Description: <div>This feature service displays rivers and streams where the Candy Darter has recently been found. The best available data indicate that the candy darter continues to occupy areas in the Upper Gauley, Lower Gauley, Greenbrier, Middle New, and Upper New River watersheds.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Purpose:</span><br /></div><div>This data was created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide historical and environmental context for decision-makers working to preserve the remaining populations of the endangered candy darter.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Source and Date:</span></div><div>The data was received via email from the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/office/west-virginia-ecological-services" target="_blank">West Virginia Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a> on 7/21, 2020.</div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Processing:</span></div><div>ABRA published this layer as port of a a feature service from ArcMap that also contains the layers Candy_Darter_Extirpated_USFWS and Candy_Darter_Designated_Critical_Habitat.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Symbolization:</span></div><div>Candy_Darter_Extant_USFWS: heavy, bright red line</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Additional Info:</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Selections copied (not verbatim) from: <a href="https://ecos.fws.gov/ServCat/DownloadFile/161132" target="_blank">Species Status Assessment (SSA) Report for the Candy Darter (Etheostoma osburni) - Version 1.5, March 2018</a>,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Northeast Region - Hadley, MA</div><div><br /></div><div>The best available data indicate that the candy darter has been extirpated from the Bluestone and Lower New River watersheds, but that the species continues to occupy areas in the Upper Gauley, Lower Gauley, Greenbrier, Middle New, and Upper New River watersheds (<a href="https://ecos.fws.gov/ServCat/DownloadFile/161132#page=32" target="_blank">figure 9</a> and <a href="https://ecos.fws.gov/ServCat/DownloadFile/161132#page=78" target="_blank">Appendix A</a>). These data indicate that, of 35 known candy darter populations, 17 have been extirpated, and many of the remaining populations are small and/or isolated from each other by physical barriers or long reaches of unoccupied (and possibly unsuitable) habitat (e.g., Stony, Walker, Wolf, and Cripple Creeks in the Middle and Upper New River watersheds and the Lower Gauley population below the Summersville Dam). The most abundant candy darter populations occur in the Upper Gauley and upper Greenbrier River watersheds, and in Stony Creek in the Middle New River watershed. However, the distribution of candy darters in the Greenbrier River watershed has and is changing rapidly as variegate darters expand their range.</div>
Copyright Text: The data was received via email from the West Virginia Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on 7/21, 2020.
Description: <div>This feature service displays rivers and streams from which the endangered Candy Darter has been extirpated. The best available information supports that the candy darter is endemic to the upper Kanawha River basin.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Purpose:</span></div><div>This data was created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide historical and environmental context for decision-makers working to preserve the remaining populations of the endangered candy darter.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Source and Date:</span></div><div>The data was received via email from the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/office/west-virginia-ecological-services" target="_blank">West Virginia Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on 7/21, 2020</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Processing:</span></div><div>ABRA published this layer as a feature service from ArcMap.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Symbolization:</span></div><div>Candy_Darter_Extirpated_USFWS: heavy, dark red line</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Additional Info:</span></div><div>Selections copied (not verbatim) from: <a href="https://ecos.fws.gov/ServCat/DownloadFile/161132" target="_blank">Species Status Assessment (SSA) Report for the Candy Darter (Etheostoma osburni) - Version 1.5, March 2018</a>, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</div><div><br /></div><div>The best available information supports that the candy darter is endemic to the upper Kanawha River basin. Records dating back to 1885 indicate that the historical range of the candy darter is limited to the Gauley and greater New River watersheds in West Virginia and Virginia (but not extending into the New River watershed in North Carolina).</div><div><br /></div><div>The candy darter is not confirmed to occur in the Lower New River watershed; however, the best available data suggest that the species did likely occupy this watershed. Because the Lower New River watershed is geographically positioned between the Middle New and Greenbrier River watersheds (upstream) and the Gauley River watershed (downstream), each of which have confirmed candy darter populations and suitable habitat, it is reasonable to conclude that the species likely occurred in the Lower New River watershed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The factors supporting the candy darter having been more abundant and widely distributed within its range than indicated by post industrialization surveys include: (1) the geographical distribution and historical connectedness of known candy darter streams; (2) the diversity of habitat conditions (e.g., stream size, gradient, and water temperatures) associated with all known candy darter occurrences; (3) high candy darter abundance and continuity documented in some streams with high quality habitat; and (4) severe degradation of aquatic habitat conditions and declines in fish abundance prior to comprehensive fish surveys. Together these factors support the conclusion that the candy darter was likely more widely distributed and abundant throughout its historical range where suitable habitat (described above) existed.</div>
Copyright Text: Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, West Virginia Field Office, shapefile obtained 7/21/20.
Description: <div>This layer describes Designated Critical Habitat for the endangered Candy Darter, a brightly colored 2-3 inch fish associated with clean cool water, gravel and cobble stream beds, and predominantly forested mountain watersheds in the Gauley and New River watersheds in Virginia and West Virginia. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Purpose:</span></div><div>This layer displays locations that are considered critical to the survival of this endangered species. This information is used for managing land use and development, as well as water quality and related issues, in these areas.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Source and Date:</span></div><div>Data was downloaded in shapefile format from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's ECOS website (<a href="https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1396" target="_blank">https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1396</a>) on 5/21/2021.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Processing:</span></div><div>ABRA uploaded the zipped shapefile to ArcGIS Online and published it as a feature layer.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Symbolization:</span></div><div>Designated_Candy_Darter_Critical_Habitat_2021: Heavy, bright green line</div>
Copyright Text: Data was downloaded in shapefile format from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's ECOS website (https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1396) on 5/21/2021.