A new conservation plan for the Ashuelot River watershed is in the works.
The Nature Conservancy has joined with some local partners to develope the first comprehensive study identifying the area's natural resources.
In order to tackle such a large area, the Conservancy is employing Geographic Information Systems, or GIS mapping.
The mapping will allow the groups to be more effective in their land conservation efforts.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Rakhee Vemulapalli reports.
Warbler, bobcat, wood turtle, the endangered dwarf wedge mussel, and brook trout are just some of the wildlife species that call the Ashuelot river watershed home.
In order to see where these animals, their habitats and other features are located within the 268 thousand acre watershed, the Nature Conservancy relied on GIS mapping. The mapping brings together information drawn from sources including data from the Natural Heritage bureau, aerial photographs, and old fashioned field work. The Nature Conservancy?s Mark Zankel demos the process.
:23
I just turned on in purple high yield aquifers. We can look at damns and we?ve got a data layer that says here?s where all the damns are and you can see that there?s a lot of damns here. We can look at occurrences of rare species and click them on. So for any of these things we can just, through a click of a button, say what is it that we?re looking at.
He?s describing what is known as co-occurrence mapping. This is the first time this method has been applied to the entire watershed at once. Numerous data layers allow the Nature Conservancy to depict factors, such as soil types, habitats, and wetlands in varied permutations on a digital map. Mappers rank regions based on their wealth of resources ? ultimately identifying 13 conservation areas.
Jeff Porter from the Southwest Region Planning Commission says the GIS-aided plan will allow land conservancies to focus their efforts.
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It?s a way for those organizations to share an understanding about the assets in the watershed, work together to identify some priorities for the specific places in the watershed where they can get the best bang for their buck.
To start out with, land trusts will approach land owners with property in the conservation areas and find out if they are interested in conserving their land. Zankel believes the new plan will help owners see their property in a new light.
:23
These are lands that are family lands in many cases. They?ve been passed down through a number of generations. People have a close connection to their property, they may have put their kids through college by farming the property or harvesting timber. They want to protect its natural features. For people like that to say, wow I knew my land was special, but now I can see that it?s not only special to me, but it actually has real significance for this entire region.
In addition to aiding the land trusts, Richard Ober from the Monadnock
Conservancy says the plan, which relied heavily on local input, will help towns make more informed decisions about their resources.
:18
The way we?ve put together this plan we respect the tradition we have in New Hampshire of home rule. We really want to make certain that people in the towns understand the need for careful conservation planning.
While any implementation decisions based on the plan are most likely to occur at the local level, Zankel says the plan can also serve as a resource to State agencies such as the Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Resources and Economic Development. Fish and Game will incorporate a GIS methodology developed for the Ashuelot plan in its own statewide wildlife conservation plan.
The Department of Environmental Services has a stake in this venture as well. Federal Clean Water Act money distributed by DES funded a large part of it. DES?s Steve Couture says, given the wealth of information the plan contains, there?s little doubt the Department is getting its money?s worth
The total project cost is approximately 30 thousand dollars and to have a watershed plan that identifies critical areas of concern for that amount from a DES perspective that?s a pretty good deal.
The final draft of the plan is set to be released in the next month.
For NHPR News I?m Rakhee Vemulapalli
