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NY Examples
NYS Department of State Open Space Analysis Tool
Assessing Local Capacity
The Department of State has developed an open space analysis tool for the Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve. This GIS tool uses aerial photographs, land use maps, land ownership information, and land protection status to perform a gap analysis that evaluates all of these data simultaneously to identify large, unprotected open spaces that currently exist in the Reserve. The tool prioritizes the selected open spaces, for conservation and protection, using a scoring system that accounts for a variety of criteria such as proximity to Natural Heritage habitat sites, historic sites, freshwater and tidal wetlands, tributaries and publicly-owned lands; land cover classification; and extent of tributary frontage. This tool is used in watershed planning to identify natural open spaces that can play a significant role in mitigating impacts from new and existing development, protecting water quality and quantity, and providing habitat for wildlife, thereby helping to explore the targeting of priorities for acquisition. http://nyswaterfronts.com
The Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council has worked with municipalities in the Cayuga, Canandaigua, and Conesus Lake watersheds to assess the current capacity of local ordinances and practices for water quality protection. The Council assessed existing local water quality controls in each of the 56 municipalities in these three watersheds. The assessments provided insight into the gaps between existing watershed plans and the current controls, e.g., laws, regulations, and practices, that municipalities have to protect water quality.
Thirteen municipalities were then selected to incorporate elements of the watershed plans into their regulatory framework by developing new laws and revising existing laws. One result of this process was the development of the guidance manual Protecting Water Resources Through Local Controls and Practices: A Manual for NY Communities. The manual offers a methodology for identifying local controls and other practices to protect water quality and assess their effectiveness.
The manual walks the reader through the process of a municipal nonpoint assessment and gap analysis and provides, as samples, local laws that have been adopted in some NY communities, including an environmental protection overlay district, subdivision regulations, wetlands and watercourse protection, and onsite wastewater treatment system regulation.
More information on the Municipal Nonpoint Assessment is available through the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council. www.gflrpc.org
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