Volume No. 10, 2001
Coincidental with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency's (TWRA) and Tennessee Technological University's (TTU) work to develop and depict GAP data, the Tennessee Conservation League (TCL)-a not-for-profit education organization-began working with state leaders in an effort to make high-quality, user-friendly GIS data available to state and local planners. A variety of strategies were employed and, while the results have been slow to materialize, seeds sown in USGS/GAP-funded projects are now producing results.
Let me explain where we began, to help you understand how far Tennessee has come.
A series of meetings with state agencies in 1996 indicated that many were unwilling or unable to contribute to a comprehensive effort to layer land use, land cover, and animal distribution data with landowner information and make it available to other state and local agencies and offices in user-friendly formats. Initial concerns were about security-what would happen to the data once they were outside of the department charged with managing them? Functional problems with data scale, competing priorities, and a shortage of state funding soon put the concept on a slower course.
TWRA was willing to house the GAP data on their system, because they understood the imperative for conservation planning and the need for better tools. The Departments of Environment and Conservation and Finance and Administration were willing to cooperate on a pilot project for employing the information on a limited basis. TLC and TWRA identified four counties for a pilot project-Lauderdale, Fayette, Polk, and Franklin. These counties were selected based on a blend of social and demographic variables, biological diversity, and associated threats. TWRA provided the data and help using it. TCL developed the relationships by working with local leaders, including elected officials, educators, citizen interest groups, and natural resource professionals.
The goal was to get conservation data integrated into local land-use decisions, and the results were mixed. Success can sometimes be defined by learning what not to do, and we learned to be sure to include the local Chamber of Commerce among the stakeholders being consulted. Getting the local university involved proved most helpful. Developing internal champions-the local planner and area natural resource professionals-was key. Even though the data's spatial resolution is too coarse for planning applications to small parcels, and the cost of upgrading landowner information ultimately limited results at the local level, the awareness and support generated by these initial efforts were key in passing the state's first "Smart Growth Legislation."
Public Chapter 1101, passed in 1998, called for cities and counties to evaluate local natural resource considerations before agreeing on the designation of areas for urban and rural development. The timeline designated for plans to be filed with the state was short, and counties did not yet have access to user-friendly GIS information, so the act initially did little more than get most cities and counties to agree. However, this was no small feat in a state plagued by a frenzy of annexation. Public Chapter 1101 did provide that if the cities and towns could not agree on a county plan, all parties had to submit to arbitration and if that failed, the decision would be made by a panel of judges. Fayette, one of the counties in the pilot project, is the first and so far only county to be up for judicial review, and it is a textbook case for arguing the need for conservation planning.
TCL was asked by the court to submit a report outlining conservation considerations that, as a result of our work, the court should consider. In addition to species richness revealed by the GAP analysis data, our work exposed groundwater considerations based on research conducted by the USGS and the University of Memphis Groundwater Institute, and soil considerations based on research done on the New Madrid Fault by the Southeastern Earthquake Research Institute and data from the USGS and NRCS. Fayette County contains pockets of high biological diversity along stream banks and in some upland areas because it remains largely agricultural. The county is located over the recharge area for the Memphis aquifer, so the density and pattern of development could immediately affect local water supplies. The potential for soil erosion and liquefaction from an earthquake further argues limited development around rivers and streams. Testimony on the case ended just before Christmas; however, the judges and their planner are not expected to render a decision until mid-year because of the complexity of the case.
In 1997, TCL was able to work with the University of the South, our partner on the Franklin County pilot project, and successfully advocate for the state to shift the location of a golf course being built at Tims Ford State Park, based on GAP data and habitat needs.
GAP data were once again employed in 2001 in a precedent-setting effort to limit development and promote conservation strategies on public land already set aside for development. The State of Tennessee found themselves trustee of 9,100 acres of public land when the Tims Ford Reservoir/Elk River Development Agency (TERDA) was "sunset" in 1991. The TERDA was established several decades earlier when economic development was a high priority for this rural area, which is now one of the fastest-growing counties in Tennessee. Proceeds of the land being sold were to be funneled to the school system.
The Department of Environment and Conservation found themselves in a unique position and asked the Tennessee Valley Authority to partner with them on developing an Environmental Impact Statement prior to disposing of the land. To their credit, both organizations proposed four options and gave preference to one calling for developing only 6,900 acres. TCL successfully invoked habitat and viewshed needs to eliminate development of an additional 800 acres and used habitat, open space, and water quality considerations to argue for the incorporation of conservation overlays on the land being developed. Adopting the latter was a precedent for TVA and the State of Tennessee. The first parcels will go up for bid in the spring of 2002. The bid specs will include design standards, and successful bids will be determined based on the quality of design in addition to dollars bid.
In 1999, the Tennessee General Assembly voted to fund the initial production phase of a statewide high-accuracy GIS project for state, local, and municipal governments. The pilot projects were successful, and now the state is working on an ambitious five-year plan to get all 95 counties included in the system. The GIS project is headquartered in the Office of Finance and Administration, but the needs of all departments are incorporated. Data from the new system, including GAP data, are being made available to county governments at an affordable rate (25 cents on the dollar). So far 23 counties have signed up for the new system. The association we began with this initially reluctant department in 1996 is now paying dividends in statewide spatial data. All of the TCL pilot counties will have their data sets by spring 2002.
Like so many states, Tennessee struggles with funding problems, and keeping this project funded is a concern and cannot be accomplished in the same time frame without matching federal funds. Keeping the project going requires vigilance and stakeholder support. yes; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> However, forward-thinking people in state government are already looking at the day when all 95 counties are signed on and identifying systems large enough to manage calculations for the entire state rather than one region at a time.
Make no mistake, we recognize that the seeds planted six years ago by TCL and TWRA are not solely responsible for all of the legislation and policy decisions listed here. Witnessing a 16.9% population growth and almost 30% land use change helped crystallize the need in many people's minds. However, it is satisfying-especially on days when we are frustrated by the pace of an initiative-to look back and be reminded that we are planting seeds. Seeds grow into awareness and develop champions who seek the right opportunity to introduce an idea that soon takes root and begins to flower.
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