❮ Projects page Southeast Alaska Land Trust

Spatial Analysis Project:

The goal of this project is to create a conservation priority analysis of private and public (non-federal) lands within the Baranof-Chichagof Islands hydrologic unit (8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code #19010203). This project will identify private, native corporation/tribal, municipal, and state land with high conservation values on which the Southeast Alaska Land Trust (SEALT) could potentially hold conservation easements, deed restrictions, or purchase as fee-simple conservation properties. The priority analysis will rank potential conservation properties based on their conservation values, using map-based characteristics such as the presence of wetlands, property size, and adjacency to other protected lands. This conservation prioritization analysis will enable SEALT to take a strategic approach in exploring additional conservation opportunities within the Baranof-Chichagof Islands hydrologic unit.

Data available:

SEALT and the Southeast Alaska GIS Library have many available datasets that could be useful for this project:

• Land Ownership
• Protected Areas
• National Wetlands Inventory
• Hydrography Database
• Floodplains
• Streams (including Anadromous Streams)
• Karst data
• Presence of clear-cut or 2nd growth forest

Maps and Reports that will be created:

The completed project will include a final prioritization shapefile/geodatabase that can be used by SEALT staff when assessing potential conservation projects within the Baranof-Chichagof Islands hydrologic unit.

The shapefile/geodatabase should be accompanied by a final report that includes an overview of the project goals and objectives, methods used, results, discussion, and major conclusions. Report maps could include the following:

• Baranof-Chichagof Islands HUC Context Map
• Baranof-Chichagof Islands HUC Protected Lands Map
• Baranof-Chichagof Islands HUC Land Ownership Map
• Overview of Baranof-Chichagof Islands HUC Prioritization
• Map(s) of Highest Priority Areas/Properties

How the maps and reports will be used:

The Baranof-Chichagof Islands conservation prioritization analysis will enable SEALT to strategically assess conservation opportunities and inform conversations with local landowners and partners interested in conservation. In addition, SEALT will use this prioritization tool to quickly and objectively assess the conservation values of potential projects, identify the most significant parcels for conservation, and defend property acquisitions to funders. The prioritization tool will help SEALT to have a better understanding of the relative importance of potential projects and to identify areas of particular value.