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February 10, 2010

February 10, 2010. Green Infrastructure: Linking Landscapes and Communities By Ole M. Amundsen III Strategic Conservation Program Manager The Conservation Fund. The Conservation Fund Mission Statement.

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February 10, 2010

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  1. February 10, 2010 Green Infrastructure:Linking Landscapes and CommunitiesBy Ole M. Amundsen III Strategic Conservation Program Manager The Conservation Fund

  2. The Conservation FundMission Statement The Conservation Fund forges partnerships to conserve America’s legacy of land and water resources. Through land acquisition, community and economic development, and training and education, the Fund and its partners demonstrate balanced conservation solutions that emphasize the integration of economic and environmental goals

  3. Strategic Conservation Services • Green Infrastructure Approach • Identify best lands to conserve and to accommodate development • Implement strategies for smarter, sustainable land uses IslandPress.org Greeninfrastructure.Net

  4. Why “Infrastructure”? Infrastructure – “the substructure or underlying foundation on which the continuance and growth of a community depends” Webster’s New World Dictionary • Network connections are required for functioning infrastructure • Infrastructure features and processes need to be managed to maintain essential services • Funding for infrastructure needs to be provided up-front • Infrastructure is a necessity not an amenity

  5. 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

  6. Nashville/Davidson County Open Space Plan Public – Private Partnership Land Trust for Tennessee Manager of project December 2010 target for completion Nashville Crayfish key species, river front development and conservation

  7. Land Use (2001)

  8. Network Design Goals and Objectives – NiSource Project Identify protection priorities for impacted species identified in the Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Protect core species habitat Provide a framework for avoidance, minimization, and mitigation

  9. Green Infrastructure Network Design • Core Areas: • Contain fully functional natural ecosystems • Provide high-quality habitat for native plants and animals • Hubs: • Slightly fragmented aggregations of core areas, plus contiguous natural cover • Corridors: • Link core areas together • Allow animal movement and seed and pollen transfer between core areas 9

  10. ID LANDSCAPE TYPES/GATHER AND PROCESS DATA SEEK “OUTSIDE” REVIEW & INPUT IDENTIFY & CONNECT NETWORK COMPONENTS (HUBS, LINKS & SITES) ASSESS NETWORK COMPONENTS / SET PRIORITIES FOR ACTION Green Infrastructure Steps Green Infrastructure Network Design DEVELOP DESIGN GOALS & OBJECTIVES/ SELECT DESIRED GI ATTRIBUTES

  11. Step 1. Green Infrastructure Network Design DEVELOP DESIGN GOALS & OBJECTIVES/ SELECT DESIRED GI ATTRIBUTES

  12. Central Indiana Land Trust GI Project • Conserve significant contiguous natural habitat • Identify and protect a network of stream and land corridors for wildlife movement and human enjoyment • Help local planning become more environmentally sensitive • Increase public awareness of the multiple benefits of green infrastructure • Increase public support for green infrastructure • Increase the coordination of green and gray infrastructure projects to maximize the benefits for nature and people

  13. Central Indiana and Public Perception • Indianapolis ranks 99th out of 100 metropolitan areas in per capita carbon emissions from transportation and residential energy use • Marion county ranks national at 568th out of 592 in air quality according to the American Lung Association • Forbes.com ranks Indiana 49th out of 50 states in its America’s Greenest States • Indiana has the highest amount of toxic discharges into water bodies according to the US EPA • Indiana ranks 16th for adult obesity (27%) • Indiana ranks 7th in the US for loss of farmland

  14. Resource Inventory, Analysis, and Synthesis Gathering information on current natural resource conservation and green space programs and policies at the federal, state, regional and local level

  15. ID LANDSCAPE TYPES/GATHER AND PROCESS DATA Step 2. Green Infrastructure Network Design DEVELOP DESIGN GOALS & OBJECTIVES/ SELECT DESIRED GI ATTRIBUTES

