New York Nature Explorer

About The Data

This page contains four sections:

DATA COVERAGE AND SOURCES

New York Nature Explorer provides distribution and status information on New York's animals, plants, and significant natural communities. The information is housed in databases maintained by NYS DEC.

New York Nature Explorer currently includes information from the following source databases.

  • Rare animals, rare plants, and significant natural communities documented in the biodiversity databases of the New York Natural Heritage Program. Significant natural communities are rare or high-quality wetlands, forests, grasslands, ponds, streams, and other types of habitats, ecosystems, and ecological areas.
  • Birds documented as breeding during the 2nd NYS Breeding Bird Atlas Project from 2000-2005.
  • Reptiles and amphibians in NYS DEC's Reptile and Amphibian Database; most records are from the NYS Amphibian & Reptile Atlas Project (Herp Atlas) from 1990-1999.
More details about each database follow below. In addition, websites for each of these source datasets are available.

Note: Animals listed as Endangered or Threatened by New York State, and animals and plants particularly vulnerable to collection and disturbance, are reported by NY Nature Explorer only at the level of county and watershed, but not at the level of town or user-defined location.

NY Natural Heritage Biodiversity Databases

The New York Natural Heritage Program facilitates the conservation of New York's biodiversity by providing comprehensive information and scientific expertise on rare species and natural ecosystems to resource managers and other conservation partners. NY Natural Heritage maintains the most comprehensive database on the locations and status of rare animals and plants that are rare in New York State and on the locations and status of significant natural communities in New York State. This database is dynamic, with new and updated information entered daily.


Rare animals and plants included in New York Nature Explorer:
  • all animals listed by NYS as Endangered or Threatened
  • all plants listed by NYS as Endangered or Threatened
  • some animals listed by NYS as Special Concern
  • some plants listed by NYS as Rare
  • some species not officially listed by NYS, but which nevertheless are rare in New York.

Animals and plants listed under New York State regulations as Endangered, Threatened, Special Concern, and Rare are protected under New York State law. Unlisted species, while not under the same level of regulatory protection as listed species, are ranked by NY Natural Heritage as rare in New York State, and therefore are a vulnerable natural resource of conservation concern.

Animal groups represented in the NY Natural Heritage database are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, butterflies and moths, dragonflies and damselflies, beetles, mayflies, crayfish, freshwater mussels, and snails.

Plant groups represented in the NY Natural Heritage database are flowering plants, conifers, ferns and "fern allies", and mosses.

Significant natural communities are rare or high-quality wetlands, forests, grasslands, ponds, streams, and other types of habitats, ecosystems, and ecological areas. NY Natural Heritage calls these different types of habitats or ecosystems "natural ecological communities." NY Natural Heritage's classification of natural communities recognizes 174 distinct natural community types. NY Natural Heritage documents only those locations of natural communities where the community type is rare in New York State; or, for more common community types, where the community at that location is a high-quality example and meets specific, documented criteria for state significance in terms of size, undisturbed and intact condition, and the quality of the surrounding landscape.

NY Natural Heritage keeps track of locations of significant natural communities because they serve as habitat for a wide range of plants and animals, both rare and common; and because natural communities in good condition provide ecological value and services. The conservation of high-quality examples of all the natural community types in each region of New York State will help ensure that all New York State's plants and animals are preserved.

A natural ecological community is defined as an assemblage of interacting plant and animal populations that share a common environment; the particular assemblage of plant and animal species occurs across the landscape in areas with similar environmental conditions. Freshwater wetland, estuarine, and upland natural communities are classified according to their dominant vegetation and their physical setting; aquatic, marine, and cave natural communities are classified according to their physical setting and their dominant flora and fauna. Examples of community types include deep emergent marsh, red maple-hardwood swamp, dwarf shrub bog, hemlock-northern hardwood forest, and tidal creek.

The sources of the records of rare plants and animals in NY Natural Heritage's databases are data and maps from field surveys (by Heritage staff, NYS DEC staff, private conservation groups, scientific researchers, and others), museum specimens, project reports, contributions from interested parties, and other secondary sources. These records are compiled by NY Natural Heritage. The information is not necessarily the result of comprehensive or site-specific field investigations; in some cases locations have been derived from literature or museum searches or historic records.

The sources of natural community records in the NY Natural Heritage's databases are information and maps from field surveys and from aerial photo interpretation by Heritage staff.

