December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 27

with the Conservation and Greenbelt
Advisory Commission, provided insight
into priorities and conditions.
The first survey focused on community
value and perception. Ninetyfive
percent of the 650 respondents
indicated they " highly value " green
space. The second survey focused
on community need. More than 500
respondents provided key takeaways,
including that " wildlife habitat value "
and " ability to mitigate flooding, "
were top-ranking factors for making
land conservation selections. Preferred
activities for future planning
included " hiking, " " fishing, " " places
to sit quietly " and " birdwatching/
wildlife viewing areas. "
Two public engagement sessions
provided a valuable opportunity to
share information about the project
with the public and to gain feedback
from the community to inform the
planning
process. The mapping
exercises also provided a groundtruthing
opportunity to map areas
for
wildlife,
access. When asked what factors
should be prioritized when making
land conservation decisions, both
the community
surveys and the
engagement sessions showed that
" cost " ranked as the least important
factor, whereas " wildlife " and " flood
management " ranked at the top.
Identifying Priority Locations
The combined research approach of
understanding existing conditions
and community need informed a
GIS prioritization matrix, with selected
datasets, including flood hazard
zones, canopy coverage, habitat
cores, existing protected lands and
recreation and water
more. The datasets were processed,
scored and weighted, resulting in a
countywide assessment of priority
preservation areas based on criteria
determined by stakeholders.
This GIS-based tool, combined
with the established project approval
process, provides a standardized
pathway to help determine best locations
for future green space acquisition.
As more communities consider
a coordinated approach to land
conservation, the Dorchester County
Greenbelt Master Plan and associated
development process serve
as a research-based, communityled
model.
Kim Morganello is Senior Project Manager and Resilient
Urban Designer; Lucas Hernandez is Climate Adaptation
and Resilience Scientist; and Rachel Cotter, RLA, is
Southeast Director of Design at Weston & Sampson.
Contract # 031121-CEC
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December 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2024 – Parks & Recreation