| 5. Environmental & Natural Resource Planning / Farmland Protection:
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There's truly a cornucopia of material available on the U.S. Geological Survey web site -- far more than just topographic maps. You could easily spend hours just browsing through the site, and locating information about your own state. Two sections of the site definitely worth a look are the EROS Data Center (Earth Resources Observations Systems), where you can access aerial and satellite photos, and a section on Water Resources. Another excellent resource is the USGS's National Wetlands Research Center.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, like the USGS, has put a wealth of information on its web site. For example, you can get information about your watershed simply by inserting your zip code in a search field. Similarly you can quickly locate "brownfield" sites (contaminated by toxic pollutants) near you -- and obtain detailed information about the status of cleanup efforts. Another area of interest to many communities is solid waste and recycling; again, the EPA web site is an excellent source for learning more.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency web site provides a wide range of materials relating to dealing with (and planning for) natural disasters. One portion of the FEMA web site focuses on the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA has also developed a related FloodSmart Web site, which even allows visitors to enter their street address & get flood risk information.
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's site, like the agency, covers a huge amount of subjects. For citizen planners, some of the key sections of the site include: the Natural Resources Conservation Service (including, for example, information on soils); Rural Development programs; and the U.S. Forest Service.
If you're dealing with endangered species or habitat issues, the place to go is the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service web site. Aim for the section of their site dealing with endangered species.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a significant role in land use, in its responsibility for flood control and for administering the federal wetlands permitting program. While the Corps' web site does have some information, it lags far behind the other federal agency web sites listed above. Hopefully, the site will improve. However, given the important areas the Corps deals with, we've listed their site as a key one for citizen planners to be aware of. For much more useful information on wetlands, we'd suggest you visit the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wetlands Research Center previously noted.
The non-profit Trust for Public Lands maintains an excellent web site that provides helpful summaries of a variety of federal programs that deal with land conservation and open space. Browsing the TPL web site will also let you see a variety of ways in which communities are acting to provide parks and conserve open spaces. You can also find detailed information on land conservation financing.
The conservation of farmland through easements and other techniques is thoroughly explored on the American Farmland Trust's web pages. Of particular note, is the Trust's companion web site, the Farmland Information Center (run in partnership with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture) which allows visitors to locate a wealth of information and statistics related to farmland protection. Also worth a visit: the Center for Agriculture in the Environment (jointly created with Northern Illinois University), where you can find detailed information on agricultural easement programs, and also access many research papers.
The National NEMO web site (standing for "Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials") contains online resources on runoff and stormwater management. A number of papers can be downloaded from the site; many of these papers are designed for local elected and appointed officials. Another useful site for stormwater issues is that of the Center for Watershed Protection. Many of the Center's publications on watershed planning are available to download at no charge, including a sampling of watershed studies the Center has worked on across the country.
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