Disclaimer: The locations reported in New York Nature Explorer are not the only places in New York with rare animals or rare plants, or with rare or significant natural communities; they are only the places we know about and have documented in the New York Natural Heritage Program's Biodiversity Databases. Not all of New York State has been surveyed, so if your area of interest shows no locations of rare animals or rare plants, or of significant natural communities, we can't definitively say there are none there; all we can say is that NY Natural Heritage has no information about that area.

In addition to locations of rare plants and animals, and of significant natural communities, there are other types of areas important for biodiversity which are not included in this application, such as riparian corridors, large forest blocks, concentrations of more common plants and animals, and areas with local significance.

NY Natural Heritage is a partnership between the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and The Nature Conservancy. NY Natural Heritage is a member of an international network of analogous programs in North and Latin America, including one in every U.S. state and Canadian province. With coordination from NatureServe, the Heritage network has developed standardized methods for gathering, managing, and analyzing biological and ecological data, referred collectively as Natural Heritage Methodology.

2nd NYS Breeding Bird Atlas Project

The Breeding Bird Atlas is a comprehensive, statewide survey designed to reveal the distribution of breeding birds in New York. This second Atlas project in New York was conducted from 2000-2005, and resulted in the new publication The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State, edited by Kevin J. McGowan and Kimberley Corwin (released in December 2008), and in the associated database. (The 1988 publication, The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State edited by Robert F. Andrle and Janet R. Carroll, resulted from the first Breeding Bird Atlas Project in New York, conducted from 1980-1985.) The recently completed project used the same methodology as the first Atlas to document striking changes in bird distribution that occurred in the ensuing twenty years. Over half of our 253 breeding bird species showed a significant change in their distribution, with 70 species showing increases and 58 species showing declines.

Five years of fieldwork by more than 1,200 contributors provided the data for the second Breeding Bird Atlas. Each Breeding Bird Atlas survey block measures 5 x 5 km (3 x 3 mi); there are 5,332 blocks in the entire state. Atlas volunteers visited various habitats within their assigned block(s) and recorded evidence of breeding behavior for the birds they see, using defined Breeding Codes. Breeding Codes were assigned to one of three categories to indicate the certainty of breeding: Confirmed, Probable, or Possible breeding. (Since NY Nature Explorer is reporting the presence of a bird in a county, it reports all birds documented in a county regardless of breeding category.)

Disclaimer: The Breeding Bird Atlas is a presence/absence survey. While a record of a species in a block is highly suggestive of its breeding presence there, the lack of a record does not guarantee absence of the species as a breeder in the block. Atlas volunteers were directed to work in a block until 76 species had been recorded; therefore, the list of species reported breeding within a block was not intended to be comprehensive. Statements regarding changes in species distribution must not disregard potential differences in observer effort and ability.

The New York State Ornithological Association and the Department of Environmental Conservation sponsored this project in cooperation with New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University, Cornell University Department of Natural Resources, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Audubon New York.

NYS Reptile and Amphibian Database (NY Herp Atlas)

The Herp Atlas Project was a ten year survey designed to document the geographic distribution of the approximately 70 amphibians and reptiles of New York State. The survey information is used to monitor changes in reptile and amphibian populations, guiding habitat and wildlife management decisions. A publication on the results of the Herp Atlas Project is forthcoming.

The word "herp" is short for herpetofauna, which is the general term for amphibians and reptiles as a group. Frogs, toads and salamanders are amphibians, while turtles, snakes and lizards are reptiles.

The survey began in 1990 and continued through the end of 1999. The unit of measurement for collecting atlas data is the USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle. Volunteers reported their observations of herps within each topographic quadrangle on "blue cards", and the information was entered into the NYS Reptile and Amphibian Database.

The Herp Atlas was sponsored by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, with support from many other agencies and organizations.



EXPLANATION OF INFORMATION IN THE LISTS

The lists produced by New York Nature Explorer provide the following information for each species and natural community.

Note: Animals listed as Endangered or Threatened by New York State, and animals and plants particularly vulnerable to collection and disturbance, are reported by NY Nature Explorer only at the level of county and watershed, but not at the level of town or user-defined location.

Common Name and Scientific Name

For plants and animals, the common name is its "plain English" name, and the scientific name is a standardized two- or three-part name understood around the world. Names in NY Nature Explorer are those used in the database of the New York Natural Heritage Program. Names are based on generally accepted references, augmented by recent scientific literature and expert opinion.

