Proceedings
4th Microcomputer Applications in 
Fish & Wildlife Conference
October 24-27, 1999
Stateline, Nevada

R. Craig Addley* and Thomas B. Hardy, Institute of Natural Systems Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-4110, (435) 797-2920, craig@aaron.cee.usu.edu

Physical habitat in riverine ecosystems provides a template that biological processes are constrained to operate within.  Characterization of the physical template and potential changes to the physical template in both space and time are essential for understanding many biological processes. Unfortunately, physical habitat in riverine systems is both spatially and temporally variable. This makes accurate characterization of the physical habitat difficult.  We show how the existing technologies of acoustic doppler current profiling, GPS, GIS, photogrammetry and computational fluid dynamics can be combined to accurately characterize large river systems in space and time.  We also show how this characterization can be used to assess the bioenergetics, growth, and survival potential of riverine fishes as a function of the flow regime.

Steve Kallin, Windom Wetland Management District, Rt. 1, Box 273A Windom, MN 56101, (507) 831-2220, steve_kallin@mail.fws.gov

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for the management of Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) and perpetual wetland easements totaling approximately 2.5 million acres. These areas are located throughout nine states and managed by thirty-seven Wetland Management Districts (WMDs). The goal of this pilot project is to develop a cost effective, user friendly GIS to assist WMDs in Minnesota with the management of lands and conservation programs.

The Wetland Management District Geographic Information System (WMDGIS) is an extension to ArcView 3.1 GIS software. Black and white digital orthophoto quadrangles (DOQs) produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) serve as the primary base map for "on-screen" digitizing of unit boundaries, habitat types and management accomplishments. Global positioning systems (GPS) are also utilized to locate features not distinguishable on the DOQ image.

WMDGIS has customized dialogs which enable users with limited GIS training to: easily access National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) data layers and DOQs; digitize new or existing habitat maps with detailed attribute information; plan, document, summarize and evaluate management activities; import and export GIS data layers; generate maps and report accomplishments.

Minnesota WMDs are implementing WMDGIS and currently are concentrating on data entry. Field staff with limited GIS experience are successfully using the system to create boundaries and detailed habitat layers. WMDGIS has potential to be a practical and useful decision support tool for the conservation of lands using the ecosystem approach to management.

Matt Freid, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, 45 SE 82^nd Drive, Suite 100, Gladstone, OR 97027-2522, 503-650-5400, matt_freid@psmfc.org

The StreamNet project has developed a regional hydrography dataset covering the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Using a unique streams identifier to build routes and to map aquatic information using event tables, the project has assembled a variety of themes over this large area. Mapping at a nominal 1:100,000 scale, these themes are useful in display and spatial analysis in many applications.

Once the GIS database was created, it has been equally useful as the underlying data structure used to reference the 23,000 + time series trends of fisheries data assembled by the project over the last five years. Using the stream identifier and the measure values derived from the hydrography, tables which allow for geographic queries and spatial relationships in the tabular data have been implemented, and function independently from the GIS.

Although the resolution of GIS layers may not be sufficient for road engineering or site assessment, they have met or exceeded the spatial accuracy of the fisheries data associated with them. In addition, new streams can be easily added and integrated into the dataset as specific data is added which references a previously unmapped stream. There is an consistent flow of information between the tabular database and the GIS, allowing for multiple modes of query, display and analysis. The system is now functional, and has the capacity for addition and expansion, precluding the delay and complications of progressively refining the resolution of the hydrography. The time and expense of wholesale remapping at finer scales is great, and as well as the effort to transfer data to these new systems, often with little increase in value in terms of the accurate representation of the source fisheries data. This project illustrates how hydrography used to reference aquatic information can be created at a scale appropriate to the data, can be expanded and updated as data needs change, and can serve to provide and unified frame of reference for both tabular and spatial data.

