The Sensitive Areas Foragers and Grazers dataset shows areas within Maryland's Coastal Bays that are significant for aquatic Forager and Grazer populations. The areas less than 3 feet deep are important to Foragers and Grazers. This dataset shows cumulative seasonal use. It does not break out the seasonality of use of certain areas of the Bays by aquatic Foragers and Grazers.

The Sensitive Shorebird Areas dataset was developed to show all locations in the Maryland Coastal Bays that are sensitive for shorebirds. The dataset is an subset of the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) dataset. The polygons that were extracted from the NWI dataset were of the NWI_TYPE = E1UB4L and E2FLN. These wetland types represent specific types of subtidal and intertidal mud flats that are desireable to shorebirds. The polygons were further divided into four size classes each containing the same number of polygons. Larger areas were given a higher ranking than smaller areas.

The Sensitive Shorebird Areas dataset was developed to show all locations in the Maryland Coastal Bays that are sensitive for shorebirds. The dataset is an subset of the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) dataset. The polygons that were extracted from the NWI dataset were of the NWI_TYPE = E1UB4L and E2FLN. These wetland types represent specific types of subtidal and intertidal mud flats that are desireable to shorebirds. The polygons were further divided into four size classes each containing the same number of polygons. Larger areas were given a higher ranking than smaller areas.

The Sensitive Areas Scallop dataset shows areas within Maryland's Coastal Bays that are significant for Scalloppopulations. The assumption is that an area's importance to Scallops is related to the density of SAV beds. The data set is based on 1999 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) coverage dataset that was produced at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science from aerial photography flown in 1999. It is a portion of the full SAV dataset that extends back to 1971. Areas with a bed density of 1 and 2 (rank=5) were more important than those areas with a density of 3 (rank = 3).

The Sensitive Areas Scallop dataset shows areas within Maryland's Coastal Bays that are significant for Scalloppopulations. The assumption is that an area's importance to Scallops is related to the density of SAV beds. The data set is based on 1999 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) coverage dataset that was produced at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science from aerial photography flown in 1999. It is a portion of the full SAV dataset that extends back to 1971. Areas with a bed density of 1 and 2 (rank=5) were more important than those areas with a density of 3 (rank = 3).

This dataset maps the significance and sensitivity of foreshore coastal bird breeding habitat in Tasmania, with a focus on coastal areas near marine farming operations. It includes breeding/nesting sites for six species, comprising beach-nesting resident shorebirds (Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis, Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus, Australian Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris and Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus) and two species of small terns (Fairy Tern Sternula nereis and Little Tern Sternula albifrons). The mapped foreshore is divided into different coloured line maps (red, orange and green) that indicate the risk/vulnerability of the bird breeding/nesting habitat to human-related disturbance during their breeding season (nominally 1 September to 31 March). The line maps are intended to be used as a tool to assist managers and stakeholders in the identification of sensitive foreshore bird breeding habitat. The maps are based on surveys undertaken since 1992/93 by BirdLife Tasmania. Further information and guidelines when considering access to foreshore bird breeding areas can be sought from the BirdLife Tasmania metadata record on LISTdata https://www.thelist.tas.gov.au/app/content/data/geo-meta-data-record?detailRecordUID=a31d5f4a-8797-4969-8257-507333b21371 and the Tasmanian Coastal Works Manual https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/Tasmanian_Coastal_Works_Manual.pdf. Other sources of information include the Tasmanian Natural Values Atlas https://www.naturalvaluesatlas.tas.gov.au/ and the Marine Environmental Prioritisation Project layer of the Oil Spill Response Atlas (OSRA).

Maryland, through its Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program, is collecting information on how the public uses the Chesapeake Bay waters and adjacent lands. These baseline data will inform planning efforts being undertaken by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to help inform public access, land acquisition, and future oyster aquaculture planning and decision-making. Collecting data on the variety of ways our Chesapeake waters are used will help us plan for reducing use conflicts in our coastal waters, maximizing efficiency, and enhancing environmental and economic productivity. Chesapeake Bay waters are used in many ways: commercial fishing, aquaculture, transport, habitat for wildlife, and recreation, among others. With new and expanding coastal and marine uses, as well as Maryland’s growing coastal population, the pressure is mounting to ensure that there is space for both traditional and new uses and that conflicts are minimized. Some mapped human use data exist, but Maryland has limited recreational water use data for the Chesapeake waters. Basic data on how we use our coastal waters was collected by inviting residents and experts to share their knowledge about recreational uses at workshops using geographical information systems technology.

Maryland, through its Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program, is collecting information on how the public uses the Chesapeake Bay waters and adjacent lands. These baseline data will inform planning efforts being undertaken by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to help inform public access, land acquisition, and future oyster aquaculture planning and decision-making. Collecting data on the variety of ways our Chesapeake waters are used will help us plan for reducing use conflicts in our coastal waters, maximizing efficiency, and enhancing environmental and economic productivity. Chesapeake Bay waters are used in many ways: commercial fishing, aquaculture, transport, habitat for wildlife, and recreation, among others. With new and expanding coastal and marine uses, as well as Maryland’s growing coastal population, the pressure is mounting to ensure that there is space for both traditional and new uses and that conflicts are minimized. Some mapped human use data exist, but Maryland has limited recreational water use data for the Chesapeake waters. Basic data on how we use our coastal waters was collected by inviting residents and experts to share their knowledge about recreational uses at workshops using geographical information systems technology.

A digital polygon layer showing waterfowl concentration and staging areas along Maryland's tidal Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Maryland, through its Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program, is collecting information on how the public uses the Chesapeake Bay waters and adjacent lands. These baseline data will inform planning efforts being undertaken by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to help inform public access, land acquisition, and future oyster aquaculture planning and decision-making. Collecting data on the variety of ways our Chesapeake waters are used will help us plan for reducing use conflicts in our coastal waters, maximizing efficiency, and enhancing environmental and economic productivity. Chesapeake Bay waters are used in many ways: commercial fishing, aquaculture, transport, habitat for wildlife, and recreation, among others. With new and expanding coastal and marine uses, as well as Maryland’s growing coastal population, the pressure is mounting to ensure that there is space for both traditional and new uses and that conflicts are minimized. Some mapped human use data exist, but Maryland has limited recreational water use data for the Chesapeake waters. Basic data on how we use our coastal waters was collected by inviting residents and experts to share their knowledge about recreational uses at workshops using geographical information systems technology.