|
|
||
|
Search Archive | |
 |
 The regional GIS partnership among Assateague Island National Seashore, Worcester County, and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (Maryland Department of Natural Resources) plays a key role in promoting watershed conservation measures, such as the Rural Legacy program, that lead to park resource protection. Kathleen Kodish Reeder
Back to Chapter 7: Collaboration and Public Participation Articles Public involvement at Blue Ridge Parkway By Bambi Teague and Chris Ulrey Russian scientists help seek brucellosis solutions for Yellowstone By Glenn Plumb, Wayne Brewster, and Margaret Wild Long-term bison management plan for Yellowstone and Montana Park Flight Program protects migratory birds beyond the United States By Carol Beidleman Technology and collaboration improve interagency fire planning By Anne Birkholz and Pat Lineback Partners in plant protection at Capitol Reef National Park By Tom O. Clark Mountain of partnerships elevates North Cascades’ monitoring capabilities By Bruce L. Freet Other Developments A photographic mushroom survey Joint conservation plan for the Potomac Gorge Geologists-in-the-Parks program expands in scope Public participation and personal watercraft Award-winner Profile - Facility Manager Chris Case recognized with award Superfund cleanup at Grant Kohrs Ranch Progress developing the National Cave and Karst Research Institute International fisheries management plan for the Amistad Reservoir |
 |
 By Kathleen Kodish Reeder Since 1970, continuous population growth in the coastal counties of Maryland and Virginia has created an escalating threat to the habitats and quality of aquatic resources in those counties. By 1996 the increased development throughout coastal bays and associated land areas had prompted the formation of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, a component of the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program. The strain on land and water resources has been especially evident in Worcester County, where the resident population has grown at an annual rate of 3% throughout the last decade, more than two-and-a-half times faster than the state average. Within the watershed that encompasses Worcester County is Assateague Island National Seashore, in which oceanic and estuarine waters comprise 31,000 of the park’s 49,000 acres. Concern about identifying threatened habitats and restoring water resources grew as commercial and recreational fishing increased, development consumed more wetlands, and changing land use altered natural coastal processes. According to Carl Zimmerman, resource management specialist at the national seashore, in 1997 this concern prompted the park to initiate what has since become known as the Worcester Regional GIS Program to provide state and local governments the data they need to make day-to-day management decisions and implement long-range planning, such as the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program. During the first three years of the program, the National Park Service and the State of Maryland have funded the program. The activities of the GIS analyst and technician, both employees of Worcester County, have been coordinated by a work group with representatives of the four partners: the National Park Service, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Coastal Bays Foundation, and Worcester County. The GIS facility is located on Assateague Island, where the National Park Service provides GIS hardware, software, and associated equipment, materials, and supplies, in addition to supervision of the two GIS staff members. Like the National Park Service, the state and county have contributed in-kind services, such as administrative and technical support and access to relevant, nonproprietary analog and digital data. The purpose of the GIS work group has been to support conservation planning and land use management by developing, managing, and distributing spatial information in the formats required by the partner organizations. The variety of its accomplishments has been impressive. For example, it has processed the survey data needed to identify patterns of recreational boating to guide permit activities and developed a tracking system that improves compliance with regulations, monitors waste treatment and storm water management, and supports long-range planning and rezoning efforts. In addition, they have provided data that describe the location of sensitive aquatic resources and habitats and identify critical areas for requiring naturally vegetated shoreline buffers. In fact, their analyses and supportive documentation have been instrumental in recommending alternative growth areas and supporting grant applications to secure new funding for watershed conservation initiatives by several entities in addition to the regional partners. The Regional GIS Partnership in Worcester County has succeeded so well that Zimmerman reports, “In 2001, support for the program was affirmed by local governments with the institutionalization of base funding to support permanent staffing of the Regional GIS Program by Worcester County employees.” With stable funding, the GIS staff will be able to continue developing the customized information each partner agency needs to ensure preservation of the coastal ecosystems that have made this national seashore a popular choice for visitors and residents alike. |
|||
|
This material is from Natural Resource Year in Review--2001, published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, in May 2001 (publication D-2255) /YearInReview/yir/yir2001/07_collaboration/07_5_reeder_ASIS.html Last Updated: |