Patrick Higgins*, William M. Kier and Dr. Jan Derksen, 791 Eighth Street, Suite N, Arcata, CA 95521, (707) 822-9428, phiggins@humboldt1.com, wkier@hooked.net, derksen@asis.com

The Klamath River, and its largest tributary the Trinity River, have long been famous for their salmon and steelhead runs but in recent decades fish stocks have declined and Congress has authorized restoration programs for each of these basins. The Klamath Resource Information System (KRIS) was built using the Delphi programming tool and serves both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in tracking the success of the Klamath and Trinity Restoration Programs, respectively. The initial phases of KRIS development were funded by the California State Water Resources Control Board which also uses the system to monitor water quality trends. KRIS contains annotated graphs, databases, photos, web pages and bibliographic resources and operates seamlessly with the ArcView map program. Graphs in KRIS focus on fish, flows, aquatic macroinvertebrates, amphibians and various water quality parameters. Photographs are organized into eight picture slide shows that can include restoration sites, monitoring photo-points and current or historical aerial photos. Map layers in KRIS are restricted to those having direct bearing on fisheries and water quality. The KRIS project is distributed free on CD ROM through the USFWS Yreka Office (530) 842-5763.

Todd E. Gosselink*, Timothy R. Van Deelen, and Mark Joselyn, Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL, 61820, (217) 359-6187, gosselin@uiuc.edu

Richard E. Warner, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801

We conducted a habitat use study of sympatric coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in central Illinois, using vehicle-mounted GPS units to digitally map ephemeral agricultural cover types. GPS was used to enhance existing digital base maps and allowed for time-sensitive mapping of various tillage practices and crop types and accurate delineation (< 3 m error) of important micro-habitats. We used radio-telemetry to estimate habitat use and compositional analysis to describe selection at local and landscape scales. Coyotes and foxes had more habitat overlap during summer than during winter at all level of analysis. Differences were due coyote preference for (and fox avoidance of) rural grassland, cornfields, and drainage ditches. Similarly foxes preferred (and coyotes avoided) active farmsteads. During winter, both preferred no-till soybeans and tilled corn, and avoided active farmsteads. Coyotes preferred (and foxes avoided) rural grassland and drainage ditches. An urban subset of our foxes also preferred urban grassland; urban undeveloped, and urban ponds during the summer but avoided these habitats during winter. GPS-assisted mapping proved to be an accurate and useful technique for mapping ephemeral cover types and was instrumental in describing niche separation among sympatric canids in the agricultural habitat of central Illinois.

John J. Christensen, Christensen Designs, 349 Scenic Place, Manteca, CA  95337, Phone/Fax:  (209) 239-5414, cdesigns@softcom.net

The discussion of state-of-the-art video technology and its application in wildlife research includes:

*  Time-lapse videography
*  Digital video-capture and storage
*  Combined color and monochrome (near-infrared) video cameras
*  Triggering and remote sensing
*  Wireless video

The discussion will entail field power systems (including solar) to support research in remote locations.

Robert S. Greenlee, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Suffolk, VA, 23434, 757 255-2299, rgreenlee@dgif.state.va.us

Virginia is attempting to adopt standardized techniques for the collection and analysis of data related to fisheries management. The Impoundments data analysis program was designed to provide a standardized format for fisheries data management on a statewide basis, while allowing for the flexibility in data collection and analysis that district fisheries biologists require. The program was designed to be compatible with the various fish collection techniques employed by agency biologists across the commonwealth, and provide standardized analysis options and outputs. The Impoundments program has three primary functional components: data entry, data verification, and data analysis. It provides several methods of querying collections data based on temporal and geographic parameters, and sampling methodology. Analytical output options include length-weight regressions, relative weight, population indices, catch rates, size class distributions, percent total catch, and percent biomass. The Impoundments program was developed based on input from district biologists, fisheries program managers, and information managers. After information and analysis needs were determined, the program was developed using Microsoft Access and Visual Basic. One year of intensive beta testing by data entry operators and district biologists provided a feedback loop through which updates and modifications were made. This mechanism ensured that the program attained maximum utility and user acceptance.

