Landscape Partnership Resources Library
Identifying the Valued Ordinary, as a Step toward Scenic Landscape Conservation. Visual Resource Stewardship Conference Landscape and Seascape Management in a Time of Change.
The Georgia Scenic Byways program (GDOT, 2017) is a “grassroots effort … to identify, preserve, promote and protect treasured corridors throughout the state.” There are fifteen such corridors designated by Georgia DOT, their only protection is a restriction on roadside billboards. Despite frequent avocation of the beauties of Georgia highways, there is no systematic articulation of the physical attributes of a scenic landscape, how such attributes would be identified and thus protected, nor the expertise or resources to devote to new discoveries.
Integrating Visual and Cultural Resource Evaluation and Impact Assessment for Landscape Conservation Design and Planning
While there is an increased need for cultural resource conservation and management in North America, there are few approaches that provide robust integration and combined assessment of visual and cultural resources. Determining the scenic value of important views and identifying potential risk for loss of that view are core components needed to design protection preserving scenic quality and the cultural resources contributing to scenic value and overall sense of place.
The use of crowdsourced and georeferenced photography to aid in visual resource planning and conservation
The advent of Web 2.0 and the growth of social media platforms have fostered an environment for the documentation and sharing of landscape imagery. In addition to looking at the site scale, using these big data allows for visual landscape assessment at the regional scale. The onset of Marcellus shale gas development in the state of Pennsylvania concurrent with the rapidly widening availability of crowd-sourced citizen photography has provided a valuable opportunity to study crowdsourced and georeferenced photography as an aid in visual resource conservation design and planning. As Trombulak and Baldwin (2010) outline, the goals for this work include identifying spatially explicit measures of change in the landscape, being able to predict spatially explicit threats to the landscape, recognizing sites within the region that are important or irreplaceable, and prioritizing areas for conservation action to address pressures and preserve/conserve exceptional sites in the future.
CCVA Fact Sheets: Forested Stream and / or Seepage
Forested Stream and/or Seepage Forested stream environments are typically found in the buffer zones between forested land and stream banks, often known as riparian zones. Stream headwaters and seepage areas occur where ground water percolates to the surface through muck, mossy rock, and nettles. It can also be found under rocks, among gravel, or cobble where water has begun to percolate in areas near open water. Breeding grounds are commonly found beneath mosses growing on rocks, on logs, or soil surfaces in these types of seepage areas. Predicted climate change will largely impact changes in temperature and moisture availability in forested stream and/or seepage systems, likely having a cascading effect on a species habitat and increasing stress to many of these species. The Appalachian LCC funded NatureServe to conduct vulnerability assessments on a suite of plants, animals, and habitats within the Appalachians. These assessments can be used as an early warning system to alert resource managers about changing conditions.
CCVA Fact Sheet: Open Woodlands
Open Woodlands Used generally to describe low density forests, open woodland ecosystems contain widely spaced trees whose crowns do not touch, causing for an open canopy, insignificant midstory canopy layer, sparse understory and where groundcover is the most obvious feature of the landscape dominated by diverse flora (grasses, forbes, sedges). Open Woodlands provide habitat for a diverse mix of wildlife species, several of which are of conservation concern, such as Red Headed Woodpecker, Prairie Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Northern Bobwhite and Eastern Red Bat. Predicted climate change will largely impact changes in temperature and moisture availability in open woodlands systems, likely having a cascading effect on a species habitat and increasing stress to many of these species. The Appalachian LCC funded NatureServe to conduct vulnerability assessments on a suite of plants, animals, and habitats within the Appalachians. These assessments can be used as an early warning system to alert resource managers about changing conditions.
CCVA Fact Sheet: Forest and Woodlands
Forest/Woodland habitats describe large areas primarily dominated by trees, with moderate ground coverage, such as grasses and shrubs. Density, tree height, and land use may all vary, though woodland is typically used to describe lower density forests. A forest may have an open canopy, but a woodland must have an open canopy with enough sunlight to reach the ground and limited shade. Predicted climate change will largely impact changes in temperature and moisture availability in forest/ woodlands systems, likely having a cascading effect on a species habitat and increasing stress to many of these species. The Appalachian LCC funded NatureServe to conduct vulnerability assessments on a suite of plants, animals, and habitats within the Appalachians. These assessments can be used as an early warning system to alert resource managers about changing conditions.
CCVA Fact Sheet: Meadows and Marshlands
Meadows are open grasslands where grass and other non-woody plants are the primary vegetation. With no tree coverage, meadows are typically open, sunny areas that attract flora and fauna that require both ample space and sunlight. These conditions allow for the growth of many wildflowers and are typically important ecosystems for pollinating insects. Marshlands are like meadows in that they typically have no tree coverage and host primarily grasses and woody plants. However, a defining characteristic of marshlands is their wetland features. Predicted climate change will largely impact changes in temperature and moisture availability in meadows and marshlands systems, likely having a cascading effect on a species habitat and increasing stress to many of these species. The Appalachian LCC funded NatureServe to conduct vulnerability assessments on a suite of plants, animals, and habitats within the Appalachians. These assessments can be used as an early warning system to alert resource managers about changing conditions.
