Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Pennsylvania
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Currently 4 Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas (WPRAs), with 10 study areas for pheasant research and monitoring, have been established in Pennsylvania to investigate if the trap and transfer of wild pheasants from mid-west and western states can establish sustainable, huntable populations of wild pheasants in Pennsylvania. The PGC has collected detailed habitat patch data that can be compared to pheasant population densities to build a Predictive Pheasant Habitat Model (PPHM). However, the habitat patch data is not in a GIS data base. The conversion of the habitat patch maps to a GIS, digital data base will allow robust and spatial analysis of the habitat data. A more effective and predictive Pheasant Habitat Model can then be developed and applied across Pennsylvania. This will allow the identification of potentially suitable pheasant habitat and identify the amount and location of habitat restoration needed to produce sustainable and huntable pheasant populations. Project Deliverables: 1. A raster or polygon layer of habitats for each of the 160 buffered circles with associated metadata to include latitude-longitude of sampling point, habitat category for each habitat patch to Anderson
Level IV codes or equivalent, and hectares for each habitat patch. 2. A KML file and ARC GIS Shape file for all habitat patches and habitat circles. 3. Summary of habitat categories for all buffered circles included in the PGC Pheasant Model (developed land, cropland, forest land, and hayland and pasture) for the 3 WPRAs provided by field operations.