Customizing ShoreZone Protocols in Oregon to Improve Our Understanding of Ocean and Estuarine Shorelines Habitats

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development initiated a mapping project for Oregon’s ocean and estuary shorelines beginning in 2011.  The project employs the standard ShoreZone mapping protocols that have been used in other areas of the US and Canada.  ShoreZone is a coastal habitat mapping and classification system which includes collection of new high-resolution aerial imagery specifically for the interpretation and delineation of geomorphic and biological features of the intertidal zone and shoreline environment.  The overall goal of ShoreZone mapping is to provide an accurate, robust, and accessible representation of coastal and estuarine shoreline morphology and a basic framework for the biophysical characterization of the coast.  The data products allow for both site-specific and landscape-scale analysis of shoreline habitats, and provide a tool for science, land-use planning and management, oil spill response, and other natural resource management applications.  The Oregon ShoreZone project team customized the ShoreZone system to increase the capacity to evaluate biological and physical habitat features at the landscape scale, furthering the work that had been developed in Alaska.  Results of the mapping effort will be presented, emphasizing areas where the new ShoreZone data complement past habitat surveys.