CCVA Fact Sheet Meadows
CCVA Meadow
Issue - Invasives - DOI-NEPA
Themes outlined in the report reflect a sample of key points described in bureau submissions; this is not an exhaustive list. Specific details are included in the submissions provided by each bureau and office that responded to the questionnaire. Applicability NEPA analysis can apply to 1) actions for which prevention/control of invasive species is the primary purpose of the action, and 2) actions for which the purpose of the action is to execute program or projects, such as operations, maintenance or construction activities, during which invasive species prevention/control may not be the primary purpose but invasive species risks should be considered and minimized. Challenges to NEPA Compliance Lack of training in NEPA compliance and access to technical support; Limitations of data availability / data accessibility (e.g., site specific information, distribution and life history information, impacts, control techniques); Reductions in funding and staffing; and, o Insufficient policy and guidance to the field. Solutions to Overcome Challenges Provide additional training and guidance to appropriate staff on NEPA compliance; Support research for new methods of controls/eradication that are effective, efficient, and less damaging to non-target habitats/species; Improve methods of data sharing and make information centrally accessible; Promote coordination with other agencies; Update policy, guidance, and templates, including best management practices (BMPS) for the type of activities conducted; ensure that those BMPS can be used by all agencies; Develop Agency-wide / Regional / Large-scale plans and guidance (e.g., Programmatic EA, Programmatic EIS) from which EAs/EISs for projects can be tiered; and, Develop more options for categorical exclusion that benefit the environment (esp. for early detection and rapid response (EDRR) and control). There are others, but these are the highlights included in the report.
Issue - Invasives - DOI-NEPA
Themes outlined in the report reflect a sample of key points described in bureau submissions; this is not an exhaustive list. Specific details are included in the submissions provided by each bureau and office that responded to the questionnaire. Applicability NEPA analysis can apply to 1) actions for which prevention/control of invasive species is the primary purpose of the action, and 2) actions for which the purpose of the action is to execute program or projects, such as operations, maintenance or construction activities, during which invasive species prevention/control may not be the primary purpose but invasive species risks should be considered and minimized. Challenges to NEPA Compliance Lack of training in NEPA compliance and access to technical support; Limitations of data availability / data accessibility (e.g., site specific information, distribution and life history information, impacts, control techniques); Reductions in funding and staffing; and, o Insufficient policy and guidance to the field. Solutions to Overcome Challenges Provide additional training and guidance to appropriate staff on NEPA compliance; Support research for new methods of controls/eradication that are effective, efficient, and less damaging to non-target habitats/species; Improve methods of data sharing and make information centrally accessible; Promote coordination with other agencies; Update policy, guidance, and templates, including best management practices (BMPS) for the type of activities conducted; ensure that those BMPS can be used by all agencies; Develop Agency-wide / Regional / Large-scale plans and guidance (e.g., Programmatic EA, Programmatic EIS) from which EAs/EISs for projects can be tiered; and, Develop more options for categorical exclusion that benefit the environment (esp. for early detection and rapid response (EDRR) and control). There are others, but these are the highlights included in the report.
CALCC_SOW Award Retrospective Analysis Final
California Landscape Conservation Cooperative (CA LCC) Retrospective Analysis Statement of Work
ARC Assessment of Natural Assets in the Appalachian Region - Forest Resources
Assessment of Natural Assets in the Appalachian Region-Forest Resources. Prepared for the ARC, 2014
ARC Assessment of Natural Assets in the Appalachian Region - Forest Resources
Assessment of Natural Assets in the Appalachian Region-Forest Resources. Prepared for the ARC, 2014
Notes from LCC Network White Paper_2017_TEMPLATE-CHALLENGES_ver1_jb
Discussion file - attempting to create an analytical structure (in this example, used the LCC White paper by Greg and Elsa -- although it's focus was more on the Network level vs. individual LCC-level.) It does however serve to focus on the issue/question of how LCC Coordinators addressed the Challenges we inherited in working within a institutional/hosted initiative.
phoneinterview_final_mb
Actual survey instrument (template) used by Dr. Maddie Brown when conducting her phone interviews with AppLCC Steering Committee members, past members, and key partners.
interviewfocusforDecmeeting_2017-11-7_mb
Descriptive summary of the Interview Focus conducted by Dr. Maddie Brown of Penn State University of the AppLCC Steering Committee members and key partners. Part of the AppLCC's preparation to assess the value and contributions of the LCC-partnership as LCCs move on to be redefined in FY18.
LCC ideas.pptx
slides Yvette put together in Denver - the purpose of that was to help us organize our thoughts at that meeting and to help understand some context of where we've been to examine where we are going. It was not vetted so please keep in mind ...but it if helps jog some thinking, great.
coordinators-LL_poll_ver. 2017-12-13_jb
"Strawdog" prepared by JB to initiate discussion on: what's a framework to structure forward structured interviews to capture LL. (really rough mock up)
Implmenting ecosystem management in Forest Service
Shared reference