Nancy A. Brauer, Fish and Wildlife Information Exchange, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 203 W. Roanoke St., Blacksburg, VA 24061-0534, (540) 231-7348, nbrauer@vt.edu

The prototype Wild Animal and Plant Information Infrastructure (WAPITI) will allow Internet users to search the state fish and wildlife databases of MD, PA, VA, and WV at its completion in December 1999. WAPITI will link the states’ data servers, creating a regional online data network. The objective of the project is to provide a system that meets the states’ individual needs while simultaneously serving data to a regional data gateway.

A Jasmine Object Database coordinates the multistate data. Jasmine’s object-oriented design is well suited for the multidimensional relationships of wildlife data. Initially WAPITI will serve taxonomy, distribution, status, and habitat distribution data of vertebrates and select invertebrates. Each species record will contain links to metadata from the state servers so users can make educated decisions about appropriate use of the data. Crosswalks between each state’s nomenclature and WAPITI standards will standardize the data. Jasmine Studio, a component of the object database, is being used to design the WAPITI web interface. Several WebPages have been created to search for species by taxonomic class, select species from the returned list of common names, and view individual species data. Once completed, WAPITI will prove that several state wildlife agencies working together can produce a regional data gateway accessible to federal agencies, scientists, students, and the general public.

Sheryl K. Soborowski, Fish and Wildlife Information Exchange, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 203 W. Roanoke St., Blacksburg, VA 24061-0534, (540) 231-7348, ssoboro@mail.vt.edu

Considering the investment of time and money spent on resource management projects and data collection, the need for efficient storage and retrieval of project data is readily apparent. Reducing the personnel hours spent manipulating data and improving quality of analyses is possible with a well-conceived data management plan.

Examples from two distinct data management projects assist in illustrating the problems, pitfalls and the rewards of undergoing a database upgrade. The first example represents a natural resource management solution employing user-friendly data entry and complex queries for analysis and the second is an inventory control system for hunting/angling license distributions with specific security and reporting requirements. The process of adopting an agency standard database software (Microsoft Access 97 tm), upgrading data residing in legacy formats to the Access 97 standard, integrating the stored data to alleviate cumbersome data entry, creation of queries and reports to facilitate analyses, and production of metadata is shown. This process has increased the value of the data collected, improved the efficiency of analysis, freed personnel to accomplish other tasks or perform more complex analyses, reduced duplication of efforts, and allowed for easy dissemination of information to the public.

The initial investment of time and resources in developing an organized data management plan provides long-term benefits. A systematic data management system provides an organization with the opportunity to protect their intellectual assets while standardizing to make data transferable to other projects and agencies.

Roger L. Parsons, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 30446, Lansing, Michigan 48909, (517) 335-1334, ParsonRL@state.mi.us

Water body surveys, conducted by the Fisheries Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, document the characteristics of our states aquatic resources and provide information on inhabiting biota for effective fisheries management.

Fisheries Division developed a software application to record water body survey data. This multi-user, windows-based application operates in a client-server environment and uses one central relational database. Major features include gear inventory, survey planning, survey details, reports, field notes, and analysis. Other features include effort details, gear, site characteristics, and catch. Scale envelopes, specimen aging, and herps observations are also included.

The Division next looked at ways of providing cost-effective methods for improving data quality and timeliness. Our objective was to move data entry to the point of collection at the time of observation. The solution was a field component that involves hand-held Pentium class computers that accept input primarily via electronic pen and eventually voice. These computers are rugged and withstand extreme environmental operating conditions.

Surveys are planned on the central system and then downloaded to the hand-held computer. Data is recorded throughout the survey and GPS is utilized to record gear set locations. Once the field data is uploaded to the central system it is immediately available for use in managing our natural resources.

