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Maps & GIS DataDriftless Area Online Mapping Tool Explore resources in your area with the new Driftless Area Online Mapping Tool. This tool is currently under development, so check back as new functionality and resource assessments are added. Resource assessments currently available include: * Erosion Potential (RUSLE2 Model),
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Cartographic Products for the Driftless Area A variety of cartographic products published by the Driftless Area
Initiative are included below. Links to high resolution PDF maps are
also provided. However, some of these PDF maps are very large files
and may take a while to load. Click on the thumbnail images for faster
access to low resolution maps in JPG format.
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Driftless Area Regional Overview The Driftless Area is a unique region in the Upper Mississippi River Basin encompassing
southeast Minnesota, southwest and west -central Wisconsin, northeast Iowa, and a part
of northwest Illinois. The glaciers that covered much of the Midwest bypassed the Driftless
Area, giving rivers time to cut down into ancient bedrock and create distinctive landforms.
Many of the soils that cover the steep slopes are fragile, ecosystems are diverse, and most
of the cold-water streams and rivers are recognized on a state and national basis for their
economic, environmental, and recreational importance. (High Resolution PDF-35.7MB)
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Slope/Elevation Change Slope of the land is an important factor related to storm water run-off. Runoff is a major
contributor to soil erosion and water pollution. Other factors related to soil loss and
sediment/nutrient loading of streams and rivers include: soil type, vegetative cover, rainfall
intensity, the distance water can flow before it is slowed by terrain or vegetation, and
conservation practices used on the land.
(High Resolution PDF-19.1MB) |
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Topography/Landforms Topography is something that most people can relate to intuitively. When looking at a topographic map,
many people will try to find the valley or ridgeline their property is on. This hillshade map provides an
opportunity to examine the unique landforms of the Driftless Area, and envision the factors involved with
watershed boundaries, land use, and conservation priorities.
(High Resolution PDF-106MB) |
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Erosion Potential (RUSLE2) The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation can be used to develop regional maps showing broad patterns
of erosion risk across the landscape. This map incorporates information about slope, length of slope,
soils, rainfall, and vegetative cover to develop a picture of how erosion risk is distributed across
the Driftless Area landscape, and surrounding watersheds. It is important to keep in mind that specific
conservation practices employed by farmers will mitigate much of the erosion risk depicted by this map.
(High Reolution PDF-2.25MB) |
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Land Use/Land Cover Land use has a profound influence on the way in which rainfall and other water reaching the
surface of our land affects agricultural productivity, flooding, soil loss, pollutant loading of
surface waters, and an array of other factors critical to the health of our ecosystems and
economy. Healthy vegetative cover (forests and grasslands) filter and promote the infiltration
of water into the ground, supplying a constant source of recharge to high quality streams and
rivers. (High Resolution PDF-14.9MB) |
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Watersheds/Hydrologic Units Watersheds are defined as an area within which water that is deposited on the ground (through
rainfall, irrigation, snow melt, or other means) will drain to a common exit point.
Watersheds provide a natural unit for managment planning, as conservation activities within
a watershed will affect the quality of surface and ground water leaving the area. Watersheds
can be defined on many different scales ranging from large river basins to local sub-watersheds
covering only a few townships or less. The HUC8 watershed is part of a hierarchial
classification system defined used to assign a unique identification number to each drainage basin. (High Resolution PDF-1.44MB)
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Forest Canopy Rich woodlands covering steep hillsides are a distinctive feature of the Driftless Area landscape.
These forests provide countless opportunities for wildlife and outdoor adventure. Oak, hickory, and a
mixture of northern and central hardwoods provide some of the best remaining habitat for neo-tropical
migratory birds in the region. Although fragmentation arising from human development
is a primary concern, large blocks of forest continue to absorb rain and snowfall, and provide
critical habitat for interior forest dependent birds in this landscape. (High Resolution PDF-1.48MB)
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Forest Habitat Connectivity This map shows the Patch Cohesion Index of forest habitat connectivity overlaid
with other information about the landforms and landuse of the Driftless Area.
Connectivity information provides some insight about where land managers might
encounter the conditions required to manage for interior forest habitat. Such habitat
typically occurs in densely forested landscapes where the influence of surrounding urban
and agricultural areas is minimized and large blocks of forest exist. (High Resolution PDF-15.4MB)
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Managed Lands Land and water resources currently under known management are an important part
of the management planning picture. Areas such as state parks, fish and wildlife refuges
and conservation easements can serve as nuclei around which habitat preservation and
restoration can take place. Implementing stewardship that links these critical habitat areas
together and provides a buffer from the effects of roads, urban areas, and other land use
is an important part of making sure that sensitive wildlife species continue to have access
to the habitat they need to survive. (High Resolution PDF-1.16MB)
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Major Land Resource Areas MLRAs were developed by the USDA’s Soil Conservation Service -- today’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service -- for inter-state, regional and national planning.
The majority of the Driftless Area falls within Major Land Resource Area 105. The remaining
acres are the upper portions of watersheds that flow into MLRA 105; mostly from
MLRA 104. (High Resolution PDF-937KB)
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Congressional Districts (110th) This map shows the Congressional Districts of the Driftless Area
and the Represenative to Congress from each for the 110th Congress
of the United States of America. (High
Resolution PDF-682KB) |