Spatial Priorities

The above processes to map habitat, resistance, Cores, GOAs, and corridors was conducted for each year from 2018-2022 (5 years) for the xeric ecosystem and sage grouse, and from 2013-2022 (10 years) for the mesic ecosystem, using input data matched to the year of mapping. For each year and for each target, these maps with potentially overlapping classes of Core, GOA, and corridors were combined into a single prioritization, using a hierarchy where pixels labeled as Core were included first, then GOA, then corridor, and finally ‘other habitat’. A final spatial priorities map was then calculated per target as the most common class (Core, GOA, corridor, or ‘other habitat’) across the range of years. This was done to reduce year-to-year variability in spatial priorities due to data inaccuracies and other sources of variation.