Susan Firor*, PO Box 4173, Arcata, CA 95518, 707-822-1959 (Phone & Fax), firor@humboldt1.com

Michael Love*, Watershed Center, Six Rivers National Forest, 1330 Bayshore Way, Eureka, CA 95501, mlove@northcoast.com

Robert Gubernick, USFS - Petersburg Ranger District, PO Box 309, Petersburg, AK 99833, Gubernick_Robert/r10_stikine@fs.fed.us

Throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska the assessment of fish passage at road crossing structures has become an issue of great concern. Thousands of culverts are currently installed in fish-bearing streams around the world, many of which are partial or total barriers to fish migration. Since the expense of remediation is high, it is necessary to properly design culverts, assess the range of passage at existing culverts, and plan the best remediation strategy. The determination of fish passage is complex requiring a broad knowledge of hydraulic engineering, fisheries biology, and hydrology

FishXing is an interactive software package written by the Watershed Interactions Team of the Six Rivers National Forest. The software runs on Windows 95/98 or NT systems.

FishXing is intended for use by fish biologists, hydrologists, and culvert design engineers. The program allows the user to compare culvert designs within a single project. Uniform and gradually varying flow calculations can be made for various shaped and embedded culverts. Assessment is performed based on swimming speed, swim duration time, and water velocity for any species with known swimming abilities. Outputs include percent passable flows, hydraulic properties within the culvert, and reasons for migratory barriers.

John J. Christensen, Christensen Designs, 349 Scenic Place, Manteca, CA  95337, (209) 239-5414, cdesigns@softcom.net

This overview of the state-of-the-art technologies available for wildlife research includes a review of methods for conducting wildlife research using audio recording and playback technology.  The advantages of newer technologies, such as digital (CD/MD) over older technologies (analog tape) will be discussed.

Monica Parisi*, California Wildlife Habitat Relationships Program, California Department of Fish and Game, 1807 13th Street, Suite 202, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 327-8822, mparisi@dfg.ca.gov

Mollie Hurt*, District Wildlife Biologist, Tahoe National Forest, P.O. Box 95, Sierraville, CA 96126, (530) 994-3401, hurt_mollie/r5_tahoe/@fs.fed.us

The California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System (CWHR) has predictive habitat-relationships models for 675 regularly occurring terrestrial vertebrates in California. Each species model has suitability ratings for three life-requisites breeding, cover and feeding for habitat types and seral stages from a standardized habitat classification system. Each species is also modeled for its geographic distribution, seasonal use of locations and habitats and use of 124 habitat elements. Elements include live and decadent vegetation elements such as snags, physical elements such as banks and burrows, aquatic elements, vegetative and animal diet elements and human-made elements.

The California Wildlife Habitat Relationships Version 7.0 software application comes compiled in Visual-Dbase for use in Windows 95, 98 or NT operating systems. Users can manipulate the modeled variables to produce nine types of reports, including a species composition comparison between two habitat conditions and a habitat value or suitability comparison between two conditions.

The CWHR model and its major assumptions are presented and a sample query from the Version 7.0 software demonstrated. Also presented is the use of CWHR in a comparative analysis of five forest management alternatives for the Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group Forest Recovery Act Environmental Impact Statement. [in progress]

Bradley T. Eggold, Fisheries and Habitat Protection, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Plymouth, Wisconsin 53073, (920) 892-8756, eggolb@dnr.state.wi.us

Current information on the species composition of the charter fishing industry catch and close monitoring of the commercial fishing industry is crucial to policy decisions regarding the Lake Michigan fishery. Current collection of fisheries data from charter boat captains requires them to submit their reports (i.e. effort and harvest information) by the 10th of each month for the previous months fishing activities on forms provided by the Department. A solution to the current method would be to use "transactional voice technology". This allows the charter captain to report their harvest over the phone with the data being directly loaded into database. A test of the system was implement in July and August of 1997 with 20-30 current charter captains. Reactions to the new system ranged from mild dislike to overwhelming support. Further tests and discussions were warranted from this initial test. In addition, Wisconsin is currently re-writing commercial fishing laws. Several key components for the new monitoring plan call for commercial fishermen to call in by phone prior to leaving the dock and 30 minutes prior to landing. Transactional voice technology will be used to record these calls and allow Law Enforcement and fisheries personnel real-time access to the data so that valuable Lake Michigan species (i.e. yellow perch) can be protected.

