Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program – 2021 habitat map, West Chenier Region

The Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program was developed by Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and is implemented as a component of the System Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP). The program uses both historical data and contemporary data collections to assess and monitor changes in the aerial and subaqueous extent of islands, habitat types, sediment texture and geotechnical properties, environmental processes, and vegetation composition. Examples of BICM datasets include still and video aerial photography for documenting shoreline changes, shoreline positions, habitat mapping, land change analyses, light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys for topographic elevations, single-beam and swath bathymetry, and sediment grab samples. For more information about the BICM program, see Kindinger and others (2013). The U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center provides support to the BICM program through the development of habitat map products using aerial imagery and lidar elevation data and assessing change in habitats over time. These data provide a snapshot of barrier island habitats and can be combined with other past and/or future maps to monitor these valuable natural resources over time. Previous efforts of this habitat mapping program included developing habitat maps for 2008 and 2015-2016 for the following BICM regions (Enwright and others, 2020): 1) West Chenier; 2) East Chenier; 3) Acadiana Bays (only Marsh Island); 4) Early Lafourche Delta; 5) Late Lafourche Delta; 6) Modern Delta (only Chaland Headland and Shell Island); and 7) Chandeleur Islands. Additionally, a habitat change analysis was conducted comparing reaches mapped in 2008 and 2015-2016. The current effort of this habitat mapping program includes developing habitat maps for 2021 for the previously mentioned regions. A habitat change analysis will be conducted comparing reaches mapped 2015-2016 and 2021. The BICM program has developed two habitat classification schemes which include a detailed 15-class habitat scheme and a general eight-class habitat scheme. The detailed scheme was developed specifically for this habitat mapping effort and builds off the general scheme used in previous BICM habitat mapping efforts (Fearnley and others, 2009). The additional classes developed in the detailed scheme are primarily used to further delineate various dune habitats, separate marsh and mangrove, and distinguish between beach and unvegetated barrier flat habitats. To ensure comparability between this effort and previous BICM map products, we have crosswalked the detailed classes to general habitat classes previously used by Fearnley and others (2009). In other words, the general habitat classes included in these products were not directly interpreted using aerial imagery and lidar elevation data. Thus, we recommend only using these general habitat classes for analyses that include previous BICM habitat maps (1996-2005). For more information about the BICM program, see Kindinger and others (2013). For more details on BICM habitat classes, see the Entity and Attribute Information section of the metadata. Please consult the accompanying readME.txt file for information and recommendations on the contents of this dataset (i.e., dataset and recommended symbology). For more information about the BICM program, see Kindinger and others (2013). References: Kindinger, J.L., Buster, N.A., Flocks, J.G., Bernier, J.C., and Kulp, M.A., 2013, Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program summary report—Data and analyses 2006 through 2010: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2013–1083, 86 p., at https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1083/. Enwright, N.M., SooHoo, W.M., Dugas, J.L., Conzelmann, C.P., Laurenzano, C., Lee, D.M., Mouton, K., and Stelly, S.J., 2020, Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program—Mapping habitats in beach, dune, and intertidal environments along the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico shoreline, 2008 and 2015–16: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1030, 57 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201030. Fearnley, S., Brien, L., Martinez, L., Miner, M., Kulp, M., and Penland, S., 2009, Chenier Plain, South-Central Louisiana, and Chandeleur Islands, Habitat mapping and change analysis 1996 to 2005, Part 1—Methods for habitat mapping and change analysis 1996 to 2005—Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program (BICM) 5: New Orleans, University of New Orleans, Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences, 11 p.