During a Virginia CZM Program workshop in 2001, state and local partners expressed the need for a “vision” of Virginia’s Coastal Zone or a comprehensive inventory of Virginia’s coastal resources.  Many questions were raised.  What is the current status of Virginia’s coastal resources?  How can these coastal resources be managed in a sustainable fashion in light of increasing development pressures?

As a first step in achieving this “vision,” our partners agreed it was important to identify and map the best remaining blue (water-based) and green (land-based) natural resources within Virginia’s coastal zone.  We began collecting spatial data and creating management tools to be included in Coastal GEMS.

The idea grew into the concept of providing a gateway, or starting point, for accessing more comprehensive coastal resource information from all of our natural resource agencies and coastal partners for consideration in planning efforts and management decisions.

In addition to funding data layer development by CZM partners, we contracted with Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Environmental Studies and WorldView Solutions, Inc. to create the Coastal GEMS application.  Additional data layers will be incorporated into Coastal GEMS as agencies continue to develop data and make it available for inclusion.

Virginia Coastal GEMS fosters stronger understanding of how activities on the land and in the water affect each other.  Virginia Coastal GEMS is helping create a stronger link between local land use plans and state and federal water use policies.

Coastal GEMS is being used by:

• Local and regional planning agencies to better manage growth by determining the most suitable areas for conservation and development.
• State and federal agencies to better manage projects such as roads and major facilities, habitat restoration, and public access plans. They also use Coastal GEMS as a starting point for the environmental review process in order to quickly access agency data.
• Academic institutions to educate students about coastal resource use and values and to provide a basis of information for classroom projects and/or research.
• Private citizens, advocacy groups, and businesses to formulate their positions on the potential impacts of projects on coastal resources.
• General public to learn more about Virginia’s coastal resources.

Coastal GEMS provides extensive information on coastal resources in Virginia in the form of detailed descriptions and interactive spatial (mappable) data. 

Coastal GEMS currently includes the following data layers: 

Coastal Water

• Healthy Waters
  • Healthy Streams (Locations)
  • Healthy Streams (Reach)
  • Healthy Watersheds
• Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity
• Threatened and Endangered Species Waters
• Seaside SAV Planting Sites
• 303D Waters (DEQ Impaired)
  • 303d Rivers
  • 303d Lakes
  • 303d Estuaries
• Scenic Rivers
• Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
• Tidal Flushing Rates

Coastal Wildlife

• Fish
  • Impediments to Fish Movement
  • Anadromous Fish Use Areas
  • Fisheries Management Areas
• Birds
  • Important Bird Areas
  • Migratory Songbird Stopover Habitat
  • Coastal Avian Protection Zones

Coastal Land

• Eastern Shore Coastal Change Archive
  • Consistent Inundation of Low-Lying Areas
  • Permanent Inundation of Low-Lying Areas
  • Changes to Animal Species
  • Changes to Plant Species
• Chesapeake Bay Dunes
• Restored Riparian Buffer Sites
• Beaches Above High Water
• Forest Cover
• Wetlands
• Accomack County Buffer Classification
• Conservation Lands

Conservation Planning

• Comprehensive Conservation Priorities
  • Potential Wetland Restoration Sites
  • Ecological Cores
  • Landscape Corridors
  • Virginia Ecological Value Assessment
  • Essential Wildlife Habitat
  • Hampton Roads Conservation Corridors
• Virginia's ConservationVision
  • Predicted Growth Model
  • Historic & Cultural Value Model
  • Recreation Value Model
  • Forest Economics Model
  • Agricultural Value Model
  • Watershed Integrity Model

Shellfish Management

• Commercial Shellfish Aquaculture Sites
• Oyster Gardening Sites
• State Constructed Oyster Reefs
• Private Oyster Leases
• Oyster Aquaculture Vulnerability Model
• Clam Aquaculture Vulnerability Model
• Oyster Aquaculture Suitability Model
• Clam Aquaculture Suitability Model
• Seaside Oyster Density
• Condemned Shellfish Areas
• Baylor Grounds (Public Oyster Grounds)

Coastal Access

• VDGIF Boat Ramps
• Public Access Sites
• Birding and Wildlife Sites
• Birding and Wildlife Trails
• Seaside Eastern Shore Water Trail
• Public Access Lands
• Marina Siting Suitability

Atlantic Coast Recreational Use

• Scenic/Natural Views
• Historic/Cultural
• Swimming
• Surface Water Sports
• Shore Use
• Sailing
• Paddling
• Motorized Boating
• Recreational Waterfowl Hunting
• Recreational Shellfish Harvesting
• Recreational Shore Fishing
• Recreational Kayak/Non-Motorized Vessel Fishing
• Charter Transport
• Charter Scenic Viewing
• Charter Wildlife Viewing
• Charter Party Cruises
• Charter Diving/Snorkeling
• Charter Fishing (Large Vessel)
• Charter Fishing (Small Vessel)
• Recreational Dive Fishing
• SCUBA/Snorkeling/Diving
• Recreational Fishing from Motorized Vessels
• Sea Level Rise
• Current Mean High Water
  • 1 Foot Sea Level Rise
  • 2 Foot Sea Level Rise
  • 3 Foot Sea Level Rise
  • 4 Foot Sea Level Rise
  • 5 Foot Sea Level Rise
  • 6 Foot Sea Level Rise

