November 16, 2007

Limited quantities of the Nebraska Gap Analysis Program (NE-GAP) final report are available free in a four-CD set from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources.

One hundred copies of the CD sets are available free on a first-come, first-served basis at the SNR's Nebraska Maps and More store in the first floor lobby of Hardin Hall, northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege streets on UNL's East Campus.

NE-GAP is part of a national conservation planning research project sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey. Its principal goal is to keep common species from being threatened by extinction, by identifying terrestrial vertebrate species and plant communities that are not adequately represented in existing conservation lands. By identifying common species habitats, GAP analysis gives land managers and policy-makers information to make better-informed decisions when identifying priority areas for conservation and species management that will help keep species from becoming threatened or endangered, said NE-GAP manager Milda Vaitkus.

NE-GAP began in 1996 by SNR's Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies to assess distribution and conservation status of Nebraska plant and animal species and diversity under current land ownership and management regimes, Vaitkus said.

Program objectives were to map land cover linked to dominant vegetation types; map predicted distribution of terrestrial vertebrates; document natural vegetation and animal species in areas managed for long-term maintenance of biodiversity; and make the information available to resource managers and land stewards in a readily accessible format.

Information on NE-GAP and downloadable data from the program is available online at http://www.calmit.unl.edu/gap/.

Steven W. Ress, Communication Coordinator
UNL Water Center