Grassland Bird Avian Impact Offset Method GIS Tool

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Habitat and Population Evaluation Team (HAPET) and United States Geological Survey have updated an ArcGIS script tool that was used to apply what is called the The Avian-Impact Offset Method (AIOM), which was developed to facilitate the estimation of offsets that compensate for behavioral avoidance or displacement resulting in anthropogenic disturbance (Shaffer and Buhl 2016; Shaffer et al. 2019). The method identifies metrics that are used to estimate the grassland area needed to offset breeding grassland bird avoidance. To aid in the calculation of these estimates, we updated an ArcGIS script tool that was previously developed (Shaffer et al. 2022) using new layers and slightly updated procedure. The results can be used to identify suitable landscapes in which to identify offset locations where grassland could be protected or restored. Please see documents in the download for further information on changes to the tool.