Establishing GIS for Management in the

Sauvie Island Wildlife Management Area, Oregon

Jeremy HruskaMasters Degree in GIS

Candidate

Penn State University

Project Outline

• Introduction / Background

• Objectives

• Methods

• Anticipated Outcomes

• Potential Challenges

• Timeline

Sauvie IslandLocated 15 miles Northwest of downtown Portland, OR

Aerial Image of Sauvie Island

•12,000 Acres (State-owned land) - Wetlands, Lakes, Fields•Wildlife Preserve (Sturgeon Lake)•Managed For:

•Recreation•Bird Watching•Hunting

Sauvie Island Management Area

•Stop-over for 150,000 migratory birds annually•Within 15 miles of Portland metro area (Population: 1 million)•Recreation uses include:

•Kayaking, Fishing, Hiking, Swimming, Boating, Biking, Hunting (8,000+ hunters annually)

Pictures

History of GIS at Sauvie Island

• Limited amount of current geospatial data

• Survey data is available (paper)

• Harvest data is available (Excel spreadsheet)

• No base data other than major features (Roads, ownership, some buildings, etc…)

Existing Maps

Project Objectives

• Develop an overall GIS application plan for the unit

• Adapt an existing standard to create a spatial-temporal database

• Collect and integrate relevant data resources

• Create a geospatially-integrated time series to facilitate analysis

GIS Application Plan

• Met with local managers to determine needs– Interview – Needs Assessment– GIS goals

• Met with State GIS Analyst to determine workflow

Spatial-Temporal Database Design

• Adapt a standard model for local use– Use only feature classes that would be

necessary– Design database to make future data

collection easier– Populate database

• National Wildlife Refuge Data Model

• 3 Personal Geodatabases•75 feature classes

• Still being developed

• Multiple feature classes to be used on National Level

• Identify feature classes that are relative to state management

National Wildlife Refuge Data Model

Data Collection/Integration

• Aerial survey data

• Harvest reports

• GPS / Digitize– Aerial survey polygons– Hunt unit polygons– Vector features (Water control structures,

blinds, gates, trails, roads, etc…)

Spatial-Temporal Analysis

• Compare data (old vs. new)– 15 years of survey data

• Observe changes in bird usage– Population increase or decrease in specific areas

– Harvest numbers increasing or decreasing

• Compare observations to previous management plans– 10 year plans

– Do changes in management change usage?

Methods

• System Design

• Field Data Collection

• Spatial Temporal Analysis of Historic Data

System Design

• Aerial survey data stored in tables– Species counts and locations by date– 1993 – 2007* multiple times per year– Migrate to polygon feature class– Symbolize data based on survey numbers

• Harvest Data– Number and species of birds harvested per hunter and blind– 1964 - 2006– Migrate to polygon featureclass– Symbolize based on harvest information

Field Data Collection

• Capture using GPS– Bird Viewing Structures– Bridges– Water Control– Managed Wetlands– Trails

• QC and migrate to Database– Postprocessing– Enter into specific feature classes

Spatial-Temporal Analysis

• Create a series of maps that show change in:– Bird usage over time (based on aerial and harvest surveys)– Management changes to the landscape (increase and decrease

of managed area)– Harvest increase and decrease

• Summarize analysis for management applications– Describe summary data to managers– Change Detection Map– Final report detailing how to understand the data

Anticipated Outcomes

• Use GIS data as part of management decisions– Use Initial GIS database as a tool

• Provide a database for future data storage– Guidelines for using GIS plan

• Management used to improve habitat– Improved management using GIS leads to

better:• Habitat, recreation, harvest, species diversity

Potential Challenges

• Seasonal closures could limit data collection efforts (Initially slowing project)

• Implementation in General– Software, Hardware, training, implementing usage

• Continuous update needed to keep data current• External factors effecting long term strategy

– Natural changes in migration• GIS efforts may need to refocus on specific species

– Changes outside of management area• Increase or decrease in bird usage

– Changes in seasons or limits• Could change amount of harvest data that is collected

Timeline Spring 2007 – Meet with ODFW to discuss plan for GIS

implementation Spring 2007 – Site visit to Sauvie Island to talk with managers Spring 2007 – Create base map of vegetation • Summer 2007 – Analyze NWR Data model for applicable use• Summer 2007 – Collect GPS data• Summer 2007 – Migrate GPS data into database• Summer 2007 – Migrate tabular data into GIS format• Fall 2007 – Analyze data• Winter 2007 – Compare Analysis results• Winter 2007 – Meet with ODFW managers to discuss results• Winter 2007 – Map results• Winter 2007 – Update public use map