Prairie Habitat Assessment Methodology – SHARP Model

The Prairie Habitat Assessment Methodology uses the Species and Habitat Asset and Risk Prioritization (SHARP) Model to quantify impacts from permitted actions and benefits associated with mitigation actions. This publication documents the assumptions, background, equations, and indicators used by the Thurston County Prairie Habitat Assessment Methodology Version 1.0 of the SHARP Model.

The Species and Habitat Asset and Risk Prioritization (SHARP) Model incorporates the best available science on plant and animal species biology and ecosystem function to produce an estimate of the number of weighted acres of “Potentially Suitable Habitat” or “Potentially Affected Habitat.” These numbers represent both the area and quality of prairie ecosystem being impacted or conserved on project sites in Thurston County. Potentially Affected Habitat is quantified into “debits” and Potentially Suitable Habitat is quantified into “credits” based on the Protocol. Refer to the Protocol for descriptions of the rules, processes, and decisions for quantifying debits and credits that provide certainty and transparency that approved actions on the ground really are driving toward the recovery of prairie habitat and target prairie-associated species.

Read the PHAM – SHARP Model documentation.