Results of adding critical "sub-watersheds" to the proposed conservation plan. To reduce fragmentation, connect core habitats, and plan for improved water quality, a GIS technique was developed to incorporate sub-watersheds into the proposed conservation plan. Any smaller (fourth-order) watershed only partially covered by the first-cut Core and Wildlife Corridor Protection Area was added by expanding the boundary. Any first-cut boundary not adjacent to a smaller watershed was analyzed to find the nearest boundary (ridgeline) of any watershed size. If such a boundary did not exist within one-quarter mile of the first-cut boundary, a simple 1/4-mile expansion was used. This technique served to connect fragmented core habitats, and incorporate ecological landscape units in a defensible manner.

GIS Images

The Chattooga Watershed
Currently Protected Areas
Existing and Potential Old Growth Forest
Chattooga Conservancy Roadless Areas (as of 1996)
Conservation Plan "First Step"
Chattooga Conservation Plan