Who We Are
The Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory (ONHI) is a central repository
for information on Oklahoma's natural heritage. ONHI is charged
with maintaining dynamic, geo-referenced databases of information
on the state’s biological diversity, including rare and endangered
species, species of special concern, and significant ecological
communities.
ONHI also provides information resulting from surveys, studies,
and other sources to the people of the state for resource management,
research, and education. Created by the state legislature in 1987,
ONHI is a program of the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University
of Oklahoma in Norman.
ONHI biologists conduct field inventories to find and evaluate
occurrences of rare species and communities throughout the state.
Biologists record map coordinates, habitat information, and population
data at each occurrence of an element. These data are entered into
an database consisting of element, site, and occurrence tables for
easy storage and retrieval.
Information about rare species and communities from other sources
including natural resource agencies, conservation groups, published
literature, and private individuals is also sought by ONHI biologists.
Interpreting the meaning and the significance of element occurrence
data is rarely straightforward and can be difficult. ONHI biologists
and data management staff are available to answer questions about
the data and its interpretation for any application. ONHI also provides,
through this web site and other means, additional information that
may help make these data easier to understand and use.
|