Saving Open Space
The Goal:
Preserve parcels of undeveloped land in the community.
The Issue:
How do you identify the best lands to protect?
The Answer:
Conduct an open-space analysis using land cover/land change data
and then determine which open-space areas are in need of protection
from encroaching sprawl.
The Example:
Long Island's South Shore Estuary Reserve
For 70 miles along the coast of Long Island, from Nassau County
west to Suffolk County, lies the South Shore Estuary Reserve.
Given special status by the New York State Legislature, this series
of shallow, interconnected bays and tidal tributaries provides
a highly productive habitat for fish and wildlife. It also supports
the largest concentration of water-dependent businesses in the
state. One and a half million people live along the shoreline
and in the uplands of the reserve. Millions more visit the South
Shore each year.
When a retrospective change analysis was conducted along Long
Island's South Shore for the years 1984 to 1994, researchers discovered
a total of 12,000 newly developed acres. Approximately 5,000 acres
were transformed from forest and 5,000 acres from grassland (mostly
agricultural). Another 2,000 acres were identified as being land
in transition to development.
Open space protects environmentally sensitive lands and also
provides opportunities for public hiking, biking, horseback riding,
and nature study, contributing significantly to the region's sense
of place. Local government officials want to preserve land, but
often don't know where the best property is located and have no
way to prioritize and maximize purchases. An open-space analysis
helps researchers identify and characterize large expanses of
undeveloped land that occur within the county. Armed with this
information, officials can best target the county's preservation
and conservation efforts.
Applying Land Cover Data:
For the base map of the open-space analysis a satellite-derived
land cover map for Nassau and Suffolk Counties in Long Island
was used. Using the NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP)
protocol (Dobson and others 1995) a 9-class land cover map was
developed from a 1994 Landsat Thematic Mapper image.
1994 land cover data for Suffolk and Nassau
Counties on Long Island, New York, with the South Shore Estuary
boundary.
To identify open space, all of the undeveloped land cover classes
were grouped. To complete the analysis, the following data layers
were overlaid with this land cover classification and used in
the open-space analysis:
- Data on parks and other public open spaces, which were already
digitized.
- Nonpublic open spaces (undeveloped land belonging to private
individuals and companies).
The resulting map was used to identify all parcels of undeveloped
land at least 5 acres in size. The next step for the researchers
is to develop criteria for ranking the ability of undeveloped
lands to meet regional objectives based on societal value, proximity
to critical habitats, size, and cost. Once the criteria are established,
selection of open spaces for conservation and preservation on
Long Island will be much easier for government officials.
This graphic was created using the 1994 Long
Island land cover data and is for illustrative purposes only.
Using the land cover data only, pixels were selected and grouped
if they were 5 acres in size or greater, and represented undeveloped
lands, such as wetland, forest, or scrub/shrub.
In addition to helping coastal managers prioritize land purchases,
an open space analysis enables officials of two municipalities
to cooperate on acquisitions. For example, the managers of the
towns of Brookhaven and Islip were able to collaborate on an effort
to protect the ecologically important Patchogue River. Approximately
30 acres in the headwaters of the Patchogue River were identified
on the open-space analysis maps as good areas to preserve. The
maps had shown farmland, open spaces, and recreational parkland
in close proximity to the Patchogue River. Preservation of these
lands would provide better water quality, natural resources, and
open space benefits.
The Result:
Open space analyses help earmark important properties that may
be candidates for outright acquisitions or conservation easements.
These analyses help managers locate and link potential and existing
open space lands together, resulting in larger tracts of open
space, and an overall greater public benefit. They also give planners
an opportunity to look for broad trends or patterns, such as a
series of lands that might be developed into a greenway.
To learn more about the South Shore's open space analysis, see
the New York Department of State's South
Shore Estuary Reserve: Open Space Preservation Study.
Works Cited:
Dobson and others, 1995. NOAA Coastal
Change Analysis Program (C-CAP): Guidance for Regional Implementation.
NOAA Technical Report NMFS 123. U.S. Dept. of Commerce.
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