Debbie Johnson, Aerial Information Systems, Inc., General Manager 20170405 vector digital data https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/BIOS https://filelib.wildlife.ca.gov/Public/BDB/GIS/BIOS/Public_Datasets/2600_2699/ds2660.zip Aerial Information Systems, Inc. (AIS) was contracted by the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission (CVCC) through a Local Assistance Grant originating from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to map and describe the essential habitats for bighorn sheep monitoring within the San Jacinto-Santa Rosa Mountains Conservation Area. This effort was completed in support of the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP). The completed vegetation map is consistent with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife classification methodology and mapping standards. The mapping area covers 187,465 acres of existing and potential habitat on the northern slopes of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains ranging from near sea level to over 6000 feet in elevation. The map was prepared over a baseline digital image created in 2014 by the US Department of Agriculture – Farm Service Agency’s National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP). Vegetation units were mapped using the National Vegetation Classification System (NVCS) to the Alliance (and in several incidences to the Association) level (See Appendix A for more detail) as described in the second edition of the Manual of California Vegetation Second Edition (Sawyer et al, 2009). The mapping effort was supported by extensive ground-based field gathering methods using CNPS rapid assessment protocol in the adjacent areas as part of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) to the north and east; and by the 2012 Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan vegetation map in the western portion of Riverside County adjacent to the west. These ground-based data have been classified and described for the abovementioned adjacent regions and resultant keys and descriptions for those efforts have been used in part for this project.For detailed information please refer to the following report: Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. The Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat (PBSH) Vegetation Map will help inform scientists in their effort to study fluctuations in the distribution of Peninsular bighorn sheep due to changes in vegetation due to fire, drought and climate change. Thus, the primary goals and objectives of the vegetation map are to develop a spatial geodatabase of vegetation communities deemed essential for Peninsular bighorn sheep habitat and to provide a baseline to monitor natural communities and landscape-scale vegetation change within their range. Quantification of biotic habitat variables will help assess factors that influence Peninsular bighorn sheep and other species population fluctuations. These data are key to conservation of biological diversity in the Plan area, especially given the impacts of increasing periods of drought and effects of climate change. In addition, the completed map is necessary in order to address changes in vegetation makeup due to increased fire frequency and extent throughout the mapping area. Baseline Imagery for Photo interpretation Since the project commenced approximately 1.5 year after the release of the 2014 NAIP natural color imagery, it was determined to be the most recent reliable image source and would therefore be used as the basis for interpretations. NAIP imagery is widely distributed and provided at no cost to the public. Although photo interpreters had access to higher resolution imagery, it was considered important to reference the data to a source available to all agencies both local and statewide. The 2014 NAIP imagery captures conditions in the mapping area shortly after the onset of the dry season in the month of June. The imagery depicts conditions after four lower than normal rainfall seasons. The imagery is natural color with image resolution (Image Pixel Size) of 1 meter. Although the NAIP 2014 imagery serves as the baseline dataset, other image datasets aided photo interpreters in defining floristic types and delineating vegetation stands. In addition to the NAIP 2014 photo interpreters had access to NAIP 2014 color infrared, NAIP 2012 natural color imagery, and online image sources. Online Imagery In nearly all instances, additional online imagery was needed to help finalize vegetation attribution decisions. On these occasions, online image sets spanning one to as many as five separate years from Google Earth (GE) were used. In addition, the World Imagery layer available through ArcGIS Online was also used where needed. The dates of the online imagery from Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) were May 2010. Polygon delineations could be overlain directly onto the online imagery acquired through Esri. However, GE imagery was used with a follow-along