Description: Protect COAData included: The goal of the Protect COA is to move land into a legal status, permanently protecting it from development or other transformation that would alter the major ecological characteristics. The ecological data used habitat suitability maps based on the best available data for 14 species of greatest conservation need (SGCN). 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.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. All 14 SGCN habitat suitability models and the 7 key habitat maps were input into Zonation with equally positive weights of 1.0. The rank values above 0.80 or top 20% of values were extracted to create the Protect COA. To reflect the goal of the Protect COA to create new protected areas, areas currently under local, state, or federal protection were excluded from the final Protect COA. 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).Intended uses: Partners interested in purchasing land or changing the land protection status may use this COA. This map identifies areas of overlap of multiple SGCN and key habitats and protecting these areas would provide benefits to multiple species. This map does not indicate lands that are available for purchase, zoning, or land cost. This map may also be used to support grant applications or review of properties for potential development. Partners interested in protecting specific habitats or identifying the location of key habitats can refer to the key habitat maps.Recommended actions (example actions):Stewarding wild individualsUse exclusion devices to protect turtle nestsManage roost sites for bat populations affected by diseaseMaintain instream habitat features for cold-water fishDetection and interventionEnforce existing restrictions where unauthorized activity is negatively affecting invertebrate habitatProsecution and conviction Direct enforcement plays an essential role for species subject to illegal harvest or disturbance, such as rare turtles, migratory birds, or state-listed plants on protected landsOther legal actions Prioritize enforcement of existing regulations, such as those governing off-leash dogs, state building lighting design, and protecting shorebird areas.Design and plan conservation Identify key habitats and movement corridorsIntegrate SGCN needs into broader land-use and watershed plansStrengthen coordination across agencies and partnersConserve specific land or seascapes Secure vernal pool complexes, riparian corridors, and early successional shrublands that support the wood turtle, Jefferson salamander, and eastern towheeProtect small, high-quality habitats, such as trap rock ridges, sand plains, and seeps, that support regionally rare moths, bees, and aquatic insectsComplementary or alternative conservation measuresImplement riparian buffer maintenance or flow protections via conservation agreementsBog turtle habitat on private farmland may be best maintained through informal agreements and technical assistance, rather than acquisitionConserve via zoning or informal designationsConduct municipal conservation overlays, open space designations, and town-level natural resource inventoriesEstablish town-scale stream protection ordinances for conserving cold-water habitatsFor birds like the chimney swift or eastern meadowlark, create local planning frameworks that support early successional habitat management or preserving large contiguous grasslands Conservation planningCreate updated and spatially explicit conservation plans for diadromous fish, vernal pool-dependent amphibians, and freshwater musselsProtect resources with site infrastructure Use infrastructure-based site protection, such as fencing, signage, or seasonal closuresCreate, amend, or influence legislation, regulation, or codes Create sufficient stream protection standards, safeguards for invertebrates, and consistent permitting thresholdsCreate or amend policies, guidelines, or best practicesCreate sufficient stream protection standards, safeguards for invertebrates, and consistent permitting thresholdsFor questions about the layer, contact Katy Bischoff: kathryn.bischoff@uconn.edu
Description: Protect COAData included: The goal of the Protect COA is to move land into a legal status, permanently protecting it from development or other transformation that would alter the major ecological characteristics. The ecological data used habitat suitability maps based on the best available data for 14 species of greatest conservation need (SGCN). 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.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. All 14 SGCN habitat suitability models and the 7 key habitat maps were input into Zonation with equally positive weights of 1.0. The rank values above 0.80 or top 20% of values were extracted to create the Protect COA. To reflect the goal of the Protect COA to create new protected areas, areas currently under local, state, or federal protection were excluded from the final Protect COA. 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).Intended uses: Partners interested in purchasing land or changing the land protection status may use this COA. This map identifies areas of overlap of multiple SGCN and key habitats and protecting these areas would provide benefits to multiple species. This map does not indicate lands that are available for purchase, zoning, or land cost. This map may also be used to support grant applications or review of properties for potential development. Partners interested in protecting specific habitats or identifying the location of key habitats can refer to the key habitat maps.Recommended actions (example actions):Stewarding wild individualsUse exclusion devices to protect turtle nestsManage roost sites for bat populations affected by diseaseMaintain instream habitat features for cold-water fishDetection and interventionEnforce existing restrictions where unauthorized activity is negatively affecting invertebrate habitatProsecution and conviction Direct enforcement plays an essential role for species subject to illegal harvest or disturbance, such as rare turtles, migratory birds, or state-listed plants on protected landsOther legal actions