Rebecca K. Wajda, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, 4010 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23230-1104, (804) 367-8351, bwajda@dgif.state.va.us

Historically, state fish and wildlife agencies have used public meetings and individual solicitations to involve their constituencies in regulatory processes and program activities. These procedures, while often effective in motivating selected publics, do not take advantage of new technologies and can exclude impacted constituencies that do not routinely interact with the agency. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has begun to use the Internet as a means for actively engaging a wider range of groups in the affairs of the agency. During a recent regulatory process involving the setting of hunting and trapping seasons, the Department implemented an online opinion survey form that sought feedback on the proposals and a related subject. The agency received more than 900 responses using this survey instrument. The Department is also using its web site to provide an electronic bulletin board where the angling communities can post and share fishing experiences across the state. This tool is quite popular and effective in supplementing the agency's weekly Fishing Report, providing more timely details about specific fishing "hot spots." Another very effective use of the web site is the electronic submission of data for the Department's WildlifeMapping program. Initially, WildlifeMappers submitted data via paper form or export file generated from an Access database application. The web-based process facilitates data entry directly into the primary application, reducing staff effort and minimizing data transfer errors. In all three cases, the Department has used the Internet to engage constituents in activities and interactions outside of those they are required to (e.g., purchasing a license, registering a boat) and provide further opportunities for interaction with the agency. The web site can be viewed at http://www.dgif.state.va.us.

Wade H. Van Buskirk, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, 45 SE 82nd Drive, Suite 100, Gladstone, OR 97027-2522, (503) 650-5400, HTTP://www.psmfc.org/~wade

The objective of the Recreational Fisheries Information Network (RecFIN) is to gather and report marine recreational catch and effort data for the Pacific coast. The primary data gathering task is the annual field sampling of approximately 30,000 angler trips using the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS). The primary reporting task is the generation of MRFSS catch and effort estimates and merging of other Pacific state's catch and effort estimates into the database.

Many operations of the sampling and estimation programs have been centralized on the RecFIN system. There are SAS database, FTP and HTTP servers are used by state supervisors to upload site sampling frames and sampler metadata, generate stratified random sampling assignments, monitor the quality and quantity of data flow, and generate metadata reports on sampling conduct. Fishery managers also have a selection of query tools available on the Internet to tabulate, summarize, plot and forecast catch and effort data.

These tools have significantly increased quality and timeliness of the data, reduced the need for responding to individual requests for data, and improved oversight of project conduct. There is now more time available to pursue other improvements.

Don Fago, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 1350 Femrite Dr., Monona, WI 53716, 608/221-6366, fagod@dnr.state.wi.us

The objective of this study was to create an Internet application that would allow people from within and without the WDNR to determine who has aquatic related data from Wisconsin. A two-page questionnaire for WDNR aquatic personnel and an MS Access database was first developed. We then created a corresponding Oracle database for querying via the Intranet or Internet. Getting WDNR personnel to fill out a questionnaire for each of their aquatic databases has been the hardest and most crucial part of this project. It has been important to stress to these people that we are not furnishing anyone access to any of the actual databases. The database we have created is metadata about each database for which they have filled out a questionnaire. The Intranet application has one main query screen from which one can select one of 10 aquatic subjects. Each of these has a screen for selecting databases with specific information and then a detailed screen showing all information about that particular database. Each screen also has its own metadata to help explain what is on each screen.

This spring the Aquatic Metadata Search was moved to our Internet site:

http://oraweb.dnr.state.wi.us:/inter1/plsql/pk_swis_org_metadata.org_metadata_navigate,

and we are in the process of sending out questionnaires to other state and federal agencies in Wisconsin who might have aquatic databases.