Reference Layers

• Ship Wrecks
• Streams and Rivers
• 12 Nautical Mile Reference
• 3 Nautical Mile Reference
• Coastal PDC Boundaries
• VA Wind Energy Area
• Seaside Heritage Program Boundary
• Barrier Island Ownership
• Coastal Localities
• Hydrologic Unit Boundaries (HUC)
• Dragon Run Program Boundary
• Southern Watersheds Program Boundary

Read the Following Disclaimer Before You Launch Coastal GEMS

To use Coastal GEMS, you must first read and agree to conditions outlined in this disclaimer.  Individuals who use these data agree to the following as well as restrictions and disclaimers associated with each dataset included in Coastal GEMS.

• The data included in Coastal GEMS are not to be used for regulatory and permitting processes, or any other legal action.

Information contained in Coastal GEMS does not constitute an official opinion by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (Virginia CZM Program) or other data contributors, nor will it, by itself, meet any regulatory requirements.  These data are not to be used for regulatory and permitting processes.  They are intended to inform environmental planning and the environmental review process.  The data layer and feature boundaries are not to be used for a legal definition of these areas.  Information drawn from Coastal GEMS must be used in consultation with appropriate federal, state, and local resource management officials. 

• The data included in Coastal GEMS is not guaranteed to be accurate and complete at any given time.  All locations are approximate.

This interactive mapping tool that provides flexibility and freedom in mapping, and conclusions drawn from the datasets compiled by the user are the sole responsibility of the user.  The Virginia CZM Program and data contributors are not responsible for misuse of these data. 

Coastal GEMS is constantly being updated and expanded.  To the extent possible, the most recent data sources have been included.  In the absence of recent data, historic information is presented if the data are still considered relevant and valuable despite their age.  To find when the data layer was last updated, see the Status in the data layer fact sheet or contact the Virginia CZM Program.  Every attempt has been made by data contributors to ensure that these data and the documentation are reliable and accurate.  Noticeable errors in the accuracy of the data should be reported to the data contributor and the Virginia CZM Program.

The Virginia CZM Program and data contributors provide data within the Coastal GEMS application with the understanding that the data is not guaranteed to be accurate and complete.  Neither the Virginia CZM Program nor data contributors assume liability for any damages caused by inaccuracies in the data or documentation, or as a result of failure of the data to perform in a particular manner.  The Virginia CZM Program, through Coastal GEMS, does not allow users to directly download data.  Links to a data contributor's website will be provided in the data layer fact sheets if the data is available directly for download.  If these links are not provided, contact the data contributor for permission to obtain a dataset.  Please do not contact the Virginia CZM Program for distribution of data layers which are owned by other contributors.  The Virginia CZM Program does not guarantee that permission to obtain a data layer will be granted by the data contributor. 

All locations are approximate at any given time.  In addition, these data are not provided for navigational purposes.  Users should also be aware that certain datasets are specific to a particular geographic area and do not span the entire coastal zone.  Conversely, many datasets extend beyond the western boundary of the coastal zone, as well as, any information associated with these datasets (e.g., acreage of a wetland or mileage of a stream segment).  Refer to the Virginia CZM website for a definition of the jurisdictional coastal zone boundary. Metadata records for each data layer, which typically include the geographic extent of the data, are not directly available through Coastal GEMS.  Full metadata can be obtained by contacting the data contributor. 

Users should recognize that any products generated (e.g., maps and tables) are limited by available GIS data.  Inclusion of these data in publications, or integration of these data into other products requires proper citation.

Citation for Coastal GEMS and it's derived products:

Coastal Geospatial and Education Mapping System, 2007.  Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Richmond, VA 23219.

• The Virginia CZM Program is not responsible for the content of any website linked to from Coastal GEMS.

For the users' convenience, the Virginia CZM Program provides links to many websites not controlled, maintained or regulated by the Program or any organization affiliated with the Program, and as such, the Virginia CZM Program is not responsible for the content of those websites. Use of information from those websites is voluntary, and reliance on that information should be undertaken only after an independent review of its accuracy.  Reference at those websites to any specific commercial product, process or service by trade name, trademark or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation or favor by the Virginia CZM Program.

NOTE: 
Supported web browsers for Coastal Gems are Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. 
Please disable all pop-up blockers before launching Coastal GEMS in order for the application to load properly.

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