  16. Landscape Attributes Identifying the landscape attributes or features present in the study area provides direction as to the diversity of data you will need to collect for network design. Ecological Network Landscape Attribute Large blocks of undisturbed forest High-quality wetland complexes Minimally impaired stream reaches plus associated riparian vegetation, within minimally impacted watersheds • Landscape Type • Forest • Wetland • Freshwater aquatics

  17. Identify Landscapes – Central Indiana In the Central Indiana there were several landscapes of interest including: • Forests • Freshwater aquatic • Wetlands

  18. Identify Landscape Attributes – Central Indiana Features Include Trails Historic Resources Landcover Types Stream-River Corridors Lakes Floodplains Wetlands Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species

  19. Create a Cultural/Recreation Asset Map • Many regions do not have cultural and recreational assets mapped so you may need to make your own map. • The information does exist but most be gathered together. • Official sources include: • National, State, Local Historic sites • National and State scenic byways • National and State Wild and Scenic rivers • Local canoe launch sites • Local trail heads and trails, bike paths • Other types of assets may benefit from asset mapping exercise: • Local farm stands • Local artisan studios • Swimming holes, bird watching and favor fishing spots • Water Towers

  20. Assets, Needs, and Opportunities Exercise • 109 opportunities • 38 are within core areas

  21. Examine the Resource Hawaiian Honeycreepers Source: Charles Smith, Cornell University, Dept. of Natural Resources

  22. GAPS – High species diversity, but no preserve.

  23. ID LANDSCAPE TYPES/GATHER AND PROCESS DATA IDENTIFY & CONNECT NETWORK COMPONENTS (HUBS, LINKS & SITES) Step 3. Green Infrastructure Network Design SELECT Desired GI ATTRIBUTES / DEVELOP DESIGN GOALS & OBJECTIVES

  24. Better Worse Better Worse GI Network Design Guidelines • Species well distributed across their native range are less susceptible to extinction than species confined to small portions of their range. • Large blocks of habitat, containing large populations of a target species, are superior to small blocks of habitat containing small populations. • Blocks of habitat close together are better than blocks far apart. Cont’d…

  25. Better Worse Better Worse GI Network Design Guidelines • Habitat in contiguous blocks is better than fragmented habitat. • Interconnected blocks of habitat are better than isolated blocks; corridors or linkages function better when habitat within them resembles that preferred by target species. • Blocks of habitat that are roadless or otherwise inaccessible to humans are better than roaded and accessible habitat blocks.

  26. Core Areas • Fully functional natural ecosystems • High-quality habitat for native species • Nucleus of the network

  27. How Large Are Core Areas? It Depends….. Example: Wetland Buffers and Functions From Planners Guide to Wetland Buffers For Local Government” published by the Environmental Law Institute, 2008

  28. Focal Species • What are potential focal species for Davidson County? • Could you name species for forest, wetland and aquatic resources? USFWS Photo Steven Wayne Rotsch/Painet Inc US NPS USFWS Photo Robert Barber/Painet Inc.

  29. Central Indiana: Core Forest Lands American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) • Deciduous successional shrubland • 20 acres - 3 acres • Mid-late successional deciduous forest • Forest interior bird • Area sensitive • Forest patches > 750 acres Yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens) • Till plains deciduous successional shrubland • Shrubby openings of any shape > 12.5 acres Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) • Till plains deciduous forest • 247 acres • Added Marion County Forest Blocks/woodlots > 12.5 acres • Roads • 100 meter edge

  30. Central Indiana: Core Wetlands • King Rail (Rallus elegans) • Emergent wetlands/marshes • > 20 acres • Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalist) MaxEnt modeling • Climate data • Land use • Other layers

  31. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) Models • MaxEnt is a machine learning technique that can be used to predict plant or animal distribution. • Compare species occurrences over a study area to a set of relevant environmental factors, such as vegetation or soil. • Estimates spatial distribution of the species by assuming nothing about which is unknown (maximizing entropy) but by matching the occurrence data with underlying environmental variables. • Useful for rare and endangered species since absence data is not required and the model needs relatively small number (50) occurrence points.

