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Strategy 13: Open Lands Prioritization and Management

This strategy, developed during the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) process, is the result of the combination of several original strategies (Development Suitability Analysis, Landscape Ecology Protection Program, and Visual Resources Management) discussed with the Conservation, Preservation, and Protection TAC. The original Development Suitability Analysis strategy was redirected to focus only on identification and evaluation of sensitive or critical lands. The strategy builds on the conservation and environmental protection goals of the vision to preserve forested areas, protect water quality and quantity, protect important natural areas, maintain healthy fish and wildlife populations, and to control noise, air, and light pollution.

Strategy Description:

Many organizations and municipalities involved in land conservation do not have ready access to the scientific data they need to objectively evaluate conservation value of potential properties they might acquire or oversee development. This strategy focuses on the development and use of a "critical lands analysis," a framework for an analytical protocol using Geography Information System (GIS) technology, that can provide local municipalities and conservation organizations guidance in identifying the most important lands for conservation.

The analysis is based on the premise that any property that contains multiple natural and cultural resources has more value than properties that only contain a single resource. Therefore, areas in the region that have the highest co-occurrence of resources are critically important targets for protection, because they represent the most economic value for the conservation dollar.

The analysis is completed in two phases. Phase 1 consists of a generic (no weighting of map layers) countywide overlay analysis. Phase 2 is a municipal or multi-municipal effort to rerun the analysis according to local priorities (weighting of map layers).

Several components of the strategy are based on environmental modeling work completed by Pennsylvania State University’s Environmental Resources Research Institute (ERRI). The strategy also identifies a variety of viable management options available in Pennsylvania to offset potential losses of important natural resources and community assets as the region experiences growth and development in the next twenty years. Several of these options may be incorporated into local ordinances and development design (see Strategy 27: Land Development Audit, and Strategy 28: Sustainable Design Toolkit).

Key Components:

Phase 1: County-wide "Critical Lands Analysis"

Step 2: Run the critical lands analysis. In the example below, the elements under farmland resources -- prime agricultural soils, targeted agriculture security areas (ASA), and agricultural land in proximity to existing preserved farms -- are overlaid to form the "farmland sum". The "farmland sum" has values ranging from 0 (no elements present) to 3 (all three elements present). Overlay Analysis Example – Farmland Resources

Resource Theme: Farmland Resources
 
 

Resource Elements:  Prime Ag Soils + Targeted ASAs  + Ag Lands in Proximity to Preserved Farms = Famland Sum

The farmland sum is then reclassified into a binary format where values 1 through 3 become a 1 (resource present) and values of 0 remain 0 (resource not present). This process is repeated for all the resource themes.

Reclassified layers are then overlaid and summed to produce the "composite sum" for the entire region. The "composite sum" has values ranging from 0 (no resources present) to 5 (all resources present).
 
 

 Composite Sum of Resources:  Reclassified Groundwater Sum + Reclassified Biodiversity Sum + Reclassified Public Lands Sum + Reclassified Farmland Sum + Reclassified Cultural/Recreational/Aesthetic Sum = Composite Sum

Step 3: Create a digital map atlas and composite sum results for use at the municipal level.

Phase 2: Municipal and Multi-Municipal Effort The identification process includes tools for assessing visual quality, identifying important scenic landscapes and determining resource visibility from a key transportation corridor or viewing point. The tools describe a method for making valid observations about the visual character of communities. This information can be mapped for inclusion as one of the resource elements in the critical lands analysis.

The process may be completed by community members. Most of the activities are suitable for any age from teens through seniors and can be completed without direct professional assistance. Scenic America, an organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the scenic character of America’s communities, provides a valuable resource for assessing visual character. "O, say, can you see: A Visual Awareness Tool Kit for Communities" provides suggestions for numerous activities that can be conducted at the community level by nonprofessionals. This resource is available from:

Scenic America

801 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E. – Suite 300

Washington, DC 20003

Phone: (202) 543-6200
  Step 1 - Map Special Places. This activity identifies areas or places that stand out as being widely recognized for their positive characteristics. Communities can build on the existing inventory of special places collected as a result of Phase I activities of Vision 2020: Living with I-99. The County’s Greenway Plan (not completed at this time) will be another information source.

Step 2: Create a Photographic Inventory of Landscape Scenes. The photographic inventory is a collection of photographs of scenic or important views, landscape features, and community characteristics that are important to local citizens in the region. The public is asked to rank the landscape scenes to demonstrate visual preferences.

Step 3: Determine Visibility Ratings of Places – GIS viewshed analysis.

The visibility rating is the measure of how many times certain areas are seen from all the identified viewing points. GIS can be used to identify and count these views. The result of a GIS viewshed analysis is a map of all areas visible from a given point or multiple points at a given height. This analysis rates what is and is not visible from specific locations.

Step 4: Develop Visual Resource Management Maps. This analysis combines the results of visual quality rankings and the visibility ratings to create a composite map that would identify areas of important visual quality that are also highly visible. This data is one of the suggested resource elements in the critical lands analysis under the Cultural, Recreation, and Aesthetic theme. In addition, this data could be used individually to aid in assessing the contrast between the development and its surroundings or the ability of the landscape to absorb the impact of development.

 Regional Application:

The critical lands analysis is applicable to the entire region with Phase I being conducted on a countywide basis. Phase II of the modeling analysis requires review of mapping results by local governing bodies and recommendations for re-evaluation as necessary to address local values placed on natural and cultural resources.

Implementation:

This strategy uses Centre County GIS data. The Centre County GIS Department is the most likely candidate to provide continued GIS technical/and or financial support to municipalities for both GIS database maintenance and analysis.
 

Indicators:

Funding: