SOE2010.Intro&RegionOutline


 * Introduction**

Purpose and Scope
 * What is this report? Importance of monitoring through time.
 * Who is it intended for?
 * What region and time period does it cover?
 * How can it be read and used?

Land Cover and Population
 * Land cover change through time (1992-2001 data – see what else we can find)
 * Population trends – by county, totals, density – through time since 1950 from US Census - graphs (totals) and maps (density)
 * Population density maps through time (TJCOG, US Census) – animated for web
 * Housing density - http://silvis.forest.wisc.edu/Library/HousingDataDownload.asp?state=North%20Carolina&abrev=NC
 * Developed acres as a percent of total acres through time, as available
 * Some economic information – unsure what type to use
 * building permit data available from US census by county since 1990 - http://www.census.gov/const/www/permitsindex.html

[|IntroGraphicsSketch.2010.02.18.pdf]

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Audience(s) ... List the different audiences we might want to consider. *We should think of anyone who could potentially get their hands on this report- aka everyone but more importantly how we see this report. I personally see it as more of a compilation of the data out there from all kinds of resources to give TLC and whoever else can use it the tools they need to further their work/ develop their goals/ educate the region on where we are at environmentally, where we've been, and the trends that will more than likely happen if action is not taken. Katherine 1/19>> << Format comment: I was envisioning a written report, similar to what we've seen, beyond a collection of data. If we are working with indicators, and compiling data, we will know it well enough to write a paragraph and create a table or chart to go with it. We will need to scope things small enough that it can be completed. I thought TLC could then adapt the content to the web, to a flyer, and distribute as they wished (after extensive revisions/peer reviews) Amanda C.1/20>>
 * Policy makers
 * General public
 * <<TLC's board and staff
 * Other environmental organizations
 * Landowners
 * TLC's donors/ funders
 * Local governments- planning staff, commissioners, etc.
 * other researchers

Some thoughts from Doug Nicholas, who is the communications coordinator for TLC (21 Jan)

Tandy & George, Some quick thoughts on the questions noted by George...

__Scope__ State of the Environment is an incredibly broad topic.

For example, I receive the News Digest distributed daily by the NC Conservation network. The topics covered include: Ag Issues, Air Quality, Bike/Pedestrian Issues, Climate Change/Global Warming, Coastal Issues, Energy Issues, Environmental Education, Fisheries, Flood/Stormwater Issues, Forestry Issues, Green Economy/Sustainability, Historic Preservation, Hogs/CAFOs, Invasive Species, Open Space/Parks, Politics & Environment, Property Rights, Smart Growth/Planning & Land Use, Sustainable Building, Toxics, Transportation/Transit, Waste Management/Recycling, Water Quality/Supply and Wildlife.

To somebody, all of those topics are environmental concerns.

So it seems the first thing you have to do with this report is define your scope - which you're doing. In doing that you might need to rename the report -- if it doesn't report broadly enough on "the environment" it could be worth the effort to name what it does report on. To me personally, covering the areas of the TLC benefits and even adding air quality touches on less than half of the environmental concerns of the region. SO I think you rename -- you'd rather spend a little time up-front specifying what you're reporting (and naming appropriately) than a lot of time throughout and on the back-end explaining why this topic or that topic wasn't covered.

__Audience__ If this is the successor to the SOS reports of the early 2000s, the audience for those reports was largely conservation professionals and policymakers. Some lay environmentalists might have been interested (active Sierra Club members, TLC members, etc...), and we got some media attention, particularly in 2000 when the info was fresh. If this is a TLC report, it seems that major donors/funders would be an important audience -- as this report could essentially provide the baseline that our goals over the next 10-20 years are set against / our work is measured against.

If we want to reach out to a broader audience, I think there would have to be content that addresses issues the broader audience is thinking about. One of those I think would be climate change -- maybe a carbon footprint study of the Triangle. There may be some niche appeal to water quality and local foods issues. Another angle that could make good broad appeal fodder is economics -- or maybe it's looking at each of the topics from an economic perspective -- costs vs benefits, costs of environmental services, etc...

