JV Waterbird Watching (Pxl) [United States]
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open Data · 2026 Full Details
Tip: Check “Visit Source” link for download options.
Full Details
- Title
- JV Waterbird Watching (Pxl) [United States]
- Description
- Joint Ventures (JVs) are bird conservation partnerships, established to achieve the goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). There are 22 bird habitat JVs in North America, and our JV, the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Region Joint Venture (UMGL JV) is located in the Midwest, in a pivotal location in the Mississippi Flyway , for people involved in migratory bird conservation. We are a collaborative, regional group of government agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, corporations, universities, and individuals that conserve habitat for the benefit of migratory birds, other wildlife, and people. Our landscape includes eastern Minnesota; all of Wisconsin and Michigan; eastern Nebraska and Kansas; western, southern and eastern Iowa; northern Missouri, Illinois and Indiana; and northwestern Ohio. Targeting conservation to achieve biological objectives for Waterbirds and social objectives for People is a priority for JVs. Supporting waterbird-wattchers while conserving habitat for waterbirds is a social objective at the UMGL JV. We produced a spatial model (this raster dataset) of the distribution and relative density of waterbird viewing activities in the JV region and surrounding areas to help achieve this objective. We published its map in the JV Waterbird Habitat Conservation Strategy - 2018 Revision (Figure 11A). In this model, we used eBird data for JV's breeding and non-breeding focal species (2007-2016; see Table 1 in 2018 JV Waterbird Strategic Plan). GPS locations and frequency of waterbird observation records were used to depict high and low density neighborhoods (hotspots and coldspots) based on a kernel density analysis. Finally, we converted kernel density raster dataset to TIFF format (this product) to improve data visualization, assessment, and interactivity online. This raster showed the distribution and relative density (scale of 0 - 1; values of low - high) of the most valuable areas (pixel neighborhoods) across the JV region, to acquire or manage whatever the required action at the local scale is (i.e., retention, protection, and or restoration). Aggregate-priority-areas were predicted to produce the most value for the decision makers. These hotspots were mainly prioritized using relative density of waterbird-watching activities. Areas other than the hotspots represents lower waterbird-watching records. For more details, please see the 2018 JV Waterbird Habitat Conservation Strategy. We designed a flexible and adaptable analysis framework, and all objective-oriented models (including this one) can be scaled-down (i.e., stepped-down to state, watershed, county, or any smaller target area) and supplemented with additional local data for customized output maps depicting best areas for waterbird habitat restoration vs. retention vs. enhancement for the benefits of waterbirds and people. See the JV website and publications for details. Links: On hold / contact us : To download this TIFF dataset and related data, metadata, and documentation, please browse the UMGL JV online folder in the U.S. Geological Survey's ScienceBase repository . To view and explore this TIFF dataset and related data, please visit the online experience of the UMGL JV Decision Support Tools . References: Model codes and final steps (for internal use of UMGLJV staff): (i) AgsJvwEbd0716FclWBbreedYsNo_WghtNoKd1kmAutoR_01FzyLn_Hlshd1StD25Gm15 = albers_Jv18WbWatch. (ii) albers_Jv18WbWatch → converted to TIFF and projected on-the-fly to WGS84 → renamed to Jv18WbWatch_R. For internal use of USFWS staff: Data Management Plan (DMP) ID = 733; Title: UMGL JV - Conservation Associated with Waterbird Watching.
- Creator
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Publisher
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open Data
- Temporal Coverage
- Last Modified: 2026-02-11
- Date Issued
- 2026-02-04
- Rights
- The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. While the Service makes every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of data provided for distribution, it may not have the necessary accuracy or completeness required for every possible intended use. The Service recommends that data users consult the associated metadata record to understand the quality and possible limitations of the data. The Service creates metadata records in accordance with the standards endorsed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee. As a result of the above considerations, the Service gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the data. It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data in a manner consistent with the limitations of geospatial data in general and these data in particular. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the Service, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding the utility of the data on another system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This applies to the use of the data both alone and in aggregate with other data and information.
- Access Rights
- Public
- Format
- ArcGIS ImageMapLayer
- Language
- English
- Date Added
- April 25, 2026
- Provenance Statement
- The metadata for this resource was last retrieved from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open Data ArcGIS Hub on 2026-04-25.
Cite and Reference
-
Citation
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2026). JV Waterbird Watching (Pxl) [United States]. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open Data. https://gis-fws.opendata.arcgis.com/content/fws::jv-waterbird-watching-pxl (web service) -
BTAA Geoportal Link
