The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is responsible for the management and protection of state and federally threatened or endangered wildlife in Virginia. GIS data detailing the confirmed locations of these “listed” species, as well as other important wildlife features, serve as essential tools for protecting these valuable natural resources. Traditionally, this task was handled through DWR’s Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service (VAFWIS). While VAFWIS continues to provide an excellent stand-alone query and reporting service, some users require access to the underlying spatial data.
To meet this need, DWR maintains a service that provides access to the most current and comprehensive spatial datasets for threatened and endangered species, along with data related to environmental review. The Wildlife Environmental Review Map Service (WERMS) enables the distribution of several individual feature classes via an Internet connection. In addition to species observation locations for listed and declining species, WERMS also provides data on designated threatened and endangered species waters, trout streams, waterbird nesting colonies, and anadromous fish use areas. Recreational datasets, such as DWR boat access sites, fish hatcheries, wildlife management areas, and managed lakes, are also included.
WERMS is available as a feature map service designed for use with ESRI GIS clients (e.g., ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap Desktop). The feature map service offers several advantages, such as the ability for end-users to customize map symbols, select and query features, and export data into shapefiles or feature classes. However, due to the dynamic nature of the data, DWR requires users to either access the Internet map service directly or extract updates at regular intervals. The key benefit of WERMS for subscribers is the ability to directly extract environmental review spatial data for their own use, while DWR benefits from improved data management and a new way to share information with partners.
For more information about WERMS, including subscription details, please contact GIS@dwr.virginia.gov. DWR extends thanks to VDOT for their support in the development of WERMS.
WERMS data is updated quarterly.