Maps of habitat suitability improvement potential for the Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) satellite populations in Southwestern Colorado

Habitat restoration efforts to conserve wildlife species are often conducted along a range of local site conditions, with limited information available to gauge relative outcomes for habitat suitability among sites and identify those that may lead to the greatest returns on restoration investment. We leveraged existing resource selection function models to generate heatmaps of spatially varying habitat suitability improvement potential for the Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) based on a suite of habitat restoration actions deployed across crucial habitats within six remaining satellite populations. We first simulated expected change in model covariates (habitat features) from a suite of restoration actions (increasing sagebrush, herbaceous, or litter cover, non-sagebrush shrub management, installation of mesic improvement structures, and removal of invasive plants) to generate modified input layers for each. We then reran the original models using these modified layers and calculated the predicted change in habitat suitability across space. The resulting heatmaps identify areas with the greatest improvement potential for each restoration action to help guide strategic restoration planning for the species.

This data release includes a set of 76 total raster files. This includes: 38 heatmaps illustrating predicted change in Gunnison Sage-grouse habitat suitability across space following habitat restoration actions (either single or combined), 32 categorized heatmaps showing areas where 1) new habitat was created, 2) non-habitat remained non-habitat despite management interventions, or 3) negative changes in suitability were observed, and 6 heatmaps illustrating predicted changes in suitability following new or worsening plant invasions (for example, cheatgrass, represented by annual herbaceous, or pinyon-juniper).

Raster file names are coded by the name of the satellite population, the season the model is representing, the restoration action applied, and whether the maps were categorized. The codes are listed below:

CSb = Cerro Summit-Cimarron-Sims Mesa Breeding
CSs = Cerro Summit-Cimarron-Sims Mesa Summer
CRb = Crawford Breeding
CRs = Crawford Summer
DCb = Dove Creek Breeding
PMb = Pinon Mesa Breeding
PMs = Pinon Mesa Summer
PPb = Poncha Pass Breeding
PPs = Poncha Pass Summer
SMb = San Miguel Breeding
SMs = San Miguel Summer

ahrb_inv = annual herbaceous invasion (increase in cover)
ahrb_rm = annual herbaceous removal (decrease in cover)
combo = combined actions
hrb_incr = increase herbaceous cover
lit_incr = increase litter cover
mes_impr = mesic improvements (increase in area)
pj_inv = pinyon-juniper invasion (increase in area)
pj_rm = pinyon-juniper removal (decrease in area)
pns_decr = decrease non-sagebrush shrub cover
pns_incr = increase non-sagebrush shrub cover
pos_incr = increase percent other sagebrush cover (non-big sagebrush cover)
sgc_incr = increase sagebrush cover
sgh_incr = increase sagebrush height
shh_decr = decrease shrub height

C = CATEGORIZED Maps
V = UNCATEGORIZED Maps
X = INVASION (categorized) Maps