Abstract Creating a Sustainable Land Use Plan
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ABSTRACT CREATING A SUSTAINABLE LAND USE PLAN FOR SLEEPY HOLLOW CONSERVATION AREA – AN INTERNSHIP by David Scott Houser Sustainable land use planning is a practice to conserve natural resources for their ecological benefits while also bringing economic value to a piece of land. The 1400 acres of Sleepy Hollow Conservation Area were once farmed but had recently been scarred from the overuse of all-terrain vehicles. In 2015 the Northern Kentucky University Center for Environmental Restoration (CER) bought the old farmland to conduct a stream restoration and create a sustainable land use plan for the site. I was tasked with creating the sustainable land use plan for Sleepy Hollow Conservation Area that balanced environmental protection, protection of the stream restoration buffer, and bring economic value to the property. Using a variety of site surveys, GIS mapping, meetings with local stakeholders and environmental professionals I was able to determine activities that would bring economic benefits to future tenants while protecting the environmental value and stream buffer on the property. I then reached out to several potential tenants who were or might be interested in land to start or grow their sustainable businesses. Finally, I compiled proposals from sustainable farmers and hunters interested in leasing portions of the land for approval from the director of the CER. CREATING A SUSTAINABLE LAND USE PLAN FOR SLEEPY HOLLOW CONSERVATION AREA – AN INTERNSHIP Internship Report Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Science by David Scott Houser Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2015 Advisor: Dr. Jerry Green Reader: Dr. Sarah Dumyahn Reader: Mrs. Robbyn Abbitt ©2015 David Scott Houser This Internship Report titled CREATING A SUSTAINABLE LAND USE PLAN FOR SLEEPY HOLLOW CONSERVATION AREA – AN INTERNSHIP by David Scott Houser has been approved for publication by College of Arts and Sciences and The Institute for the Environment and Sustainability ____________________________________________________ Jerry Green ______________________________________________________ Sarah Dumyahn _______________________________________________________ Robbyn Abbitt Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….1 Organizational and Position Details………………………………………………………6 Sustainable Land Use…………………………………………………………………......7 Sleepy Hollow Conservation Area Description………………………………………......9 Field Work……………………………………………………………………………….12 GIS Mapping………………………………………………………………………….….14 Planning Input Meetings………………………………………………………...……….23 Land Use Inquiries………………………………………………………………...……..37 Other Internship Tasks…………………………………………………………………...44 Reflection on the Sustainable Land Use Plan……………………………………………48 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….50 Appendixes………………………………………………………………………………52 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………..53 iii List of Tables Soil Type Characteristics………………………………………………………Appendix C Hunting Seasons Guide………………………………………………………...Appendix E Building Code Requirements………………………………………………….Appendix G Historic Forests………………………………………………………………..Appendix H Summary of Soil Sampling Results…………………………………………….Appendix J First Round Proposals Revenue Projection……………………………………Appendix K iv List of Figures Fig. 1: Most Effective Restoration Chart…………………..………….………..…………3 v List of Maps Map 1: Site Map……………………………………………………...………..Appendix B Map 2: Aerial Map…………………………………………………………….Appendix B Map 3: Tracts Map……………………………………………………...……..Appendix B Map 4: Soils Map………………………………………………………...……Appendix B Map 5: Soil Sampling Map………………………………………………….…Appendix B Map 6: Stream Buffers Map……………………………………………...……Appendix B Map 7: Proposed Cabin Sites Map……………………………………….……Appendix B Map 8: Lower Sleepy Hollow Ownership Map………………………...……..Appendix B Map 9: 1876 Historical Map………………………………………………...…Appendix B Map 10: Wyldwood Development Proposal Map………………………….….Appendix B Map 11: 3D Map………………………………………………………...…….Appendix B vi Introduction On January 5, 2015 I began my internship as a sustainable land use planner with the Northern Kentucky University Center for Environmental Restoration (CER). My job was to explore and create land use options for the 1,378 acre Sleepy Hollow Conservation Area stream restoration site in Mason County, Kentucky. The options are to be presented to the Army Corp of Engineers who must approve all land uses on in-lieu stream mitigation sites. I was to investigate more sustainable and creative solutions for using this land than the traditional row crop farming and hunting done in the region. The goal of the CER was to set up a multi-use sustainable land use plan for one of their stream restoration sites, which they could possibly use as a concept for their project sites in the future. Stream restoration sites can become models of supporting multiple forms of sustainable livelihoods while, at the same time, protecting the stream corridors in a significant way to showcase sustainable living to the public. The overall goal of the project was to create a sustainable land use/stewardship plan for (Appendix A) that addresses the following objectives ranked in this order of importance: 1. Protect streams and forest buffers against degradation. 