    cartome.org

3 September 2001

Source: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-18749-filed

    [Federal Register: July 27, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 145)]
    [Notices]
    [Page 39189-39191]
    From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
    [DOCID:fr27jy01-112]

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    DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

    Geological Survey

    Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC); Public Comment on the
    Proposal to Develop a ``Riparian Mapping Standard.''

    ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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    SUMMARY: The FGDC is soliciting public comments on the proposal to
    develop a ``Riparian Mapping Standard.'' If the proposal is approved,
    the standard will be developed following the FGDC standards development
    and approval process and will be considered for adoption by the FGDC.
        In its assigned federal leadership role in the development of the
    National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), the Committee recognizes
    that FGDC standards must also meet the needs and recognize the views of
    State and local governments, academia, industry, and the public. The
    purpose of this notice is to solicit such views. The FGDC invites the
    community to review the proposal and comment on the objectives, scope,
    approach, and usability of the standard; identify existing related
    standards; and indicate their interest in participating in the
    development of the standard.

    DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 24, 2001.

    ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted via Internet or by postal mail.
    Reviewers may send comments via Internet to:
    FW9WetlandsSubcommittee@fws.gov. If submitting comments by postal mail,
    please send a soft copy version on 3.5-inch diskette in Microsoft Word
    or Rich Text Format (preferred) format and one copy of a hardcopy
    version to the FGDC Secretariat (attn: Julie Binder Maitra) at U.S.
    Geological Survey, 590 National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive,
    Reston, Virginia 20192.

    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following is the proposal for the ``Riparian
    Mapping Standard'':
        Project Title: Adoption of a Riparian Mapping Standard for areas of
    the United States where mean annual evaporation exceeds mean annual
    precipitation.
        Date of Proposal: November 14, 2000.
        Type of Standard: This proposed standard is classified as a Data
    Classification Standard (definition and hierarchical nomenclature) and
    the accompanying Data Symbology or Presentation Standard (cartographic
    conventions) according to the FGDC Standards Reference Model.
        Submitting Organization: Subcommittee for Wetlands, Federal
    Geographic Data Committee
        Point of Contact: Bill O. Wilen, Chair, National Wetlands
    Inventory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room
    400, Arlington, VA 22203, E-mail: bill_wilen@fws.gov, Phone: 703-358-
    2161, Fax: 703-358-1869.
        Objectives: (1) To develop a unified Riparian Mapping Standard to
    define riparian, delineate its application, and to describe and define
    cartographic conventions for use in riparian mapping for the National
    Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).
        (2) To minimize redundancy in effort in developing riparian mapping
    standards, ensure consistency in application of standards, facilitate
    data sharing and integrate riparian spatial data with data developed
    under the FGDC Wetlands Standard.
        Scope: What is Riparian? (taken from ``A System for Mapping
    Riparian Areas in the Western United States,'' U.S. Fish and Wildlife
    Service, December 1997) http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://wetlands.fws.gov/Riparian.htm
        ``There are many riparian definitions used by government agencies
    and the private sector. Riparian initiatives ofen concentrate on either
    functionality or land use application where an exact definition is not
    required. However, a riparian definition is essential for consistent
    and uniform identification and mapping. For these purposes, in the area
    of applicability:''
        `Riparian areas are plant communities contiguous to and affected by
    surface and subsurface hydrologic features of perennial or intermittent
    lotic and lentic water bodies (rivers, streams, lakes, or drainage
    ways). Riparian areas have one or both of the following
    characteristics: (1) Distinctively different vegetative species than
    adjacent areas, and (2) species similar to adjacent areas but
    exhibiting more vigorous or robust growth forms. Riparian areas are
    usually transitional between wetland and upland.' ''
        This proposed national standard would standardize and ensure
    consistency of the geospatial mapping of riparian areas in the United
    States where evaporation exceeds precipitation. The U.S. Fish and
    Wildlife Service has adopted this standard, developed with Federal and
    State agency participation, as an Agency

    [[Page 39190]]