tool and viewed on an adjacent screen. The table below shows all image datasets used in the mapping effort. Those denoted with an asterisk are accessed through on-line technology. Image Name Year Created Resolution Color NAIP 2014 1-meter Natural Color NAIP 2014 1-meter CIR NAIP 2012 1-meter Natural Color *Google Earth 2008 - 2016 3-inch Natural Color *Esri World 2010 1-foot Natural Color Ancillary Data The following is a list of other datasets used by the photo interpreter in the mapping process. Digital Sources Provided by CVAG • Project Study Area -PBS Essential Habitat (shapefile) • Vegetation Maps and Data -CVCC Valley Floor Final Product Veg Map 20140530.gdb -1996 Holland Vegetation Map (shapefile) -Vegetation Assessments – Water Sources BLM-UCR - SRSJMNM Water Study – BLM-UCR_ShpFile (shapefile) -Water Sources – SRSJNM FINAL REPORT-UCR.PDF (Assessing Climate- Related Changes in Water Resources in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, July 2014) -Rapid Assessments from BLM-UCR Water Study.xlsx -2016-02-12_PalmCanyonTamarisk (shapefiles) -TamMapped_UTM_NAD83Copy -Tam_Trtd_Thru_Nov_2015 • Trails -BLM_All_Trails_TMS_102115 (shapefile, kmz file) -Trails Geodatabase and Layer Files • Land Ownership -LandOwner_2015_Jan (shapefile) Other Digital Sources • Anza Borrego State Park Vegetation Map and Data -VegetationSurveys_AnzaBorrego.mdb (downloaded from CDFW website) -ds165.gdb (geodatabase downloaded from https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/vegetation-anza-borrego-desert-state-park-ds165) • Geology -Geology_a_ca.gdb (Geodatabase downloaded from http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/ on 8/8/2014). • NWI Wetlands -CA_wetlands.gdb (Geodatabase downloaded from http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Data/State-Downloads.html on 4/2/2014). • California Fire Perimeters -Fire13_2.gdb (Geodatabase downloaded from http://frap.caf.ca.gov/data/frapgisdata-subset.php on 10/10/2014). • ESRI ArcGIS online -Topo Maps -USA Topography Maps Mapping Classification For this mapping effort no classification analyses were conducted. The PBSH Floristic Classification that was used represents a subset of the DRECP vegetation classification completed in 2015 (VegCAMP, 2013, 2016), which was used to derive the preliminary project vegetation descriptions, keys, and other pertinent information. After the initial field reconnaissance trips with CDFW & CVAG ecologists, the preliminary classification was adjusted to include new types encountered in the field. All added types have been verified and accepted by the CDFW. These new alliances and associations were added based on the Manual of California Vegetation Second Edition (Sawyer, Keeler-Wolf & Evens, 2009), and from the adjacent Western Riverside County (Klein & Evens, 2005) and Anza-Borrego State Park (CDFG, 1998) mapping efforts. Mapped types in the PBSH study were characterized for the most part to the alliance level in the NVCS hierarchy and at times to the finer association level where possible. Photo interpreters assigned vegetation stands to more generalized categories in the classification hierarchy (e.g., group or macrogroup) when they were unable to assign vegetation to a specific alliance due to image resolution (most herbaceous types and some wetland types) or in cases of recently burned areas. The mapping classification was updated throughout the production and final phase of the project, with the final mapping classification (see Appendix A) reflecting the finest level that the photo interpreter can identify and map from existing imagery and ancillary data. Field Reconnaissance Field reconnaissance efforts serve two major functions. First, they enable photo interpreters to relate the vegetation ground conditions at each observation site to the signatures on the aerial imagery. Second, with guidance from ecologists in the field, the photo interpreters become familiar with the flora, vegetation assemblages, and local ecology of the study area. At the same time, ecologists gain an understanding from the photo interpreters’ perspective about assessing vegetation through the framework of map creation. 241 reconnaissance points (both base and distance observations) in seven unique watersheds were taken in January 2016. A second reconnaissance effort was conducted in October 2016 after the initial mapping was completed, and is discussed in more detail in the report. Vegetation Mapping Considerations – Minimum Mapping Unit For vegetation mapping, a minimum polygon size is an important consideration when creating and viewing a vegetation geodatabase. A minimum mapping unit (MMU) is established to ensure the map contains polygons of a workable, meaningful size. The choice of a MMU is influenced by the clarity of the imagery, the detail of the mapping classification, the purpose of the data, and time and budget constraints. The MMU can vary for different categories of features being mapped. The Statewide mapping criteria has established