U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2002 vector digital data Helena, Montana Montana State Library The former name of the data set on the NRIS web site was "ecoreg_2002" withheld This is the second edition (2002) of "Ecoregions of Montana". As of April 2013, the EPA web site at http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions/mt_eco.htm has ecoregion data published in 2012. The second edition (2002) of "Ecoregions of Montana" revises many ecoregion polygon assignments that appeared in the first edition (Woods and others, 1999). These changes were made after research in Idaho (McGrath and others, 2002) recognized the Idaho Batholith as a separate level III ecoregion (Ecoregion 16), limited the Northern Rockies (15) to strongly marine-influenced areas, and transferred the Montana Valley and Foothill Prairies (formerly Ecoregion 16) to another level III ecoregion, the Middle Rockies (17). The second edition also modifies a few level IV ecoregion lines along Montana's western border so that ecoregions shared by Montana and Idaho will edge match. In addition, it updates ecoregion names so that they are consistent with the most recent ecoregion work in area (Chapman and others, 2003). However, it is important to note that although many polygon assignments and a few ecoregion names have changed between the first and second editions, nearly all level IV ecoregion line positions are identical on the two editions. Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of ecosystems, ecoregions stratify the environment by its probable response to disturbance (Bryce and others, 1999). These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographical areas (Omernik and others, 2000). The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions can be identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity (Wiken, 1986; Omernik, 1987, 1995). These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level. A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels of ecological regions. Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent into 52 regions (Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997). At level III, the continental United States contains 104 ecoregions and the conterminous United States has 84 ecoregions (United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), 2000). Level IV is a further subdivision of level III ecoregions. Explanations of the methods used to define the USEPA's ecoregions are given in Omernik (1995), Omernik and others (2000), and Griffith and others (1989, 1994). The level III and IV ecoregion map on this poster was compiled at a scale of 1:250,000 and depicts revisions and subdivisions of earlier level III ecoregions that were originally compiled at a smaller scale (USEPA, 2000; Omernik, 1987). This poster is part of a collaborative project primarily between USEPA Region VIII, USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (Corvallis, Oregon), Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), United States Department of Agriculture-Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service), United States Department of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management, and United States Department of the Interior-U.S. Geological Survey-Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center. The project is associated with an interagency effort to develop a common framework of ecological regions. Reaching that objective requires recognition of the differences in the conceptual approaches and mapping methodologies applied to develop the most common ecoregion-type frameworks, including those developed by the U.S. Forest Service (Bailey and others, 1994), the USEPA (Omernik, 1987, 1995), and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service, 1981). As each of these frameworks is further refined, their differences are becoming less discernible. Regional collaborative projects such as this one in Montana, where agreement has been reached among multiple resource management agencies, are a step toward attaining consensus and consistency in ecoregion frameworks for the entire nation. Assist managers of aquatic and terrestrial resources in understanding the regional patterns of the realistically attainable quality of these resources. 2002 publication date In work Unknown. As of April 2013, the EPA web site at http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions/mt_eco.htm has ecoregion data published in 2012. -116.182166 -103.614984 49.173726 44.233188 ISO 19115 Topic Category environment geoscientificInformation States of the United States Montana None The Montana State Library provides this product/service for informational purposes only. The Library did not produce it for, nor is it suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. Consumers of this information should review or consult the primary data and information sources to ascertain the viability of the information for their purposes. The Library provides these data in good faith but does not represent or warrant its accuracy, adequacy, or completeness. In no event shall the Library be liable for any incorrect results or analysis; any direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages to any party; or any lost profits arising out of or in connection with the use or the inability to use the data or the services provided. The Library makes these data and services available as a convenience to the public, and for no other purpose. The Library reserves the right to change or revise published data and/or services at any time. Alan Woods US EPA Lab, Oregon State University, USGS mailing and physical address

