These
data were provided by the WWHCWG for use in the Washington Habitat Connectivity
Action Plan. The corridors are made up of modeled normalized least cost
corridors (NLCC) for bighorn sheep (BHS) generated by the Washington Wildlife
Habitat Connectivity Working Group (WWHCWG) Statewide Connectivity Assessment
(WWHCWG 2010). The NLCC from the WWHCWG assessment were all reviewed by
WDFW's species subject matter expert during the Washington Habitat Connectivity Action
Plan review process, who identified which NLCCs are functional and eliminated
NLCCs that they found either not to be functional (e.g., too long a connection
for BHS) or not desirable (e.g., connecting populations with known disease
transmission potential). The final selected corridors only include NLCCs
that WDFW's expert flagged as functional and desirable.
I work in my agency's program that focuses on ecosystem and landscape conservation. My position entails developing science-based publications that help guide land use planning decisions and particularly decisions made by jurisdictions all across Washington State.