The MassDEP Wetlands dataset comprises two ArcGIS geodatabase feature classes:The WETLANDSDEP_POLY layer contains polygon features delineating mapped wetland resource areas and attribute codes indicating wetland type.The WETLANDSDEP_ARC layer was generated from the polygon features and contains arc attribute coding based on the adjacent polygons as well as arcs defined as hydrologic connections.Together these statewide layers enhance and replace the original MassDEP wetlands layers, formerly known as DEP Wetlands (1:12,000). It should be noted that these layers provide a medium-scale representation of the wetland areas of the state and are for planning purposes only. Wetlands boundary determination for other purposes, such as the Wetlands Protection Act MA Act M.G.L. c. 131 or local bylaws must use the relevant procedures and criteria.The original MassDEP wetlands mapping project was based on the photo-interpretation of 1:12,000, stereo color-infrared (CIR) photography, captured between 1990 and 2000, and included field verification by the MassDEP Wetlands Conservancy Program (WCP). In 2007 the MassDEP WCP began a statewide effort to assess and where necessary update the original wetlands data. The MassDEP WCP used ESRI ArcGIS Desktop software, assisted by the PurVIEW Stereo Viewing extension, to evaluate and update the original wetlands features based on photo-interpretation of 0.5m, (1:5,000) digital stereo CIR imagery statewide, captured in April 2005. No field verification was conducted on this updated 2005 wetlands data.The 2005 WETLANDSDEP_POLY layer includes polygon features that distinguish it from its predecessor by overall changes in size and shape. In addition, new polygons have been created and original ones deleted. Many of the polygons, however, remain the same as in the original layer. All changes have been made according to the techniques described below. For the purpose of cartographic continuity, a small number of coastal polygons outside the state boundary where added based on data provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).The 2005 WETLANDSDEP_ARC layer was generated to support map display and was designed to cartographically enhance the rendering of wetland features on a base map. Arc features in this layer were generated from the wetland polygons and coding (ARC_CODE) was assigned based on the adjacent polygon types. Hydrologic connection features (ARC_CODE = 7) were then added. Where delineated, these arc features indicate an observed hydrologic connection to or between wetland polygons. Although efforts were made to be comprehensive and thorough in mapping hydrologic connections, due to the limitations of aerial photo-interpretation some areas may have been missed.The types of updates made to the original wetland features include alteration, movement/realignment and reclassification. In some cases original wetland areas have been deleted and new areas have been added. Updates to original wetland features resulted from the following factors: changes in the natural environment due to human activity or natural causes; advances in the field of remote sensing, allowing for more refined mapping.Edit changes to the original wetland data include:Addition of new wetland and hydrologic connection featuresAppending (expansion or realignment) of existing (original) wetland and hydrologic connection featuresReclassification of wetlands features, due to change in wetlands environment from the original classificationMovement (or shifting) of original wetland features to better match the source imageryDeletion of original wetland or hydrologic connection features due to changes in wetlands environment or inconsistency with mapping criteria.Please note that although efforts were made to be comprehensive and thorough in the evaluation and mapping of statewide wetland resources some areas of the state may have been missed. Many of the wetland and hydrologic connection features remain the same as in the original data. The polygon attribute SOURCE_SCALE may be used to identify areas that have been altered from the original wetlands. The SOURCE_SCALE code 5000 indicates an updated wetland area. The SOURCE_SCALE code 12000 indicates an unaltered, original wetland polygon.

December 2017

Massachusetts water features, including lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and wetlands. From USGS hydrography. For full metadata and links to download free data please visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-massdep-hydrography-125000.

MassDEP wetlands (published 2017) based on year 2005 Color Infrared Photos (1:5,000) and year 1993 CIR photos (1:12,000). The former have not been field verified.

These data are for planning purposes only.Per the MassGIS website:"The wetlands boundaries shown on this map have been determined by photographic interpretation. They do not represent, and should not be used as, wetlands delineations under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (M.G.L. c. 131 §40) and its regulations. Wetlands boundary determination for other purposes, such as the Wetlands Protection Act MA Act M.G.L. c. 131 or local bylaws must use the relevant procedures and criteria."The attribute table contains a simplified wetland code adapted from 1:25,000 hydrography and a detailed (28 category) wetland code based on the Wetland Conservancy Program.See the MassGIS website for full metadata details.

