Vegetation - Desert Tortoise Linkage, Coachella Valley MSHCP [ds2927]

The University of California Riversides Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) has created fine-scale vegetation maps for a number of Conservation Areas under the jurisdiction of the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP) under contract with the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission (CVCC). The primary purpose for creating these maps is provide a landscape-scale approach to monitoring changes due to land use, invasive species, recreation, hydrology, and climate. These digital maps, documenting changes and their causes, are then tools for prioritizing future conservation actions. The vegetation classification follows Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and National Vegetation Classification Standards (NVCS; Federal Geographic Data Committee 2008). The classification is meant to align with previous and concurrent efforts previous survey and classification work done by California Department of Fish and Wildlifes Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program (VegCaMP) and Aerial Information Systems (AIS) for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Area as well as the southeastern Salton Sea Mid-Desert Area, and by the National Park Service for Joshua Tree National Park. This unit was mapped using the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and California Natural Plant Society Combined (CNPS) Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program protocol (CNPS 2014).

This map and report addresses the Desert Tortoise and Linkage Conservation Area (approximately 90,000 acres). Fieldwork, photo-interpretation and mapping were performed from 2014-2016. Within the study areas, rapid assessment protocol vegetation plots and supplemental reconnaissance observations were obtained within the study at pre-determined points in order to document the plant community, disturbances, and invasive species across space and types. Photo-interpretation of 2013 imagery and field information were combined to produce delineations of vegetation alliances and associations according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife classification system, outlined in the Manual of California Vegetation Second Edition (Sawyer et al. 2009). Thus, the current version of the map best represents the status of vegetation in 2013.

We digitized the vegetation of the Desert Tortoise and Linkage Conservation Area Area from 2013 imagery provided by the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) and 2014 imagery from the National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP); it includes approximately 881 delineated polygons, each assigned one of 21 vegetation alliances or land-cover types. We assigned the still finer scale association attribute where field plot data (Rapid Assessment Plot or reconnaissance observation) was available within the polygon boundaries, or where the association could be clearly identified from aerial imagery. This unit has several map classes that have less than 2% absolute vegetation cover, including the Desert Pavement/ Geraea canescens Alliance, Disturbed/Built-Up, and a generic Non-Vegetated Habitat type. The largest amount of land cover is of the Larrea tridentata Encelia farinosa Shrubland Alliance type, encompassing 27,665 acres), followed by Parkinsonia florida--Olneya tesota Woodland Alliance (18,255 acres), and Larrea tridentata Encelia farinosa Shrubland Alliance (17,770 acres). This report and accompanying data are to be released at the end of 2017.

The original vegetation map described above was prepared for publication in CDFWs Biogeographic Information and Observation System (BIOS) by the Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program (VegCAMP).

The original public dataset was funded by the Coachella Valley Association of Governments. The authors of this dataset (Center for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside) and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments must be cited if used in a published study or as appropriate.

CDFW appreciates learning how our datasets are being used so that we can leverage support for classifying and mapping new areas and let users know of any updates. Please contact VegCAMP (https://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP) when using this dataset.

License: This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). Using the citation standards recommended for BIOS datasets ( https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/BIOS/Citing-BIOS ) satisfies the attribution requirements of this license.

Disclaimer : The State makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or adequacy of these data and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in these data. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to these data.