    Riparian Standard. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently
    completed testing of this mapping standard to assess its completeness
    and utility by Federal client agencies (sample maps are provided with
    this proposal). Member agencies in the Federal Geographic Data
    Committee's (FGDC) Subcommittee for Wetlands have reviewed the Agency
    Riparian Standard and have agreed to propose it as an FGDC Standard.
        This standards development process under the FGDC would expand the
    review of the Agency standard, make any needed changes identified
    during the process, and propose the riparian mapping standards for
    adoption under the Federal Geographic Data Committee Standards. Once
    adopted, the Riparian Standard would be made available both through the
    Service's and the FGDC websites. Once a riparian standard is adopted,
    the digitized wetland-riparian maps will be made a part of the National
    Spatial Data Infrastructure.
        Justification/Benefits: Riparian areas are among the most important
    vegetative communities for wildlife species. Chaney, et al. (1990)
    observed that greater than 75 percent of terrestrial wildlife species
    in the Great Basin region of eastern Oregon, as well as in southeastern
    Wyoming, are dependent on riparian areas. In Arizona and New Mexico, 80
    percent of all vertebrates use riparian areas for at least half their
    life cycles; more than half of these are totally dependent on riparian
    areas. Similarly, the Arizona Riparian Council found that 60-75 percent
    of Arizona's resident wildlife species depend on riparian areas to
    sustain their populations, yet these areas occupy less than 0.5 percent
    of the state's land area. Aquatic and fish productivity are directly
    related to a properly functioning and healthy riparian habitat
    (Washington Dept. Fish and Wildlife 1995). Mapping of riparian areas is
    an important tool for managing wildlife habitat in the United States.
        The Fish and Wildlife Service, through the National Wetlands
    Inventory, is Congressionally mandated to identify, classify, and
    digitize all wetlands and deepwater habitats in the United States. The
    Service is also authorized to map habitats used by fish and wildlife
    resources under the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956. The Fish and
    Wildlife Service chairs the FGDC Wetlands Subcommittee. As such, the
    Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for coordinating the
    development, use, sharing and dissemination of wetlands data. The Fish
    and Wildlife Service's Agency Wetlands Standards were adopted as FGDC
    Wetlands Standards in December 1996. The Wetlands Standard (Cowardin et
    al. 1979) is the basis for all wetlands maps prepared by the Fish and
    Wildlife Service's National Wetlands Inventory. The National Wetlands
    Inventory has extensive mapping expertise and knowledge involving
    wetland identification and classification, photo interpretation, and
    digital data capabilities. Periodically the Fish and Wildlife Service
    has added upland habitat at the request of funding agencies. Reflecting
    this expertise, the National Wetlands Inventory is asked to provide
    resource mapping guidance, and with increasing frequency, is requested
    to map riparian areas of the western United States. To meet the
    increasing riparian mapping requests, the Fish and Wildlife Service,
    with assistance and review by other Federal and State agencies,
    developed an Agency riparian mapping standard in December 1997 entitled
    ``A System for Mapping Riparian Areas in the Western United States.''
        Riparian mapping standards were necessary to ensure consistency in
    riparian mapping efforts in various regions and for the various Federal
    agencies that were funding these efforts. Riparian standards consistent
    with the FGDC Wetlands Standard were needed for combined wetland-
    riparian mapping. Compatibility with the FGDC Wetlands Standard is also
    very important because the Fish and Wildlife Service has completed
    draft or final wetland maps for over 90 percent of the conterminous
    United States using this standard. Because the Agency Riparian Standard
    was developed using the same hierarchical and cartographic system as
    the FGDC Wetlands Standard, they can be used in concert. The Fish and
    Wildlife Service has begun mapping riparian areas for land management
    agencies using the Agency Riparian Standard in conjunction with wetland
    mapping using the Wetlands Standards. During the three years the
    Service has used Riparian Standards, it has produced 41 wetland-
    riparian maps at the scale of 1:24,000 that are available for review
    and discussion.
        A few riparian mapping projects have been completed by non-Federal
    organizations that did not use the hierarchical Wetland Standard as a
    model. These projects do not complement the Wetlands Standard and
    cannot be used for comparison across projects and for data sharing.
    They are also in variance with the Fish and Wildlife Service's Agency
    Standard. To avoid this incompatibility continuing, it is important to
    develop and adopt a Federal standard that can be reviewed, commented
    on, and adopted by outside organizations on a voluntary basis to assure
    uniformity of data development. Riparian data developed using FGDC
    Standards can be added to the National Spatial Data Infrastructure.
    Riparian data developed using other standards would not be added to the
    wetlands layer of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure and not
    available to agencies that need to use the data. Having an FGDC
    Riparian Standard would remove this impediment to data sharing. It is
    also expected this riparian mapping standard will foster new and
    enhanced coordination among Federal and States agencies, standardize
    data, and advance data sharing.
        Potential Participants: Because of its legislative mandates and
    authorities, the Fish and Wildlife Service will lead this effort to
    develop an FGDC Riparian Standard through its Chair of the Wetland
    Subcommittee of the FGDC. Every Federal agency with interest in
    wetlands and riparian mapping is represented on this Subcommittee. The
    Wetlands Subcommittee agencies involved with the development of the
    Riparian Standard as an FGDC Standard will be:

    Principal Agencies for Standards Development Group

    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, DOI (Chair)
    U.S. Bureau of Land Management, DOI
    National Park Service, DOI
    U.S. Forest Service, USDA
    Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
    National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA
    U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
    U.S. Geological Survey

    Other Reviewing Agencies in the Wetlands Subcommittee

    Bureau of Reclamation, DOI
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    Department of Energy
    Biological Resources Division, USGS
    Office of Surface Mining, DOI
    Department of the Interior
    National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
    U.S. Marine Corp
    U.S. Navy
    National Air and Space Administration
    Tennessee Valley Authority
    U.S. Air Force
    Department of Housing and Urban Development

