Grants: Land Use

Pere Marquette Rail Trail Event (Spring 2002)

The Little Forks Conservancy is held this event to highlight conservation values associated with land and water resources adjacent to the Pere Marquette Rail Trail in Midland County The event was designed to bring awareness to the land use surrounding the trail . The project discussed the importance and opportunities available for additional land conservation to enhance the rail trail and the community’s quality of life. Six to ten educational stations, discussing a variety of topics, were located along the trail on the day of the event.

Saginaw Bay Greenways Collaborative

This project developed a greenways vision plan for Bay, Midland and Saginaw Counties that can be eventually expanded watershed-wide. Similar to efforts conducted in Northwest Michigan and Southeast Michigan, the formation of a greenways vision involved an extensive public involvement process whereby information was gathered and analyzed regarding existing and future non-motorized transportation facilities as well as cultural, recreational, environmental, economic, developmental and agricultural resources. Geographic Information Systems databases were utilized, allowing for the analysis of information gathered, and the establishment of alternative greenways network scenarios, highlighting key properties and corridors. A complete public involvement education plan was developed. Partners included Little Forks Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy, Bay, Midland & Saginaw County Planning and Parks, Bay and Midland Area Community Foundations, MSU, Midland Conservation District, National Park Service, The Conservation Fund and others.

Bay County Fiscal Impacts & Public Education Process

This project consisted of a fiscal impacts analysis of the proposed Bay County land use build-out analysis that was completed by Bay County using WIN funding. This project developed the accompanying fiscal (cost) report to the build-out analysis, and developed a system (presented through workshops) that taight community leaders how to perform this analysis on smaller, development specific projects. The project provided citizens and governments with broader knowledge about the long-term fiscal impacts of planning, zoning, and development activities and decisions. The project and analysis system were designed in such a way that the methodology is easily transferrable throughout the region.

Conservation Development Workshop

Conservation-type development has been a growing interest for the WIN Land Use Task Group. WIN has sponsored tour of conservation development projects, and task group members have developed model conservation design guidelines and ordinances, and prepared the Conservation Development Recognition Program. This project supported a one-day workshop for developers realtors, lenders and engineers discussing the benefits of conservation design. Through a number of speakers and hands-on experiences, this worshop assisted participants in learning the benefits of conservation design.

Mapping of Existing “Tri-County” Trails

The project developed GIS maps of all trails in Saginaw, Bay, Midland and Genesee Counties. The maps were shared with all trail organizations, appropriate government agencies, and have been incorporated into the regional GIS database.

Regional Cooperation for Efficient GIS Development

The project created a Regional GIS (Geographical Information Systems) Coordinating Council, inventoried existing GIS data sets, developed regional standards for new data that is acquired, integrated existing data sets, and shared them with interested groups and agencies across the region. This initial effort was focused on the Tri-County area, with the plan to include other watershed counties in the future. Project partners included the Land Information Access Association and East Central Michigan Planning and Development Region.

Bay County Build Out Analysis

Bay County has experiencing rapid growth in its southern sections. The County used the “build out analysis” to analyze land use and growth patterns. Build out analysis is a new tool which shows what an area of land will look like if it all building permitted by existing zoning is constructed. The County used the analysis, in partnership with developers, townships, municipalities, and farm organizations, to plan for future growth.

Midland County River Inventories

The RC&D conducted surveys of road stream crossings and stream bank erosion along the Chippewa, Pine, Little Salt, and Tittabawassee Rivers and along Bullock Creek in Midland County. Erosion from these sites is creating significant water quality problems in the region’s rivers and in the Bay. The inventory allowed the RC&D and other conservation agencies to prioritize areas for remediation based on the severity of erosion and other conditions. Project partners included the City of Midland, various lake associations, and City of Sanford.

Green Development Educational Tour