Transcript Slide 1
Green Infrastructure in Central Indiana Cliff Chapman Conservation Director Central Indiana Land Trust www.conservingindiana.org The Central Indiana Land Trust • Formed in 1990 and based out of Indianapolis, The Central Indiana Land Trust is a 501c3 charitable nonprofit organization working in 11 central Indiana counties Dutchmen’s Breeches The Central Indiana Land Trust • Through land protection, stewardship and education, the Central Indiana Land Trust preserves natural areas, improving air and water quality and enhancing life in our communities for present and future generations. White River at Burr Oak Bend Preserve The Central Indiana Land Trust • We have protected over 3,000 acres of land through partnerships, conservation agreements, and outright ownership. Forested wetland, Marion County The Central Indiana Land Trust • We manage 15 preserves and oversee four conservation easements. We own five state dedicated nature preserves supporting rare species, relict stands of Eastern hemlock and the state’s largest great blue heron rookery. State threatened flowering raspberry, Blue Bluff Nature Preserve Why do Conservation Planning? • The Central Indiana Land Trust sees the need to be strategic and proactive maximizing time and financial resources protecting our natural resources Great Blue Heron Rookery Why do Conservation Planning? • A regional conservation plan can serve more than a land trust, but be shared (both in conception and implementation) with private and public partners Eastern Box Turtle Why do Conservation Planning? • As urban growth pressures continue to threaten natural areas and open space, having a conservation plan for central Indiana can be a valuable tool for both natural resource managers as well as city planners, county commissioners and zoning boards Burnett Woods Nature Preserve Partnering with The Conservation Fund • The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust awarded Central Indiana Land Trust funds to draft a regional conservation vision • The Conservation Fund is a national conservation organization specializing in regional planning efforts • Combining local knowledge and relationships with planning experience and respect from a national organization is a successful formula Green Infrastructure – What is it? A strategically planned and managed network of natural lands, working landscapes, and other open spaces that conserves ecosystem values and functions and provides associated benefits to human populations Global Climate Air Quality Old-Growth Forest Habitat Top Soil Aquifers Relating Green to Gray Green Infrastructure and Gray Infrastructure Both Require: Ideally Are: Strategic planning to ensure optimal / functional systems Planned simultaneously before development Financing for design and maintenance Management to maintain services & maximize benefits Given equal priority in the planning process Planned as complimentary systems Given equal attention in the funding process Conceptual Model of Approach Core Hub Core Core Hub Core Core Core HubCore Cores may arelink unfragmented natural Corridors hubs and allow Hubs contain core areas cover with at least 100 acres animal, water, seed and pollen plus adjacent suitable movement between hubs of interior conditions. natural lands Green Infrastructure – What Is It? 1. Lands and Water that Support Natural Ecosystem Values and Functions Ecological communities with natural and/or restored features Fish and wildlife habitat Watershed and aquatic resources River and stream corridors Aquifer recharge areas Fish spawning areas Working landscapes with ecological values Farmland & rangeland with native habitat, fishing, hunting Green Infrastructure – What Is It? 2. Lands that Provide Associated Benefits to Human Populations Recreation and Health Parks, trails and greenways Public access points to recreational waters Cultural and Historic Sites Growth Pattern and Character Greenbelts Viewsheds and vistas Working Land and Water Working farms Sustainably managed forests The Green Infrastructure Approach Historic Site Conservation Development Mitigation Bank Fee Simple Acquisition Conservation Easement Floodplain Regulation Park Site Working Lands BMPs What Green Infrastructure is Not! A regulatory program A short-term solution An isolated effort No growth or antidevelopment “Green” engineered structures The Green Infrastructure Approach A process that includes three primary elements: Leadership Forum Convening of stakeholder group to articulate vision, goals and objectives Network Design Identification of key network lands Implementation Quilt Formulation of a framework for matching available resources to the needs of the network Em er ed , Category ge n ra ss l w ce dy ou s W oo ed C ro W et la n ds s ps re /H ay us W et la nd at tu Pa s cr ub t re s ce o ub /S Fo t es re st Fo r s/ H er ba C ul tiv an d Sh r ix ed n Fo nd ns ity ity si ty La In te er ce ns en In te In t Sp a W at re n re e M rg n ou s Ba r H ig h id u Ev e tH er ba G pe pe n Lo O O ed iu m ed , M ed , ed , D ec D ev el op D ev el op D ev el op D ev el op # Acres 2001 Land Use/Land Cover 2,000,000 1,800,000 1,600,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 Land Use (2001) Landscape Types Source: 2001 Land Cover in Indiana, Derived from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2001) (United States Geologica Survey, 30-Meter Grid), digital representation by Chris Dintaman, 2007. Prime Farmland Outstanding Rivers List Impaired Streams Source: Wetlands: Indiana Statewide GIS database was produced under an Indiana Department of Transportation contract. Data is derived from the USFWS National Wetland Inventory. Native_Data_Set_Environment: ESRI ArcView version 3.2 shapefile format. TNC and Audubon Sites Focal Species • What makes for a useful focal species? • What are potential focal species for Central Indiana? • Could you name species for forest, wetland and aquatic resources? USFWS Photo USFWS Photo Steven Wayne Rotsch/Painet Inc Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission US NPS Robert Barber/Painet Inc. USFWS Photo Focal Species: How do we choose? 1. Representative? 2. Can status be addressed realistically? 3. High conservation need? 4. Potential to stimulate partnerships? 5. GIS data available Source: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Focal Species for Migratory Birds: Measuring success in bird conservation, 2005. Landscape Type: Forest Species: Forest Interior Birds (FIBs) and others Worm-eating warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalist) Landscape: Type: Wetlands Species: Amphibian and turtles • Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) • Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) Landscape Type: Aquatic Systems River Otter (Lontra canadensis) Species: fish, mussels, benthic macroinvertebrates Stream conditions: IBA scores, ecologically significant streams or high quality stream sites. Photo credit: US FWS Photo credit: Illinois State Museum Questions? Contact Information: Central Indiana Land Trust 324 W. Morris St. Ste. 210 Indianapolis, IN 46225 317.631.5263 www.conservingindiana.org Cliff Chapman [email protected]