Habitat Siting Models

Seagrass - Salt Marsh - Anadromous Fish Run

Seagrass Site Selection Tool

This tool is an ArcView 3.x extension that assists restoration planners in identifying and prioritizing eelgrass restoration opportunities based on environmental data (water depth, water temperature, light conditions, and current and historical eelgrass distributions) and socioeconomic (use conflict) information. The tool requires the Spatial Analyst extension to run, however all data needed for calculations are provided with the tool. The tool can also accomodate updated data sets as new spatial information becomes available.

The Seagrass Site Selection Tool builds on the site selection methodology developed for Narragansett Bay by Save The Bay and researchers at the University of Rhode Island and the University of New Hampshire. The tool applies the Narragansett Bay transplant suitability methodology state-wide and incorporates temperature data developed from satellite imagery.

For more details, view the Tool Demo (Slide Show) or read the Technical Overview that describes how the data are analyzed. The suitability results are also available in ArcView shapefile format on this Web site from the Downloadable Data page. Suitability results should be evaluated in the context of local water quality conditions.

To request a copy of the Seagrass Site Selection Tool on CD-ROM, please complete an online request form or contact Megan Higgins at the Coastal Resources Management Council. Please specify "Rhode Island Habitat Restoration Site Selection Tools: Seagrass and Salt Marsh Habitats CD-ROM" in your request.

This site was created through a partnership of the: Coastal Resources Management Council Narragansett Bay Estuary Program Save The Bay®