Quicklinks:

• Overview of CAPS IEI Data
• Mass IEI maps
• Mass IEI GIS data

Overview of CAPS IEI Data:

CAPS computes an Index of Ecological Integrity (IEI) which depicts the relative wildlife habitat and biodiversity value of any point on the landscape based on landscape ecology principles and expert opinion (see CAPS data for a more detailed explanation and CAPS documentation for supporting documentation). Currently, IEI maps depicting the top 50% of lands with the highest ecological integrity have been completed for 112 communities in western Massachusetts (see status map).

It is estimated that statewide assessment and mapping of Ecological Integrity value will be completed by the end of 2009. As new areas of Massachusetts are assessed, additional town maps will be posted on this web site and updated maps will be created for those towns for which IEI maps previously existed. The maps now posted on this web site are the most current versions available and were last updated on June 1, 2008.

These maps are for information only and are not referenced by any regulatory program. However, MassDEP has recently adopted a new approach to wildlife habitat management via assessment and mapping of important wildlife habitat for use in wetland protection review and permitting. This approach utilizes the Conservation Prioritization and Assessment System (CAPS) to create a set of maps that depict "Habitat of Potential Regional or Statewide Importance." Follow this link to access maps of "Important Habitat" for purposes of implementing the wildlife habitat provisions of the MA Wetlands Protection Act. [click here for DEP CAPS].

Mass IEI Maps: [back to top]

PDF maps depicting areas of potential high ecological integrity are available for the following 112 towns in western Massachusetts, plus a single map encompassing the entire region. Depicted on these maps are those areas representing 50% of the landscape with the highest IEI values overlaid onto USGS topographic maps to help provide geographical references for important areas. The darker the color the higher the integrity value. File sizes are quite large (2-6 Mb) and download times will be long unless you have a high-speed internet connection.

Mass IEI GIS Data: [back to top]

GIS data (ArcGIS grids) corresponding to the CAPS maps above for the combined region of western Massachusetts are available here. [click here for GIS data]. Note, this zip file(6 Mb) contains a single Arc grid for the entire region containing the final index of ecological integrity value (ranging from 0 to 100) from which the IEI maps above were derived. A more complete GIS data set containing the landcover and results grids is included in the following zip file [click here to download data]. Note, this is a very large file (38 Mb) containing many Arc grids and the use of this database requires GIS expertise. A text file named whatswhere.txt is included in the zip file and describes the content of the CD. The full GIS data set, as described in the whatswhere.txt file, is available on a DVD from the authors.

Acknowledgements: [back to top]

Funding support for CAPS was provided by UMass, Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and The Trustees of Reservations. Data sources include the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS). UMass is partnering with the Highland Communities Initiative to provide the results of CAPS analyses and technical assistance in using this information for setting conservation priorities in the 38-town Highland Regional of Western Massachusetts. Click here for more information about the Highland Communities Initiative.

Contact Information: [back to top]

For assistance with interpretation of CAPS results or to report technical difficulties regarding access to the information on this page, please contact either Scott Jackson (sjackson@umext.umass.edu) or Kasey Rolih (krolih@nrc.umass.edu).