Meeting Information

Agenda

Hotel and Registration Info

Support

Support for WGA's Enlibra program is provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and by Region IX of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Background Information on Enlibra

Examples of Enlibra in Action

Policy Resolution Outlining Enlibra Principles

Frequently Asked Questions

Advisory Committee

Publications, Press Releases and Speeches

Meetings

Resource Guide

Environmental Summit
on the West II

Successful Partnerships and New Tools to Conserve Open Lands in the West
Breakout II

Science-Based Open Space Planning: 
New Tools For Planners and Citizens

Background: 

Throughout the West, our extraordinary natural heritage of plants, animals, and ecosystems is threatened by habitat loss from poorly planned development, suburban sprawl, invasive species, and other factors. States, counties, and localities across the region are responding to this threat by committing hundreds of millions of dollars to open space initiatives and land protection programs. These efforts are critical to conserving not only the West's environment, but also our unique quality of life. Yet most of these initiatives lack the critical information and tools needed to make good local land use decisions and fully protect the environment while avoiding unnecessary conflicts and spending taxpayer funds unwisely.

Proposed goals and questions for the breakout: 

• How and why are open space decisions made in your locality?
• What biological resources are considered important for conservation?
• What issues must be further addressed to enhance the ability of local communities to make smart decisions regarding land preservation?
• How can science-based open space tools be promoted and distributed to these communities?

Hosts/Moderators

• Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary of Policy, Management, and Budget, Department of the Interior
• Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming State Treasurer

Alternative Futures of the Upper San Pedro River Watershed, Arizona and Sonora - Techniques and a Framework for Landscape Planning

This presentation will discuss the concept of alternative futures assessments, the process of the design and modeling of scenarios and futures, assessments on societal values with an emphasis on biodiversity.  The San Pedro project (just completed and scheduled for publication by Island Press) will be presented as a regional case study to illustrate the methods and show the data visualization techniques developed for the model. A discussion of the input of the region's stakeholders and the results of the various assessments will stimulate discussion of both decision support issues as well as regional environmental conflict resolution. One of the principal lessons is that these techniques are not static in time; tools and techniques change rapidly to reflect technological advances and social issues.

Presenters:

Dave Mouat, Desert Research Institute 
Scott Bassett, Desert Research Institute

NatureServe
NatureServe, a non-profit conservation organization, is working with a coalition of partners from universities, government, and the private sector to develop a decision-support system (DSS) to respond to this need. NatureServe's prototype DSS, currently being piloted in the West, uses geographic information systems technology as the platform for organizing biological, physical, and socioeconomic data. With this system, users can answer critical questions relevant to local, regional, and state open-space planning and land use analysis.

Presenters:
Patrick Crist, NatureServe 
Larry Sugarbaker, Vice-president and CIO, NatureServe

Additional Information 
Website: www.natureserve.org 
Fact sheet on the biodiversity DSS project
Website: Desert Research Institute

The Land of Wide Open Spaces: Setting an Open Lands Conservation Agenda for the West report, WGA 1997