1. Introduction > <<Note from george 2010Jan15: The bit about the public benefits focuses the report on TLC's mission and would lead to excluding air quality. If we do not do this, it may be difficult to relate what we've done to TLC, at least directly; and it makes the whole notion of stating TLCs benefits (ie, the next item) somewhat irrelevant. Although TLC is not paying for this report, they have, in some way, commissioned it. I'm still OK with diverging from this, but we need to then ask the question "From what platform is the report launched?" It is possible, if we thin along Katherine's lines, that we provide the data platform and TLC creates the report they want from it (or we create a report from / for them using those data). Yeah, kind of confusing.>>  Over the years, five main design principles have guided the development of the // State of the Nation’s // // Ecosystems // reports: and living resources, rather than identifying the causes or cures for problems (or perceived problems). Thus, the reports document the ultimate **// outcome //** of all such activities—the resulting condition of the ecosystems and the goods and services they provide. makers and opinion leaders. To this end, the indicators are designed to provide a “big picture” view that is succinct and strategic rather than exhaustive. but do not endorse particular positions or outcomes, and avoid, as far as possible, political bias, the use of inflammatory or “hot button” language, or reference to subjective benchmarks. The report’s consultative development process balances value-driven choices about what features of ecosystems should be reported with scientific rigor. ** reports are based on the most current scientific knowledge and a rigorous peer-review process. effort. Periodic and ongoing updates are needed to supply users with the most recent data and to allow for incorporation of scientific advances and enhancements to the nation’s monitoring and reporting infrastructure. Where available data fail to meet quality and coverage criteria, the relevant indicator is left blank and the data shortcomings that led to its omission are explained. >>
 * ​Purpose of report: The purpose of State of Environment 2010 is to report the current status of the Triangle's environment // with respect to the public benefits for which Triangle Land Conservancy protects land. From this perspective // the report highlights environmental challenges in the Triangle and provides measures against which progress toward a cleaner and healthier environment can be evaluated.
 * <<I think there are some real benefits around tailoring it to TLC vision and mission etc. First of all by doing so TLC claims it, publishes it, disseminates it, and uses it for their benefits- and are responsible for it ultimately. Secondly it puts some firm boundaries/priorities around things- otherwise we can go on forever thinking of stuff that could be included. Third it will give participants in the class a practical knowledge component- working with a client who has to exist in a political/ limited resources environment instead of the academic vacuum. At the same time, I think air quality does need to be worked in there somewhere and it can be- forest-carbon sequesting, connection to nature- smog days/ days can't be outside or if work in transportation systems like suggested on the topic sheet, air pollution effects on habitat/plants (diseases etc)- or it can even be squeezed into the page about the region as one of the major issues being dealt with by the region- commuting and air pollution. Katherine 1/19>>
 * <<Two questions: Are we concerned that other [i'm thinking Conservation] organizations can easily use this report for their own purposes? and Is there any reason to create this [product] to not reflect a direct affiliation with TLC - perhaps it would add strength through independence? i guess my initial thought was to let TLC present it in the light of their own mission; a document that stands alone would strike me as having more [scientific] leverage. Then again, perhaps there is leverage to be derived from the fact that TLC has "commissioned" a report of this nature. Thoughts? -jessica 1/19>>
 * <<I agree that tailoring the report to TLC’s vision and goals would give us clear boundaries to start with and justify the focus of this report (wildlife habitat, clean water etc). Air quality can easily be included in the other benefits as it is relates to everything. I also thought it was a good idea to discuss air quality in the chapter with general information about the Triangle Region. This would give an overview of the state of this region and the following chapters would then focus on the benefits chosen by TLC. -elina 1/20>>
 * <>
 * << The point I tried to convey in class was simply that the report should be unbiased and objective. My impression was that it would include a section on TLC, then the "report," and then a section of recommendations for the Triangle and not necessarily a statement of what TLC is going to do to address the environmental deficits in the county. As addressed in the Heinz "highlight" report:
 * // Focus o //** **// n condition and trends. //** Describe important characteristics and trends for the nation’s lands, waters,
 * // • //****// Be relevant to contemporary policy issues. //** Present information that is relevant to and can be used by decision
 * // • //** // Select and report on an unbiased and balanced array of indicators. // ** Provide information that informs policy,
 * // • //****// Report only data that meet high standards for quality and coverage across the nation and through time. //** The
 * // • //****// Update periodically and learn from experience. //** The reports are dynamic “works in progress,” not a limitedtime

<> <<george 21 Jan - These are some very good thoughts here - thanks for your thoroughness and thoughtfulness. I have a proposal for moving forward ... I agree that we might want to keep this as a "just the facts" report - so taking out some of the TLC things might make sense - TLC can do that on their own, using our data. Though we still might frame it as something like ... TLC asked us to develop a report that provided data about the four benefits they are working toward, so we did that, and here they are. Then we can say that we recognize there are other environmental issues of interest and, in a sense, invite people to contribute to the platform we have started. Does that make sense? We start the idea, we build a model, we populate it in four areas, and we (somehow) establish this as a method / place / manner in which to further build the State of Environment. This idea is still fuzzy in my head, but I think it satisfies all concerns. It gives us focus, it makes it more doable, it satisfies our client's needs, and it sets the stage for further work that might be sponsored or initiated by other organizations. We can even sketch out the broad outline and then, like the Heinz approach, leave stubs that say "we don't have or haven't collected the data for this yet." Does all of this mean we rename? Or do we leave it as it is and explain what we're doing in the preface? I'm not sure. One thing I've seen people do - the forest service I think - would look like "State of the Triangle's Environment: First Approximation." Lots to think on and I look forward to Friday's discussion.>>


 * Statement of the four public benefits, with a brief vision and goals for each – take straight from TLC
 * Wildlife habitat
 * Clean water
 * Local farms and food
 * Connecting people with nature

2. The Triangle Region – general information about the region
 * Scope: Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Orange, Wake Counties
 * Summary – Where are we? What do we know? What don’t we know?
 * Basic ecology, geology, geomorphology and its influence/effects on land use (Phil Bradley, NC Geologic Survey recommended by Evan Kane DWQ) (This might be too detailed for the report.)
 * Basic stats about the region: Population, growth rates, etc. (US Census) <>
 * 1900-1990 add 2000 and then most recent estimates we can get
 * http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/nc190090.txt
 * http://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-1-1.pdf
 * Fact finder has 2008 pop and change since 2000; pop density; building permits
 * Urban / rural population since 1950 – map change (current definition – should be able to find through census)
 * Can / should we get building permits and similar? in another workshop that Amanda Campbell and I are in we are looking at where development is likely to occur in the next 20 years and could probably provide some resources with this at the end of the year.
 * I think this would be a good place to include an animation showing past and predicted development. Check out the One NC Naturally Conservation Planning Tool powerpoint presentation at [|NC One Naturally Tool] . They have a series of slides showing housing density changes from 1940-2030. Maybe we can get their data for this? -Ginevra 1/20
 * Basic information about the extent of various ecosystem types (especially as they relate to the public benefits) (NLCD, FIA (for forest), USDA ERS (croplands and developed))
 * The amount of land that remains in a relatively natural state. The percentage of land that scientists recommend we keep in a natural state so we remain sustainable (GAP analysis, Environmental Law Institute (ELI), 2003. Conservation Thresholds for Land Use Planners) --Ginevra 1/20
 * Fresh (open) water, developed, barren, forest, grass/shrub, agriculture, wetlands (Heinz: farmland, forest, fresh water, grass/shrub, sub/urban)
 * Land use change (NLCD 1992-2001 change product see http://www.mrlc.gov/ Access Data / Retrofit Land Cover Change Data) – unfortunately, this is the latest stuff available – newer is coming, but likely not in time
 * Patterns of natural landscape (NLCD 1992-2001, Kurt Riitters)
 * <>