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Ecological Land Cover and Natural Resources Inventory for the Kansas City Region

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Ecological Land Cover and Natural Resources Inventory for the Kansas City Region Ecological Land Cover and Natural Resources Inventory for the Kansas City Region 2. Ecological Land Cover Assessment and Natural Resource Inventory Methods This section describes the general approach and methodology used to complete the ecological classification and inventory for the Kansas City region. Applied Ecological Services, Inc. (AES) used the following tasks to complete the ecological survey and inventory, which are described in detail in the following sub-sections: 1. Data Assembly and Mapping: digital information from several government sources was used to establish baseline information about land cover in the region. 2. Field Reconnaissance: The digital information was validated and/or refined through field inspections and verifications. 3. Ecological Land Cover Classification Development: Using data from the data assembly and subsequent field reconnaissance, AES created an ecological classification representing existing natural resources in the region, a GIS-based information database, and a regional map of ecological land cover. 4. Data Extrapolation and Second Field Verification: The ecological classification involved an iterative process in which initial data were assembled, evaluated in the field, revised, and then re-evaluated in the field a second time. Final data were assembled after the second field reconnaissance, evaluated, and incorporated into the GIS program and the regional land cover map. Details of the methodology of this process are provided in Appendix A. This program was completed between June 2003 and June 2004. 2.1. Data Assembly and Base Mapping The initial phase of the ecological classification and inventory work involved data identification and assembly; the synthesis of data and creation of GIS base maps and graphics; and solicitation of input from local experts on the type and condition of natural resources in the Kansas City metropolitan area. This initial phase included two primary components: a regional crosswalk and development of the digital database. These components are described below. 2.1.1. Regional Crosswalk Early assessment of information about vegetative cover and natural resources in the Kansas City area indicated a lack of a comprehensive, up-to-date data set from which to create an ecological land cover classification and complete a natural resources inventory. Classifications from Missouri and Kansas used different criteria to map natural resources, and classifications by different agencies varied in their mapping results. To overcome this challenge, AES examined existing land cover classifications and tested the mapping results against recent digital orthophotos of the Kansas City metropolitan area. A classification was considered acceptable based on its ability to correctly describe a uniform patch of land surface on digital orthophotos (e.g., forest, grassland, and urban) and correctly 3 Ecological Land Cover and Natural Resources Inventory for the Kansas City Region match the edges of the digitized polygon to that land surface patch. Based on this examination, AES decided to use United States Geological Survey (USGS) Gap Analysis Program (GAP) data rather than other land cover data systems. The GAP project is a nationwide inventory of land cover and habitat suitability whose purpose is to identify conservation opportunities especially as it relates to the needs of wildlife. While available for both Missouri and Kansas, each state used a different GAP classification. In order to join these classifications and create a regional ecological land cover classification, AES created a two-level classification linked to the two GAP classifications (Table 2-1). This approach to combining different classifications is termed a “crosswalk.” The crosswalk contains two types of classifications. The first classification, herein called AES Type 1, is broader than the second classification, called AES Type 2. For example, Cultural or Sparsely Vegetated Land (AES Type 1) in Kansas is subdivided into Cultivated Land, Developed Land, and Cultural Grassland (AES Type 2). The AES Type 1 names are used for initial mapping work and the AES Type 2 names are used for field inventory. Table 2-1. Crosswalk of Kansas and Missouri GAP Classifications. Kansas GAP Classification AES Type 1 AES Type 2 Missouri GAP Classification Water Aquatic Communities Open Water Open Water Cultural or Sparsely Barren or Sparsely Vegetated Barren or Sparsely Vegetated Vegetated Land Land Cultural or Sparsely Cultivated Land Cultivated Land Row and Close-grown Crops Vegetated Land Cultural or Sparsely Developed Land Urban Impervious Vegetated Land Cultural or Sparsely Developed Land Urban Vegetated