For natural communities, the names of community types are documented in New York Natural Heritage's "Ecological Communities of New York State, Second Edition" (draft).

For more information on references for names, see the "Names and Taxonomy" section of this page.

Group and Subgroup

For animals and plants, the group and subgroup are sets of related species to which the species belongs. Groups are based on taxonomic phyla, classes, and orders, and subgroups are based on taxonomic phyla, classes, orders, and families. However, groups and subgroups are not always equivalent to a single taxonomic group, and they are given English names.

For natural communities, group and subgroup are the system and subsystem, respectively, to which the natural community belongs. Natural communities are grouped into seven systems: marine, tidal wetlands (estuarine), rivers and streams (riverine), lakes and ponds (lacustrine), freshwater nontidal wetlands (palustrine), uplands (terrestrial), and subterranean (caves). Marine and tidal wetland systems are divided into subtidal and intertidal subsystems. The freshwater nontidal wetlands system is divided into open mineral soil wetlands, forested mineral soil wetlands, open peatlands, and forested peatlands. The uplands system is divided into open uplands, barrens and woodlands, and forested uplands. The rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, and subterranean systems each have one subsystem.

Distribution Status

Status of the presence of the species or natural community type in a given county, town/city, or watershed, as recorded in New York Nature Explorer's source databases. Values are:

Recently confirmed = Documented, with confirmed identification, within the last 30 years.

Historically confirmed = Last documented, with confirmed identification, more than 30 years ago; current presence is unknown, but could still be present.

Possible, but not confirmed = Has not been documented but has been confirmed nearby, or has been reported but identification has not been confirmed

Extirpated = Has been documented in the past, but is now believed to no longer occur in the given county, town/city, or watershed.

Year Last Documented

The most recent year the species or community type was observed in a given county, town/city, or watershed, as documented in New York Nature Explorer's source databases.

A value of "2000 - 2005" indicates that the species was most recently documented in Nature Explorer's source databases during the second NYS Breeding Bird Atlas Project, conducted from 2000 to 2005.

A value of "1990-1999" indicates that the species was most recently documented in Nature Explorer's source databases during the NY Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project, conducted from 1990 to 1999.

State Protection Status

For animals and plants, the legal protected status under New York State Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) and under New York State regulations. The highest level of protection is given to species listed by New York State as Endangered or Threatened. Regulations regarding animals are administered by NYS DEC's Division of Fish, Wildlife, and Marine Resources. Regulations regarding plants are administered by NYS DEC's Division of Lands and Forests.

(While significant natural communities are recognized as an important facet of biodiversity in the law creating the NY Natural Heritage Program (ECL §11-0539), there are no laws or regulations establishing official listing of natural communities. Some natural communities are afforded legal protection through other natural resource regulations, such as freshwater wetland regulations.)

For Animals, categories of Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern species are defined in New York State ECL §11-0535. Animals listed as Endangered or Threatened are protected against taking, importation, transportation, possession, or sale without a permit. Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern species are listed in regulation 6NYCRR 182.5.

According to Regulation 6NYCRR 182.2:

  • Endangered Species are any species which meet one of the following criteria:
    1. Any native species in imminent danger of extirpation or extinction in New York.
    2. Any species listed as endangered by the United States Department of the Interior, as enumerated in the Code of Federal Regulations 50 CFR 17.11.
  • Threatened Species are any species which meet one of the following criteria:
    1. Any native species likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future in New York.
    2. Any species listed as threatened by the U.S. Department of the Interior, as enumerated in the Code of the Federal Regulations 50 CFR 17.11.
  • Special Concern Species are species of fish and wildlife found by the department to be at risk of becoming threatened in New York. Species of special concern do not qualify as either endangered or threatened.

While Special Concern animals are not as rare as those listed as Endangered or Threatened, there is concern for their continued welfare in New York. NYS DEC may promulgate regulations as to the taking, importation, transportation, possession or sale as it deems necessary for the proper protection of such species (ECL §11-0535).

Other categories of protected animals are defined in ECL §11-0103. "Protected birds" are all wild birds except house sparrow, starling, pigeons, and parrots and parakeets. (ECL §11-0505 provides that "No person shall rob or willfully destroy a nest of any protected birds" without a permit.) Some bird and mammals, and all native reptiles and amphibians, are defined as game species. Hunting and trapping are permitted only during open seasons as set by NYS DEC. Some game species have no open seasons set, and so hunting and trapping them is not allowed at any time.

Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern animals; wild game animals, including native reptiles and amphibians; protected birds; fish protected by law; and harbor seals are defined as protected wildlife, for which taking, killing, sale, transport, and possession are prohibited except as permitted under Fish and Wildlife Law (ECL §11-0107).

NY Nature Explorer uses the following categories in reporting State Protection Status for animals:

  • Endangered - Listed as Endangered by New York State.
  • Threatened - Listed as Threatened by New York State.
  • Special Concern - Listed as Special Concern by New York State.

(The above three categories also include some species also listed as Protected Birds and/or as Game Species.)

Protected Bird -- Defined as a Protected Bird by New York State law. Includes birds also defined as a game species, but for which no open seasons are set.

Game with no open season - Defined as a Game species (other than birds) by New York State law, but there are no open seasons set and the species may not be hunted or taken at any time in New York.

Protected Bird - with open season - Defined as a Protected Bird by New York State law and as a Game species; there are open seasons set when the species may be legally hunted or trapped.

Game with open season - Defined as a Game species (other than birds) by New York State law, and there are open seasons set when the species may be legally hunted or trapped.

Protected in law - Protected by specific mention in New York State law; hunting or taking of the species is not legal at any time in New York.

Protected - no open season - New York State regulations specifically prohibit any open seasons, and possession and taking of the species is not permitted at any time in New York. (This category is used only when none of the above categories are applicable.)

For Plants, categories of Endangered, Threatened, Rare, and Exploitably Vulnerable are defined in ECL §9-1503. Plants in these categories are protected against picking, removal, or damaging with herbicides without the consent of the landowner. Endangered, Threatened, Rare, and Exploitably Vulnerable species are listed in regulation 6NYCRR 193.3.

According to Regulation 6NYCRR 193.3:

  • Endangered native plants: in danger of extirpation throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges within the state and requiring remedial action to prevent such extinction. Listed plants are those with:
    1. 5 or fewer extant sites, or
    2. fewer than 1,000 individuals, or
    3. restricted to fewer than 4 U.S.G.S. 7 1/2 minute topographical maps, or
    4. species listed as endangered by U.S. Dept. of Interior, as enumerated in Code of Federal Regulations 50 CFR 17.11.
  • Threatened native plants: likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges in the state. Listed plants are those with:
    1. 6 to fewer than 20 extant sites, or
    2. 1,000 to fewer than 3,000 individuals, or
    3. restricted to not less than 4 or more than 7 U.S.G.S. 7 and 1/2 minute topographical maps, or
    4. listed as threatened by U.S. Department of Interior, as enumerated in Code of Federal Regulations 50 CFR 17.11.
  • Rare native plants: listed plants have:
    1. 20 to 35 extant sites, or
    2. 3,000 to 5,000 individuals statewide.
  • Exploitably vulnerable: listed plants are likely to become threatened in the near future throughout all or a significant portion of their range within the state if causal factors continue unchecked.

Federal Protection Status

For animals and plants, the listing status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, as it applies to populations of the species in New York State. Listing provides legal protection for this species at the federal level. Listing categories are Endangered, Threatened, or Candidate.

The U.S. Endangered Species Act (US ESA) of 1974 is the primary legislation that affords federal legal protections to threatened and endangered species in the United States, and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). As defined by the Act, endangered refers to species that are "in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range," while threatened refers to "those animals and plants likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges." Plant species and varieties (including fungi and lichens), animal species and subspecies, and vertebrate animal populations are eligible for listing under the Act.

Status under the US ESA reported by New York Nature Explorer is based on formal notices published by USFWS or NMFS in the Federal Register that propose or declare an amendment to Code of Federal Regulations 50 Part 17 Section 11 or 12 (i.e., changes to the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants).

In some cases only distinct population segments of vertebrate animals may be listed as threatened or endangered under the US ESA. Listed populations may be defined by geopolitical boundaries (i.e., the status applies to the species only within certain states, even though the species may range more broadly), or populations may be defined administratively (e.g., experimental populations). Status under the US ESA reported by New York Nature Explorer is the status as it applies to the populations of the species in New York State.