This U.S. Geological Survey data release contains coastal wetland synthesis products for Massachusetts. Metrics for resiliency, including unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, and tidal range are calculated for smaller units delineated from a digital elevation model, providing the spatial variability of physical factors that influence wetland health. The U.S. Geological Survey has been expanding national assessment of coastal change hazards and forecast products to coastal wetlands with the intent of providing federal, state, and local managers with tools to estimate the vulnerability and ecosystem service potential of these wetlands. For this purpose, the response and resilience of coastal wetlands to physical factors need to be assessed in terms of the ensuing change to their vulnerability and ecosystem services.These USGS datasets are mirrored from the published coastal wetlands datasets on USGS ScienceBase. To download data and metadata: Ackerman, K.V., Defne, Z., and Ganju, N.K., 2021, Geospatial characterization of salt marshes for Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P97E086F.

Bitly Link for this page: https://bit.ly/mvcfloodcompareAll datasets presented here are compiled by organizations other than the Martha's Vineyard Commission (MVC). The MVC has simply pulled these datasets into one map viewer for ease of direct visual comparison. The MVC encourages the viewer of this map to do their due diligence and research to understand the wide array of methodologies used to model flood inundation and sea level rise.The 3 Flood Inundation datasets presented are: FEMA (100 year or 1% annual probability flood zone) as per Effective Year 2016 data release.Mass Coast - Coastal Flood Risk Model (presented as flood probability for 3 future time horizons)Storm Tide Pathways - Flood Inundation Extents based on Total Water Level (in feet) relative to MLLW. There's a separate data layer for each inundation plane in half foot increments from 2.5ft MLLW to 19.5ft MLLW.SLOSH - Hurricane Inundation - Worst Case ScenarioVarious Links to learn more about these datasets:FEMA 2016 Data for Dukes CountyCoastal Zone Management Viewer: Mass Coast - Coastal Flood Risk Model Mass Coast 2030 Flood RiskMass Coast 2050 Flood RiskMass Coast 2070 Flood RiskMass Coast FAQStorm Tide Pathways App and Storm Tide Pathways InfoSLOSH - produced by NOAA & NWS v3 June 2022 (high tide scenario)The legend for the Mass Coast (MC-FRM) data shows the:The Probabilities 0.1% (in coral color) to 100% (in dark blue) is the Probability of Inundation - which is the chance of becoming flooded at some point each year.Coast Flood Exceedance Probabilities shown in the legend display the modeled outputs ranging from 0.1% (0.001, otherwise known as the 1,000-year storm) to 100% (1.0), which corresponds to the one-year storm. -- The 100% probability level generally corresponds to the annual high water value (NOT the average high tide).

Other data on this map include Salt Marshes, Wetlands MassDEP, Wetland Migration SLAMM Model (year 2070 with high sea level rise), Parcel Lines, and Building Roofprints.

The Wetland and Wetland Change Areas Map displays MassDEP photo-interpretted wetlands, areas of detected wetland change, Notice of Intent locations and Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program (NHESP) certified vernal pools. Additional layers include assessors parcels, elevation contours, NHESP estimated habitat of rare wildlife, and FEMA flood zones.A Notice of Intent is a written notice filed by any person intending to remove, fill, dredge or alter an Area Subject to Protection under the Wetlands Protection Act (M.G.L. c. 131, § 40).Wetlands and areas of wetland change represented on this map have been determined primarily through photo-interpretation. They do not represent, and should not be used as, wetlands delineation under the Wetlands Protection Act (M.G.L. c. 131, § 40) and the implementing regulations (310 CMR 10.00 et seq.).The operational layers and orthophoto imagery shown on this map are provided by the Massachusetts Office of Geographic Information (MassGIS) Geospatial Web Services. The operational layers are scale sensitive and will only draw when the map is zoomed in to an appropriate scale. Base map imagery will display at all scales.

This web map provides an overview of groundwater protection areas. These areas may have development restraints. One should contact the Town's Conservation Commission &/or Board of Health for further guidance.This compilation of data consists of data served out by MassGIS (parcels, wellhead protection zones, & wetlands) and data uploaded by the Martha's Vineyard Commission (watershed boundaries and interior town line).While property owner info is provided, contact the town's Assessor for the most current info.Per MassGIS regarding the 2005 Wetlands Data:"The 2005 MassDEP Wetlands layers provide a medium-scale representation of the wetland areas of the state and are for planning purposes only. The wetlands boundaries shown on this map have been determined by photographic interpretation. They do not represent, and should not be used as, wetlands delineations under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (M.G.L. c. 131 §40) and its regulations. Wetlands boundary determination for other purposes, such as the Wetlands Protection Act MA Act M.G.L. c. 131 or local bylaws must use the relevant procedures and criteria."

