Bluff Analysis for Potential Peregrine Falcon Nesting Locations within the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A), 2002-2012

This data set refines potential peregrine falcon nest habitat within the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska (NPR-A), aids in the interpretation of nest site selection and potential habitat based on the surface geology and geomorphology of the region, determines the key characteristics for the selection of nest sites in known nesting locations relatively to optimal sites in areas without known nesting occurrence, and helps in developing strategies for detecting potential shifts in the distribution of potential nesting habitat. Components of the data development included conducting geospatial analysis using digital elevation models, high-resolution remotely sensed imagery, and geomorphology. A tiered classification scheme was also developed to identify high, moderate, and low likelihood associated with falcon nest site selection. Field surveys were conducted to ground-truth the geospatial data layer and a final report and journal manuscript were prepared to describe the activities and findings from the research.

This GIS dataset consists of 16,141 bluff features (extracted from 5m resolution IfSAR data) and provides information on spatial geometry, relational distance information, surface geology, and other important conditions.