A Mississippi Watershed Management Organization Watershed Assessment: Natural Resources Inventory and Minnesota Land Cover Classification System Mapping

November 2008

Abstract

The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) retained the services of the Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services in 2006 to conduct an assessment of the land cover and natural areas for the watershed and a defined extended study area outside of the boundaries of the aforementioned watershed. The methodology that was used to conduct this study was the Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCCS) developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR). This study is unique in that it occurs in a highly urbanized area, and, as described by modifiers in the MLCCS, it goes into further detail than other studies for this area. As part of this additional detail, this study and associated spatial dataset describes the land cover to the nearest one percent in impervious cover, documents tree species and canopy in cultural and semi-natural areas, and utilizes a more refined area assessment of ¼ -acre resolution rather than the standard 0.5 hectare (1.23 acres) for natural areas and 1.0 hectare (2.47 acres) for cultural areas.

Author

Prepared by: Critical Connections Ecological Services, Inc., and Hennepin County Environmental Services

Suggested Citation

Mississippi Watershed Management Organization. 2008. A Mississippi Watershed Management Organization Watershed Assessment: Land Cover Classification & Natural Resource Inventory. 191 pp.

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