National wetlands inventory (NWI) standard mapping of the Gold Hill mining district in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Robertson A, Anderson J, Maffitt B. 2015. National wetlands inventory (NWI) standard mapping of the Gold Hill mining district in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/WRST/NRDS—2015/750. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
This project was undertaken by the National Park Service (NPS) in collaboration with Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota to complete updated mapping and classification of wetlands for approximately 46,000 acres of the Chisana Mining District of Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST) in southeastern Alaska.The Chisana Mining District has been used for gold mining activities since the early 20th Century (Feldman 1997, Bleakley 2007). Active mining continues there today on federal unpatented mining claims that pre-date the formation of the park in 1980 (NPS 1990). The NPS regulates this mining and associated activities to minimize damage to the environment and other park resources based on the Mining in the Parks Act of 1976 (PL-94-429). To assess and authorize proposed mining plans of operation and access, the NPS must complete environmental and cultural resource assessments. Understanding the scope and classification type of wetlands contributes to important baseline information for these assessments and for minimizing the impacts to wetlands of mining operations and associated activities.Mapping and classification efforts were completed using existing digital layers and ancillary datasets stored by the National Park Service and other available historical imagery and collateral information. Remotely collected imagery and geospatial technologies were used to produce an updated spatial layer with a minimum mapping unit of between 0.5 and 1 acre. Wetlands were mapped and classified using the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats (Cowardin et al., 1979); produced using standards established by the Federal Geographic Data Committee for inclusion into the National Wetland Inventory database. Approximately 1,400 acres of wetlands were mapped then classified for the project area; 80% were classified in the Riverine System and 20% in the Palustrine System. Field verification of these delineations were conducted to further refine the wetlands classification and to modify the resulting maps.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Robertson, Andrew; Anderson, John; Maffitt, Bonnie
- Date of Issue
- 2015-01
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CAKN , NRSS , WRST
- Keywords
- Chisana, Gold Hill, Minerals Management, Mining District, National Wetlands Inventory, NWI, preserve, Vegetation Management, Wetlands, Wrangell-St.Elias National Park, WRST
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Surface Water Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Wetland Communities