  32. Indiana Bat MaxEnt Model • Indiana Bat Summer habitat preferences: • Forested habitat, near water, wetlands • Roosting sites under sloughing bark of large live or dead trees with direct sun exposure • Winter hibernacula (caves) could not be satisfactorily modeled, but most cave locations are known. Protecting known hibernacula and combating white-nose syndrome are the highest priority for this species. • For Indiana both the GAP data and National Land Cover Data were used and compared

  33. Indiana Bat Model for the State of IN Model Inputs • Point locations of focal species: A total of 208 element occurrences (both individuals and colonies) were used for Indiana. • Grid (raster layers) representing relevant environmental factors: A total of 30 Environmental Variables were used for Indiana.

  34. Scaling Environmental Variables Based on habitat needs, GIS layers were assembled. • Some layers needed to include a scale to provide useful information • Some variables used a 1 km scale based on the average foraging range of 11 individuals tracked by Sparks et al. (2005), and • Other variables used a 3 km scale based on their averaged maximum linear distance from roost.

  35. Table 1 Indiana Bat Environmental Factors

  36. Model Output Spatial layer shaded between 0 and 1 (higher values = more suitable habitat) Run the model 10 times for cross validation

  37. Heuristic Estimate of Relative Contributions of Environmental Variables The cross validation provides “clues” as to which environmental variables predict species occurrences to the greatest degree • Percentage forested Wetlands with 1km • Length of unchannelized streams or rivers in deciduous forests within 1km

  38. Central Indiana: Aquatic Core Areas River Otter (Lontra canadensis) • Known occurrences plus 50km of high quality stream • High quality streams • Hilsenhoff Biotic Index or HBI <= 5.50 • Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index or QHEI >= 50 (mean score = 65.7 and sd = 14.24) Photo credit: US FWS • Riparian buffers • Streams with riparian buffer on both sides (50 meters) • Fresh water mussels • Use expert knowledge to delineate best streams for mussel habitat Photo credit: Illinois State Museum

  39. Hubs • Slightly fragmented aggregations of core areas, plus contiguous natural cover • Large enough to support populations of native species and serve as sources for emigration into surrounding landscape

  40. How Big Are Hubs? It depends… Disturbance Example Forest - In 300 Years: • 15 Fires • 4 Hurricanes • 7 Windstorms • Infestations • Blight • Disturbances the Rule, Not the Exception Source Mark Anderson, TNC, LTA Rally 2004

  41. How Large Are Forest Hubs? Source Mark Anderson, TNC, LTA Rally 2004

  42. Central Indiana Hubs HUBs • Hubs are aggregations of core areas • Significant sites as delineated by IN Natural Heritage Program. • Pasture lands and hay fields surrounding core areas with 300 meters (1,186 feet) of core edge. • Combine all and extract those hubs that are larger than 100 hectares (247 acres).

  43. Corridors • Linear features linking core areas • Wind through human-dominated land like agriculture or development • Allow animal, seed, and pollen movement between core areas

  44. How wide to make corridors? It depends… Studies on corridor width vary; best functioning corridors are wide enough for interior conditions and species (as shown at right) Narrow corridor with no interior conditions Narrow corridor with eroded stream banks and invasive plants

  45. Forested Buffers for Streams • No rules of thumb, however, recent studies recommend a minimum buffer width of 115 feet of forested land cover to provide basic physical and chemical buffering. • For many eastern states, wildlife movement facilitated by buffers at 650 feet in fragmented areas to 1,100 feet (500 ft interior forests with 300 ft buffer on either side) in less fragmented areas. • Can consider reforestation in fragmented areas to achieve adequate widths for corridors.

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