WDFW’s “Shrubsteppe and Eastside Steppe General Locations” datasets shows the general location of shrubsteppe and eastside steppe as defined by WDFW’s Priority Habitats and Species program. The map shows where WDFW recommends counties and cities require site-scale information be gathered to inform site-scale land use decisions. It is the best available information regarding the general location of shrubsteppe and Eastside steppe in Washington – and it has important limitations. It is appropriate to use this map for its primary purpose: to identify where site-specific data should be gathered to inform site-scale decisions. It is also appropriate to expect that on-the-ground conditions will vary from this general information. The map relies upon several GIS layers that are maintained by other agencies and updated at various intervals. This map is updated episodically when input layers are updated with the most current information. WDFW data experts, in consultation with subject matter experts and Habitat Program’s Chief Scientist, may without prior notice, update the map (e.g., input data, methodology) to reflect the best available information, best available science, and evolving values and policies. While this is the best available information with respect to the location of shrubsteppe and Eastside steppe in Washington, it has important limitations that users should understand. Challenges of Scale: The fundamental building block of this map is USGS’ 2016 Landfire Remap Existing Vegetation Type (click here for more information). The great benefit of this data is that it provides comprehensive, wall-to-wall coverage of the state. The primary drawbacks of this layer are that it (a) is comprised of 30-meter square pixels (0.22 acres) and (b) is designed to be used when zoomed out to a regional scale. USGS recommends users zoom in no closer than a scale of 1:5,000 (at this scale, a map on a piece of 8½ by 11-inch piece of paper with 1” margins covers 230 acres). A map at this scale is of little use for many important land use decisions (e.g., regarding development, restoration) which occur on a parcel scale – around 1 acre plus or minus. WDFW created this map and explanation of its proper use to inform parcel-scale land use decisions made by local governments and other conservation partners in a way that takes advantage of the benefits of the regional data while working within its limitations. USGS’ Use Limitations: USGS has a carefully worded statement on use limitations for this data. The statement in full reads: Although LANDFIRE products are delivered as 30-meter pixels, they should not be used at the individual pixel level or on small groups of pixels. LANDFIRE products were designed to support 1) national (all states) strategic planning, 2) regional (single large states or groups of smaller states), and 3) strategic/tactical planning for large sub-regional landscapes and Fire Management Units (FMUs) (such as significant portions of states or multiple federal administrative entities). The applicability of LANDFIRE products to support fire and land management planning on smaller areas will vary by product, location, and specific use. Further investigation by local and regional experts should be conducted to inform decisions regarding local applicability. However, it is the responsibility of the local user, using LANDFIRE metadata and local knowledge, to determine if and/or how LANDFIRE can be used for particular areas of interest. LANDFIRE products are not intended to replace local products, but rather serve as a back-up by providing wall-to-wall cross-boundary products. It is the responsibility of the user to be familiar with the value, assumptions, and limitations of LANDFIRE products. Managers and planners must evaluate LANDFIRE data according to the scale and requirements specific to their needs.(emphasis added) Mindful of these limitations, WDFW experts have investigated the Landfire data and determined that applying it at a parcel-scale to inform decisions described herein is a proper use of the data. Appropriate Uses:While it is appropriate to use this data as described below, it is also important for users to realize that it is appropriate to expect that on-the-ground conditions will vary from this general information. This is because this data reflects many sources that depict ecological systems, roads, agricultural lands, buildings, waterbodies, railroads, and airports. Users should consider that (a) each source has its own date when the data was gathered, (b) each source has a scale at which it was gathered and for which it is intended to be used, (c) the differing projections of these data sources can cause features to be offset from the location shown, and (d) each source has known errors of omission and commission (meaning that the GIS layer may miss on-the-ground features or may show features that do not actually exist on the ground). These variances do not invalidate the data to be used as described below. It is appropriate to use this data to identify where site-specific data should be gathered to inform site-scale decisions. (WDFW strongly recommends that site-scale land use decisions be informed by site-scale data.) a) The land use decision under consideration drives the precise type of site-specific information to be gathered (e.g., shrubsteppe presence/absence, boundary, quality), methods used to gather it, and qualifications of the person gathering it. b) Where this regional data shows higher variability (i.e., smaller patches or more pixelated appearance), a rapid shrubsteppe assessment (rather than a more extensive assessment) may be appropriate to confirm or refute the presence of shrubsteppe. It is appropriate to presume that places indicated as shrubsteppe are shrubsteppe and that places that are not indicated as shrubsteppe are not shrubsteppe. a) This presumption is stronger where the layer shows a high degree of uniformity of shrubsteppe (or non-shrubsteppe); it is weaker where there is less uniformity. b) For a specific site, this presumption should yield to the professional opinion of a qualified person with first-hand knowledge and/or reliable site-specific data of the site. It is appropriate to use this information to broadly estimate aspects of shrubsteppe (a) spatial attributes such as patch size and interior vs. edge, (b) connectivity (e.g., with other shrubsteppe, cliffs, dunes, etc.), and (c) restoration potential (to the extent that restoration potential is related to proximity to large or more uniform patches of shrubsteppe). Such estimates, when derived by qualified persons using reasonable methods, should be presumed to be valid. Inappropriate uses: To clarify appropriate uses, we identify some inappropriate uses of the “Shrubsteppe and Eastside Steppe General Locations” map. These examples are not exhaustive. It is inappropriate to assume that the pixelated edges represent the actual edge of shrubsteppe (a site-scale boundary evaluation is needed for this purpose). Where there is variation in pixels (i.e., smaller patches or more pixelated appearance), it is inappropriate to assume that the individual or small groups of pixels of shrubsteppe or non-shrubsteppe represent the precise location of shrubsteppe and non-shrubsteppe areas (a site-scale evaluation of the existence/extent of shrubsteppe is needed for this purpose). It is inappropriate to consider this modeled information to be accurate when appropriately gathered, site-scale data, or the professional judgment of an informed, qualified person says otherwise.