1. Community Engagement in Conservation Planning within the Inner Ring Suburbs of Baltimore
Wink Hastings, RLA
National Park Service
Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program
Barbara L. Hopkins, JD, ASLA
Executive Director
NeighborSpace of Baltimore County, Inc.

2. CONTEXT- Chesapeake Bay Background Mission Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

3. Mapping Valued Resources
CONTEXT-
Mapping Valued Resources
Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

4. Community Conservation
CONTEXT-
Community Conservation
Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

5. Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

6. Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

7. Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

8. Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

9. Mission of promoting more livability communities by protecting and improving land within the URDL embraces 3 goals:
Improving the health, welfare & cohesiveness of communities within the URDL
1. Social
2. Environmental
Improving environmental quality, protecting habitat, & reducing the effects of fragmentation
3. Economic
Enhancing property values, reducing exposure to pollutants and environmental degradation, & improving efficiency of environmental services
Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

10. Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

11. Environmental Goal Maps
Results Necessary to Achieve Goal
Criteria (GIS Layers) for Conservation Land That Will Achieve the Objectives
Objective B Conserving land to protect habitat &/or reduce fragmentation
EXISTENCE OF CORE HABITAT
POTENTIAL FOR WETLAND CREATION OR EXPANSION
PROXIMITY TO NATURAL LANDS NETWORK
SUITABILITY FOR REFORESTATION
Objective A Conserving land to improve air & water quality
BURIED STREAMS OR STORMWATER OUTFALLS
HARDENED SHORELINES SUITABLE FOR REMOVAL
PROXIMITY TO TRIBUTARIES & VEGETATED BUFFERS
Environmental Goal
Improving environmental quality, protecting habitat, & reducing the effects of fragmentation
Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectivea & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

12. Resulting Criteria (Layer) Weights
Using Pairwise Comparison to Rank the Criteria for Objective B, “Conserving land to protect habitat and reduce fragmentation”
Rating Scale
A. PROXIMITY TO NATURAL LANDS NETWORK
B. POTENTIAL FOR WETLAND CREATION OR EXPANSION
C. EXISTENCE OF CORE HABITAT
A.PROXIMITY TO NATURAL LANDS NETWORK
Strongly Prefer 3
Prefer 2
Somewhat Prefer 1
Equal
A,3
C,3
Resulting Criteria (Layer) Weights
C,3
Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

13. Actual Pairwise Comparison Questionnaire and Results for Objective B
PARAMETER
NEIGHBORSPACE
SCORES
STAKE-HOLDER
COMBINED SCORES
ENVIRONMENTAL GOAL
Improving Environmental Quality, Protecting Habitat, and Reducing the Adverse Effects of Fragmentation
0.3465
0.4690
0.4158
Objective B: conserve land to protect habitat and/or reduce fragmentation
0.4042
0.5064
0.4620
-existence of core habitat
0.2791
0.0887
0.3025
-potential for expansion/creation of tidal wetlands
0.2904
0.6584
0.3106
-proximity to natural lands network
0.4304
0.2529
0.3868
Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

14. From Pairwise Comparison to GIS Maps Via a Linear Weighted GIS Model
c1= GIS layer for criterion 1
GIS Map Results
= {(c1) (w1) + (c2)(w2) +(c3)(w3) ….}
w1= Weight for criterion 1
Where
The Model
= {(existence of core habitat)(.3025) + (proximity to natural lands network) (.3868) ….}
GIS Map Results
The Results
Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

15. Calibrating the Map Layers: Development of Metrics
High: Including & Adjacent to
Moderate: Within 200 ft
Low: Within 300 ft of wetland
High: Within network
Moderate: Adjacent
Low: Within ¼ mile
Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

16. Background
Mission
Stakeholders
Objectives & Criteria
Ranking / Weighting
Maps

17. For More Information:
Barbara L. Hopkins, JD, ASLA
Executive Director
NeighborSpace of Baltimore County
Wink Hastings, RLA
National Park Service at the Chesapeake Bay Program
Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program
Web Page on the Conservation Planning Effort (and a copy of this presentation)