different MMUs depending on the area being mapped (e.g., MMUs in Desert areas are different from those in the Sierra Foothills). For this project, there were several established MMUs: 2 acres for upland types, .5 acre for special & wetland features and 5 acres for cover-class and other attribute changes. Further discussion between photo interpreters and CVAG & CDFW ecologists allowed for a 5-10 acre MMU for desert vegetation between extremely closely related types. This was proposed in order to more closely adhere to the adjacent DRECP 10 acre upland MMU rule. At the request of CVAG ecologists, AIS photo interpreters agreed to map wetlands that were distinct from adjacent vegetation to sizes below the project defined .5 acre MMU. CVAG ecologists also requested AIS to map stands of Washingtonia filifera and Prosopis glandulosa to the finest level possible due to the sensitive nature of palm oases and importance of mesquite as a food source for the Peninsular bighorn sheep. The establishment of an MMU requires the need for guidelines when aggregating vegetation that occurs below that defined MMU. In general, similar life forms are aggregated together: tree-dominated types are aggregated with other tree-dominated types, shrub types with other shrub types, and herbaceous types with other herbaceous vegetation types. However, if possible, wetland vegetation types are not aggregated with upland types, even if they are in the same life form. Another guideline is used when a vegetation unit below MMU is aggregated with the vegetation type that surrounds it. This is known as a mapping or vegetation inclusion. Finally, if a vegetation unit that is below MMU is the same life form as two adjacent larger stands, and the adjacent stand types are very dissimilar in environment, the unit may be aggregated with the more environmentally similar adjacent type. In addition to establishing MMU size, guidelines were established for the minimum width (MW) of a map polygon. The rule of thumb was to make the MW roughly half the width of an MMU square. For the .5 acre MMU, the MW is approximately 70 feet and for the 1-acre MMU, the MW is approximately 135 feet. This guideline did not preclude the creation of polygons where a small section fell below the minimum width, as long as the greater portion of the polygon met the stated criteria. This is most common when a narrow stream or riparian polygon was mapped and below MMU or MW portions were included in order to maintain the continuity of the stream or riparian vegetation. As mentioned above regarding overall MMU, AIS opted to map below these limitations where structural, floristic and or ecological characteristics were significantly different from the adjacent vegetation. Another type of MMU mapping consideration pertains to sparsely vegetated or nonvegetated areas. Polygons assigned to a floristic type in the NVCS often contain small areas of unvegetated surface that are too small to delineate. These small areas are generally not separated out as unique features unless they met the minimum mapping resolution. The most common examples of these features include rock outcroppings in shrub dominated communities and small riverine flats or wash channels in riparian stands of vegetation. Association Level Vegetation Mapping Although mapping to the alliance level of detail is this project’s standard, photo interpreters mapped the following vegetation types to a finer level of the classification known as the floristic association. These associations are more thoroughly described in Appendix D of this report: Within the Washington filifera (California fan palm oasis) Alliance • 14151 Washingtonia filifera – Platanus racemosa / Salix spp. Association • 14152 Washingtonia filifera / spring (Atriplex – Baccharis – Pluchea) Association Within the Parkinsonia florida – Olneya tesota Alliance • 42271 Parkinsonia florida / Hyptis emoryi Association In addition to these three associations, photo interpreters designated in the Notes Field of the database vegetation units that could be potentially mapped to the Pinus monophylla / Cercocarpus ledifolius Association. Accuracy Assessment Due to budgetary constraints, no formal accuracy assessment was performed on the vegetation database. However, given our familiarity with desert and semi-desert vegetation types and our high accuracy assessment scores from the adjacent DRECP area we are confident that the final vegetation data is of good quality and high value. For detailed information please refer to the following report: Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA References Baldwin, B.G., D.H. Goldman, D.J. Keil, R. Patterson, T.J. Rosatti, and D.H. Wilken, editors. 2012. The Jepson Manual Vascular Plants of California, second edition. University of California Press, Berkeley. Barrows, Cameron W., and Robert F. Johnson. 