Stacy McNulty*, Fish and Wildlife Information Exchange, Virginia Tech, 203 W. Roanoke St., Blacksburg, VA 24061, smcnulty@vt.edu

Robert H. Giles, Jr., Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech, 504 Rose Avenue, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, rhgiles@vt.edu

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Database Management Systems (DBMS) are increasingly important tools in natural resource management. However, they can be difficult for biologists and managers to use because of several characteristics. Software and hardware require training and are expensive to purchase and maintain. Traditionally, maps and reports are static and rarely useful for multiple applications. Raw data are usually not available, or there is no information about the quality or source of the data. We have developed a web-based planning system, Guidance, that utilizes the power of the Internet to allow custom mapping and data analysis in a GIS. We used the natural resource database of Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia as a model.

Guidance is different from the traditional GIS in that the data and software resides on a server accessed by the user via a web interface. We integrated the Fort A.P. Hill database in Microsoft Access^TM with ArcView Internet Map Server^TM (a GIS with dynamic mapping capabilities). The Guidance menu acts as a table of contents, with hyperlinks to the original data, maps, metadata, and related information. The user chooses which species or physiographic data to analyze, selects database records, and receives a map or report, without knowing software or programming languages. We will illustrate how to perform queries and generate maps and tables using Guidance. We will discuss the benefits of Guidance, as well as development and maintenance issues for web-based planning systems.

Kathy Quindlen, VA Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries, 4010 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23230-1104, kquindlen@dgif.state.va.us

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has recently completed the migration of its system of wildlife databases to a World Wide Web ("web") application. From 1994 until late 1998, the Wildlife Information Online Service ("Service") was accessible through modem dial-in to the Agency's computers. Now that the Service is available through the web, it is more widely accessible to Agency staff, other government agency users, consultants, private industry, and the general public, resulting in an increase in Service use. Each category of user has its own access privileges, so that sensitive data are protected. The Service is also easier to use and requires less training due to the mouse-driven interface. New mapping capabilities, including point-and-click location selection and zooming in or out, makes the Service more functional and versatile. The mapping functions allow the user to select any geographic point within Virginia and conduct a search for known and likely wildlife resources around that point, or up- or down-stream along a warm water stream. Information compiled for a site includes occurrences of threatened and endangered species, all wildlife species, cold water streams (including trout streams), anadromous fish, and state-owned lands. Reports may be customized to suit the user's needs. Maps of species occurrences may also be viewed and printed. In addition to the geographic searching features, the Service provides complete species information on over 2,000 species found in the Commonwealth. The Service is accessed from the Agency's main web page at www.dgif.state.va.us through the hyperlink Wildlife Information Online.

Christine L. Larson, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division. P.O. Box 30047, Lansing, Michigan 48909, (517) 373-8027, LarsonC@state.mi.us

Rising software and database development project costs (tangible and intangible) force managers to closely examine potential projects. Projects must be carefully matched to long-range goals, both on the technology and fisheries program management fronts. Limited resources must be applied to the most beneficial projects.

In 1996, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, developed an information strategic planning process that closely integrates program objectives defined in the agency strategic management plan to information systems requirements.

The Information Strategic Plan documents the strategic direction and execution of our Information Management Program. It provides a baseline for information management decision-making and defines a course direction for planning and creating software applications and databases. The information strategic process tracks accomplishments and on-going activity directly related to the Information Management Program's execution. Dependencies between applications and databases are also documented.

The methodology and process has been in use for three annual planning cycles, and continues to be a valuable information management planning tool. With our proven methodology, potential and active projects are easily evaluated for impact on fisheries management program objectives, data sharing opportunities across the agency's fisheries management programs and organizational impact.

