GIS modeling procedures for the UMRS System migratory bird pilot project Lowenberg, C. D. 1997. Geographic information system modeling procedures for the Upper Mississippi River System migratory bird pilot project. U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, February 1997. LTRMP 97-T001. 46 pp. + Appendixes A F (NTIS #PB97-155543) ABSTRACT The Management Strategy for Migratory Birds on the Mississippi River corridor from Wabasha, Minnesota, to St. Louis, Missouri (Strategy), is a cooperative effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Natural History Survey, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and is designed to create an "integrated, ecological, and proactive approach to management of habitats used by migratory bird populations" within the Upper Mississippi River System. The Migratory Bird Pilot Project was conducted to determine what types of products could be generated from data collected through a literature search. The initial literature search was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, followed by a literature search conducted by the National Biological Service's Upper Mississippi River Science Center. These data were delivered to the Environmental Management Technical Center where they were compiled and entered into a geographic information system (GIS). The information were then processed for three study sites along the Mississippi River to determine what types of products could be produced. This report addresses technical issues associated with the creation of the potential habitat coverages. The results have garnered the support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the five participating states as a potential and viable management tool. Follow-up will include the verification of GIS habitat coverages through ground surveys, expansion to a larger study area for an increased number of bird species, and the development of tools required for technology transfer to managers in the field. The data and analysis procedures will be valuable in assisting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and participating federal and state agencies in planning and constructing future Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects as part of the Upper Mississippi River Environment Management Program. KEYWORDS Environmental Management Technical Center, GIS, geographic information systems, long-term resource monitoring program, migratory birds, National Biological Service, spatial modeling, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service