Greater Sage-Grouse Winter Habitat in Idaho and Southwestern Montana

Idaho and southwestern Montana provide the geographic scope for this dataset, which maps winter habitat for the Greater Sage-Grouse. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game created the spatial data for the 2015 Final Environmental Impact Statement. Winter habitat is defined for the period from December 1 to February 28.

Use Cases

• Classify land parcels as winter habitat or non-habitat based on spatial features like elevation and administrative boundaries.
• Analyze the spatial overlap between mapped winter habitat and IDFG-defined nesting habitat layers.
• Model potential habitat corridors by integrating this winter layer with other seasonal habitat maps for the Greater Sage-Grouse.
• Assess conservation priorities by intersecting habitat polygons with land ownership or management area designations.

Strengths

• Data is authoritative, produced by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for a formal Environmental Impact Statement.
• Includes defined seasonal temporal coverage (December 1 to February 28) for habitat classification.
• Available in multiple geospatial formats (KML, GEOJSON, ArcGIS REST API) for interoperability.

Limitations

• Spatial coverage is incomplete, lacking specific winter habitat data for the Dillon Field Office in Montana.
• Habitat use in parts of Montana is noted as highly variable year-to-year, which static mapping may not capture.
• The dataset is limited to Idaho, with only contextual reference to southwestern Montana and Utah.

Provenance

Source

Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), published via the Bureau of Land Management.

Collection Method

Spatial data development and mapping by IDFG for the Greater Sage-Grouse Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

Time Range

2015 (FEIS publication period). Habitat reflects conditions for that analysis.

Freshness

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Geography

Idaho, United States, with contextual reference to southwestern Montana and the Raft River Unit in Utah.