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Data are compiled by NHESP. The Martha's Vineyard Commission did 'intersect' these data with the 3-mile limit of the town boundaries so one can identify the amount of Estimated Habitat that is within a particular Dukes County town.
Estimated Habitats are for use with the Wetlands Protection Act regulations (310 CMR 10.00). The Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife datalayer contains polygons that are a subset of the Priority Habitats of Rare Species. They are based on occurrences of rare wetland wildlife observed within the last 25 years and documented in the NHESP database. They do not include those areas delineated as Priority Habitat for rare plants or for rare wildlife with strictly upland habitat requirements. The Estimated Habitats presented here are part of the 15th Edition of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Atlas, and are effective beginning August 1, 2021.
For projects or activities that fall within Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife and that require a Notice of Intent (NOI) to be filed under the Wetlands Protection Act, proponents are required to send a copy of the NOI to the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP). Please note, the Notice of Intent form allows for a streamlined joint Massachusetts Endangered Species Act/Wetlands Protection Act review, and these filings will be reviewed by the NHESP within 30 days. Applicants choosing not to file jointly will be required by the NHESP to submit a separate MESA filing, which may take up to 90 days to review. For more information, please seewww.mass.gov/dfw/nhesp/regulatory-review.
The Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife layer is stored in ArcSDE as ESTHAB_POLY.
Estimated Habitats were extracted from the Priority Habitats of Rare Species datalayer, which was delineated by NHESP scientists from documented observations of rare species and are based on such factors as species movements and habitat requirements. The polygons were heads-up digitized in ArcGIS 10x and referenced to the MassGIS 2019 Aerial Imagery.
Occurrence records are continually being added, updated, deleted or otherwise modified in the NHESP database. These changes are incorporated into the Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife datalayer every four years.
Questions about the creation of this datalayer and its use should be directed to NHESP at 508-389-6360 or natural.heritage@state.ma.us.