Description: <DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P><SPAN>Locations in Kansas where trout are stocked by the Kansas Department of Parks, Wildlife and Tourism and available for fishing with a trout permit. Locations provided by KDWPT, geo-processing performed by Michael Houts at the Kansas Biological Survey. Last update November 2012.</SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
Description: <DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P><SPAN>The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Kansas Biological Survey developed a general distribution map of lesser and greater prairie-chickens based on the knowledge of biologists employed by state agencies and other reputable entities (federal agencies, state universities, etc.). The map was mailed to regional experts for comments and field assessments during the early spring of 2004. The comments and edits were used to produce the map showing the current range and distribution of prairie chickens in Kansas. The map was last updated in June 2012.</SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
Copyright Text: Data set created by Michael Houts (at the Kansas Biologcal Survey).
Description: <DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P STYLE="text-align:Justify;margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Base information</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>– The base layer used to develop priority levels 1 and 2 was the results from a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model that estimates the probability of a GPCH lek for each 100 meter pixel within the Flint Hills and Smokey Hills physiographic regions of Kansas (Wisely et al. 2010). The locations of 279 leks that were known to be active from 2000-2009 were used to validate the results of the model to identify the probability levels that contained specified percentages of the known locations (Jim Pitman, </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>unpublished data</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>). These 279 locations were not used to develop the model. The MaxEnt probability map was then smoothed using a 3 x 3 moving window analysis (with majority replacement)for each 100 meter pixel to reduce the number of isolated pixels predicted to have a high probability of lek occurence (Mike Houts, unpublished data). </SPAN></SPAN></P><P /><P STYLE="text-align:Justify;margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>The locations of 194 GPCH nests located from 2006-2009 within the Flint Hills were used to identify distances from known lek locations that contained specified percentages of the nests (Lance McNew, </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>unpublished data</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>). These distances were used to buffer the selected probability levels from the MaxEnt modeling to identify areas where most of the nesting likely occurs.</SPAN></SPAN></P><P /><P STYLE="text-align:Justify;margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>The results from a corridor model were used to identify areas not contained within priority levels 1 or 2 that were identified as being important pathways for genetic exchange. The corridor was developed using the most parsimonious cost surface from electrical circuit theory resistance modeling. The resulting corridor was buffered by 5 Km on either side which is the approximate radius around a lek where 90% of activity occurs (Wisely et al. 2010, Lance McNew, </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>unpublished data</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>).</SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="text-align:Justify;margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="text-align:Justify;margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Priority Level I</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>– The MaxEnt validation revealed that 50% of the known leks occurred in areas predicted to have >0.533 probability of lek occurrence. These areas were selected to be the base layer for priority level 1. Each of the selected pixels was buffered by 1,280 meters to identify the areas where 50% of nesting activity likely occurs. This distance was selected because 50% of known nest locations were located within 1,330 meters of a known lek. The buffer distance is 50 meters less than the identified nesting radius because it was assumed that the predicted lek site occurred at the center of each selected 100 meter pixel (1,330 – 50 meter radius = 1,280 meters). The resulting coverage was then clipped with the native grassland land cover contained within the 2005 Kansas land cover patterns so that only pixels classified as warm season (native) grasslands would be included. Finally, the resulting native grasslands were clipped to the EPA level 4 ecoregion which was the area of interest. This coverage should provide a reasonable approximation of the area containing the core 50% of the occupied habitat within the Flint Hills. It is likely that these areas contain >50% of the population because they are presumed to be the best habitats. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P /><P STYLE="text-align:Justify;margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Priority level II </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>- The MaxEnt validation revealed that 95% of the known leks occurred in areas predicted to have >0.046 probability of lek occurrence. These areas were selected to be the base layer for priority level 2. Each of the selected pixels was buffered by 5,276 meters to identify the areas where 95% of nesting activity likely occurs. This distance was selected because 95% of known nest locations were located within 5,326 meters of a known lek. The buffer distance is 50 meters less than the identified nesting radius because it was assumed that the predicted lek site occurred at the center of each selected 100 meter pixel (5326 – 50 meter radius = 5,276 meters). The resulting coverage was then clipped with the native grassland land cover contained within the 2005 Kansas land cover patterns so that only pixels classified as native grasslands would be included. Finally, the resulting native grasslands were clipped to the EPA level 4 ecoregion which was the area of interest. This coverage should provide a reasonable approximation of all the areas within the Flint Hills that are important habitats occupied by the GPCH. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P /><P STYLE="text-align:Justify;margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN STYLE="font-style:italic;"><SPAN>Priority Level III</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN>- The corridor was clipped with the priority levels I and II coverages to identify areas within the corridor that were not already contained in one of the higher priority levels. The resulting pixels were then further clipped by the EPA level 4 ecoregion boundary of the Flint Hills. This coverage contains all the land cover types. </SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
Copyright Text: These priority levels were designed by Jim Pitman (KDWPT) using data provided by Samantha Wisely, Andy Gregory, and Lance McNew (Kansas State University). The layers were processed and created by Mike Houts (Kansas Applied Remote Sensing program, University of Kansas).
Name: Lesser Prairie-chicken Estimated Occupied Range
Display Field: Acres
Type: Feature Layer
Geometry Type: esriGeometryPolygon
Description: <DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P><SPAN>General range delineated by state wildlife biologists based on kwon ocurrances.</SPAN></P><P><SPAN>Last updated: November 8, 2013.</SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
Copyright Text: Colorado Division of Wildlife, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, New Mexico Game and Fish, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, United States Geological Surveys, Fort Collins Science Center, Western Governors Association Council.
Name: Lesser Prairie-chicken Estimated Occupied Range + 10 Miles
Display Field: Id
Type: Feature Layer
Geometry Type: esriGeometryPolygon
Description: <DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P><SPAN><SPAN>The estimated Occupied Range of the Lesser prairie-chicken with a 10 mile buffer applied to it. The region boundary was then intersected with and mapped using the SGPCHAT 1 square mile hexagon cells.</SPAN></SPAN></P><P><SPAN>Last updated: November 8, 2013.</SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
Copyright Text: Colorado Division of Wildlife, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, New Mexico Game and Fish, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, United States Geological Surveys, Fort Collins Science Center, Western Governors Association Council.