        There was wide participation in the development of the Fish and
    Wildlife Service's Agency Riparian Standard. The principal authors of
    the Riparian Standard are David Dall, Chuck Elliott, and Dennis Peters;
    NWI Regional Wetland Coordinators in the Western

    [[Page 39191]]

    United States. Several early drafts were reviewed by National Wetlands
    Inventory staff of all the Fish and Wildlife Service's 7 Regions.
    Subsequent review was provided by Field Offices of the Division of
    Ecological Services and Refuges. Valuable review and criticism of the
    draft was provided by the following outside agencies and organizations
    as the draft approached the final version: Arizona Game and Fish
    Department, California Department of Fish and Game, Iowa Department of
    Natural Resources, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Louisiana
    Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Nebraska Game and Parks
    Commission, Nevada Division of Wildlife, Texas Parks and Wildlife
    Department, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Wyoming Game and Fish
    Department, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau of Land
    Management, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Environmental Protection
    Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. National Park Service, U.S.
    Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Office of Surface Mining,
    University of Montana (School of Forest Resources), Wyoming Natural
    Diversity Database, and Donn Kesselheim.
        The Fish and Wildlife Service's Agency Riparian Standard has been
    available and distributed in printed format for three years. It has
    also been available on the Internet at the National Wetlands Inventory
    website at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://wetlands.fws.gov for three years. In Step 8,
    Coordinate Public Review, in order to ensure a systematic review of the
    draft FGDC standards and the resultant maps, we envision one or more
    regional meetings, in the area of applicability. States, conservation
    groups, academia, and industry would be invited. Suggestions for
    modifications would be reviewed by the Standards Development Group and
    recommendations made to the Wetlands Subcommittee as a whole. The
    Subcommittee would be the approving body for the draft standard and for
    subsequent changes that are identified after implementation.
        The draft standard will include maintenance and update procedures.
    The Subcommittee will use a consensual method of decision making for
    all changes suggested. Consensus is defined in Circular A-119 as
    general agreement, but not necessarily unanimity, and includes a
    process for attempting to resolve objections by interested parties, as
    long as all comments have been fairly considered, each objector is
    advised of the disposition of his or her objection(s) and the reasons
    why, and the consensus body members are given an opportunity to change
    their votes after reviewing the comments. Riparian mapping is a dynamic
    enterprise; changes and refinement are expected throughout the life of
    the Standard.
        Related Standards: The proposed FGDC Riparian Standard was
    developed in the hierarchical framework of the existing FGDC Wetlands
    Standard (Cowardin et al.), using standard wetland mapping conventions.
    The developers of the proposed Riparian Standard are experts in wetland
    mapping using the FGDC Wetlands Standard. The proposed standard is
    fully integrated with and does not overlap with the FGDC Wetlands
    Standard and has been used to produce a few composite wetland-riparian
    maps. Once a standard is in place, the data generated using that
    standard will be added to the National Spatial Data Infrastructure and
    will be available over the Internet.
        A Vegetation Classification Standard was recently adopted by the
    FGDC. That standard was established to ``enable Federal agencies to
    collect vegetation information in a standard format and apply a
    standard classification system to vegetation in reports and on maps.
    This uniform National Vegetation Classification Standard (NVCS) should
    complement regional or local classifications that are designed to meet
    more specific objectives.'' Although the FGDC vegetation standard
    contains associations of vegetative communities that would fit the
    riparian definition, in reality, those communities can be both riparian
    and upland. This makes them incompatible with the need by land managing
    agencies to map riparian areas.
        There are no other Federal riparian mapping standards available nor
    are there any similar Federal riparian mapping standards being
    developed. There are neither any ``voluntary consensus standards,'' nor
    any ``non-consensus standards,'' ``Industry standards,'' ``Company
    standards,'' nor ``de facto standards,'' to adopt for mapping riparian
    areas as defined in OMB Revised Circular No. A-119, dated February 10,
    1998. If available, they would be used even though A-119 does not apply
    to this action because the proposed riparian standards are not for
    procurement or regulatory activities.
        The Fish and Wildlife Service's Agency Riparian Standard was
    developed by Federal employees, does not contain any proprietary
    information, is not copyrighted, and has no licensing limitations.
        The proposed FGDC Riparian Standards stands independent of any
    specific technology application. It does not limit any appropriate
    vendor from access.
        Resources Required: FGDC Wetland Subcommittee members will provide
    the resources to prepare the working draft. Funding may be sought from
    the FGDC for travel by participants from States and other concerned
    organizations for the one or more regional meetings being considered.
        Target Authorization Body: The FGDC Steering Committee is the
    target authorization body for this standard.

    Karen C. Siderelis,
    Geographic Information Officer.
    [FR Doc. 01-18749 Filed 7-26-01; 8:45 am]
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