200 SW 35th St

Corvallis OR 97333 541-754-4469 woods.alan@epa.gov Alternate contact at the same physical address is James Omernik -- omernik.james@epa.gov 541-754-4458 withheld Thumbnail of Montana Ecoregions map withheld Montana Ecoregions map Bailey, R.G., Avers, P.E., King, T., and McNab, W.H., eds., 1994 Washington, DC U.S. Forest Service supplementary table of map unit descriptions compiled and edited by McNab, W.H. and Bailey, R.G. 7500000 paper map Bryce, S.A., Omernik, J.M., and Larsen, D.P. 1999 Environmental Practice, v. 1, no. 3, p. 141-155 Chapman, S.S., Bryce, S.A., Omernik, J.M., Despain, D.G., ZumBerge, J., and Conrad, M., 2003 Reston, VA U.S. Geological Survey 400000 color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group 1997 Montreal Commission for Environmental Cooperation 71 p. Gallant, A.L., Whittier, T.R., Larsen, D.P., Omernik, J.M., and Hughes, R.M 1989 Corvallis, OR U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA/600/3-89/060, 152 p. Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., Wilton, T.F., and Pierson, S.M 1994 Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science v. 101, no. 1, p. 5-13 McGrath C.L., Woods A.J., Omernik, J.M., Bryce, S.A., Edmondson, M., Nesser, J.A., Shelden, J., Crawford, R.C., Comstock, J.A., and Plocher, M.D., 2002 Reston, VA U.S. Geological Survey 350000 color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs Omernik, J.M 1987 Annals of the Association of American Geographers v. 77, no. 1, p. 118-125 7500000 paper map Omernik, J.M. 1995 Boca Raton, FL Lewis Publishers in Davis, W.S. and Simon, T.P., eds., Biological assessment and criteria-tools for water resource planning and decision making, p. 49-62 Omernik, J.M., Chapman, S.S., Lillie, R.A., and Dumke, R.T. 2000 Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters v. 88, p. 77-103 U.S. Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service 1981 U.S. Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service 156 p. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2000 Corvallis, Oregon National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory Map M-1, various scales Wiken, E. 1986 Ottawa Environment Canada Ecological Land Classification Series no. 19, 26 p. Woods, Alan J., Omernik, James, M., Nesser, John A., Shelden, J., and Azevedo, Sandra H. 1999 Reston, VA U.S. Geological Survey 500000 color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Western Ecology Division 2002 Covallis, Oregon U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Western Ecology Division http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions/mt_eco.htm All ecoregion and subregion delineations are digitized from the U.S.G.S. 1:250,000 base maps. Prior to digitizing each base map must be initialized to orient the map and relate it in geographic coordinates to the surface of the earth. When the registration tics are entered at the start of digitizing a transformation error of less than 0.003 must be achieved in order to insure a high level of registration accuracy. The person responsible for digital data entry completes a data sheet describing coverage name, date of entry, and whether a topology for the coverage is established. After each 1:250,000 base map has been digitized, a topology for each coverage is established. This function creates unique identities for each polygon. Next each base map is tested for polygon errors through an internal editing function. Errors are corrected for unlabeled polygons, unclosed polygons, or polygons with more than one label. Topology is reestablished for each coverage and tested again until no error are indicated. The digital coverage is then plotted at the same scale as the original base map. This coverage is overlaid on a light table with the original and visually inspected for replication of original lines with digitized lines. Two individuals independently inspect the coverage for accuracy. Vector Simple FALSE 0 FALSE FALSE meters North American Datum of 1983 Geodetic Reference System 80 6378137.000000 298.257222 EcoRegions2002.dbf Feature Class 0 FID Shapefile sequence number FID OID 4 0 0 Esri Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated. Shape Feature geometry Shape Geometry 0 0 0 Esri Coordinates defining the features. AREA Area of feature in square meters AREA Single 13 0 0 PERIMETER Perimeter of feature in meters PERIMETER Single 13 0 0 LEVEL4 Level 4 ecoregion code. The code is explained in the Level4_Nam field 