Green Infrastructure Strategies for Nelson County Virginia Prepared by Students in the Green Lands Class at the University of Virginia Printed December 16, 2010 This is a report prepared by students in the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture. This work was supported by the Green Infrastructure Center Inc. Printed December 16, 2010. This report may be reproduced without permission in its entirety. Anyone interested in receiving the class college curriculum guide used to create this report, can contact the instructor Karen Firehock. Any comments about this report or other requests may be emailed to the instructor [email protected]. ii CONTENTS Introduction .......................................................................................................... vii Goal Summary: ...................................................................................................... 1 Forests: Policies and Strategies .............................................................................. 2 Goals: ........................................................................................................................................................ 2 Base Map of Key Forest Habitat Cores in Nelson County ......................................................................... 3 Resources .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Funding Opportunities for Four Target Area Replanting Areas ..................................................................................... 7 Volunteer Organizations .................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Forest Curricula ................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Partner Educators ............................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Partner Organizations for Land Conservation & Management ....................................................................................... 8 Appendix A: Maps ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Map 1: High Integrity Cores ............................................................................................................................................................ 9 Map 2: Forest Cores, Connector Patches and Corridors................................................................................................... 10 Map 3: Full Green Infrastructure Network ............................................................................................................................ 11 Map 4: New Development within Forest Cores Since 2000 ........................................................................................... 12 Map 5: Suggested locations for new/expanded AgForestal Districts ........................................................................ 13 Map 6: Four Target Crossing Areas ........................................................................................................................................... 14 Map 7: Existing Conservation Easements Lands ................................................................................................................. 15 Map 8: Parcel Boundaries in Nelson County ......................................................................................................................... 16 Appendix B: Public Meeting Comments 11/17/2010 ............................................................................. 17 Agriculture: Policies and Strategies ...................................................................... 18 Goals: ...................................................................................................................................................... 18 Resources ................................................................................................................................................ 24 Funding .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 iii Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 26 Appendix A: Draft Ordinance Language .................................................................................................. 27 Appendix B: Maps ................................................................................................................................... 29 Map 1: Prime Soils Map .................................................................................................................................................................. 29 Map 2: Proposed Conservation Zoning .................................................................................................................................... 30 Map 3: Critical Slopes ...................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Map 4: Protecting Productive Agricultural Lands............................................................................................................... 32 Appendix C: 2007 Census of Agriculture- County Data .......................................................................... 33 Appendix D: Public Meeting Comments 11/17/2010 ............................................................................. 35 Water Resources: Policies and Strategies ............................................................ 36 Goals: ...................................................................................................................................................... 37 Resources Section ................................................................................................................................... 43 Funding .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 45 Appendix A: Case Study Examples .......................................................................................................... 47 Appendix B: Maps ................................................................................................................................... 48 Map 1: Watersheds ........................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Map 2: Major Rivers and Drinking Water Infrastructure ................................................................................................ 49 Map 3: Department of Environmental Quality Impaired Waterways ........................................................................ 50 Map 4: Recommended Corridors................................................................................................................................................ 51 Map 5: Proposed River Buffers .................................................................................................................................................... 52 Map 6: Area of County for Proposed Riparian Overlay Zone ......................................................................................... 54 Maps 7: Proposed Tree Replanting Sites ................................................................................................................................ 55 Map 8: Proposed Reservoir Location In County Water Supply Plan .......................................................................... 59 Map 9: Proposed Wildlife Corridor Buffers ........................................................................................................................... 60 Appendix C: DCR’s Native Plant Species List ........................................................................................... 61 Appendix D: Public Meeting Comments 11/17/2010 ............................................................................. 67 Recreation :Policies and Strategies ...................................................................... 69 Goals: ...................................................................................................................................................... 69 iv Resource ................................................................................................................................................. 72 1-A Scenic Viewsheds ...................................................................................................................................................................... 72 1-C Conservation Easement Acquisition Program ............................................................................................................. 73 2-A Trail Design Standards .........................................................................................................................................................