Stephen M. Pastor, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 9317 Highway 99 Suite I, Vancouver, WA 98665, 360 696-7605, stephen_pastor@mail.fws.gov

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service hatcheries and fisheries offices in the Columbia River Basin have been using database methods to collect and manage information since the 1980's. The collection of database files and programs is known as CRiS - the Columbia River information System. Record keeping begins with standard database files used to record information during spawning and egg development. Hatchery activity is recorded in files for mortality, feeding, growth, sample counts, and movement of fry or fingerlings between tanks or raceways. Coded-wire tagging and fin clipping are also recorded in database files. All of these files are used by a PondInv program to update information in the Pond Inventory file, but also form a Paperless Trail that can be followed back to a group of adults.

Fisheries offices create files with information on both the original returning adults and the progeny of those adults. Additional information is recovered from interagency databases up to eight years after spawning occurred. Retrieval of information pertinent to any group of released fish, including the number and size of adults spawned to create that group, through the production phase, and, eventually, recoveries in coast wide fisheries, is possible by running programs that follow the Paperless Trail.

T. Douglas Beard, Jr., Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Post Office Box 7921, Madison, Wisconsin 53703, (608) 267-9427, beardt@mail01.dnr.state.wi.us

Fisheries resources agencies have made propagation programs an integral part of their management system. Propagation systems are similar to many factory systems, such that inventory control methodologies can be used to manage information. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has hatcheries and propagation personnel located throughout the state, many have limited access to department information servers. However, all department personnel have access to the Internet. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is currently in the process of developing and deploying an Internet based system to manage and access all information related to fisheries propagation. This system will use active server pages to capture all data related to management of the propagation system. Management of data and production of reports is accomplished using SQL server 7.0. This system will allow managers to identify stocking demand, defined as quotas through an Internet interface. Planning for production each year will be done and tracking of supply (fish) will be accomplished through lot history reports managed through the Internet. Finally, delivery of product (stocking receipts) will be tracked through this system. Finally, the public and department personnel can access reports of number of fish stocked in each lake. Full-scale implementation will be occur in January 2000.

Chris Frye*, USDA Forest Service, 1720 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30367, (404) 347-2402, cfrye/r8@fs.fed.us

Jim Fenwood*, Ecosystem Management Coordination, USDA Forest Service, 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA 94592, (707) 562-8719, jfenwood/r5@fs.fed.us

Tom DeMeo, NRIS Terra, USDA Forest Service, 16400 Champion Way, Sandy, OR 97055, (503) 668-1419, tdemeo/wo_sandy@fs.fed.us

More than ever, use of National Forest resource data in a corporate approach is critical in addressing biodiversity concerns at multiple scales. To this end, the U.S. Forest Service is developing the Natural Resources Information System (NRIS). NRIS is composed of terrestrial ecological (Terra), field-sampled vegetation (FSVeg), aquatic (Water), air resource (Air), and wildlife (Fauna) data modules. Fauna, the wildlife component of NRIS, is under development. Fauna organizes wildlife occurrence data and metadata in a distributed database structure with ORACLE (tabular) and geographic information system (GIS) (spatial) components. Features include easy spatial display, a variety of querying options, and a framework for biological evaluations (the BE Wizard). A prototype is scheduled for November 1999, and a released version is expected in late 2000.

Targeted users are wildlife biologists, ecologists, and other resource specialists. Applications include planning, inventory, monitoring, effects analysis, and implementation; species conservation and recovery strategies; and ecosystem assessments at multiple scales. Because close cooperation with other organizations is critical in effective use of wildlife data, Fauna will feature links to other databases, including Heritage/Nature Conservancy ranking and occurrence records, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rankings, and other sources. Habitat data, rare plants, and plant community data will be obtained from the NRIS Terra module; aquatic data will be obtained from NRIS Water.

