dwa

Identification Information

Citation Information

Originator	Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Publication Date	July 2011
Title	dwa
Geospatial Data Presentation Form	vector digital data
Online Linkage	http://www.maine.gov/megis/catalog/

Abstract

Deer Wintering Areas (DWAs) are forested areas used by deer when (a) snow gets more than 12 inches deep in the open and in hardwood stands, (b) the depth that deer sink into the snow exceeds 8 inches in the open and in hardwood stands, and (c) when mean daily temperature is below 32 degrees Farenheit. This data set includes DWAs in organized townships that qualify as Significant Wildlife Habitat under Maine's Natural Resources Protection Act as mapped by MDIFW Regional Biologists.

Purpose

This data set was developed in accordance with Maine's Natural Resources Protection Act, which designates the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) as the authority for determining Significant Wildlife Habitats. The polygons mapped in this GIS data set delineate the location of each DWA as accurately as possible given available information at the time they were created; however, consultation with an MDIFW Regional Biologist is strongly advised for a final determination of the boundaries and current habitat quality of any specific area. For any Significant Wildlife Habitat, a field determination by the MDIFW Regional Biologist takes precedence over the mapped polygon.

Supplemental Information

Maine's Natural Resources Protection Act (MRSA 38.3.1 Article 5-A, Section 480-B.10) defines 'Significant Wildlife Habitat,' which includes 'high and moderate value deer wintering areas and travel corridors as defined by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.' Please see the referenced statute for further information.

Time Period of Content

Calendar Date	June 2009
Time of Day	unknown
Currentness Reference	publication date

Status

Progress	Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency	As needed

Bounding Coordinates

West Bounding Coordinate	-71.125468
East Bounding Coordinate	-67.103029
North Bounding Coordinate	47.190584
South Bounding Coordinate	43.066643

Keywords

Theme	animals, ecology, environment, environmental impacts, forest, forestry, habitat, land cover, landscape, resource management, significant wildlife habitat, terrestrial habitat, zoology, (Maine GIS Thesaurus)

Access Constraints

This data is public information provided by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife through the Maine Office of GIS (MEGIS). The MEGIS Data Catalog and MDIFW's website are the only sources of this data that MDIFW ensures is current; copies of this data obtained from any other sources may be out of date (note - the Beginning with Habitat webservice access MDIFW's data from the MEGIS Data Catalog and therefore is current as well, but hard-copy maps may not be). This data may not be sold and should not be redistributed.

Use Constraints

These data are not intended to be the final determination of Significant Wildlife Habitat boundaries; please consult with an MDIFW Regional Biologist when a final determination is needed.

Contact Person

Dr. Donald Katnik

Contact Organization

Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Contact Position

MDIFW Habitat Group Leader

Address Type

mailing and physical address

Address

650 State Street

City

Bangor

State or Province

Maine

Postal Code

04401

Country

USA

Contact Voice Telephone

207-941-4455

Contact Facsimile Telephone

207-941-4450

Contact Electronic Mail Address

donald.katnik@maine.gov

Hours of Service

Monday - Friday 8:00am-5:00pm

Data Set Credit

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Native Data Set Environment

Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 2; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.3000

Process Description

Contact Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for more information

Direct Spatial Reference Method

Vector

SDTS Point and Vector Object Type

G-polygon

Point and Vector Object Count

2172

SDTS Point and Vector Object Type

G-polygon

Point and Vector Object Count

2216

Grid Coordinate System Name

Universal Transverse Mercator

UTM Zone Number

Scale Factor at Central Meridian

0.999600

Longitude of Central Meridian

-69.000000

Latitude of Projection Origin

0.000000

False Easting

500000.000000

False Northing

0.000000

Planar Coordinate Encoding Method

coordinate pair

Abscissa Resolution

0.000100

Ordinate Resolution

0.000100

Planar Distance Units

meters

Horizontal Datum Name

North American Datum of 1983

Ellipsoid Name

Geodetic Reference System 80

Semi-major Axis

6378137.000000

Denominator of Flattening Ratio

298.257222

Altitude Resolution

1.000000

Altitude Encoding Method

Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates

Entity Type Label

MEIFW.DWA

Entity Type Definition Source

none

Attribute Label

OBJECTID

Attribute Definition

Internal feature number.

