Critical Areas of Concern

One plan recommendation called for the creation of wildlife corridors, where minimal building setback requirements from streams and wetlands are defined.

The Mitchell Creek Protection Strategy identified Critical Areas of concern, which included conservation corridors, wetland protection and mitigation banks, wildlife corridor protection and aquifer recharge areas. In evaluating protection measures, several steps were necessary for the creation of a scientifically based protection plan; including an evaluation of streams, aquatic resources, wetlands, and wildlife habitats, an evaluation of current and projected land use, and an assessment of watershed geology, hydrology and groundwater recharge areas.(Beckett and Raeder, 1995, p. 179) Three conservation corridor alternatives were prepared:

• one for minimal protection - did not take into account all rare habitats or environmentally sensitive areas
• additional protection - did not take into account environmentally sensitive areas
• optimal protection - took into account environmentally sensitive areas and rare habitats
  

How can these conservation alternatives be utilized in understanding land management options?

By utilizing GIS, can conflicts and compatibility between land use and critical habitats be identified and analyzed?

Utilizing GIS, map layers including the watershed boundary, land use, and critical wildlife habitats (below), can be viewed to help visualize where the critical areas of concern are located.