Due to some geographically defined statuses, a species may have two different protection statuses within a particular state. For example, piping plover populations around the Great Lakes are listed as Endangered, and populations along the Atlantic coast are listed as Threatened. Therefore, in New York State piping plover is listed as both Endangered and Threatened.

Conservation Ranks

Determining which plants and animals are thriving and which are rare or declining is crucial for targeting conservation towards those species and habitats in greatest need. NatureServe and its Natural Heritage member programs have developed a consistent method for evaluating the relative imperilment of both species and ecological communities. These assessments lead to the designation of conservation status ranks.

Each species and natural community type is assigned a conservation status rank. The ranks are based on a one to five scale, ranging from 1 = critically imperiled to 5 = demonstrably secure (common and widespread). Status is assessed and documented at global and state levels. These status assessments are based on the best available information, and consider a variety of factors such as abundance/rarity, distribution, population trends, and threats. As new information becomes available, ranks may be revised.

Natural Heritage conservation status ranks carry no legal or regulatory weight. However, they can be one factor used by the Federal and state governments in deciding which species receive legal protected status, such as listing as Endangered or Threatened.

(More information on assigning conservation status ranks is available from NatureServe (leaving DEC website))

State Conservation Rank

A rank assigned by New York Natural Heritage indicating how imperiled the species or community type is in New York State. The conservation rank is based on how rare the species or community type is in New York, and on population trends and threats.

Basic ranks are:

  • S1 - Critically Imperiled
  • S2 - Imperiled
  • S3 - Vulnerable
  • S4 - Apparently Secure
  • S5 - Definitely Secure
  • SH - Historical in New York, not seen in last 30 years but could still be present
  • SX - Extirpated, no longer present in New York
  • SU - Unrankable - Currently unrankable due to lack of information or due to substantially conflicting information about status or trends.
  • SNR - Not Ranked, state conservation status not yet assessed.
  • SNA - Not Applicable, because the species is not a suitable target for conservation activities (e.g., species is a hybrid, a domesticated species, not native to New York, an accidental or infrequent visitor outside of its normal range, a transient or migrant just passing through the state, or a species with only unconfirmed or doubtful reports).

Variations of these ranks include:

  • Range ranks, such as S1S2, indicate not enough information is available to distinguish between two single ranks.
  • ? after a rank, such as S2?, indicates some uncertainty about the true rank, but is most likely the assigned rank.
  • B after a rank, such as S2B, indicates the rank applies to the breeding populations in New York of a migratory animal.
  • N after a rank, such as S3N, indicates the rank applies to the non-breeding populations in New York of a migratory animal.

Global Conservation Rank

A rank indicating how imperiled the species or community type is throughout the world. The conservation rank is based on how rare the species or community type is across its global range, and on population trends and threats. For species, these ranks provide an estimate of extinction risk; while for natural communities, they provide an estimate of the risk of elimination.

Basic ranks are:

  • G1 - Critically Imperiled (very high risk of extinction)
  • G2 - Imperiled (high risk of extinction)
  • G3 - Vulnerable (moderate risk of extinction)
  • G4 - Apparently Secure
  • G5 - Definitely Secure
  • GH - Possibly Extinct, not seen anywhere in last 30 years but could still exist
  • GX - Extinct, no longer present anywhere in the world
  • GU - Unrankable - Currently unrankable due to lack of information or due to substantially conflicting information about status or trends.
  • GNR - Not Ranked, global conservation status not yet assessed.
  • GNA - Not Applicable, because the species is not a suitable target for conservation activities (e.g., species is a hybrid, or a domesticated species).

Variations of these ranks include:

  • Range ranks, such as G1G2, indicate not enough information is available to distinguish between two single ranks.
  • ? after a rank, such as G2?, indicates some uncertainty about the rank, but is most likely the assigned rank.
  • T ranks, such as T3, indicate the rank applies to a subspecies or variety, but not to the species as a whole.

Global conservation status ranks are assigned by NatureServe, with guidance from local Natural Heritage Programs and from experts on particular taxonomic groups.

The occurrence details provided by New York Nature Explorer include the following information for each occurrence of the species or community at each specific location in the county, town or watershed. Occurrence details come from the database of the New York Natural Heritage Program.

Date Last Documented

The date that the rare species or natural community was most recently observed at this location, as documented in the Natural Heritage databases. The format is most often YYYY MM DD.

Data First Documented

The date that the rare species or natural community was first observed at this location, as documented in the Natural Heritage databases. The format is most often YYYY MM DD.

