Sec. 203. Northern Rockies Habitat and Corridors Information System
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/bill/113/hr/1187/ih/section-203·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Secretary shall develop a Northern Rockies Habitat and Corridors Information System. The system shall— include maps, data, and descriptions of fish and wildlife habitat and corridors in the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, that— have been developed by Federal agencies, State wildlife agencies and natural heritage programs, Indian tribes, local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and industry; and meet accepted Geospatial Interoperability Framework data and metadata protocols and standards; include maps and descriptions of projected shifts in habitats and corridors of fish and wildlife species in response to climate change; assure data quality and make the data, models, and analyses included in the System available at scales useful to decisionmakers— to prioritize and target natural resources adaptation strategies and activities; to assess the impacts of proposed energy development, water, transmission, transportation, and other land use projects and avoid, minimize, and mitigate those impacts on habitats and corridors; to assess the impacts of existing development on habitats and corridors; and to develop management strategies to enhance the ability of fish, wildlife, and plant species to migrate or respond to shifting habitats within existing habitats and corridors across the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming; establish a process for updating maps and other information as landscapes, habitats, corridors, and wildlife populations change or as other information becomes available; encourage the development of collaborative plans by Federal and State agencies and Indian tribes to monitor and evaluate the efficacy of the System to meet the needs of decisionmakers; identify gaps in habitat and corridor information, mapping, and research that should be addressed to fully understand assess current data and metadata, and to prioritize research and future data collection activities for use in updating the System and provide support for those activities; include mechanisms to support collaborative research, mapping, and planning of habitats and corridors by Federal and State agencies, Indian tribes, and other interested stakeholders; incorporate biological and geospatial data on species and corridors found in energy development and transmission plans, including renewable energy initiatives, transportation, and other land use plans; be based on the best scientific information available; and identify, prioritize, and describe key parcels of non-Federal land located within the boundaries of units of the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, National Forest System, or National Grassland System that are critical to maintenance of wildlife habitat and migration corridors.
The Secretary may provide support, including financial and technical assistance, to the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming and Indian tribes in such States for activities that support the development and implementation of the system. The Secretary shall make recommendations on how the information developed in the system may be incorporated into existing relevant State and Federal plans affecting fish and wildlife, including land management plans, the State Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies, and appropriate tribal conservation plans, to ensure that they— prevent unnecessary habitat fragmentation and disruption of corridors; promote the landscape connectivity necessary to allow wildlife to move as necessary to meet biological needs, adjust to shifts in habitat, and adapt to climate change; and minimize the impacts of energy, development, water, transportation, and transmission projects and other activities expected to impact habitat and corridors.