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LEVEL III AND IV ECOREGIONS OF GEORGIA
Description:
Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. This map depicts revisions and subdivisions of ecoregions, compiled originally at a relatively small scale (USEPA 1998; Omernik 1987). Compilation of this map, performed at the larger 1:250,000-scale, is part of a collaborative project primarily between the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), U.S. EPA Region IV, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division. Collaboration and consultation is also occurring with other state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey, in an effort to obtain consensus regarding alignments of ecological regions. The ecoregions are designed to serve as a spatial framework for environmental resource management. They are based on the premise that ecological regions can be identified through the analysis of the patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity. These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The most immediate uses by the State of Georgia are for selecting regional stream reference sites and identifying high-quality waters, developing ecoregion-specific chemical and biological water quality criteria and standards, and augmenting the watershed management approach to develop goals for nonpoint source pollution. Explanation of the methods used to define the ecoregions are given in Griffith et al. (1994, 1997, 1998), Omernik (1995), and Gallant et al. (1989). Comments and suggestions which should be addressed to Glenn Griffith, USDA-NRCS, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, (541) 754-4465, FAX: (541) 754-4716, email: griffith.glenn@epa.gov., or to James Omernik, U.S. EPA - NHEERL, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, (541) 754- 4458, email: omernik.james@epa.gov.