Great Lakes Shoreline Ecosystems Project Mapping the Coastal Habitats of the Great Lakes
Katie Howard, Ecosystem Biologist Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Ontario’s Commitment • Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great
Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health • Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
Develop a framework….for the collection of baseline information to guide sustainable landscape conservation, conservation of
biodiversity and to measure future progress towards a target of net habitat gain
consistent with binational efforts.
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Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
MNRF Mandated Responsibilities • Natural heritage planning and policy • Biodiversity assessments and monitoring • Natural resource inventories • State of resource reporting • Fish and wildlife habitat • Wetland conservation
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Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Challenge: Currently, there is no comprehensive inventory of shoreline
ecosystems around Ontario’s Great Lakes for planning purposes
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Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Great Lakes Shoreline Ecosystems Project Team
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• Science and Research Branch • Harold Lee (BAMS), Project Co-lead, Science Lead • Joel Mostoway (NRIS), Lead, Remote Sensing and Mapping • Adam Hogg (NRIS), Advisor, Standards and Wetlands • Katie Howard (BAMS), Ecosystem Biologist • Sarah Bennett (BAMS), Intern • Erin Banton (NRIS), Forest Resource Inventory Specialist
• Natural Resources Conservation Policy Branch • Julie Simard (WRS), Project Co-lead, Policy Lead Great Lakes • Regina (Gina) Varrin (NHS), Advisor, Wetland Policy
• Mapping and Information Resources Branch • Dennis Fraser (PMU), Advisor, Wetland Data
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Great Lakes Shoreline Ecosystems Project • Delineate and classify ecosystems of the
Great Lakes shoreline using the latest tools and science
• Create resources for shoreline planning, management and conservation
• Ground verification of Great Lakes shoreline ecosystems
• Align with binational initiatives pertaining to habitat inventory and monitoring
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Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Great Lakes Shoreline Ecosystems Project Integrate information from variety of sources
• Will not duplicate existing mapping / inventory efforts • Will emphasise collaboration (MNRF and partners)
Create a definitive resource using common standards
• Create products suitable for a variety of users • Improve existing tools and classification systems
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Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Project Scope
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2 km inland of Ontario’s Great Lakes shorelines
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
GLSE Project Tools
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Photo Interpretation
Ecological Land Classification
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Photo Interpretation
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GLSE Photo Interpretation Hybrid Approach: - Photo interpreters are interpreting every polygon that occurs within that 2 km boundary
Satellite Imagery interpretations – SOLRIS
Thematic Layers • soils, physiography • other mapping (CWS, CA’s)
Photo interpretation • Forest Resource Inventory spec’s • 1:10,000 Ecosite polygons • 0.5 ha Min. Mapping Unit
Field Data collation + verification • ELC, OWES, CA, NGO
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
SOLRIS: Southern Ontario Land Resource Information System
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• Top-down imagery and thematic layer interpretation
• Get as far as technology will allow – open, shrub, treed
• Implement Community Class and Series concepts in ELC: deciduous forest, conifer swamp, treed dune
• Compilation of data from many sources
• Excellent candidate for broad-scale monitoring tool – track changes over time
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
GLSE Photo Interpretation
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Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
GLSE Project Tools
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Photo Interpretation
Ecological Land Classification
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Ecological Land Classification
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A framework used to describe and classify ecosystems based on:
• Soil Type (S-Type)
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Ecological Land Classification
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A framework used to describe and classify ecosystems based on:
• Soil Type (S-Type) • Vegetation Type (V-Type)
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Ecological Land Classification
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A framework used to describe and classify ecosystems based on:
• Soil Type (S-Type) • Vegetation Type (V-Type)
Ecosite
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Ecological Land Classification
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Ecosite: an area of land with consistent soils and vegetation across a distinct prevailing condition
Coastal Calcareous Rock Open Active Shoreline
Great Lakes Coastal Mineral Meadow Marsh
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
DRAFT
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
DRAFT
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
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Coastal Organic Emergent Marsh
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry 20
• Interactive access to field collected data to allow use of the field collected data intuitively and easily
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
GLSE Project Deliverables
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1) Mapping Product - Attributes will include ecosite details
- Photos, prism sweep and soils data - Product will be available in Land Information Ontario (LIO)
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
GLSE Products
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1) Mapping Product - Attributes will include ecosite details
- Photos, prism sweep and soils data - Product will be available in Land Information Ontario (LIO)
2) Refinement of Great Lakes Shoreline Ecosystem Classification - GLSE specific ecosite keys and tables - Ecosite and V-type factsheets for coastal concepts - Providing information to State of the Resource report
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry 23
Mapping Progress to Date
• Stage 1: Lake Erie • Mapping completed. • QAQC in progress.
• Stage 2: Lake Ontario
• Mapping in progress.
• Stage 3: Lake Huron • Mapping to commence
after Lake Ontario completion.
• Stage 4: Northern
Georgian Bay and Lake Superior • Planning in progress.
Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Thank You!
Contact Information: Katie Howard (Holman)
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