2. Produce revenue for the landowner to carry out conservation work. 3. Provide a sustainable livelihood for tenants and/or contribute to the local economy. 4. Provide recreational access to the property for the community. My position required that I first determine what the land is capable of supporting. Next, I identified land uses which should not occur on the site in order to achieve the first goal priority. Once I investigated some of the possibilities for the site, I met with stakeholders who were interested in possibly performing a sustainable service on the site; such as sustainable agriculture, hunting, recreational hiking, primitive camping, etc. These stakeholders completed proposal forms detailing their plans for the site, how many acres they want, possible resulting environmental degradation, an estimate of revenue to the landowner, and any other pertinent information. Finally I compiled the different options for a Conservation Plan (Appendix A) and forward the plan to the US Army Corps of Engineers, who will decide if the plan can advance. If 1 the plan is approved, a new land conservancy group, Sleepy Hollow Conservancy, will be created by the CER to manage the property. The sustainable land use planner position was created for this particular job by the Center for Environmental Restoration (CER) in order to create a plan for the Sleepy Hollow Conservation Area. The Director of the CER, Scott Fennell, oversees all projects. The plans for Sleepy Hollow Conservation Area are directly overseen by two people, the sustainable land use planner and the project manager. I deal directly with creating the sustainable land use plan for the site and the project manager is in charge of the stream restoration. The project manager and I each report directly to the Director, Scott Fennell. Importance of the Position A stream or watershed restoration is a complex problem that involves coordination from many parties, whether they are directly or indirectly involved. The parties directly involved would include the client, the practitioner, local governments, the funding party and the local community where the restoration is occurring (Gillilan, 2005; Giller, 2005). There are going to be many parties involved and keeping them active during the project will be critical for me to complete my job well. There are three overall parameters of success in a watershed restoration project including ecological success, learning success and stakeholder success (Fig. 1). These three parameters need to work together in order to obtain the most effective restoration when the project is over (Palmer, 2005). My success working with stakeholders will not only determine my job success, but the success of the entire restoration as well as success by the Center for Environmental Restoration. 2 The CER often just leases restoration property to hunting outfitters or sells it to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. Until the CER bought the Sleepy Hollow Conservation area, they only managed the stream restoration and stream monitoring at the site, never dealing with whole property conservation efforts. They now want to manage the land use for the entire property by creating and conveying ownership of the land to a newly created land trust organization and having the Director run the new organization. My findings will provide the framework for the sustainable activities that will occur on site while still abiding by the US Army Corps of Engineers requirements to protect the streams indefinitely post stream restoration. Creating a land use plan for the landowner is a new concept for the CER and could become a blueprint for how to utilize stream restoration sites more sustainably in the future. This would help to bolster stakeholder success for the stream restoration project, supporting greater success to the entire for the entire project (Palmer, 2005) The CER believes there is untapped potential in many stream restoration sites for sustainable alternative uses, which I am trying to 3 identify through meetings with different project stakeholders. There is also potential to create opportunities for new stakeholders wanting to start sustainable businesses by offering them land specifically for that purpose. Environmental Regulations