F. Huettmann* and A.W. Diamond, Atlantic Cooperative Wildlife Ecology Research Network (ACWERN), University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 45111, Fredericton, N.B., Canada E3B 6E1, Tel. (+1) (506) 452 6033, Fax  (+1) (506) 453 3538, k9wk@unb.ca, http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Quad/5377/index.html

Seabirds can be used as indicators for the ocean. Data in the PIROP (Programme Intégré des Recherches sur les Oiseaux Pélagiques) database, covering 25 years of seabird at-sea observations in the Northwest Atlantic, and 20 environmental data sets from a variety of sources (e.g. NOAA, ETOPO5, COADS-WOA) downloaded from the WWW/Internet or other digital pathways were combined to build a descriptive and predictive seabird distribution model with a Geographic Information System (SPANS-GIS) for the winter and breeding seasons. Significant predictors were selected with a logistic regression model (glm) and further analyzed with a Classification and Regression Tree (Cart). In order to evaluate the seabird breeding distribution model we applied an additional data set, seabird colony locations from Canada and Greenland, and evaluated the model output. Our models and approaches allow the investigation of seabird and marine habitat relationships, colony distances and foraging ranges across scales. We show that our model also has potential for forecasting seabird distribution, e.g. in an oil spill scenario, or in a global change scenario which would affect the atmosphere, sea surface temperatures and currents. Based on Landscape Ecology approaches multivariate GIS-Statistics show how the environmental data can be used to stratify the habitat for future studies.

Luke Odhiambo Ouko, P.O. BOX 48955, Nairobi, Kenya, Phone: 254-2-253751, Fax: 254-2-253752, louko@hotmail.com

The elephant and rhino populations in Kenya have continued to dwindle at an alarming rate during the last two decades. The effects of poaching, land use conflict, forest fires and hostile weather conditions have adversely affected the population growth of both animals. Pollution in the Indian Ocean and hazardous fishing practices produce major problems in the industry.

This paper describes the current usage of geospatial information sources in negating the decimation of the two animal populations. It will provide insights into the successes and failures of past and ongoing programs in population studies, ecology analysis, disaster prediction and mitigation, conservation law enforcement and general administration of the Masaai Mara Game Park. An analysis of GIS use in studying the fisheries industry on the Indian Ocean will be considered.

The paper will provide solutions for optimizing the current programs within the confines of available geospatial information resources. Solutions on how to enhance the general usage of microcomputer applications will be provided as well as potential areas of new usage and the application of even newer technologies.

Prakash Narayan, Mineral Resources Department, Suva, Fiji Islands, Private Mail Bag Suva, Fiji islands, Phone: (679) 381 611 extension 408, prakash@mrd.gov.fj or prakash@lgs.jussieu.fr

In this era of rapidly changing technology, organizations that depend on Geographic Information(GI) and geoprocessing need to continuously evaluate, acquire, and refresh their technology. Spatial data infrastructure applications increasingly rely on massive, distributed geodata libraries. Traditional Geographic Information Systems(GIS) do not address the requirements of complex digital environmentally distributed libraries. The OpenGIS is unprecedented in the world of geoprocessing, but it is based on prior and ongoing Information Technology(IT) initiatives that seek to provide "interoperability." Likewise, the OpenGIS  itself is unprecedented in the world of geoprocessing, but it is a special application of existing distributed computing technology and object technology which are evolving rapidly, partly through the efforts of common interoperability initiatives. OpenGIS is defined as transparent access to heterogeneous geodata and geoprocessing resources in a networked environment. The goal of OpenGIS is to provide a comprehensive open interface framework that enable developers to write interoperating components that provide these capabilities. Information Technology(IT)as a whole, is going through drastic changes. The explosion of interest in the Internet and the introduction and wide acceptance of the World Wide Web(WWW) are all signs of this. These changes offer the area of Geographic Information Systems(GIS) some large and not-to-be-ignored possibilities. In order to take full advantage of these possibilities, however, the current isolationist approach to GIS applications has to change. Introduction, OpenGIS, Information Technology(IT), Object-Orientated, Components of OpenGIS, Conclusion and Bibliography.

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