Prioritize enforcement of existing regulations, such as those governing off-leash dogs, state building lighting design, and protecting shorebird areas.Design and plan conservation Identify key habitats and movement corridorsIntegrate SGCN needs into broader land-use and watershed plansStrengthen coordination across agencies and partnersConserve specific land or seascapes Secure vernal pool complexes, riparian corridors, and early successional shrublands that support the wood turtle, Jefferson salamander, and eastern towheeProtect small, high-quality habitats, such as trap rock ridges, sand plains, and seeps, that support regionally rare moths, bees, and aquatic insectsComplementary or alternative conservation measuresImplement riparian buffer maintenance or flow protections via conservation agreementsBog turtle habitat on private farmland may be best maintained through informal agreements and technical assistance, rather than acquisitionConserve via zoning or informal designationsConduct municipal conservation overlays, open space designations, and town-level natural resource inventoriesEstablish town-scale stream protection ordinances for conserving cold-water habitatsFor birds like the chimney swift or eastern meadowlark, create local planning frameworks that support early successional habitat management or preserving large contiguous grasslands Conservation planningCreate updated and spatially explicit conservation plans for diadromous fish, vernal pool-dependent amphibians, and freshwater musselsProtect resources with site infrastructure Use infrastructure-based site protection, such as fencing, signage, or seasonal closuresCreate, amend, or influence legislation, regulation, or codes Create sufficient stream protection standards, safeguards for invertebrates, and consistent permitting thresholdsCreate or amend policies, guidelines, or best practicesCreate sufficient stream protection standards, safeguards for invertebrates, and consistent permitting thresholdsFor questions about the layer, contact Katy Bischoff: kathryn.bischoff@uconn.edu
Description: Protect COAData included: The goal of the Protect COA is to move land into a legal status, permanently protecting it from development or other transformation that would alter the major ecological characteristics. The ecological data used habitat suitability maps based on the best available data for 14 species of greatest conservation need (SGCN). 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.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. All 14 SGCN habitat suitability models and the 7 key habitat maps were input into Zonation with equally positive weights of 1.0. The rank values above 0.80 or top 20% of values were extracted to create the Protect COA. To reflect the goal of the Protect COA to create new protected areas, areas currently under local, state, or federal protection were excluded from the final Protect COA. 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).Intended uses: Partners interested in purchasing land or changing the land protection status may use this COA. This map identifies areas of overlap of multiple SGCN and key habitats and protecting these areas would provide benefits to multiple species. This map does not indicate lands that are available for purchase, zoning, or land cost. This map may also be used to support grant applications or review of properties for potential development. Partners interested in protecting specific habitats or identifying the location of key habitats can refer to the key habitat maps.Recommended actions (example actions):Stewarding wild individualsUse exclusion devices to protect turtle nestsManage roost sites for bat populations affected by diseaseMaintain instream habitat features for cold-water fishDetection and interventionEnforce existing restrictions where unauthorized activity is negatively affecting invertebrate habitatProsecution and conviction Direct enforcement plays an essential role for species subject to illegal harvest or disturbance, such as rare turtles, migratory birds, or state-listed plants on protected landsOther legal actions Prioritize enforcement of existing regulations, such as those governing off-leash dogs, state building lighting design, and protecting shorebird areas.Design and plan conservation Identify key habitats and movement corridorsIntegrate SGCN needs into broader land-use and watershed plansStrengthen coordination across agencies and partnersConserve specific land or seascapes Secure vernal pool complexes, riparian corridors, and early successional shrublands that support the wood turtle, Jefferson salamander, and eastern towheeProtect small, high-quality habitats, such as trap rock ridges, sand plains, and seeps, that support regionally rare moths, bees, and aquatic insectsComplementary or alternative conservation measuresImplement riparian buffer maintenance or flow protections via conservation agreementsBog turtle habitat on private farmland may be best maintained through informal agreements and technical assistance, rather than acquisitionConserve via zoning or informal designationsConduct municipal conservation overlays, open space designations, and town-level natural resource inventoriesEstablish town-scale stream protection ordinances for conserving cold-water habitatsFor birds like the chimney swift or eastern meadowlark, create local planning frameworks that support early successional habitat management or preserving large contiguous grasslands Conservation planningCreate updated and spatially explicit conservation plans for diadromous fish, vernal pool-dependent amphibians, and freshwater musselsProtect resources with site infrastructure Use infrastructure-based site protection, such as fencing, signage, or seasonal closuresCreate, amend, or influence legislation, regulation, or codes Create sufficient stream protection standards, safeguards for invertebrates, and consistent permitting thresholdsCreate or amend policies, guidelines, or best practicesCreate sufficient stream protection standards, safeguards for invertebrates, and consistent permitting thresholdsFor questions about the layer, contact Katy Bischoff: kathryn.bischoff@uconn.edu