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Plant Observations comprise a subset of data within the Idaho Natural Heritage Program Species Diversity Database, managed by the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Information System (IFWIS) at Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game. This feature class contains observations NOT compilations in Element Occurrence (EO) format. Additionally, it includes negative data observations. To completely understand plant observations within any given area one must look at three feature classes that include plant observation point, line, and polygon observations as well as the EO polygons (four feature classes total). Plant observation information are assessed for incorporation into the NatureServe methodology EO format on an as funded basis. At this time, not all observations have been assigned to an EO and older (pre 2009) EOs may not have associated observations displayed geospatially. The user can idenfity if an observation is associated within an EO if the EO_ID and EONumber fields are not null. EO_ID is the unique ID that relates to the EO polygon feature class.
These data identify, in general, the areas of Proposed critical habitat for Lepidium papilliferum (Slickspot peppergrass).
These data include documented historic, extirpated, and extant occurrences of special status nonvascular and vascular plants. It is necessary to look at the associated database record for any given occurrence to understand it fully.
WHERE THE DATA COMES FROM. Occurrence records are based on information provided by a variety of individuals, including Idaho Department of Fish and Game staff, federal agency personnel, state agency personnel, academic researchers, and, in a few cases, the general public.
WHAT'S AN OCCURRENCE. An element occurrence is NatureServe's basic unit of record for documenting and delimiting the presence and extent of a species on the landscape. Element occurrences, or “EOs,” are defined as an area of land and/or water where a species is, or was, present, and which has practical conservation value. For plants, an occurrence often corresponds with the local population, but it might also be a portion of a population or an aggregation of populations (i.e., a metapopulation).
The Idaho Fish and Wildlife Information System (IFWIS) dataset is dynamic, meaning that (a) some species (particularly plant species) are dropped each year because as they are found to be common, under no threat, or because they have been misidentified; (b) better and more recent information on existing occurrences results in changes to database records; (c) taxonomy has changed; or (d) taxa are added to the tracking list. Because of the dynamic nature of the data set, each new export completely replaces any previous export in order to ensure that current data are being used for planning purposes.