trout (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Salvelinus fontinalis</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), eastern hog-nosed snake (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Heterodon platirhinos</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), ribbonsnake (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Thamnophis saurita saurita</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), spotted turtle (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Clemmys guttata</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), wood turtle (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Glyptemys insculpta</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), eastern pondmussel (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Ligumia nasuta</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), frosted elfin (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Callophrys irus</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), tiger spiketail (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Cordulegaster erronea</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), yellow-banded bumble bee (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Bombus terricola</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), New England cottontail (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Sylvilagus transitionalis</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>), and tricolored bat (</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Perimyotis subflavus</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>). 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 </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://clear.uconn.edu/projects/landscape/ct-highres/" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>NOAA 1 m Coastal Change Analysis Program Landcover Data</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/5/1091" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Connecticut Young Forest and Shrubland Habitat Map</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://www.usgs.gov/national-hydrography/nhdplus-high-resolution" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>USGS National Hydrography Dataset Plus</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://deepmaps.ct.gov/maps/ef85cf0c55394065a8a74ea97fbd7ede/about" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Connecticut Hydrography Set</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, and </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://deepmaps.ct.gov/maps/82672ae5f3764021b9a4804f524f928b/about" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Connecticut and Vicinity Town Boundary Set</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>. Existing protected areas were compiled from </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://deepmaps.ct.gov/maps/80c5e61b6e86423d9089350785e709a3/about" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Connecticut Protected Open Space Mapping Set</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://deepmaps.ct.gov/datasets/CTDEEP::federal-open-space/about" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Federal Open Space Data</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://connecticut.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=30a56c26b85741b5a4604315d193f9e1" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>USGS Protected Areas Database</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://deepmaps.ct.gov/maps/8a494fc64d8f460fa77771273be30925/about" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Aquifer Protection Areas</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://deepmaps.ct.gov/datasets/CTDEEP::deep-property-3/about" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Connecticut DEEP property</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://deepmaps.ct.gov/maps/26da452f8ccd45319f3bd7b2e5e1b448/about" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Connecticut Fisheries Management Areas Set</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>, and </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://deepmaps.ct.gov/maps/c627bb8c304042459bdb957d53808cc1/about" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Connecticut Surface Water Quality (class AA)</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>.The </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://maps-tnc.hub.arcgis.com/maps/TNC::resilient-and-connected-networks-nationally-consistant-version-one-color/about" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connected Network</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN> was retrieved to include regional connectivity in the Connect COA.</SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>View the full methods for all COAs in Appendix 4.6 in the </SPAN></SPAN><A href="https://portal.ct.gov/deep/wildlife/connecticut-wildlife-action-plan" STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>2025 CT State Wildlife Action Plan</SPAN></SPAN></A><SPAN><SPAN>. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Spatial Prioritization:</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN> 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 </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Intended users:</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN> 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.</SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:underline;"><SPAN>Recommended actions (example actions):</SPAN></SPAN></P><UL STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;padding:0 0 0 0;"><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Stewarding wild individuals</SPAN></SPAN></P><UL STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;padding:0 0 0 0;"><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Use exclusion devices to protect turtle nests</SPAN></SPAN></P></LI><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Manage roost sites for bat populations affected by disease </SPAN></SPAN></P></LI><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Maintain instream habitat features for cold-water fish</SPAN></SPAN></P></LI></UL></LI><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Conservation planning</SPAN></SPAN></P><UL STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;padding:0 0 0 0;"><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Create updated and spatially explicit conservation plans for diadromous fish, vernal pool-dependent amphibians, and freshwater mussels</SPAN></SPAN></P></LI></UL></LI><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Mitigate human environmental impact</SPAN></SPAN></P><UL STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;padding:0 0 0 0;"><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Reduce stormwater inputs and stabilize streambanks and shoreline vegetation in urbanized watersheds</SPAN></SPAN></P></LI><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Reduce recreational erosion, urban runoff, light and noise pollution, and physical disturbance of sensitive sites</SPAN></SPAN></P></LI><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Remove dams and barriers to fish passage where appropriate</SPAN></SPAN></P></LI><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Minimize disturbance of spawning habitats for key SGCN fish species</SPAN></SPAN></P></LI></UL></LI><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Reintroduce or relocate individuals</SPAN></SPAN></P><UL STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;padding:0 0 0 0;"><LI STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Conduct species introduction/reintroduction</SPAN></SPAN></P></LI></UL></LI></UL><P STYLE="font-size:16ptmargin:0 0 11 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>For questions about the layer, contact Katy Bischoff: kathryn.bischoff@uconn.edu </SPAN></SPAN></P><DIV><P><SPAN /></P></DIV></DIV> |