Data Management Plan

This dataset depicts the river lengths along which Critical Habitat has been designated (82 FR 39160, August 17, 2017) for the South Atlantic DPS of Atlantic Sturgeon. Critical habitat includes all of the river along the specified segment, from the ordinary high water mark of one riverbank to the ordinary high water mark of the opposing riverbank of the mainstem of the river, to the downstream limit at the bank-to-bank transect of the specified segment. For clarification of the critical habitat definition, please refer to the maps and narrative descriptions in the CFR. It is a product of the NOAA Fisheries Service’s Southeast Regional Office (SERO). This dataset includes boundaries for the following Regulated Areas: Critical Habitat South Atlantic Distinct Population Segment of Atlantic Sturgeon: Edisto River, Combahee River, Salkehatchie River, Savannah River, Ogeechee River, Altamaha River, Satilla River and St. Marys River. Because GIS projection and topology functions can change or generalize coordinates, these GIS files are considered to be approximate representations and are NOT an OFFICIAL record for the exact Area boundaries. For information on the official legal definition refer to the Use Constraints metadata section.

Process Steps:

• 2017-01-02 00:00:00 - [Check Geometry] The ESRI ArcGIS Check Geometry tool was run on the feature class to identify any geometry problems. If problems were encountered, they were reviewed and corrected.
• 2017-01-02 00:00:00 - [Policy Review] The Critical Habitat spatial definition text, shapefile geometry and attribute values were reviewed with policy staff to verify that the feature class accurately depicted and described the intended boundaries.
• 2017-01-02 00:00:00 - [Downstream Limits] Some downstream limits to Critical Habitat are located where river mouths are ambiguous, or where rivers flow into other water bodies not included in the Critical Habitat designation. To clarify the downstream limits of Critical Habitat we delineated bank-to-bank transects at the end of each river length feature, in consultation with NOAA biologists.
• 2017-01-02 00:00:00 - [Extract features] To generate the Critical Habitat river lengths, we extracted relevant river lines segments from the NHDFlowline feature class. Flowlines through relevant major tributaries or bays/estuaries were also included. We merged flowlines into a single feature for each Critical Habitat unit. We used the location of NID dams and Major Highways to clip the features at the appropriate upstream limits. We clipped flowline features at their downstream limit based on consultation with NOAA biologists. The lines represent the length of the river along which bank-to-bank Critical Habitat was designated.
• 2017-01-02 00:00:00 - [Metadata] SERO utilized a GARFO Regulated Area shapefile metadata template was developed using the EPA Metadata Editor v3.2. This template was applied and customized to reflect the specific characteristics of the given shapefile. The metadata was validated for FGDC CSDGM compliance.
• 2017-01-02 00:00:00 - [Get Definition Text] The spatial definition (text and map) for Critical Habitat was copied from the Federal Register.
• 2017-01-02 00:00:00 - [Final Review] The shapefile was reviewed by members of the GARFO and SERO GIS Committee, policy experts from the GARFO and SERO Division responsible for the Regulated Area, and General Counsel, according to the GARFO and SERO GIS Data Distribution Policy.
• 2017-09-28 00:00:00 - [Publication] The shapefile, with accompanying metadata, was uploaded for public download on the NOAA NMFS GARFO and SERO GIS website.