AquaCorridors Tool Suite Overview
Table of Contents
Background Why Build this Tool Suite? Tools In The Suite:
Background
BackgroundAquatic conservation flourishes through collaboration. By combining the expertise and resources of conservation groups, federal agencies, researchers, and practitioners, shared visions gain momentum, significantly enhancing the potential for success.
This collaborative approach inspired Working Lands for Wildlife to develop the AquaCorridors Tool Suite — a collection of interactive tools designed to promote active cooperation among conservation professionals.
How does the AquaCorridors Tool Suite Connect to the Aquatic Connectivity Framework?
The AquaCorridors Tool Suite is grounded in research from the Aquatic Connectivity Framework. The Planner and Handbook tools assist practitioners in leveraging NRCS’s diverse Farm Bill programs and highlight conservation practices proven as effective by NRCS for aquatic resource management. The Mapper and Data Layer Library allow practitioners to visualize where partners are focusing their aquatic conservation efforts and provide quick access to relevant data from reliable sources.
Why Build this Tool Suite?
What problems did we set out to solve?
Scoping Phase Findings
Our scoping process revealed the following gaps for successful aquatic conservation on a landscape scale:
Conservation partner organizations want to work with NRCS and leverage USDA funding opportunities but:
• Want help identifying the appropriate NRCS Conservation Practices to achieve their goals.
• Need streamlined access to detailed information on these practices for conservation plans, proposals, and grant applications.
• Need help identifying which NRCS/FSA programs and funding sources they might be eligible for.
• Want improved awareness of where partner priority areas may overlap to enhance collaboration, avoid duplication of efforts, and build transformative projects.
• Need streamlined access to aggregated data and insights to support informed decision-making.
How the AquaCorridors Tool Suite tackled these challenges:
Challenge One: Help conservation organizations identify the appropriate NRCS Conservation Practices to achieve their goals, and provide streamlined access information on these practices for conservation plans, proposals, and grant applications.
What the AquaCorridors Tools do:
The Planner connects users' specific conservation concerns to conservation practices by generating a heatmap matrix that highlights relevant practices and how they effectively address multiple conservation goals.
The Handbook serves as a companion resource, providing clear, user-friendly information on these conservation practices and opportunities for deeper exploration. Designed to bridge knowledge gaps, the Handbook enables users to search practices based on specific conservation threats or benefits.
Challenge Two: Help conservation organizations identify which NRCS and FSA programs and funding sources they might be eligible for.
What the AquaCorridors Tools Do:
The Handbook provides partner organizations the foundation for navigating FSA and NRCS programs and funding opportunities. It includes concise summaries of major programs, along with direct links to key resources and fact sheets.
Challenge Three:
Develop an interface that allows users to view priority watersheds across agencies and organizations to foster collaborative opportunities.
What the AquaCorridors Tools Do:
The Data Layer Library and Mapper have a dynamic data layer that shows priority watersheds for different conservation groups where users can find watershed, program, and contact information. Users can also request to add their priority areas to the map.
The tool currently displays data from Working Lands For Wildlife (WLFW), National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI), Southeast Aquatic Resource Partnership (SARP), and the US Forest Service (USFS). The goal is to grow this network in the coming year (2025).
Challenge Four: Develop user-friendly centralized database or platform that provides real-time, easily accessible, and location-specific data on at-risk aquatic species.
What the AquaCorridors Tools
Do:
The Data Layer Library and Mapper allow users to display at-risk aquatic species by watershed (G1, G2, S1, S2, and RSGCN). Data includes amphibians, reptiles, fish, mussels, and crayfish as well as other invertebrate groups.
Challenge Five: Create a comprehensive, dataset and reporting tool that compiles and visualizes aquatic indicators, enabling conservation groups to efficiently integrate this data into reports and grant applications.