EO Number

A unique identifier for this occurrence record.

Site Description

A description of the general area and habitat where this occurrence is, or was, found.

For natural communities only:

Rank Comments

For natural communities, comments regarding the reasons for the significance of this occurrence and regarding its relative quality, particularly in regards to area, condition, and landscape context.

EO Rank

A letter code for the quality and viability of the occurrence. For communities, the rank is based on the occurrence's size (area), condition (including maturity, lack of unnatural disturbance, intact ecological processes, presence of native species, and lack of invasive species), and landscape context. See the Rank Comments field for comments on this rank.

Values of EO Rank include

  • A = excellent quality and viability
  • B = good quality and viability
  • C = fair quality and viability
  • D = poor quality and viability
  • E = verified extant (with insufficient information to rank A D)
  • F = failed to find during most recent surveys (but may still be present)
  • H = historical with no recent information
  • X = extirpated (no longer exists) from that location (most often due to destruction of habitat)

EO ranks provide a standard for comparing occurrences of a given community type to each other. A-ranked community occurrences are among the largest and highest quality of their type. They are large enough to provided reasonable assurance of long-term viability of ecological processes; are relatively undisturbed by humans or have nearly recovered from past human disturbance; and typically exhibit little or no unnatural fragmentation. Exotic or particularly invasive native species are usually absent from high-quality community occurrences, of if present, are observed at very low levels.

Acres

The size of this occurrence of the natural community, in acres.

EO Data

For natural communities, data collected on the vegetation structure and composition of this community occurrence.

NAMES AND TAXONOMY

The scientific names, common names, and taxonomy (system of classifying plants and animals) used in New York Nature Explorer are those used in the database of the New York Natural Heritage Program, and are based on the following major references and sources, augmented by recent scientific literature and expert opinion.

Note: In some cases, a plant or animal has a formerly accepted scientific name, or more than one scientific name is currently in use. The scientific name used in an official federal or state listing may differ from that used by NY Nature Explorer. These alternative names are recorded as synonyms in NY Nature Explorer's database. Information for the plant or animal is accessible through the Search by Species tab by entering any of these alternative names.

Birds -- American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk, through the 49th Supplement, Banks, et.al., August 2008]. Also available online (leaving DEC website).

Reptiles and Amphibians -- Scientific And Standard English Names Of Amphibians And Reptiles Of North America North Of Mexico, With Comments Regarding Confidence In Our Understanding. Sixth Edition. Committee On Standard English And Scientific Names. Crother, et.al. Society For The Study Of Amphibians And Reptiles Herpetological Circular No. 37. January 2008.

Other Animals - Names and taxonomy generally as accepted by NatureServe and used in NatureServe Explorer, with some modifications by NY Natural Heritage staff. NatureServe Explorer (leaving DEC website) describes NatureServe's process of accepting names and lists its major references for vertebrate and invertebrate names and taxonomy.

Plants - Taxonomy and names are those used in the New York Flora Atlas (leaving DEC website) (Weldy, Troy and David Werier. 2009. New York Flora Atlas. [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research. University of South Florida]. New York Flora Association, Albany, New York).

Natural Communities -- Edinger, G.J., D.J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T.G. Howard, D.M. Hunt, and A.M. Olivero (editors). 2002. Ecological Communities of New York State. Second Edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke's Ecological Communities of New York State. (Draft for review). New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.

COUNTIES, TOWNS, AND WATERSHEDS

In addition to New York's 62 Counties and 999 Towns, NY Nature Explorer's lists and maps also include separate entries for offshore open waters that are part of New York State but that are not within the jurisdiction of any county or town. These offshore open waters include Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Atlantic Ocean/Long Island Sound.

The Towns reported by NY Nature Explorer do not include Villages, but do include separate listings for reservation lands of Native American tribal nations.

The Watersheds reported by NY Nature Explorer are based on 8-digit hydrological units, originally delineated by the U.S. Geological Survey and digitized by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and NYS DEC. Some further modifications have been made by NY Natural Heritage; most notably, some sets of hydrological units have been combined and are reported as single watersheds in NY Nature Explorer. A hydrologic unit is the area of land upstream from a specific point on a surface waterbody and that drains to that point. 8-digit hydrological units delineate watersheds at the scale of sub-basin. These hydrological units were delineated at a coarse scale, and their boundaries are not guaranteed to be accurate when zoomed in.