Vegetated Land Cultural or Sparsely Non-native Grassland Cultural Grassland Cool-season Grassland Vegetated Land CRP (Conservation Reserve Cultural or Sparsely Cultural Grassland Program) Vegetated Land Maple-Basswood Forest Natural Communities - Forest Deciduous Forest Deciduous Forest Oak-Hickory Forest Natural Communities - Forest Deciduous Forest Deciduous Forest Post Oak-Blackjack Oak Natural Communities - Deciduous Woodland Forest Grassland and Transitional Natural Communities - Mixed Oak Ravine Woodland Deciduous Woodland Grassland and Transitional Natural Communities - Deciduous Woodland Deciduous Woodland Grassland and Transitional Natural Communities – Deciduous Woodland Glade Complex Grassland and Transitional Eastern Red Cedar and Red Mixed Evergreen-Deciduous Natural Communities - Forest Cedar-Deciduous Forest and Forest Woodland Mixed Evergreen-Deciduous Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest and Natural Communities - Forest Forest Woodland Mixed Evergreen-Deciduous Shortleaf Pine Forest and Natural Communities - Forest Forest Woodland Natural Communities - Tall Grass Prairie Grassland Warm-season Grassland Grassland and Transitional Natural Communities - Mixed Prairie Grassland Warm-season Grassland Grassland and Transitional Natural Communities - Lowland Hardwood Forest Pecan Floodplain Forest Lowland and Woodland 4 Ecological Land Cover and Natural Resources Inventory for the Kansas City Region Kansas GAP Classification AES Type 1 AES Type 2 Missouri GAP Classification Ash-Elm-Hackberry Floodplain Natural Communities - Lowland Hardwood Forest Bottomland Hardwood Forest Forest Lowland and Woodland and Woodland Natural Communities - Lowland Hardwood Forest Bottomland Hardwood Forest Cottonwood Floodplain Forest Lowland and Woodland and Woodland Natural Communities - Lowland Hardwood Forest Mixed Oak Floodplain Forest Lowland and Woodland Natural Communities - Lowland Hardwood Forest Bur Oak Floodplain Woodland Lowland and Woodland Cottonwood Floodplain Natural Communities - Lowland Hardwood Forest Bottomland Hardwood Forest Woodland Lowland and Woodland and Woodland Lowland Hardwood Forest Natural Community – Lowland Swamp and Woodland Natural Communities - Marsh and Wet Herbaceous Low or Wet Prairie Lowland Vegetation Natural Communities - Marsh and Wet Herbaceous Marsh and Wet Herbaceous Freshwater Marsh Lowland Vegetation Vegetation Natural Communities - Marsh and Wet Herbaceous Marsh and Wet Herbaceous Cattail Marsh Lowland Vegetation Vegetation 2.1.2. Digital Database Data collected for use in the ecological classification and natural resource inventory were assembled in a functional spatial database. These data came from a variety of sources, including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Kansas Biological Survey (KBS), MARC, Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (MSDIS), Kansas Data Access and Support Center (DASC), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and local governments) and were obtained in digital form, or digitized by AES if the information was critical (e.g., Missouri Natural Features Inventory reports). Field data gathered by AES also were incorporated into this spatial database. All data were rectified to a base projection. In addition to field information, orthorectified aerial photography (2001), and land cover data, the following data were assembled: • MARC planning area boundaries • Municipal, state, and federal jurisdictional boundaries • Floodplains and flood-prone areas • Streams and water resources (including National Wetland Inventory (NWI) wetlands and ponds) • MARC’s files of roads and similar information • Contours and other topography features • Natural resource inventories and rare natural features locations • Soils, including hydric soils In addition, a subset of information was also collected in Jackson County where stream assessments were completed for three demonstration watersheds. Three separate reports, currently being finalized, contain information from Jackson County stream assessments . Information gathered for these assessments included the sources cited above, as well as field verification of problem areas; opportunity areas for the treatment of stream erosion, flooding, and poor water quality; and stream-related physical data necessary for modeling. A summary of data conversion methods, data applicability, and related information is provided in Appendix A. 5 Ecological Land Cover and Natural Resources Inventory for the Kansas City Region 2.2. Field Reconnaissance The objective of field reconnaissance was to obtain information to verify land cover and species and, if necessary, revising the ecological land cover classification and resulting mapping. By evaluating the condition of selected natural resources, an understanding of the conservation needs in the Kansas City metropolitan area would be achieved.
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