AN INTRODUCTION 

 TO AN ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF COASTAL MAINE ATLAS 



Authors: Beth Surgens and Dean Johnson 

 Chief Cartographer: Dean Johnson 



The Maine Coast Ecological Characterization Atlas is a spatial representation 

 of natural resource information of coastal Maine from Cape Elizabeth to 

 Eastport (figure 1). It is designed to complement the characterization 

 narrative (volumes 1 to 3) by providing a visual display of existing 

 information on the natural resouces of coastal Maine. The characterization 

 atlas and text may serve the needs of administrators, planners, and 

 scientists, when making decisions on land-use planning and natural resource 

 management, and when seeking information on the status of specific resources. 



Uses of the characterization atlas are varied and will depend on the users' 

 specific needs and interests. Examples of potential uses include the 

 collection of information regarding potential impacts of a large industrial, 

 commercial, and/or residential development, waste disposal site, or power 

 generating facility, as well as the identification of important resource areas 

 in need of protection. 



No new data were generated specifically for the Maine Coast Ecological 

 Characterization. Existing information, published and unpublished, was 

 compiled to provide the information plotted on the atlas. Sources for these 

 data include local. State, and Federal agencies as well as private 

 organizations and individual researchers. 



The map scale used in the atlas is 1:24,000 or about 1 inch = 2 1/2 miles. 

 This scale is generalized enough to see spatial relationships without losing 

 the accuracy of site specific data. A total of 115 quadrangles were needed to 

 cover the characterization area. In Maine, the most recent and complete 

 series of maps available at 1:24,000 are U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

 orthophotoquad advance prints. Enhanced with added place names, these were 

 used as base maps for the Characterization Atlas. In areas of coastal Maine 

 (regions 1 and 2) where orthophotoquads are not presently available, black and 

 white base maps were produced using other USGS 1:24,000 topographic map 

 products . 



The atlas contains four separate maps for each quadrangle; each map 

 representing one of four major data types (in a few cases a data type may not 

 be available for a quadrangle): (1) National Wetlands Inventory; (2) Land 

 Cover; (3) Geology-Land Use; and, (4) Fish and Wildlife. 



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