What the AquaCorridors Tools Do:
The Mapper allows users to generate a .csv report of conditions in their selected area that includes data such as: EPA ATTAINS data, at-risk species by watershed, low head dams on private lands from the National Aquatic Barrier Inventory and Prioritization Tool, indicators from the Southeast Conservation Blueprint, NOAA Seal Level Rise viewer, and information on conservation partners working within that watershed.
Sample Heatmap Matrix generated by Planner
Examples of Funding Information Available in the AquaCorrdiors Handbook
Example of Partner Organization Priority Area Information Available in the Data Layer Library and Mapper
Example of At-Risk Aquatic Species Data available
in
the Data Layer Library and Mapper
The Tools
Overviews and Technical Descriptions
The AquaCorridors Tool Suite:
- Planner - Handbook - Data Layer Library
- Mapper
Planner
The Planner asks users about their specific conservation concerns and then generates a heatmap matrix of NRCS conservation practices that will address the issue(s).
Process for Creating: Planner
To develop the Planner, the team began by compiling a list of Conservation Practices identified by the 16+ states participating in the Aquatic Connectivity Framework as priorities for FY 2024–2029. Using this foundational list, the team referenced the NRCS Conservation Practice Physical Effects (CPPE) matrix to link each practice to its associated conservation benefits. The data was then visualized through a user-friendly application built using D3, JavaScript, and HTML.
Handbook
The Handbook provides users with information on Conservation Practices and NRCS and FSA funding opportunities, and access to a suite of decision support tools designed by conservation partners to enhance aquatic conservation efforts. It also allows users to search by threat/resource concern, conservation benefits, or specific practices while simplifying NRCS terminology for broader accessibility among aquatic conservation practitioners.
Process for Creating:
Handbook
Conservation Practices
To build the Handbook the team took the same conservation practices, threats, and benefits data used to build the planner and organized it into a wiki format using the Obsidian software. Additional details, including practice standards, network diagrams, and helpful videos were integrated from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Farmers.gov to provide comprehensive guidance for each conservation practice.
Funding Information
The team compiled information on funding mechanisms and opportunities from the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, and Farmers.gov.
Decision Support Tool Directory
During the AquaCorridors Tool Suite scoping phase, the team identified and cataloged some the most useful decision support tools for aquatic conservation. These tools were added to the Handbook, offering users a curated directory to enhance conservation planning and implementation efforts.
Data Layer Library
Inside the AquaCorridors Data Library, users can explore a curated collection of high-quality datasets focused on aquatic conservation. The Data Layer Library brings together valuable data from agencies and NGOs, providing a comprehensive resource for environmental decision-making.
Mapper
The AquaCorridors Mapper can be used to explore and export data for specific areas of interest such as endangered species by watershed, conservation partner priority areas and contact information, and key aquatic indicators. This tool is designed to assist conservation partners who are in the process of compiling information for conservation plans, reports, and/or funding opportunities.
Process for Creating: Data Layer Library & Mapper
The data layer library and mapper use ArcGis Online Instant Apps. These applications were customized and then embedded into the Landscape Partnership's plone content management system. The two applications use the same base spatial data.
Landscape Context Layers
These tools pull spatial data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership, US Geological Survey (USGS), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), US Forest Service (USFS), the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS), and Natureserve.
At-Risk Species Layer *
This dataset was created by filtering the NaturesServe US map of At-Risk Species by County or Watershed dataset to display data specifically for aquatic species. Our team filtered by species group and conservation status and has included species that are considered imperiled and/or critically imperiled on a state or global level (G1, G2, S1, S2). A summary of all species included in this dataset can be found here . We have also indicated whether or not those species are listed as Southeast Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SE RSGCN).
Partner Priority Areas
This data layer consists of priority areas given of partner organizations that agreed to participate. The priority areas available in the tool suite upon the launch of the project include: Working Lands For Wildlife (WLFW), National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI), Southeast Aquatic Resource Partnership (SARP), and the US Forest Service (USFS). This will be expanded to include additional partners in 2025.
*Data from NatureServe has not been ground-truthed by Working Lands for Wildlife.
