NATURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY
Annual Drinking Water Quality Report | Management Plan for the Lake Waukewan Watershed | Protecting Water Quality in the Lake Waukewan Watershed | Natural Resources Inventory
NATURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY
In 2003 the Town of Meredith commissioned a natural resource inventory (NRI) to be completed by Ecosystem Management Consultants of Sandwich, NH. The impetus for the NRI was recommendations contained within the 2002 Community Plan. The Community Plan cites the need for an open space plan with four areas of emphasis including a comprehensive natural resource inventory to help guide natural resource protection efforts.
The NRI is a collaborative effort between the Planning Department and the Conservation Commission. A working group consisting of John Edgar, Town Planner, Jacquie Colburn, Conservation Commission, Meredith IT/GIS and Rick Van de Poll of Ecosystem Management Consultants was formed to guide the project.
In September of 2005, the NRI was presented to a joint workshop held betwen the Conservation Commission and members of the Planning Board. The NRI contains fifty pages of narrative description and analysis addressing agricultural, forest, visual, water and wildlife resources. Also included are twenty figures, seven tables, eight color maps, and three appendices. The body/appendices of the NRI can be viewed or downloaded by clicking here, and the maps by clicking here.
The report is meant to be read by Meredith residents and property owners, Town officials and lay persons interested in the natural resources of Meredith. The NRI fulfills several recommendations of the Community Plan and acts as a supplement by providing in-depth information on critical resources in the community. The NRI has also resulted in improved mapping capabilities and can help to educate and inform the public about those attributes that make Meredith special and unique to the Lakes Region.
The report relies principally on "remote" data sources. "Remote" data sources include maps, tabular data, and text data that were created with the help of aerial photography or satellite imagery. Because most inventory information has not been field checked, all map products contain a certain degree of error, which has been assumed during the map interpretation phase of the project. The principal purpose of compiling the maps was to provide usable tools for planning, and not to provide site-specific information for the individual property owner.
