Natural Heritage Inventory Portal Reports

 

Explanation of terms found in a detailed element occurrence (EO) report from the NHI Portal.

Common Name

The standard contrived or agreed upon common name used by the Wisconsin NHI program.

Scientific Name

Scientific name used by the Wisconsin NHI program.

Group Name

The taxonomic group of the element, i.e., bird, plant, community, etc.  A "~" next to the group name indicates the element is associated with wetlands or waterbodies.

EO ID

The unique identifier for the specific element occurrence.

EO Type

The type of element occurrence — either aquatic, terrestrial, wetland or habitat.

State Status

Protection category designated by the Wisconsin DNR, indicating the element's legal protection or recognized rarity in the state.

• NA = Not Applicable (this is assigned to all natural community records in the database)
• END = Endangered (legally protected)
• THR = Threatened (legally protected)
• SC = Special Concern — those species about which some problem of abundance or distribution is suspected but not yet proved. The main purpose of this category is to focus attention on certain species before they become threatened or endangered. The DNR and federal regulations regarding Special Concern species range from full protection to no protection. The current categories and their respective levels of protection are as follows:
  • SC/P = fully protected (e.g., NR 10.02, Wis. Adm. Code, Protected Wild Animals)
  • SC/N = no laws regulating use, possession or harvesting
  • SC/H = take regulated by the establishment of open-closed seasons
  • SC/FL = federally protected as endangered or threatened, but not so designated by Wisconsin DNR
  • SC/M = fully protected by federal and state laws under the Migratory Bird Act

Federal Status

Federal protection status designated by the Office of Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, indicating the biological status of a species or habitat in the United States.

• HPR = High Potential Range
• HPZ = High Potential Zone
• LE = Listed Endangered
• LT = Listed Threatened
• LE-LT = Listed Endangered in parts of its range, Threatened in other parts
• PE = Proposed Endangered
• NEP = Non-essential Experimental Population(s) in part of its range
• LT, PD = Listed Threatened, Proposed for Delisting
• CH = Critical Habitat
• SOC = Species of Concern

State Rank

Element state rank — the relative imperilment, or conservation status, of plants, animals and ecological communities (elements) in Wisconsin.

• S1 = Critically imperiled in Wisconsin due to extreme rarity, a very restricted range, very few populations or occurrences, very steep declines, severe threats or other factors.
• S2 = Imperiled in Wisconsin due to a restricted range, few populations or occurrences, steep declines, severe threats or other factors.
• S3 = Vulnerable in Wisconsin due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats or other factors.
• S4 = Apparently secure in Wisconsin due to an extensive range and/or many populations or occurrences, but with possible cause for some concern as a result of local recent declines, threats or other factors.
• S5 = Secure in Wisconsin due to a very extensive range and abundant populations or occurrences with little to no concern from declines or threats.
• S#S# = A range rank (S2S3, S1S3) used to indicate a range of uncertainty regarding the status of an element in Wisconsin.
• SNA = A state rank is not applicable because the element is not a suitable target for conservation activities, typically because it is non-native, accidental, irregular, a long-distance migrant/transitory, or its presence in Wisconsin is unconfirmed.
• SNR = Not ranked because the conservation status has not yet been assessed.
• SU = Unrankable due to lack of information or to substantially conflicting information about status or trends.
• SH = Known from only historical records. The element may no longer be present in Wisconsin, but there is not enough evidence to state this with certainty. The SH rank is used when an element's presence has not been documented in decades despite some searching and there is evidence of significant habitat loss or degradation; or when an element has been searched for unsuccessfully, but not thoroughly enough to presume it is no longer present in Wisconsin.
• SX = Presumed to be extirpated from Wisconsin. Not located despite intensive searches of historical sites and other appropriate habitats, and virtually no likelihood that it will be rediscovered.

State ranking of long-distance migrant animals: Ranking long-distance aerial migrant animals presents special problems relating to the fact that their non-breeding status (rank) may be quite different from their breeding status, if any, in Wisconsin. In other words, the conservation needs of these taxa may vary between seasons. In order to present a less ambiguous picture of a migrant's status, it is necessary to specify whether the rank refers to the breeding (B) or non-breeding (N) status of the taxon in question. (e.g. S2B,S5N).

Global Rank

Element global rank — the relative imperilment, or conservation status, of plants, animals and ecological communities (elements) at a global level.

