Nutrient Reduction (Midwest Conservation Blueprint 2026 Indicator)

<div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><strong>Definition</strong></div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>This indicator represents the minimization of nutrient loading that leads to issues in downstream waters (e.g. harmful and nuisance algal blooms) in both the Gulf and the Great Lakes. It prioritizes areas based on a catchment's contribution to the loading of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediments into water. Pixels can take the following values:</div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><ul><li>1 – Low nutrient load, not a natural asset</li><li>2 – Low nutrient load, natural assets</li><li>3 – Medium nutrient load, not a natural asset</li><li>4 – Medium nutrient load, natural assets</li><li>5 – High nutrient load, not a natural asset</li><li>6 – High nutrient load, natural assets</li></ul></div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><strong>Selection</strong></div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>This indicator was chosen as a targetable, important feature of the MLI goals that will be used to track conditions over time and prioritize areas for conservation. Indicators were defined through elicitation and prioritization exercises with federal and state participants. Criteria for the indicators includes 1) actionable, 2) measurable, 3) relevant to multiple groups across the region, and/or 4) representative of other social and/or environmental values.<br />&nbsp;</div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'><strong>Input Data &amp; Mapping Steps</strong></div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>This indicator originates from the USGS 2012 SPARROW Model for the Midwest. To create this layer, MLI partners, members, and staff completed the following mapping steps: projected all input data to NAD83 (2011) UTM Zone 15N, joined the nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment data with catchment boundaries to spatially depict the nutrient loading of each catchment, mosaicked the results of each nutrient into a single raster, and emphasized natural assets within each catchment in the final raster resulting in the following values: 1 – Low nutrient load, not a natural asset, 2 – Low nutrient load, natural assets, 3 – Median nutrient load, not a natural asset, 4 – Median nutrient load, natural assets, 5 – High nutrient load, not a natural asset, 6 – High nutrient load, natural assets. Finally, we removed highly altered areas using our Highly Altered Areas mask.</div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>&nbsp;</div><div style='background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(74, 74, 74); font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-weight:400; letter-spacing:normal; line-height:1.5; text-align:start; text-decoration-color:initial; text-decoration-style:initial; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; word-spacing:0px;'>For full mapping details, please refer to the&nbsp;<a style='border:0px solid currentcolor; box-sizing:border-box; color:rgb(0, 97, 155); font-family:inherit; line-height:1.5; text-decoration:none;' target='_blank' href='https://fws.maps.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/e983a4ff0f6d475cb9336fba1c1fbbaa/data' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Midwest Conservation Blueprint Development Process</a>. For a complete download of all Blueprint input and output data, visit the&nbsp;<a target='_blank' href='https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/69851105b66b018dbd961c58' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Midwest Conservation Blueprint 2026 Data Download.</a></div>