This dataset is a component of a complete package of products from the Connect the Connecticut project. Connect the Connecticut is a collaborative effort to identify shared priorities for conserving the Connecticut River Watershed for future generations, considering the value of fish and wildlife species and the natural ecosystems they inhabit. Click here to download the full data package, including all documentation.

This dataset represents a version of the ecological systems map (ESM+), originally derived by TNC and modified for the Designing Sustainable Landscapes (DSL) project. Major modifications include improvements to the classification and mapping of roads, development, streams, and coastal wetlands. In this map, ecological systems are hierarchically organized such that at the finest level cells are classified into ecological systems (or ecosystems), which are aggregated into formations. Thus, the map can be symbolized to depict the distribution of ecological units at either the ecosystem or formation level.