Online Tool for Natural Resource-Based Planning

Connecticut, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Minnesota

Land use decisions have a direct impact on natural resources that are essential to the public and ecological health of a community. To manage and protect these resources, land use decision makers need detailed information about what and where they are. While this information can be collected through geospatial/GIS tools, the property owners and planners who often make land use decisions may not have the time, resources, or technical expertise needed to access these tools.

To fill this gap for Connecticut planners, the Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) Program developed the GIS-based community resource inventory (CRI) as a tool for communities interested in developing a natural resource inventory, but lacking the capacity to do so. With a grant from CICEET, NEMO is expanding the CRI’s functionality by adding specific coastal habitat and resource data, and broadening its accessibility by developing an online interactive version of the tool and organizing training opportunities for local officials.

The project team is working with partners to adapt this tool for use in Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Minnesota. Collaborators include the Rhode Island Coastal Institute, the South Carolina and Minnesota NEMO programs, and the Narragansett Bay and North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRs).

Education and training is a key component of the project, and the team will implement targeted land use education programs to train users and promote the tool through the Narragansett Bay and North Inlet-Winyah Bay NERRs, the National Geospatial Technology Extension Networks, and the national NEMO network, which is made up of 32 programs in 30 states. The ultimate goal is to adapt and expand CRI availability throughout the NEMO network.