15a Grave Creek Range - Nine Mile Divide 15b Elkhorn Mountains - Boulder Batholith 15c Scattered Eastern Igneous-Core Mountains 15d Percell Mountains 15e Flathead Hills and Mountains 15f Eastern Divide Mountains 15g Rattlesnake/Blackfoot/South Swan /Northern Garnet-Sapphire Mountains 15h High Alpine Zone 15i Salish Mountains 15j Forested Beaverhead Mountains 15k Big Snowy-Little Belt Carbonate Mountains 15l Coeur d' Alene-Cabinet-North Bitterroot Mountains' 15m Glaciated Bitterroot Mountains and Canyons 15n Tobacco Root Mountains 15o Big Belt Forested Highlands 15p Pioneer - Anaconda Ranges 15q Painted Rocks 15r Flint Creek-Anaconda Mountains 15s Eastern Pioneer Sedimentary Mountains 15t Stillwater - Swan Wooded Valley 15u Southern Garnet Sedimentary-Volcanic Mountains 16a Non-calcareous Foothill Grassland 16b Foothill Potholes 16c Tobacco Plains 16d Bitterroot-Frenchtown Valley 16e Camas Valley 16f Limy Foothill Grassland 16g Limy Foothill Savannah 16h Deer Lodge-Philipsburg-Avon Unwooded Intermontane Hills and Valleys 16i Pryor-Big Horn Foothills 16j Flathead Valley 16k Townsend-Horseshoe-London Sedimentary Hills 16l Townsend Basin 16m Shield-Smith-Paradise Valleys 16n Big Hole 16o Dry Gneissic - Schistose - Volcanic Hills 16p Dry Intermontane Sagebrush Basin 16q Centennial basin 17d Eastern Gravelly Mountains 17e Southwestern Montana Barren Mountains 17f Crazy Mountains 17g Absaroka-Gallatin-Madison-Bridger Sedimentary Mountains 17h Rockland and Mixed High Elevation Vegetation Zone 17i Absaroka-Gallatin Volcanic Mountains 17j West Yellowstone Valley 17k Lady of the Lake 17l Gneissic - Schistose Forested Mountains 17m Big Horn - Pryor Mountains 18a Northern Semi-Arid Intermontane Basin 41a Northern Front 41b Crestal Alpine/Subalpine Zone 41c Western Canadian Rockies 41d Southern Carbonate Front 41e Flathead Thrust Faulted Carbonate-rich Mountains 42b Collapsed Glacial Outwash 42d Northern Missouri Coteau 42i Glaciated Dark Brown Prairie 42j Glaciated Northern Grasslands 42k Coteau Lakes Upland 42l Sweetgrass Uplands 42m Cherry Patch Moraines 42n Milk River Pothole Upland 42o Northcentral Brown Glaciated Plains 43a Missouri Plateau 43b Little Missouri Badlands 43c River Breaks 43d Forested Buttes 43e Sagebrush Steppe 43g Semiarid Pierre Shale Plains 43k Dense Clay Prairie 43l Missouri Breaks Woodland-Scrubland 43m Judith Basin Grassland 43n Central Grassland 43o Unglaciated Montana High Plains 43p Ponderosa Pine Forest-Savannah Hills 43q Mesic Tongue River Dissected Plains LEVEL4 String 7 0 0 LEVEL4_NAM Name of the level 4 ecoregion. LEVEL4_NAM String 90 0 0 LEVEL3 Level 3 ecoregion code. The code is explained in the Level3_Nam field 15 Northern Rockies 16 Montana Valley and Foothill Prairies 17 Middle Rockies 18 Wyoming Basin 41 Canadian Rockies 42 Northwestern Glaciated Plains 43 Northwestern Great Plains LEVEL3 SmallInteger 3 3 0 LEVEL3_NAM Name of the level 3 ecoregion. The values of this field are enumerated in the LEVEL3 attribute description. LEVEL3_NAM String 90 0 0 Montana State Library mailing address

PO Box 201800

Helena MT 59620-1800 406-444-5354 406-444-4799 406-444-0266 geoinfo@mt.gov The Montana State Library provides this product/service for informational purposes only. The Library did not produce it for, nor is it suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. Consumers of this information should review or consult the primary data and information sources to ascertain the viability of the information for their purposes. The Library provides these data in good faith but does not represent or warrant its accuracy, adequacy, or completeness. In no event shall the Library be liable for any incorrect results or analysis; any direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages to any party; or any lost profits arising out of or in connection with the use or the inability to use the data or the services provided. The Library makes these data and services available as a convenience to the public, and for no other purpose. The Library reserves the right to change or revise published data and/or services at any time. Downloadable Data ESRI Shapefile withheld 20140113 20130417 20060106 Montana State Library mailing address

P.O. Box 201800

Helena MT 59620-1800 406-444-5354 406-444-4799 406-444-0266 geoinfo@mt.gov FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata FGDC-STD-001-1998 {D0E259C7-189C-4B83-8520-FB22EEC1B3F9} BitterrootEcoRegion 002 0.000 Projected GCS_North_American_1983 Linear Unit: Meter (1.000000) NAD_1983_StatePlane_Montana_FIPS_2500 <ProjectedCoordinateSystem