• G1 = Critically imperiled. At very high risk of extinction or elimination due to a very restricted range, very few populations or occurrences, very steep declines, very severe threats or other factors.
• G2 = Imperiled. At high risk of extinction or elimination due to a restricted range, few populations or occurrences, steep declines, severe threats or other factors.
• G3 = Vulnerable. At moderate risk of extinction or elimination due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats or other factors.
• G4 = Apparently secure. At the fairly low risk of extinction or elimination due to an extensive range and/or many populations or occurrences, but with the possible cause for some concern as a result of local recent declines, threats or other factors.
• G5 = Secure. At very low risk of extinction or elimination due to a very extensive range, abundant populations or occurrences, and little to no concern from declines or threats.
• G#G# = A numeric range rank (G2G3, G1G3) is used to indicate uncertainty about the exact status of an element.
• GNR = Global status has not yet been assessed.
• GU = Unrankable due to lack of information or substantially conflicting information about an element's status or trends.
• GH = Possibly extinct/eliminated. Known from only historical occurrences but still with some hope of rediscovery. Examples include (1) the element has not been documented in approximately 20-40 years despite some searching and/or evidence of significant habitat or degradation; and (2) the element has been searched for unsuccessfully, but not thoroughly enough to presume that it is extinct or eliminated throughout its range.
• GX = Presumed Extinct/Eliminated. Species — Not located despite intensive searches and virtually no likelihood of rediscovery.  Communities — Eliminated throughout its range due to loss of key dominant and characteristic taxa and/or elimination of the sites and ecological processes on which the community type depends.

Species with a questionable taxonomic assignment are given a "Q" after the global rank.

Subspecies and varieties are given sub-ranks composed of the letter "T" plus a number or letter. The definition of the second character of the sub-rank parallels that of the full global rank. Examples: A rare subspecies of a rare species is ranked G1T1; a rare subspecies of a common species is ranked G5T1.

ASNRI

Areas of Special Natural Resource Interest, which include State Natural Areas, trout streams, outstanding or exceptional resource waters, wild rice waters, waters in areas identified in a special area management plan (SAMP) or special wetland inventory study (SWIS), waters in ecologically significant coastal wetlands along Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, and federal or state waters designated as Wild or Scenic Rivers are defined as Areas of Special Natural Resource Interest.

• Y = Element is considered to be an ASNRI element
• N = Element is not considered to be an ASNRI element

EO Rank

A succinct assessment of estimated viability or probability of persistence (based on condition, size and landscape context) of an element occurrence. In other words, EO rank provides an assessment of the likelihood that if current conditions prevail, an occurrence will persist at the specific site for a defined period of time, typically 20-30 years.

• A = Excellent estimated viability
• A? = Possibly excellent estimated viability
• AB = Excellent or good estimated viability
• AC = Excellent, good or fair estimated viability
• B = Good estimated viability
• B? = Possibly good estimated viability
• BC = Good or fair estimated viability
• BD = Good, fair or poor estimated viability
• C = Fair estimated viability
• C? = Possibly fair estimated viability
• CD = Fair or poor estimated viability
• D = Poor estimated viability
• D? = Possibly poor estimated viability
• E = Verified extant (viability not assessed)
• F = Failed to find
• H = Historical
• H? = Possibly historical
• X = Extirpated
• X? = Possibly extirpated
• U = Unrankable
• NR = Not ranked

Prec (mapping precision)

Precision to which the element occurrence was mapped.

• S = Second — mapped to the second or a ~200-foot radius
• F = Forty — mapped to a quarter-quarter-section, 40-acre area or 0.125-mile radius
• Q = Quarter — mapped to a quarter-section, 160-acre area or 0.25-mile radius
• M = Minute — mapped to the minute or 1- to 1.5-mile radius
• G = General — mapped to a general area or 5-mile radius
• NM = Not Mapped — Used for communities for which boundaries have not been mapped, shapes are based on TRS

Last Obs

The date of the last confirmed observation of the element at this site (not necessarily the date the site was last visited).

Survey Site

Commonly accepted name for the site or waterbody of the occurrence; note that there may be aliases. The NHI database is a compilation of data from many sources. Thus, this field may be incomplete or inconsistent.

EO Data

Biological information relating to the element occurrence (e.g., population size, community features, age distribution, etc.).

General Description

Brief description of the area in which the element occurrence is found.

Waterbodies

The waterbodies that the EO intersects.