This data set represents the extent, approximate location and type of wetlands and deepwater habitats in Massachusetts. These data delineate the areal extent of wetlands and surface waters as defined by Cowardin et al. (1979).The National Wetlands Inventory - Version 2, Surface Waters and Wetlands Inventory was derived by retaining the wetland and deepwater polygons that compose the NWI digital wetlands spatial data layer and reintroducing any linear wetland or surface water features that were orphaned from the original NWI hard copy maps by converting them to narrow polygonal features. Additionally, the data are supplemented with hydrography data, buffered to become polygonal features, as a secondary source for any single-line stream features not mapped by the NWI and to complete segmented connections. Wetlands for most projects mapped after 2015 were mapped to include all surface water features and are not derived data. The linear hydrography dataset used to derive Version 2 was the U.S. Geological Survey's National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Specific information on the NHD version used to derive Version 2 and where Version 2 was mapped can be found in the 'comments' field of the Wetlands_Project_Metadata feature class. Certain wetland habitats are excluded from the National mapping program because of the limitations of aerial imagery as the primary data source used to detect wetlands. These habitats include seagrasses or submerged aquatic vegetation that are found in the intertidal and subtidal zones of estuaries and near shore coastal waters. Some deepwater reef communities (coral or tuberficid worm reefs) have also been excluded from the inventory. These habitats, because of their depth, go undetected by aerial imagery. By policy, the Service also excludes certain types of "farmed wetlands" as may be defined by the Food Security Act or that do not coincide with the Cowardin et al. definition. Contact the Service's Regional Wetland Coordinator for additional information on what types of farmed wetlands are included on wetland maps. This dataset should be used in conjunction with the Wetlands_Project_Metadata layer, which contains project specific wetlands mapping procedures and information on dates, scales and emulsion of imagery used to map the wetlands within specific project boundaries.MassGIS downloaded the data from https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Data/State-Downloads.html on November 12, 2020 and projected it to the Mass. State Plane Meters NAD 1983 Mainland coordinate system.

City of Cambridge, MA GIS basemap development project encompasses the land area of City of Cambridge with a 200 foot fringe surrounding the area and Charles River shoreline towards Boston. The basemap data was developed at 1" = 40' mapping scale using digital photogrammetric techniques. Planimetric features; both man-made and natural features like vegetation, rivers have been depicted. These features are important to all GIS/mapping applications and publication. A set of data layers such as Buildings, Roads, Rivers, Utility structures, 1 ft interval contours are developed and represented in the geodatabase. The features are labeled and coded in order to represent specific feature class for thematic representation and topology between the features is maintained for an accurate representation at the 1:40 mapping scale for both publication and analysis. The basemap data has been developed using procedures designed to produce data to the National Standard for Spatial Data Accuracy (NSSDA) and is intended for use at 1" = 40 ' mapping scale. Explore all our data on the Cambridge GIS Data Dictionary.

      Attributes




          Name

            Type Details

            Description


          WTLND_ID
          type: Integerwidth:
            4precision: 10
          Corresponds with 2002
            Wetlands Mapping and Inventory report


          WTSYSTEM
          type: Stringwidth:
            254precision: 0
          Type of wetland system


          WTSUBSYSTE
          type: Stringwidth:
            254precision: 0
          Type of wetland subtype


          WTDESCRIPT
          type: Stringwidth:
            254precision: 0
          Wetland description


          DATASOURCE
          type: Stringwidth:
            254precision: 0
          Source for GIS data


          NAMELOCATI
          type: Stringwidth:
            254precision: 0
          Name or location of wetland



          COMPLANTS1
          type: Stringwidth:
            254precision: 0
          Names of commonly found
            plants in wetland area


          COMPLANTS2
          type: Stringwidth:
            254precision: 0
          Names of commonly found
            plants in wetland area

