Conservation Tools

CommunityViz is a software package for planning, designed with a specific mission in mind: to assist decision makers in visualizing, analyzing, and communicating about potential futures of their communities. Through interactive maps, CommunityViz shows existing zoning and land-use plans and shows future build outs of communities by placing proposed and allowed structures on the landscape. Through the creation of scenarios and inputting various types of data, the program allows users to generate detailed analysis of different proposed land use plans and measures of their impacts.

The visual translations are effective in communicating options in land use zoning to local government officials and the interested public. Municipalities interested in adopting or amending zoning ordinances that reflect a departure from traditional zoning concepts would benefit from CommunityViz tools that can objectively and comprehensively evaluate the impacts of different land use approaches.

COCS studies examine the relationship of municipal and school district revenue and expenses associated with various land use categories, such as residential, commercial, industrial, and farmland/open space. The revenues and costs generated by each of these different land uses are entered into a formula, the outcome being expressed as a ratio, showing the tax and non-tax revenue generated by that land use compared to the expenses incurred by that land use. Elected officials and planners can then evaluate the current fiscal impacts of these various land uses and see the true cost associated with each land use. COCS studies are useful in dispelling the notion that residential development keeps tax rates low. These studies reveal the true cost of residential land use, how important open-space and farmland are to a community’s fiscal well-being, and that it is important to have a wide tax-base with a variety of land uses.

An Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) is a group of 3-7 people, appointed by a municipality’s elected officials, that advises the elected officials, as well as the planning commission and park and recreation board, on the protection, conservation, management, promotion and use of natural resources within the municipality. Pennsylvania municipalities are authorized to establish EACs through Pennsylvania’s Act 177 of 1996 (originally Act 148 of 1973). Since EACs are established through local ordinance and are not mandated, the support of elected officials is necessary for the formation of an EAC.

Important Bird Areas provide essential habitat for one or more species of bird, including sites for breeding, wintering, and/or migrating birds. IBAs may be a few acres or thousands of acres. IBAs may include public or private lands, or both, and they may be protected or unprotected. To be designated, an IBA must meet at least one of several objective criteria. 

Once designated, the National Audubon Society works with partner organizations, including its local chapters, to develop and implement IBA conservation plans. Plan activities vary from IBA to IBA and can include bird monitoring, habitat restoration, land protection, and proposing changes to municipal land use policies.

IBA designation does not confer regulatory or other protection to the identified area. It simply recognizes an area as having outstanding value to bird conservation. Designations help conservation organizations and governments to better prioritize their conservation activities.

PA Land Choices is a comprehensive educational program to engage and enlighten citizens and stakeholders regarding the importance of civic responsibility and the power of citizens in planning the future of a community.  

PA Land Choices is a collection of sequential activities that provide a simple and engaging approach to community involvement.  Each activity guides the learner to understand the power of choice by first analyzing the forces that create change in a community and region. The program facilitates discussion, focusing on a key question: “What defines a good community?” and guides learners to identify positive and negative impacts of community elements.  It identifies the importance of natural resources, green spaces, public lands and public spaces.

PA Land Choices promotes civic responsibility through place-based education and service-learning. Through its interactive and thoughtful activities, it challenges the learner to become involved in creating the communities of the future.
 

The Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP) provides scientific information, expertise, and assistance to support the conservation of biological diversity. PNHP tracks the occurrence and location of native plant, animal, natural community and geologic resources, with a focus on rare and endangered species. Much of this information is posted at PNHP’s website, http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us. County and local governments can use PNHP information in developing and updating their comprehensive plans, open space and greenways plans, and land development ordinances. County and local governments considering the adoption of open space programs or conservation funding referenda can use the PNHP information to both describe and justify the use of funds. Counties can also use the PNHP data to establish criteria for evaluating open space grant applications submitted by municipalities under county open space programs. Conservation entities can use PNHP information to guide conservation planning and resource management activities. Developers and others can use PNHP’s Project Planning and Environmental Review tool to screen projects for potential impacts on resources of special concern and facilitate the pursuit of project clearances from government agencies having jurisdiction over those resources of special concern.

The Plant Stewardship Index (PSI) enables stewards of public and private land in the Piedmont area of Pennsylvania to survey and assess the status of the native plant populations on the properties they protect and manage. The PSI also serves as a broader ecological indicator in that the health of the native plant community has been shown to correlate with water quality, macroinvertebrate diversity, mammalian diversity, and overall watershed health. (PNPS 2003)

The PSI provides a method for monitoring and evaluating land management practices. This method, adapted from the Floristic Quality Assessment Index (FQAI or FQI) methodology, assigns relative values (Coefficients of Conservatism or CCs) to every plant found within a survey area, and calculates an overall PSI value for each area. By applying the PSI to plant surveys repeated at regular intervals, land managers can quantify the results of their land management practices and assess trends over time.

The Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve maintains a free website-based PSI calculator (http://www.bhwp.org/psi)

Polls show that support for land conservation and public parks is strong across the country. Regardless of political affiliation and despite tough economic times, a strong majority of voters thinks funding for conservation and parks is important, even if it means paying more in taxes. Seven out of ten voters identify themselves as conservationists and eight out of ten view conservation as patriotic. Surveys show that voters understand conservation and parks are vital to the economy and to protecting a good quality of life. Election results back these findings: between 1988 and 2012 voters nationwide have approved 78% of conservation funding ballot measures.

Conservation organizations and governmental entities may identify countless conservation resources that merit protection;  but lacking key resources such as funding and staff, it is unreleastic that they can protect them all and even more realistic that they’ll have to make difficult decisions on which they’ll focus their resources. Conservation prioritization tools rank conservation resources in order of importance based on specific values for targeted conservation resources – such as ecological resources (i.e. habitats, specific animal and bird species or species populations), agricultural, education, outdoor recreation, forestry, cultural, recreational, historical and/or visual resources. Prioritizations can be further refined if threat (biological and/or development types of threat) to the targeted resource(s) are also included in the assessment.

Walking is the easiest and healthiest form of exercise and can engage individuals of varying fitness levels. In fact, walking is the physical activity most prescribed by doctors.    Walking can improve physical health and reduce obesity. Using the Walk for Wellness model, conservation organizations and educators can inform the public on the benefits of walking and promote safe, green places to walk that include a wider choice of natural settings and trail venues.   The key is not only to encourage physical activity but to create a connection between the individual and his or her natural environment.