2014. Santa Rosa San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Water Study Points 09152014 Coachella Valley Conservation Commission; Center for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside; U.S. Bureau of Land Management. (SRSJMNM_Water_Study_09152014) Barrows, Cameron W., Kathleen D., and Robert F. Johnson., Michelle Murphy-Mariscal. 2014. Coachella Valley MSHCP Valley Floor Vegetation Map Center for Conservation Biology (CCB), University of California, Riverside. May 2014. (cv_veg_cover_20140530_Final_POLYGONS). California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG), Natural Heritage Division. March 1998. Vegetation Mapping of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, A Report to the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Esri, Digital Globe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community. Maps used as backdrops in this report. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). 2008. National Vegetation Classification Standard, Version 2 FGDC-STD-005-2008 (version 2). Vegetation Subcommittee, Federal Geographic Data Committee, FGDC Secretariat, U.S. Geological Survey. Reston, VA. 55 pp. + Appendices. Klein, Anne, and Julie Evens. 2005. Vegetation Alliances of Western Riverside County, California. Revised May 2006. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA. Menke, J., E. Reyes, A. Glass, D. Johnson, and J. Reyes. 2013. 2013 California Vegetation Map in Support of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. Final Report. Prepared for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Renewable Energy Program and the California Energy Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands CA. Sawyer, J.O., T. Keeler-Wolf, and J. Evens. 2009. A Manual of California Vegetation. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2015. Palm Canyon Tamarisk Management & Removal Map. National Forests of Southern California Weed Management Strategy. Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program (VegCAMP). 2013. 2013 California desert vegetation map and accuracy assessment in support of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. Final Report. Prepared for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Renewable Energy Program and the California Energy Commission. California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA. Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program (VegCAMP). 2016. Addendum to the 2013 California desert vegetation map and accuracy assessment in support of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. Final Report. Prepared for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Renewable Energy Program and the California Energy Commission. California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA. Western Regional Climate Center – Cooperative Climatological Data Summaries. Southern California. Reno, Nevada. http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/Climsmsca.html Complete Unknown -116.780478 -116.107814 33.921273 33.422898 None vegetation, Alliance level, Coachella Valley Conservation Commission, Peninsular Bighorn Sheep ISO 19115 Category biota, environment None Santa Rosa Mountains, San Jacinto Mountains, Coachella Valley, Riverside County, California None License: This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Using the citation standards recommended for BIOS datasets (https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/BIOS/Citing-BIOS) satisfies the attribution requirements of this license.Disclaimer: The State makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or adequacy of these data and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in these data. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to these data.CDFW appreciates learning how our datasets are being used so that we can leverage support for classifying and mapping new areas and let users know of any updates. Please contact VegCAMP Lead by phone at (916) 324-9765. Aerial Information Systems, Inc. Debbie Johnson General Manager California Department of Fish and Wildlife VegCAMP (Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program) Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program Lead mailing and physical

1700 9th Street, 4th Floor

Sacramento CA 95811 (916) 324-9765 VegCAMP@wildlife.ca.gov California Department of Fish and Wildlife VegCAMP (Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program) Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program Lead mailing and physical