xsi:type='typens:ProjectedCoordinateSystem' xmlns:xsi='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance' xmlns:xs='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema' xmlns:typens='http://www.esri.com/schemas/ArcGIS/3.1.0'><WKT>PROJCS[&quot;NAD_1983_StatePlane_Montana_FIPS_2500&quot;,GEOGCS[&quot;GCS_North_American_1983&quot;,DATUM[&quot;D_North_American_1983&quot;,SPHEROID[&quot;GRS_1980&quot;,6378137.0,298.257222101]],PRIMEM[&quot;Greenwich&quot;,0.0],UNIT[&quot;Degree&quot;,0.0174532925199433]],PROJECTION[&quot;Lambert_Conformal_Conic&quot;],PARAMETER[&quot;False_Easting&quot;,600000.0],PARAMETER[&quot;False_Northing&quot;,0.0],PARAMETER[&quot;Central_Meridian&quot;,-109.5],PARAMETER[&quot;Standard_Parallel_1&quot;,45.0],PARAMETER[&quot;Standard_Parallel_2&quot;,49.0],PARAMETER[&quot;Latitude_Of_Origin&quot;,44.25],UNIT[&quot;Meter&quot;,1.0],AUTHORITY[&quot;EPSG&quot;,32100]]</WKT><XOrigin>-35666000</XOrigin><YOrigin>-30006900</YOrigin><XYScale>124182419.54917815</XYScale><ZOrigin>-100000</ZOrigin><ZScale>10000</ZScale><MOrigin>-100000</MOrigin><MScale>10000</MScale><XYTolerance>0.001</XYTolerance><ZTolerance>0.001</ZTolerance><MTolerance>0.001</MTolerance><HighPrecision>true</HighPrecision><WKID>32100</WKID><LatestWKID>32100</LatestWKID></ProjectedCoordinateSystem> 20241021 14022500 20241021 14022500 Esri ArcGIS 13.1.3.41833 BitterrootEcoRegion This is the second edition (2002) of "Ecoregions of Montana". As of April 2013, the EPA web site at http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions/mt_eco.htm has ecoregion data published in 2012. The second edition (2002) of "Ecoregions of Montana" revises many ecoregion polygon assignments that appeared in the first edition (Woods and others, 1999). These changes were made after research in Idaho (McGrath and others, 2002) recognized the Idaho Batholith as a separate level III ecoregion (Ecoregion 16), limited the Northern Rockies (15) to strongly marine-influenced areas, and transferred the Montana Valley and Foothill Prairies (formerly Ecoregion 16) to another level III ecoregion, the Middle Rockies (17). The second edition also modifies a few level IV ecoregion lines along Montana's western border so that ecoregions shared by Montana and Idaho will edge match. In addition, it updates ecoregion names so that they are consistent with the most recent ecoregion work in area (Chapman and others, 2003). However, it is important to note that although many polygon assignments and a few ecoregion names have changed between the first and second editions, nearly all level IV ecoregion line positions are identical on the two editions. Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of ecosystems, ecoregions stratify the environment by its probable response to disturbance (Bryce and others, 1999). These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographical areas (Omernik and others, 2000). The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions can be identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity (Wiken, 1986; Omernik, 1987, 1995). These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level. A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels of ecological regions. Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent into 52 regions (Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997). At level III, the continental United States contains 104 ecoregions and the conterminous United States has 84 ecoregions (United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), 2000). Level IV is a further subdivision of level III ecoregions. Explanations of the methods used to define the USEPA's ecoregions are given in Omernik (1995), Omernik and others (2000), and Griffith and others (1989, 1994). The level III and IV ecoregion map on this poster was compiled at a scale of 1:250,000 and depicts revisions and subdivisions of earlier level III ecoregions that were originally compiled at a smaller scale (USEPA, 2000; Omernik, 1987). This poster is part of a collaborative project primarily between USEPA Region VIII, USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (Corvallis, Oregon), Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), United States Department of Agriculture-Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service), United States Department of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management, and United States Department of the Interior-U.S. Geological Survey-Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center. The project is associated with an interagency effort to develop a common framework of ecological regions. Reaching that objective requires recognition of the differences in the conceptual approaches and mapping methodologies applied to develop the most common ecoregion-type frameworks, including those developed by the U.S. Forest Service (Bailey and others, 1994), the USEPA (Omernik, 1987, 1995), and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service, 1981). As each of these frameworks is further refined, their differences are becoming less discernible. Regional collaborative projects such as this one in Montana, where agreement has been reached among multiple resource management agencies, are a step toward attaining consensus and consistency in ecoregion frameworks for the entire nation.Assist managers of aquatic and terrestrial resources in understanding the regional patterns of the realistically attainable quality of these resources.environmentgeoscientificInformationMontana Shapefile 0.000 dataset EPSG 4.5(3.0.1) 0 20241021