Description: The data for this layer was retrieved from the New Mexico Statewide 2020 NAIP Imagery-Based Beaver Dam Census. The attribute table for this study was slightly modified, to allow for easier interpretation on an online map. The following fields were removed from the original shapefile: FID, fid_1, Event ID, Layer ID, metadata, and observer. The field names were changed for the following: Dam CER to Dam Certainty, Type CER to Type Certainty, huc8 to HUC 8, name_hu8 to HUC 8 Name, huc10 to HUC 10, and name_hu10 to HUC 10 name.According to the study, the census used high-resolution aerial imagery to conduct photointerpretation. The imagery came from the USDA NAIP for the summer of 2020. The analysis conducted on the rasters to obtain this layer was the NAIP imagery, 'false color composite' or CIR, and NDVI. A beaver dam was listed as "active" if there was a dam with a pooling of water at the foot of dam and the dam was part of a linear feature. This was further validated by conical pond shapes, slightly curved or s-shaped crest structure, riparian harvest, skid trails, and lodges. A beaver dam is listed as "inactive" if there are cues indicative of lack of recent maintenance (ex. vegetation growth on dam, breached or deteriorated structure, reduced/absent ponded water, absence of fresh cutting, and changes in flow pattern). A beaver dam is listed as "relic" if there is a lack of impounded water, overgrowth of vegetation on and around the dam, structural degradation, and/or the presence of alluvial fans, levees, or microterraces.Use Limitation: The study and supporting documentation was published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Service Item Id: 59ccd1415f7743c18abda85c140b369f
Copyright Text: Macfarlane WW, Gunnell C, Fielder A, Baker D, Wood M, Sargeant P, Gilbert J. 2025. New Mexico Statewide 2020 NAIP Imagery-Based Beaver Dam Census. Prepared for Defenders of Wildlife. Prepared by Riverscapes Assessment & Monitoring Lab, Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT. 30 pages.