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Sacramento CA 95811 (916) 324-9765 VegCAMP@wildlife.ca.gov Aerial Information Systems, Inc. Version 6.2 (Build 9200) ; Esri ArcGIS 10.6.1.9270 Vector GT-polygon composed of chains 4952 NAD 1983 California Teale Albers 34.0 40.5 -120.0 0.0 0.0 -4000000.0 coordinate pair 0.0001 0.0001 meter D North American 1983 GRS 1980 6378137.0 298.257222101 ds2660 OBJECTID Internal feature number. Esri Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated. SHAPE Feature geometry. Esri Coordinates defining the features. NVCSName The standardized name of the vegetation description used in the 2008 National Vegetation Classification System (see http://usnvc.org/). Since the NVCS does not have categories for human land use or otherwise unvegetated land, those descriptions were drawn from the California Wildlife Habitat Relationship. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP/Publications-and-Protocols/Vegetation-Manual NVCSLevel The standardized level of the vegetation description used in the 2008 National Vegetation Classification System (see http://usnvc.org/). https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP/Publications-and-Protocols/Vegetation-Manual MapClass The finest level of vegetation type mapped (alliance, association, group or macrogroup); or land use for polygons that are not natural vegetation, per the mapping classification. Referred to as Map Unit in the mapping report. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. MapClassCode MapClassCode: Code for each vegetation type mapped. MapClassCodes are defined in the MapClass field. Referred to as Map Unit in the mapping report. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 1113 Quercus chrysolepis 1114 Quercus wislizeni 1122 Juniperus californica 1123 Pinus coulteri 1311 Pinus monophylla 1410 Southwestern North American riparian evergreen and deciduous woodland Group 1411 Populus fremontii 1412 Salix laevigata 1414 Platanus racemosa 1415 Washingtonia filifera 1420 Southwestern North American riparian/wash scrub Group 1423 Baccharis sergiloides 1424 Salix exigua 1428 Vitis arizonica - Vitis girdiana 1431 Arundo donax 1432 Tamarix spp. 1511 Alnus rhombifolia 2112 Adenostoma fasciculatum 2120 Californian pre-montane chaparral Group 2121 Arctostaphylos glandulosa 2210 Central and south coastal Californian seral scrub Group 2215 Eriodictyon (crassifolium, trichocalyx) 2221 Eriogonum fasciculatum 2330 Mediterranean California naturalized annual and perennial grassland Group 2334 Pennisetum setaceum 3300 Warm Interior Chaparral Macrogroup 3310 Western Mojave and Western Sonoran Desert borderland chaparral Group 3314 Quercus cornelius-mulleri 3315 Adenostoma sparsifolium 3321 Rhus ovata 3600 Western North America Wet Meadow and Low Shrub Carr Macrogroup 3613 Muhlenbergia rigens 3722 Atriplex lentiformis 4100 Mojavean-Sonoran Desert Scrub Macrogroup 4110 Lower bajada & fan Mojavean-Sonoran desert scrub Group 4111 Ambrosia dumosa 4113 Atriplex polycarpa 4114 Encelia farinosa 4115 Larrea tridentata - Ambrosia dumosa 4118 Larrea tridentata - Encelia farinosa 4119 Larrea tridentata 4151 Viguiera parishii 4153 Prunus fremontii 4210 Mojavean semi-desert wash scrub Group 4211 Ephedra californica 4212 Lepidospartum squamatum 4213 Ericameria paniculata 4214 Prunus fasciculata 4216 Ambrosia salsola 4218 Bebbia juncea 4221 Pluchea sericea 4222 Prosopis glandulosa 4224 Chilopsis linearis 4225 Psorothamnus spinosus 4226 Acacia greggii 4227 Parkinsonia florida - Olneya tesota 4228 Hyptis emoryi 5210 Intermontane seral shrubland Group 5410 Intermontane deep or well-drained soil scrub Group 5421 Coleogyne ramosissima 5424 Yucca schidigera 5441 Cercocarpus ledifolius 6110 North American warm desert bedrock cliff and outcrop Group 6114 Unvegetated wash and river bottom 6115 Massive sparsely vegetated rock outcrop 6121 Dicoria canescens - Abronia villosa 9200 Agriculture 9210 Woody Agriculture (orchards, vineyards) 9300 Built-up & Urban Disturbance 9320 Anthropogenic Areas of Little or No Vegetation 9500 Exotic Trees 9701 Sparsely Vegetated Recent Burn Areas 9800 Water 9805 Water Impoundment Feature 14151 Washingtonia filifera - Platanus racemosa / Salix spp. 14152 Washingtonia filifera / spring 42271 Parkinsonia florida / Hyptis emoryi ConCov Code for the classes of percent bird’s-eye cover of conifers within a vegetation stand. Percent cover, also referred to as “density,” is a quantitative estimate of the aerial extent of the living plants for each vegetation layer within a stand. Cover is the primary metric used to quantify the importance or abundance of a life form and/or species. It is important to note that the photointerpreters could only accurately quantify the vegetation that is visible on the aerial imagery. Therefore, “bird’s eye” total cover was mapped, meaning that the cover of understory layers which were obscured by overstory layers was not included. For this reason, total cover for shrubs and herbaceous plants may be underestimated if their extent was hidden under the crowns of trees and may differ from assessments done on the ground by field crews. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 0 None or Not Observable 1 0-1% 2 1-5% 3 5-15% 4 15-25% 5 25-50% 6 50-75% 7 75-100% 9 Not applicable/Not assigned HdwdCov Code for the classes of percent bird’s-eye cover of hardwoods within a vegetation stand. Percent cover, also referred to as “density,” is a quantitative estimate of the aerial extent of the living plants for each vegetation layer within a stand. Cover is the primary metric used to quantify the importance or abundance of a life form and/or species. It is important to note that the photointerpreters could only accurately quantify the vegetation that is visible on the aerial imagery. Therefore, “bird’s eye” total cover was mapped, meaning that the cover of understory layers which were obscured by overstory layers was not included. For this reason, total cover for shrubs and herbaceous plants may be underestimated if their extent was hidden under the crowns of trees and may differ from assessments done on the ground by field crews. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 0 None or Not Observable 1 0-1% 2 1-5% 3 5-15% 4 15-25% 5 25-50% 6 50-75% 7 75-100% 9 Not applicable/Not assigned TreeCov Code for the classes of percent bird’s-eye cover of trees (including Joshua Trees) within a vegetation stand. Percent cover, also referred to as “density,” is a quantitative estimate of the aerial extent of the living plants for each vegetation layer within a stand. Cover is the primary metric used to quantify the importance or abundance of a life form and/or species. It is important to note that the photointerpreters could only accurately quantify the vegetation that is visible on the aerial imagery. Therefore, “bird’s eye” total cover was mapped, meaning that the cover of understory layers which were obscured by overstory layers was not included. For this reason, total cover for shrubs and herbaceous plants may be underestimated if their extent was hidden under the crowns of trees and may differ from assessments done on the ground by field crews. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 0 None or Not Observable 1 0-1% 2 1-5% 3 5-15% 4 15-25% 5 25-50% 6 50-75% 7 75-100% 9 Not applicable/Not assigned ShrubCov Code for the classes of percent bird’s-eye cover of shrubs within a vegetation stand. Percent cover, also referred to as “density,” is a quantitative estimate of the aerial extent of the living plants for each vegetation layer within a stand. Cover is the primary metric used to quantify the importance or abundance of a life form and/or species. It is important to note that the photointerpreters could only accurately quantify the vegetation that is visible on the aerial imagery. Therefore, “bird’s eye” total cover was mapped, meaning that the cover of understory layers which were obscured by overstory layers was not included. For this reason, total cover for shrubs and herbaceous plants may be underestimated if their extent was hidden under the crowns of trees and may differ from assessments done on the ground by field crews. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 0 None or Not Observable 1 0-1% 2 1-5% 3 5-15% 4 15-25% 5 25-50% 6 50-75% 7 75-100% 9 Not applicable/Not assigned HerbCov Code for the classes of percent bird’s-eye cover of herbaceous plants within a vegetation stand.Percent cover, also referred to as “density,” is a quantitative estimate of the aerial extent of the living plants for each vegetation layer within a stand. Cover is the primary metric used to quantify the importance or abundance of a life form and/or species. It is important to note that the photointerpreters could only accurately quantify the vegetation that is visible on the aerial imagery. Therefore, “bird’s eye” total cover was mapped, meaning that the cover of understory layers which were obscured by overstory layers was not included. For this reason, total cover for shrubs and herbaceous plants may be underestimated if their extent was hidden under the crowns of trees and may differ from assessments done on the ground by field crews. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 1 None or Not Observable, 0-2% 2 2-15% 3 15-40% 4 40-100% 9 Not applicable/Not assigned Notes Text field for additional information. FieldCheck This field identifies all polygons that were flagged for further observation in the field. 0 Polygon not questioned 1 Needs ground verification 2 Field question answered Tamarisk This field identifies all polygons where photo interpreters can detect any amount of Tamarix spp. occurring in the stand. Stands that are assigned to a native wetland type (such as Baccharis sergiloides Alliance) often have Tamarisk present in the shrub layer. These polygons would be denoted with this attribute. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 0 Not present in the polygon 1 Present in the polygon 9 Not applicable FountainGrass This field identifies all polygons where photo interpreters can detect any amount of Pennisetum setaceum occurring in the stand. Note that small amounts of this species is extremely difficult to detect and most likely will not be identified with this attribute. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 0 Not present in the polygon 1 Present in the polygon 9 Not applicable Mesquite This field identifies all polygons where individual mesquite trees can be detected in the stand. Every effort was made to delineate even the smallest patches as per request by CVAG field ecologists; however, individual trees cannot make a “mapped polygon” or vegetation stand. In these situations, the presence of mesquite in the polygon is denoted with this attribute. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 0 Not present in the polygon 1 Present in the polygon 9 Not applicable Palms This field identifies all polygons where individual palm trees (native Washingtonia filifera) can be detected in the stand. If observed, the polygon is denoted with this attribute. Menke, J. and D. Johnson. 2015. Vegetation Mapping – Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Habitat. Final Vegetation Mapping Report. Prepared for the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Aerial Information Systems, Inc., Redlands, CA. 0 Not present in the polygon 1 Present in the polygon 9 Not applicable CalVegName A crosswalk to the CalVeg vegetation system. Note that there may be a one-to-many relationship between CalVeg and NVCS. See http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=stelprdb5347192. CalVegCode A crosswalk to the CalVeg vegetation system. Note that there may be a one-to-many relationship between CalVeg and NVCS. See http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=stelprdb5347192. CWHRType A crosswalk to the California Wildlife Habitat Relationships system. Note that there is usually a one-to-many relationship between CWHR and NVCS. See http://www.dfg.ca.gov/biogeodata/cwhr/. CWHRCode A crosswalk to the California Wildlife Habitat Relationships system. Note that there is usually a one-to-many relationship between CWHR and NVCS. See http://www.dfg.ca.gov/biogeodata/cwhr/. GlobalRank The global rarity rank of the plant community (only for polygons mapped to the alliance level). G1: Fewer than 6 viable occurrences and/or 2000 acres worldwide; G2: 6-20 viable occurrences and/or 2000-10,000 acres worldwide; G3: 21-100 viable occurrences and/or 10,000-50,000 acres worldwide; G4: Greater than 100 viable occurrences and/or greater than 50,000 acres worldwide; G5: Community demonstrably secure due to secure worldwide abundance. See: http://www.natureserve.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/natureserveconservationstatusmethodology_jun12_0.pdf https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP/Natural-Communities StateRank The state rarity rank of the plant community (only for polygons mapped to the alliance level). S1: Fewer than 6 viable occurrences and/or 2000 acres statewide; S2: 6-20 viable occurrences and/or 2000-10,000 acres statewide; S3: 21-100 viable occurrences and/or 10,000-50,000 acres statewide; S4: Greater than 100 viable occurrences and/or greater than 50,000 acres statewide; S5: Community demonstrably secure due to secure statewide abundance. See: http://www.natureserve.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/natureserveconservationstatusmethodology_jun12_0.pdf https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP/Natural-Communities Rare Rarity of the vegetation type. Alliances and associations with state ranks of S1-S3 are considered rare. Y=Rare, N=Not Rare, https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP/Natural-Communities CaCode California Natural Community Codes - unique code assigned to alliances and associations. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP/Natural-Communities UID Unique identifier for each polygon. NVCSAlliance The standardized name for the alliance within the 2008 National Vegetation Classification System. See http://usnvc.org/. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP/Publications-and-Protocols/Vegetation-Manual NVCSGroup The standardized name for the group within the 2008 National Vegetation Classification System. See http://usnvc.org/. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP/Publications-and-Protocols/Vegetation-Manual NVCSMG The standardized name for the macrogroup within the 2008 National Vegetation Classification System. See http://usnvc.org/. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/VegCAMP/Publications-and-Protocols/Vegetation-Manual Acres GIS-calculated area measurements of each mapped polygon. Hectares GIS-calculated area measurements of each mapped polygon. SHAPE_Length Length of feature in internal units. Esri Positive real numbers that are automatically generated. SHAPE_Area Area of feature in internal units squared. Esri Positive real numbers that are automatically generated. Note: certain fields have been added by the Department of Fish and Game's Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program. These include crosswalks to the Wildlife Habitat Relationships and CalVeg classification systems, Global and State Ranks, CaCode and the fields relating the mapping units to the 2008 National Vegetation Classification System as it is described for California in the 2nd edition of the Manual of California Vegetation. 20220324 Aerial Information Systems, Inc. Debbie Johnson General Manager FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata FGDC-STD-001-1998 local time