Description: This data layer shows the official Guide Use Areas (GUA) for the National Wildlife Refuges in the state of Alaska. This data was last updated in 2021 and it remains current. GUA boundaries were established by a team consisting of National Wildlife Refuge staff and the Division of Planning in the USFWS Alaska Regional Office.Most GUA boundaries follow natural features such as ridgelines, lakeshores, rivers, and coastlines. These features were digitized by the USFWS Alaska Region Division of Realty cartographers, using standard USGS 1:63,360 scale topographic maps as the base map reference.Change LogAugust 19, 2021: modified the shared boundary between Koyukuk NWR Guide Use Areas KOY-04 and KOY-05 so that it matched the shared boundary between the State of Alaska Department of Fish & Game's Game Management Units 21D and 24D (current as of July 1, 2020).
Copyright Text: U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, Alaska Region, Division of Realty
Description: Uniform Coding UnitsPrior to 1982, Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Division of Wildlife Conservation (ADFG-DWC) had a variety of coding schemes (18) relating harvest and management information to geographical areas. This made it difficult when comparing statewide wildlife information gathered across the state. In 1982, a new standardized statewide, geographically-based, hierarchy system of coding was created called the Uniform Coding Unit or UCU system. Game management units (GMUs), Subunits, and uniform coding units (UCUs) are the underlying geographic foundation of the wildlife and habitat management and regulations for ADFG-DWC. The GMU/UCU system consists of five Regions which are divided into twenty-six (26) Game Management Units (GMUs). Many of the GMUs are divided into Subunits (e.g. GMU 15 has three (3) Subunits, 15A, 15B, and 15C). GMUs that are not divided into subunits have a "Z" designation for the subunit. GMUs and Subunits are further divided into Major Drainages, Minor Drainages and Specific Areas. The smallest of these areas (down to the "specific area") is referred to as a Uniform Coding Unit (UCU) and has a unique 10 character code associated with it. (NOTE: UCU layer is for internal and official use only, not for public use or distribution). The UCU code is used for geographically classifying harvest and management information. Data that cannot be tied to a specific code can be generalized to the next higher level of the hierarchy. For example:a location description that is within multiple "specific areas" within a "minor drainage" can be coded to the minor code with a "00" for the specific area. Unknown "minor drainages" can be coded to the "major drainage" level, etc. If the subunit is unknown or the area covers multiple subunits within a unit, the subunit can be specified as a "Z" code (e.g. an area within subunits 15A and 15B could be recorded as 15Z). If a geographic location covers multiple units or the unit is unknown, the most general code (statewide code) is recorded as 27Z-Z00. The original hardcopy master maps were drawn to portray the UCUs fairly accurately geographically, but were not necessarily precisely drawn (i.e. left vs. right bank of a river, or exact ridge line). Each UCU was represented by drawing boundaries on USGS 1:250,000 scale quadrangle maps with a thick magic marker. A list (database) of place-names and their corresponding UCU codes was created and is still used today to assign permit, harvest, and sealing information to one of these geographic areas. In 1988, the UCU boundaries were digitized (traced) from the original maps into a computerized Geographic Information System (ArcInfo). Minor changes were made in 1989. Phase I2006-2008 - initial clean-up of boundaries for GMU 6, 9, 10, 12, 16, 19, 20, 25. These modifications have NOT been verified against the UCU master list or by area biologists. -ras Jan 2009 - Priority has shifted to getting the bulk of the updates into the master. Verification and modifications based on the UCU list and the AB corrections will come at a later date. This shift is to attempt to get the master into a permanent SDE GDB, set it up with the GDB topology, make additional clean-up/edits using the GDB tools, set up versioning, make it easier to replicate to area offices, and to take advantage of the tools/features available thru ArcGIS Server with versioned GDBs. June 2009 - initial clean-up of boundaries for Southeast (GMU 1-5), GMU 17, and GMU 18. These have NOT been verified against the UCU master list or by area biologists. -ras July 1 2009 - initial clean-up of boundaries for GMU 7 and 8. Also some adjustments for 25D based on the NHD 2008 version and ArcHydro Tools "raindrop" feature. These have NOT been verified against the UCU master list or by area biologists. -ras Sept 17, 2009 - initial clean-up of boundaries for GMU 13. These modifications have NOT been verified against the UCU master list or by area biologists. -ras Oct 21, 2009 - initial clean-up of boundaries for GMU 14 These modification have NOT been verified against the UCU master list or by area biologists. -rasNov 19, 2009 - initial clean-up of boundaries for GMU 15. These modifications have NOT been verified against the UCU master list or by area biologists. -ras Dec 7, 2009 - initial clean-up of boundaries for GMU 22. These modification have NOT been verified against the UCU master list or by area biologists. -ras March 3, 2010 - initial clean-up of boundaries for GMU 23. These modification have NOT been verified against the UCU master list or by area biologists. -rasApril 10, 2010 - initial clean-up of boundaries for GMU 26. These modification have NOT been verified against the UCU master list or by area biologists. -ras May 2010 - This completes Phase I of refining the UCUs - bulk heads-up re-digitizing of all arcs. Phase II - Converting and establishing procedures for maintaining the master in an Enterprise GDB is underway. Complete.Phase III- Continued maintenance as needed or as modified via the Board of Game process:Game Management changes:Effective July 1, 2006 - GMU 24 is now divided up into four subunit 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D. - GMU 21A and 21B - - boundary has been modifiedEffective July 1, 2010, Region II was split into Region 2 (GMU's 6, 7, 8, 14C, 15) and Region 4 (GMU's 9, 10, 11, 13, 14AB, 16, 17. This version was updated to reflect the change. An archive of the previous version (with Regions I, II, III, and V) is available on request as GMUMaster_063010. 2012 - minor updates continue as needed and time allows, and as newer base maps are used2014 - minor updates continue as needed, including updates to domain listings (not affecting GIS geometry)Effective July 1, 2014- revision to GMU 18/19/21 boundary to clarify/correct previous insufficient boundary description. Passed during Spring 2014 Board of Game.Effective July 1, 2016- revision to GMU 15 (Region II) and GMU 16 (Region IV). Kalgin Island (and surrounding waters) has been recoded from 16B-O00-1901 to 15B-O00-1901 This change will modify the area caluculations for Regions II and IV, Units 15 and 16, Subunits 16B and 15B, etc. GIS domains have been updated.Historical harvest information may not reflect these (or any) GMU modifications.