Wetland Inventory and Classification for Carlton and South St. Louis Counties : Final Report and Deliverables

Abstract

Accurate maps of the type and locations of wetlands are critical for land use planning, particularly for watersheds undergoing rapid develoment or facing increased development pressure. The important role wetlands play in maintaining habitat, water quality and surface and ground-water protection is well documented, but cun*ent information on the types, sizes, and locations of wetlands is difficult to obtain. As coastal environments come under increased pressure from development, this infonnation is essential for zoning, buildout scenarios and numerous other planning objectives. Within the Coastal Program boundary, however，up-to-date information on wetland type and distribution is sparse, outdated, or lacking for many watersheds. While the National Wetland Inventory is the most extensive and commonly used inventory, the limitations with respect to spatial and classification accuracy are well-recogiiized. Over several iterations, we have systematically been mapping wetlands within high- gi*owth areas of the Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program. The objective of the current proposal is to use recent MN DNR aerial photography and other spatial data to delineate and characterize wetlands for the southwestern portion the Coastal Program area. These includes approximately tliree townships in Carlton County and watershed extensions into St. Louis County (Figure 1). Our primary end products are digital maps of classified wetlands and with associated data tables, which are here provided to the Lake Superior Coastal Program for distribution to decision makers and the general public. Wetland maps are delivered in two fomiats. As part of this final report to the MN DNR, we have included a DVD that contains the rectified raw imagery, inteipreted wetland in GIS fonnat, and metadata for the data layers. We have also created, as part of the CoastalGIS website at the Natural Resources Research Institute, downloadable and online versions of the interpreted wetlands. The download versions are delivered in ESRI shapefile fonnat, with associated metadata. We also provide an interactive version using the Arc Internet Map Server, which allows maps to be viewed and manipulated over the Internet with a standard web brower. The NOAA-funded CoastalGIS web site was established in March 2002 to sei*ve as a clearinghouse for spatial data relevant to the Coastal Program. The site currently contains a wide range of data sets on natural resources and infrastructure，and is designed to assist local decision makers and the general public in land use planning. The CoastalGIS web site can be accessed at: http://www. nrri. umn. edu/Coastal GIS