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Phase
Three: |
Watershed Assessment |
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The
following information was derived from the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources Quick Guide to
Using Natural Resource Information document. In the
case of the Yellow River, the "community" equals all of the
residents and resources contained within, and closely adjacent to, the
watershed. Individuals
and land owners who are interested in improving the stewardship of their
resources can join together and follow a process like the one presented here.
Or they are encouraged to work with the Northeast Iowa RC&D's Watershed
Coordinator to develop a strategy and comprehensive action plan that will
meet their needs in a fashion that is in harmony with their neighbors, other
resources, and the Yellow River "community" at large. Basic
information, including a description of the Yellow River watershed, a
"Resource Planning Model" (the Minnesota model presented here is
one good example), and an "Interactive Mapping Tool," plus other
features can be found on this web site and are presented as information to
get you started. Additional help in the form of internet links where
technical assistance, guidance, contacts and funding can be obtained from the
organizations listed under the "Helpful Links" section of this web
site and through the various local contacts who are presented in Section 4. Natural
resource-based planning is a process that puts the community's natural resource base
at the forefront. By identifying natural resources at the beginning of the
planning process, your community can determine where development is most
appropriate. This way, communities can avoid the unintended consequences of
the typical planning process, such as open space becoming the 'leftover'
pieces, water resources being degraded, and compromising community character. The
key steps in Natural Resource-based Planning are:
The
Yellow River Watershed Initiative has provided the materials necessary to
complete the first 3 steps of natural resource-based planning. Once you have
determined what natural resource issues are of importance, the next step is
to conduct a Natural Resource Inventory (NRI). |
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A Natural
Resource Inventory (NRI) is the information collected to identify the
location and character of natural resources. Ideally, a natural resource
inventory is conducted as part of a natural resource-based, comprehensive
planning process. And ideally, that planning process happens in advance of
significant development in a community. The inventory is the foundation for
the plan, and the plan is the basis for growth management. In communities
without a strong natural resource-based plan, natural areas often become 'the
residual of development'. Including natural resources as a key component of
the planning process ensures that the integrity of the community's green
infrastructure will be placed among its highest priorities - the remaining
lands are designated for development. Timing
of the natural resource inventory and plan is important. During periods of
intense development, communities are very busy reviewing development plans
and have little time to consider planning for natural resources. In addition,
lack of good natural resource information prevents communities from
effectively reviewing development proposals with an eye toward natural
resource protection. You
need several pieces of core information to conduct a NRI:
Keep
in mind the NRI is an important step in the Natural Resource Based Planning
process and will be used as the basis for many of your community's decisions. The
key steps in conducting an NRI are:
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The Natural
Resource Assessment (NRA) is the third step in Natural Resource-based
Planning process. In this step, information collected in the inventory is
used to rank and prioritize areas for open space protection or investigation
of other local natural resource issues. |
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The
Yellow River Initiative has developed a web-based mapping tool that serves as
a portal for geographic as well as textual information. It enables users to
view and combine different layers of information that may be useful for
resource inventory and analysis. Layers range from soil and water features to
topography and aerial photography. This tool can and will be updated with new
kinds of mapped information. One of the most powerful features of the mapping
tool is its ability to display information at different scales, enabling
citizens and decision-makers to weigh alternatives for local action within a
much broader context of land uses and resource concerns. It also puts the same
capabilities into the hands of individual landowners.
Click here to use the Interactive
Mapping Tool |
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Important Resources
and Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs) Every
farm and every community has its own set of important resources, which might
include a spring or a well, a forest, prairie, stream, or an historically
significant building. Such areas or sites are judged by local residents to
merit special recognition due to their importance or sensitivity. For
example, sinkholes are considered critically important due to groundwater
sensitivity in portions of the Yellow River Watershed, and have been included
as a map layer. The
Conservation Opportunity Area (COA) map layer represents portions of the
landscape that are over 75 meters inside the edges of land cover patches
(grassland, forest or grass/forest mosaic) and over 75 meters away from
roads, where development is usually most intense. The
COAs are, therefore, potentially good locations - from a strategic planning
perspective - where private land stewards can look for important resources
and conservation opportunities in areas that are relatively far away from
roads and their related disturbances. For
example, a COA might be currently supporting healthy populations of native
species that could be vulnerable to further habitat fragmentation. The COA
could provide a reservoir for future biological diversity, or an ecological
service like runoff filtration. Incorporating
COAs - and other important resource layers - into a watershed-scale resource
assessment and conservation strategy can help reduce sediment, nutrient and
contaminant loading to neighboring drainage ways and streams, thus improving
overall water quality. Additional
biological or hydrological information layers may be useful for identifying
appropriate sites for habitat linkages and water quality buffers. Data layers
currently under development and not yet available can be generated or added
as needed. In the
final analysis, decisions on whether or not to implement conservation
practices within or around any of these COAs will depend on each area's
ecological condition, its potential for ecological enhancement, and the
willingness of the individual landowner to enter into a voluntary agreement
to participate. By
promoting natural resource sustainability, private land stewards can help
secure the right of future generations to continue inhabiting a watershed
with an unusually rich natural and cultural resource heritage - this is the
ultimate goal of the Yellow River Initiative. |
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Ready to proceed to the next phase? Click on
phase four! |
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