Union Township, Berks County Return on Environment Study | 1 2
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Union Township, Berks County Return on Environment Study | 1 2 019 2019 Union Township Berks County Pennsylvania Return on Environment Study An Approach to Develop a Sustainable Environment and Economy Union Township, Berks County Return on Environment Study | 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: TABLE OF CONTENTS Our thanks to the Union Township Environmental Advisory Council for their interest, participation and 01. Summary support. And to others who attended the ROE Workshop. Finally, to Jeanne Ortiz, Audubon 02. Why ROE? Pennsylvania who provided leadership and support. 03. Place 04. Biological Diversity is Critical to Our Survival 05. We need to Keep Water Clean at the Source 06 06. Eco-Pricing It is extremely difficult to have a 07. Outdoor Recreation and strong economy without a Reduced Health Care Cost healthy environment and plenty 08 08. Property Value of open space. 09. Nature Provides a Competitive Advantage 10. Creating a Sustainable Environment and Economy This project was funded by the William Penn 11. We Can’t Afford Not to Foundation through the Delaware River Protect Open Space Watershed Initiative. 12 12. Putting ROE to Work GLOSSARY METHODOLOGY https://kittatinnyridge.org/explore/roe/ APPENDIX A Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan Search Results Union Township, Berks County Return on Environment Study | 3 Nature is an invisible economy. More than just 01. SUMMARY pretty places, nature provides nearly $40 million dollars each year to Union Township in Union Township’s rural character and the form of avoided costs for natural system values are facing the winds of services, decreased health care costs, and change. revenues from outdoor recreation (See Figure 1). Nature has been part of Union Township’s heritage, culture, economy and sense of place “Return on Environment” or ROE estimates the ever since it was founded in the mid-1700s. financial value of nature. The estimates are not Green, rolling hills and streams create beautiful about intrinsic value, but rather an explanation vistas and reflect the township’s rural character of what governments and people have been and values. However, the loss of farmland and willing to pay for nature’s services once nature scenic views, fragmentation of forests, and has been disrupted or destroyed. As an increasing traffic are harbingers of change. This example, avoided costs mean taxpayers won’t report explains the financial value of nature in have to pay to construct new infrastructure to Union Township. This study can help policy- manage and treat more stormwater and makers, businesses and residents make drinking water and, as long as nature is intact, informed choices about growth, economic won’t incur greater clean-up costs from natural development, infrastructure, tourism, disasters. recreation and stewardship investments. The numbers in Figure 1 show the benefits of Nature is serious business. Return on ROE. It is extremely difficult to have a strong Environment (ROE) is real, significant and economy without a healthy environment and impacts a wide range of stakeholders. Placing a plenty of open space. Unfortunately, because dollar value on nature helps policymakers, Mother Nature doesn't write receipts, nature’s businesses and residents see nature as a economy is often overlooked or undervalued in portfolio of financial assets rather than a policy debates, business and land use decisions, commodity or added expense. and personal choices. Nature is the lifeblood of this area’s culture and Most of the historic Hopewell Big Woods lies in economy. Today, open spaces are where Union Township. This provides a large healthy nature thrives. The quiet, rolling, forested woodland and many benefits. A major terrain provides many recreational challenge for Union Township is how to balance opportunities from hunting and fishing to hiking trails, bicycling and horseback riding. Wildlife is visible and abundant. Nature also provides clean water, stormwater management and flood protection, pollination, nutrient absorption, aquatic and terrestrial habitat, carbon sequestration, air pollutant removal, erosion control, and biological control, free of charge. Once disrupted or destroyed, nature’s services must be replaced at the taxpayers’ expense. Union Township, Berks County Return on Environment Study | 4 growth with the community’s existing quality of wetlands and other open areas where natural life, health, low cost of living, sense of place and system services occur. 1 the economic value provided by open space. Commercial and industrial development, farms, FIGURE 1 and open land generate more revenue than Union Township’s Annual they require back in services. However, for every dollar received from residential Return on Environment development, a township pays $1.11 to provide $35.3 million services like roads and schools. The real value Natural system services of development is the revenue provided minus the cost of services and the loss of ROE to the $4.82 million township. 2 Value of existing riparian buffers $1.9-$6.34 million Another impact from sprawl is the loss of Outdoor recreation annual revenues critical habitat. Bird populations in North America are in a freefall. A study published in 19-56 the journal Science found that North America Jobs related to recreation has lost nearly 3 billion birds, or 29% of its avian $2.1 million population, since 1970 and many species are in Health care cost savings “conservation need,” meaning they lack adequate habitat. 3 attributed to open space and exercise Birds are a good biological indicator. As bird A second, and possibly more important populations decrease, snake, rodent, and insect challenge, is how to balance natural systems to populations increase. Hopewell Big Woods and allow for a sustainable economy. We believe, State Game Lands #43 play a critical role in communities that understand the value of providing habitat for these birds. Many similar nature have a better chance of finding this forests are important as well. The authors of balance. this recent research say, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is 4 ROE can help businesses, policy makers and now.” residents make informed decisions on land use, infrastructure, economic development, Clearly, conservation decisions are strategic to recreation and tourism. Every resource-based today and to the future. While nature can decision process should begin with a clear replace itself, once disrupted or destroyed, understanding of Union Township’s ROE. natural system services will be diminished for 50-120 years until they reach full capacity. It How land is used has the greatest impact on can take 400 years for a non-native plant to 5 water quality and a healthy environment. naturalize. In the meantime, residents assume Unfortunately, Pennsylvania has consumed the tax burden of replacing the services once more land per person than any other state, over provided by nature, free of charge. That’s why the past 30 years. Sprawl has been accelerating conservation and protecting nature are good the fragmentation and depletion of forests, business strategies. Union Township, Berks County Return on Environment Study | 5 The careful protection, management, and use of If Union Township expects to have a sustainable natural resources are essential to the long-term economy, a connected pattern of forests and sustainability of nature and the local and wetlands needs to be protected and managed. regional economies. Also, the U.S. This includes at a minimum: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that townships protect riparian Map the relative financial values of natural corridors and connections between large system services and develop strategies to forests, to be more resilient to the anticipated maintain, restore and enhance them. effects of climate change. 6 Restore riparian areas where necessary. 100-foot wide buffers are the most Map 1 shows the ROE values for Union effective. Headwater protection is critical. Township. The ROE map is the base map for the ROE Interactive Map Series, which shows Retain as much pre-existing, natural the relationship between different financial landscape as possible during any new data layers related to the use of land and construction. Pass a native plant ordinance natural system services. to ensure all future development primarily uses native plant species. The link to the ROE Interactive Map Series is: Protect highly valued ROE areas that are https://wplan.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer vulnerable to disruption. /index.html?id=988aca4f49bd4cd6886b834cd24999 Protect and restore riparian buffers and d8 wetlands from disturbance and connect and restore open space corridors. Connect larger forests where possible, with The highest value land cover types are wetlands riparian corridors or upland wooded and riparian forests, floodplains and large corridors. forests. Expand natural habitat by developing Green Ribbon Landscapes along riparian areas and around parks, trails and natural preserves. Hopewell Big Woods Union Township, Berks County Return on Environment Study | 6 Map 1. ROE Values for Union Township Union Township, Berks County Return on Environment Study | 7 with sprawl, stormwater, flooding, water 02. WHY ROE? quality, and habitat loss. ROE informs decisions on land use, The Benefits of Return on Environment tourism, infrastructure, economic Valuations development, and recreation. Explain nature's complex system in a Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania simple, easy-to-understand concept, Constitution