Attribute Definition Source

ESRI

Unrepresentable Domain

Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

Beginning Date of Attribute Values

Attribute Label

Shape

Attribute Definition

Feature geometry.

Attribute Definition Source

ESRI

Unrepresentable Domain

Coordinates defining the features.

Beginning Date of Attribute Values

Attribute Label

IDENTIFIER

Attribute Definition

Unique identifier of habitat polygon

Attribute Definition Source

MDIFW

Beginning Date of Attribute Values

Attribute Label

SHAPE.AREA

Beginning Date of Attribute Values

Attribute Label

SHAPE.LEN

Beginning Date of Attribute Values

Entity and Attribute Overview

A deer wintering area is defined as a forested area used by deer when snow depth in the open/hardwoods exceeds 12 inches, deer sinking depth in the open/hardwoods exceeds 8 inches and mean daily temperatures are below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Non-forested wetlands, non-stocked clearcuts, hardwood types, and stands predominated by Eastern Larch are included within the DWA only if less than 10 acres in size. Agricultural and development areas within DWAs are excluded regardless of size. Evaluation (rating procedure): Deer wintering areas are evaluated based on three criteria: 1) quality of softwood shelter, 2) intensity of deer use, and 3) size. Information on the quality of softwood shelter and intensity of deer use are based on ground survey plots within the final boundary of the DWA being evaluated. The acreage of the DWA is determined after the final outline of the DWA has been drawn. The final rating of the DWA is determined by summing the scores for the three criteria and assigning a rating as follows: high (score of 10-12), moderate (score of 7-9.9) or low (score of 0-6.9). A regional biologist may recommend a rating change with justification and approval by the management section supervisor. No delisting criteria for regulated NRPA DWAs have been developed. Currently all DWAs are rated as indeterminate.

Entity and Attribute Overview

Contact Organization

Maine Office of GIS

Contact Position

GIS Coordinator

Address Type

mailing address

Address

State House Station #174

City

Augusta

State or Province

Postal Code

04333

Country

USA

Contact Voice Telephone

207-624-7700

Contact Facsimile Telephone

207-287-3842

Contact Electronic Mail Address

OIT.Customer-Support@maine.gov

Hours of Service

Monday - Friday 8:00am-5:00pm

Resource Description

Maine Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA), Significant Wildlife Habitats: Deer Wintering Areas

Distribution Liability

Users must assume responsibility to determine the usability of this data for their purposes. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems, no warranty expressed or implied is made by MEGIS regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Neither the Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems, nor any of its contributors, is liable for misuse of the data, for damage, for transmission of viruses, or for computer contamination through the distribution of these data sets.

Format Name

ESRI Shapefile

Format Version Number

ARC Version 9.x

Format Specification

ArcView Shapefile Format

File Decompression Technique

Data available from this website is in .zip compressed format

Network Resource Name

http://www.maine.gov/megis/catalog/

[accinstr]

Immediate download from Data Catalog

Fees

None

Turnaround

Immediate

Technical Prerequisites

If you are not already a GIS user, free software for viewing these files is available from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) - www.esri.com

Calendar Date

June 2009

Time of Day

unknown

Metadata Reference Information

Metadata Date

20110609

Metadata Review Date

20100412

Metadata Contact

Contact Organization	(MDIFW) Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Contact Person	Donald Katnik
Contact Position	MDIFW Habitat Group Leader
Address Type	mailing and physical address
Address	650 State Street
City	Bangor
State or Province	Maine
Postal Code	04401
Country	USA
Contact Voice Telephone	207 941-4455
Contact Facsimile Telephone	207 941-4450
Contact Electronic Mail Address	donald.katnik@maine.gov
Hours of Service	Monday - Friday 8:00am-5:00pm

Metadata Standard Name

FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata Standard Version

FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata Time Convention

local time

[ModDate]

20110729

[ModTime]

09143500

[mdDateSt]

20110729

[Sync]

TRUE