This EnviroAtlas web service supports research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas). The New Bedford, MA land cover data were generated from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) four band (red, green, blue, and near infrared) aerial photography at 1 m spatial resolution. Imagery was collected in August of 2010. Seven land cover classes were mapped: water, impervious surfaces, soil and barren land, trees and forest, grass and herbaceous non-woody vegetation, woody wetlands and emergent wetlands. An accuracy assessment of 500 completely random and 45 stratified random points yielded an overall fuzzy accuracy of 92.3 percent. The area mapped is defined by the US Census Bureau??s 2010 Urban Statistical Area for New Bedford, MA plus a 1 km buffer. Additional areas where imagery was available but outside the 1 km boundary were also mapped but not included in the accuracy assessment. We expect the accuracy of the areas outside of the 1 km boundary to be consistent with those within. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

This EnviroAtlas dataset describes the percentage of each block group that is classified as impervious, forest, green space, and wetlands. Forest is a combination of trees and forest and woody wetlands. Green space is a combination of trees and forest, grass and herbaceous, agriculture, woody wetlands, and emergent wetlands. Wetlands includes both Woody and Emergent Wetlands. This dataset also includes the area per capita for each block group for impervious, forest, and green space land cover. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

The wetlands data (linear and area features) presented in the map for Dukes County were obtained from MassGIS and published by MassDEP (pub. 2017 - still most current available as of Feb. 2025). See MassGIS website for methodology details. The parcel data are those hosted by MassGIS and have been filtered to only show those parcels within Dukes County.Please refer to the respective websites to understand the level of accuracy and use constraints associated with these datasets.The stream, intermittent stream, and wetland area buffers (100ft and 200ft) were processed by the Martha's Vineyard Commission in Jan. 2025 from the MassDEP wetlands data.This web map was compiled by the Martha's Vineyard Commission for planning purposes only. The parcel data will appear once zoomed-in on the map.

description: James W. Sewall Company used its standard photointerpretation and ortho-mapping workflow and was assisted by NatureServe in crosswalking to NVC vegetation and wetlands mapping on approximately 115,926 acres across New England. Refuges include: Nulhegan NWR (VT), Pondicherry NWR (NH), Eastern Mass NWR (MA), Parker River NWR (MA), Rachel Carson NWR (ME), Sunkhaze Meadows NWR (ME), Moosehorn NWR (ME), Aroostook NWR (ME) and several island refuges in Massachusetts. Aerial photography using color infrared (CIR) film was acquired during the spring and early summer at a scale of 1"=1000' (1:12,000). Sewall's photointerpreter conducted fieldwork in conjunction with NatureServe and FWS staff to identify signature and establish what would be classified. Fieldwork was limited due to budgetary constraints, but all but the island refuges were visited - four by Sewall with NatureServe and/or USFW staff accompanying, and the remainder by NatureServe and USFW staff only, who provided detailed feedback to Sewall in the form of annotated maps and GIS data. For the island refuges, NatureServe and USFW staff provided data and suggested NVC classes. This shapefile contains the interpeted attributes and has been "crosswalked" with NVC codes (up to 3 per polygon).; abstract: James W. Sewall Company used its standard photointerpretation and ortho-mapping workflow and was assisted by NatureServe in crosswalking to NVC vegetation and wetlands mapping on approximately 115,926 acres across New England. Refuges include: Nulhegan NWR (VT), Pondicherry NWR (NH), Eastern Mass NWR (MA), Parker River NWR (MA), Rachel Carson NWR (ME), Sunkhaze Meadows NWR (ME), Moosehorn NWR (ME), Aroostook NWR (ME) and several island refuges in Massachusetts. Aerial photography using color infrared (CIR) film was acquired during the spring and early summer at a scale of 1"=1000' (1:12,000). Sewall's photointerpreter conducted fieldwork in conjunction with NatureServe and FWS staff to identify signature and establish what would be classified. Fieldwork was limited due to budgetary constraints, but all but the island refuges were visited - four by Sewall with NatureServe and/or USFW staff accompanying, and the remainder by NatureServe and USFW staff only, who provided detailed feedback to Sewall in the form of annotated maps and GIS data. For the island refuges, NatureServe and USFW staff provided data and suggested NVC classes. This shapefile contains the interpeted attributes and has been "crosswalked" with NVC codes (up to 3 per polygon).

The attribute codes in the polygon layer describe different types of wetland environments and the arc attributes describe line types based on adjacent polygon types or arcs defined as hydrologic connections.

