Wisconsin's Natural Heritage Inventory Program Overview

Wisconsin's Natural Heritage Inventory (NHI), established in 1985 by the Wisconsin Legislature, is maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' (WDNR) Bureau of Endangered Resources. The NHI program is responsible for maintaining data on the locations and status of rare species, natural communities, and natural features in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin NHI program is part of an international network of inventory programs that collect, process, and manage data on the occurrences of natural biological diversity using standard methodology. This network was established by the The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and is currently coordinated by the Nature Serve. The network now includes natural heritage inventory programs in all 50 states, most provinces in Canada, and many countries in Central and South America.

Wisconsin's Natural Heritage Inventory program's three objectives are to: collect information on occurrences of rare plants and animals, high-quality natural communities, and significant natural features in Wisconsin; standardize this information, enter it into an electronic database, and mark locations on base maps for the state; and use this information to further the protection and management of rare species, natural communities, and natural features.

The Working List

The elements tracked by the NHI program are compiled on a Working List of rare plants, animals, and natural communities. The Working List is dynamic, with species added and deleted as determined by NHI staff. Wisconsin's NHI program tracks the following element types: plant and animal species considered endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and/or the WDNR; plants and animals species considered by the USFWS and/or the WDNR as a species of special concern (a species whose numbers are thought to be low but has not yet been proven); natural communities as classified and described by the program ecologist and in John Curtis' Vegetation of Wisconsin; unique geological features and animal aggregation sites (such as bat hibernacula).

Field Inventory

A team of NHI biologists conducts inventories, identifies rare species, and describes natural community occurrences. These are the individuals who endure tired feet and irritating insect bites to search remote corners of the state for rare species and their habitats. The team is made up of full-time staff specialists in botany, zoology, and community ecology. The records of element occurrences they collect are supplemented by records contributed by a variety of part-time and temporary employees, other science professionals, and volunteers.

The team of NHI biologists collaborates with other WDNR staff on data interpretation, use, and analysis. They also provide education and outreach to WDNR staff and general audiences. Using the NHI data, they are responsible for evaluating the biological rarity of species, and if the species should be proposed for listing as Endangered or Threatened by the State Legislature.

Data Management

A team of mapping specialists and data managers works together to organize, standardize, map, and store the element occurrence records gathered by the biologists. Their work requires computers, pens and pencils, big tables for spreading out maps, and endless concentration. Working with WDNR's Bureau of Enterprise, Information, Technology, and Applications they have developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the electronic display of the NHI data atop layers of other geographical information. Maps created using the GIS are among the information products developed by the Data Management Team.

Natural Heritage Inventory Records By Group Type

Ecosystem Management

Ecosystem management is an approach that blends human needs and values with ecosystem capability and sustainability. It is based on the premise that natural resources should be managed as natural systems, and that humans are an integral part of these systems. To successfully practice ecosystem management, managers must have useful and reliable information. This is where the NHI program comes into play. Its information on the status and distribution of species and natural communities is very useful for helping managers visualize connections and patterns across the landscape. NHI information is especially useful because it can be combined with data from surrounding states to cover entire ecoregions and drainage basins. Thus, small projects can be approached with their larger context in mind, and large projects can be approached as a whole, using natural boundaries

Data Sensitivity

Information in the Natural Heritage Inventory is sensitive because rare species are very vulnerable to collection as well as destruction. Publication of exact locations may threaten their continued existence. It is for this reason that the NHI data are exempt from the Wisconsin Open Records Law. However, the Bureau of Endangered Resources can and does share NHI data to facilitate protection, plan management, design preserves, and avoid impacts to rare resources. Data are shared with care but with the customer's needs in mind.

This information is available in a printable pamphlet [652 KB PDF, opens in new window].