Town of Grantham, New Hampshire Critical Conservation Lands Index: A model for natural resource inventorie

The following document, Town of Grantham, New Hampshire Critical Conservation Lands Index, was submitted to Plymouth State University Center for the Environment in June 2009 to fulfill thesis requirements for a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy. The Index was commissioned by the Grantham Conservation Commission and submitted as a deliverable to the town in March 2009. Because the Index is a customer product, it does not follow traditional thesis formatting guidelines. Instead, it is presented in a layout that provides sound science to the lay person in a readable and readily understood format. The maps were purposely presented together in an appendix because they tell a story all their own.;The features that promote this project from a typical natural resource inventory to a thesis include two original chapters not previously included in natural resource inventories and an extended study area chosen to facilitate regional conservation planning efforts. An innovative approach to the co-occurrence analysis, guided by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, provides a more logical analysis of conservation focus areas. Together, these elements present a model for other communities moving forward with conservation planning efforts of their own.;The first new chapter, the economic benefits of preserving natural areas, explores many of the local studies that address economic impacts of open space. Topics include monetary impacts, such as property values and employment, as well as things less easily measured, such as quality of life and ecosystem services. Frequently, arguments against conservation and land protection efforts rely on the false assumption that economic impacts will be negative. This chapter presents evidence for the Grantham Conservation Commission to argue that local conservation efforts can contribute to strong economies and healthy communities. The studies cited in this chapter provide a collection of resources and another tool that will aid a conservation commission with land protection efforts.;The second new chapter discusses threats to natural resources. This chapter focuses on issues that can be addressed at the municipal or local regional level. The awareness raised in this chapter offers a greater understanding that, even if protected from development, natural resources can be impacted by threats beyond conserved borders. This chapter provides the conservation commission with the influence to address weighing factors outside their usual realm of authority and to partner with other municipal boards to maintain the rural character so treasured by New Hampshire's residents.;Natural resource inventories typically depict maps with an "imaginary border;" usually a one-mile buffer around the town boundary. The Index study area includes not just the Town of Grantham, but also all towns bordering Grantham. This provides a tool to determine what resources in close proximity may impact Grantham and alternatively, what resources Grantham may impact in surrounding towns. Perhaps more importantly, it presents an opportunity to develop partnerships with neighboring towns to plan for conservation on a landscape scale. Unfortunately, hardcopies of these landscape-scale maps provided poor legibility. Thus, the maps included in Appendix A show just the Town of Grantham. However, the digital maps were provided to the town and the conservation commission in a format they could access on home computers (using the ArcPublisher extension of ArcView). As the reader looks through the Index and views the associated maps, it is important to remember that these landscape-scale maps are available to those involved in conservation planning efforts in Grantham.;The co-occurrence analysis was a three-step process, beginning with calculating values utilizing the Delphi voting process. The co-occurrence was broken down into three separate analyses based on the natural resources before combining the conservation focus areas for each co-occurrence analysis into a co-incident analysis to see where the overall highest quality areas in town were. The results provide the Grantham Conservation Commission with focus areas they may choose to prioritize based on each data subset, what the town's overall conservation focus is, or a combination of both. The results can be used at the municipal scale, where most of a town's efforts will be concentrated, but also at a regional scale providing support for regional conservation planning efforts.;The Town of Grantham, New Hampshire Critical Conservation Lands Index is not a traditional thesis. It does, however, demonstrate the Center for the Environment's mission to serve a diverse research, education, and public engagement role by addressing science, policy, culture, and economics of the natural environment in northern New England. The Index has contributed to partnerships that will increase research opportunities in the region and within local communities and will serve as a model for science translation and educational outreach for New England citizens, governments, and businesses. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).