The wetlands are interpreted from 1:12,000 scale, stereo color-infrared photography (CIR) by staff at UMASS Amherst. The interpretation is field checked by Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Wetlands Conservancy Program (WCP). Completed interpretations are then scanned and converted into rectified polygons and lines using standard photogrametric techniques by a consultant under contract to the WCP. Final quality control is performed by WCP GIS staff. The polygons and arcs are merged into a single layer (in coverage format) and additional attributes are added for the polygon features. The arc features are coded based on the adjacent polygon types, and attributes are added to the annotation subclass wet. An overlay process using the 1:25,000 Hydrography layer codes the PALIS_ID and PWSID attributes.

The coding of the PALIS_ID and PWSID attributes was done using an overlay process and was not subject to the same quality control as the 1:25,000 Hydrography layer. Areas of wetlands in this layer may be shown as open water in the 1:25,000 Hydrography layer and so the coding of the PALIS_ID would not occur. Lines represented in the old 1:5,000 Streams layer are shown in this layer as hydrologic connections. These lines are only defined where they connect the various wetland types. These connections were not delineated within wetland areas, nor does they depict a complete stream network outside of wetland areas.

Because the source scale of the CIR?s is 1:12,000, plotting of open water features at a larger scale when overlaid onto existing 1:5,000 imagery will reveal areas of open water that are not delineated as such. It should be noted that the resulting wetlands shown in this datalayer are for planning purposes only. Wetlands boundary determination for other purposes, such as the Wetlands Protection Act MA Act M.G.L. c. 131 or local by-laws, must use the relevant procedures and criteria.

description: James W. Sewall Company used its standard photointerpretation and ortho-mapping workflow and was assisted by NatureServe in crosswalking to NVC vegetation and wetlands mapping on approximately 115,926 acres across New England. Refuges include: Nulhegan NWR (VT), Pondicherry NWR (NH), Eastern Mass NWR (MA), Parker River NWR (MA), Rachel Carson NWR (ME), Sunkhaze Meadows NWR (ME), Moosehorn NWR (ME), Aroostook NWR (ME) and several island refuges in Massachusetts. Aerial photography using color infrared (CIR) film was acquired during the spring and early summer at a scale of 1"=1000' (1:12,000). Sewall's photointerpreter conducted fieldwork in conjunction with NatureServe and FWS staff to identify signature and establish what would be classified. Fieldwork was limited due to budgetary constraints, but all but the island refuges were visited - four by Sewall with NatureServe and/or USFW staff accompanying, and the remainder by NatureServe and USFW staff only, who provided detailed feedback to Sewall in the form of annotated maps and GIS data. For the island refuges, NatureServe and USFW staff provided data and suggested NVC classes. This shapefile contains the interpeted attributes and has been "crosswalked" with NVC codes (up to 3 per polygon).; abstract: James W. Sewall Company used its standard photointerpretation and ortho-mapping workflow and was assisted by NatureServe in crosswalking to NVC vegetation and wetlands mapping on approximately 115,926 acres across New England. Refuges include: Nulhegan NWR (VT), Pondicherry NWR (NH), Eastern Mass NWR (MA), Parker River NWR (MA), Rachel Carson NWR (ME), Sunkhaze Meadows NWR (ME), Moosehorn NWR (ME), Aroostook NWR (ME) and several island refuges in Massachusetts. Aerial photography using color infrared (CIR) film was acquired during the spring and early summer at a scale of 1"=1000' (1:12,000). Sewall's photointerpreter conducted fieldwork in conjunction with NatureServe and FWS staff to identify signature and establish what would be classified. Fieldwork was limited due to budgetary constraints, but all but the island refuges were visited - four by Sewall with NatureServe and/or USFW staff accompanying, and the remainder by NatureServe and USFW staff only, who provided detailed feedback to Sewall in the form of annotated maps and GIS data. For the island refuges, NatureServe and USFW staff provided data and suggested NVC classes. This shapefile contains the interpeted attributes and has been "crosswalked" with NVC codes (up to 3 per polygon).

Polygon layer of wetlands within Wellesley. Combines Town created wetland layer with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection wetland layer.

