U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceDefinition This indicator identifies the ability of aquatic species to move unimpeded across aquatic networks within the Midwest Landscape. It prioritizes areas based on the length of hydrologically connected flowlines and diversity of unfragmented aquatic habitat in the region. Pixels can take the following values: 1 - Far below average 2 - Below average 3 - Slightly below average 4 - Average 5 - Slightly above average 6 - Above average 7 - Far above average Selection This indicator was chosen as a targetable, important feature of the MLI goals that will be used to track conditions over time and prioritize areas for conservation. Indicators were defined through elicitation and prioritization exercises with federal and state participants. Criteria for the indicators includes 1) actionable, 2) measurable, 3) relevant to multiple groups across the region, and/or 4) representative of other social and/or environmental values. Input Data & Mapping Steps This indicator originates from the Nature Conservancy's Resilient Rivers dataset and the USFWS National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). To create this layer, MLI partners, members, and staff completed the following mapping steps: projected all input data to NAD83 (2011) UTM Zone 15N, converted the Resilient Rivers data to a raster based on the Connectivity and Diversity score, and clipped the results of the previous step with the NWI data layer to represent actual water features on the landscape rather than flowlines. Finally, we removed highly altered areas from this layer using our Highly Altered Areas mask. For full mapping details, please refer to the Midwest Conservation Blueprint 2024 Development Process . For a complete download of all Blueprint input and output data, visit the Midwest Conservation Blueprint 2024 Data Download.ArcGIS ImageMapLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/d68f4154d4cf459fa7f23b78faa99b64engU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open DataPublicAquatic Network Connectivity (Midwest Conservation Blueprint 2024 Indicator) [United States]Web servicesUnited States2024