Description:The Western Governor’s Association Wildlife Council defined “crucial habitat” as places containing the resources (including food, water, cover, shelter and important wildlife corridors) that are necessary for the survival and reproduction of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and to prevent unacceptable declines, or facilitate future recovery of, wildlife populations; or are important ecological systems with high biological diversity value. Now managed by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agenies, the westwide Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool (CHAT) continues to highlight locations of high priority natural resources for fish and wildlife species and habitats (http://wafwachat.org). These layers represent the Oregon component to the CHAT, and can be used to provide an initial overview of whether an area contains crucial habitat and/or important natural resources for fish and wildlife. See http://www.dfw.state.or.us/maps/compass/md_crucial_habitat.asp for additional documentation on this layer, or http://wafwachat.org for additional information on the westwide CHAT project.
Copyright:regon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Conseration Strategy