U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceJoint 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 is a priority for JVs. We produced a Decision Support Tool (DST) for our JV region to help achieve this goal, and this dataset is the TIFF version of the original raster of the biological-model of the DST. The raster map was published on the UMGL JV website as an extra product to supplement the Waterbird Habitat Conservation Strategy - 2018 Revision. Starting with a matrix of two relevant objectives, we transformed related biological data into two spatially explicit model-based maps designed to achieve individual objectives. Output maps were weighted based on discussion with regional decision makers (JV Management board) and then combined, resulting in a raster dataset, which is an aggregate biological-model of the DST to target conservation for the benefit of Waterbirds in the JV region (combining biological objectives only). The raster was finally converted to TIFF format (this product) to improve data visualization, assessment, and interactivity online. This product shows 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 conservation action at the local scale is (i.e., retention, protection, and or restoration). Aggregate-priority-areas, emphasized mostly across Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 12, 22, and 23, were predicted to produce the most value for the decision makers. These hotspots were prioritized using relative density of breeding and or non-breeding habitats for waterbirds. Areas other than the hotspots represents the availability of objective-targeting-areas in lower data densities, lower objective overlap, and/or lower objective weights. We designed a flexible and adaptable analysis framework, so objectives and objective weights can be easily adjusted to address shifts in regional stakeholder priorities and compare outcomes with varied emphasis on biological values. All of our products (including this one) can be modified accordingly. They can also 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. See the JV website and publications for details. Links: 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) AgsJvwWbDstV31_060_040__000_000_000_000_WeightedSum_BioMdl_022218_Hlshd1StD25Gam20__Final = albers_Jv18WbDstBio. (ii) albers_Jv18WbDstBio → converted to TIFF and projected on-the-fly to WGS84 → renamed to Jv18WbDstBioR. For internal use of USFWS staff: Data Management Plan (DMP) ID = 713; Title: UMGL JV Waterbirds & People Decision Support Tool (Biological-Model).ArcGIS ImageMapLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/96a3c82583e3483bb1defa8834d2ee34engU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open DataPublicJV Waterbirds & People DST Bio (Pxl) [United States]Web servicesUnited StatesLast Modified: 2025-12-04