Authority: Executive Order No. 149: FEMA and Flood Plain Use. Jurisdiction: Floodplains in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Applicability: Construction by state agencies must avoid floodplains. State-administered grant and loan programs must avoid supporting construction in flood plains, to the extent possible. Regulatory Designates the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR, formerly the Department of Environmental Management) as the state coordinating agency to implement the National Flood Insurance Program. Requires all state agencies, to the extent possible, to avoid construction, provision of loans or grants, conveying, or permitting projects in floodplains. Provides for Massachusetts participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. Review Process: Contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to determine if a proposed project is in a floodplain. Projects proposed in floodplains are reviewed in conjunction with Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (15), Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (17), and Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (22) reviews. Technical assistance is also available from the DCR Flood Hazard Management Program. Forms: No additional forms for floodplain review. Fees No additional fees for floodplain review. Website: FEMA at http://store.msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FemaWelcomeView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1 DCR Flood Hazard Management Program at http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/mitigate/.

This data set contains boundary layers for the Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts.

National Wildlife Refuges are federal lands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The primary source for boundary information is the USFWS Realty program (status maps, legal surveys). A joint effort between the Region 5 (northeast - ME, MA, NH, VT, RI, CT, NY, PA, NJ, MD, VA, WV) GIS Lab and Realty program, has resulted in digital refuge boundaries for all refuges in the northeast at a 1:24,000 scale.

The purpose of this data is to serve as a spatial reference of refuge boundaries for other data layers in GIS and mapping applications. It is specifically not intended to be used as a land survey or representation of land for conveyance or tax purposes. The Realty Survey program in USFWS is developing cadastral information (boundary and acreage data) appropriate for legal purposes. It is expected that data created in this project will be replaced as better survey information is collected.

Status maps were registered to geographic coordinates, boundaries digitized and labeled, then stepped through 3 levels of quality review for spatial and thematic accuracy.

Refuge boundaries define areas that are approved by U.S. Congress for acquisition in the National Wildlife Refuge System, or are currently owned by USFWS. Arcs are coded with an item "boundary" that the type of boundary line and polygons are coded with an item "status" that describes their ownership status.

[Summary provided by U.S. Fish

description: James W. Sewall Company used its standard photointerpretation and ortho-mapping workflow and was assisted by NatureServe in crosswalking to NVC vegetation and wetlands mapping on approximately 115,926 acres across New England. Refuges include: Nulhegan NWR (VT), Pondicherry NWR (NH), Eastern Mass NWR (MA), Parker River NWR (MA), Rachel Carson NWR (ME), Sunkhaze Meadows NWR (ME), Moosehorn NWR (ME), Aroostook NWR (ME) and several island refuges in Massachusetts. Aerial photography using color infrared (CIR) film was acquired during the spring and early summer at a scale of 1"=1000' (1:12,000). Sewall's photointerpreter conducted fieldwork in conjunction with NatureServe and FWS staff to identify signature and establish what would be classified. Fieldwork was limited due to budgetary constraints, but all but the island refuges were visited - four by Sewall with NatureServe and/or USFW staff accompanying, and the remainder by NatureServe and USFW staff only, who provided detailed feedback to Sewall in the form of annotated maps and GIS data. For the island refuges, NatureServe and USFW staff provided data and suggested NVC classes. This shapefile contains the interpeted attributes and has been "crosswalked" with NVC codes (up to 3 per polygon).; abstract: James W. Sewall Company used its standard photointerpretation and ortho-mapping workflow and was assisted by NatureServe in crosswalking to NVC vegetation and wetlands mapping on approximately 115,926 acres across New England. Refuges include: Nulhegan NWR (VT), Pondicherry NWR (NH), Eastern Mass NWR (MA), Parker River NWR (MA), Rachel Carson NWR (ME), Sunkhaze Meadows NWR (ME), Moosehorn NWR (ME), Aroostook NWR (ME) and several island refuges in Massachusetts. Aerial photography using color infrared (CIR) film was acquired during the spring and early summer at a scale of 1"=1000' (1:12,000). Sewall's photointerpreter conducted fieldwork in conjunction with NatureServe and FWS staff to identify signature and establish what would be classified. Fieldwork was limited due to budgetary constraints, but all but the island refuges were visited - four by Sewall with NatureServe and/or USFW staff accompanying, and the remainder by NatureServe and USFW staff only, who provided detailed feedback to Sewall in the form of annotated maps and GIS data. For the island refuges, NatureServe and USFW staff provided data and suggested NVC classes. This shapefile contains the interpeted attributes and has been "crosswalked" with NVC codes (up to 3 per polygon).