Agenda - 09-29-1999 - 9e - Laserfiche WebLink

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USING RATINGS FOR WILDLIFE WAYS WILDLIFE RATINGS CAN HELP PLANNERS AND CONSERVATIONISTS Preserve and restore large tracts of forest and other wildlife habitats. These areas make such important contributions to a Landscape with Wildlife that they merit acquisition for perma- nent protection. Map 8 shows the areas in Orange County with the highest Total Ratings after subtracting properties with recent building permits. Important priorities include both those areas that have high Intrinsic Ratings and those with high Contextual Ratings. Preserve and restore connections between forests or other wildlife habitats. Contextual, Ratings of forests are important because they indicate the opportunities for dispersal of animals between patches of habitat. These ratings can thus help to preserve the connections between forests. Especially important are areas that have large influences on the Contextual Ratings of nearby natural areas In Orange County. Several impor- tant natural areas are already protected by public or ` institutional ownership. Nevertheless, even these areas can lose some of their value for native wildlife by changes in land use nearby. In order to retain our native wildlife, we must maintain the Contextual Ratings of important natural areas. Thus land within two miles of important natural areas requires special attention in planning. Identify and preserve areas for wildlife within any proposed development. On a small as well as large scale, it is important to identify which land to set aside for wildlife. Within any one development, some areas are identified for active recreation and other community space. L Y fa Developments should also plan to reserve areas for wildlife, particularly those areas with high Intrinsic and Contextual Ratings. Subdivision of land for homes can lead to extreme fragmentation of forests. To minimize the effects of fragmentation on wildlife, it is impor- tant to keep the remaining forests as large and as close together as possible and to provide connec- tions between forests. Hence the Contextual as well as the Intrinsic Ratings of forests are impor- tant in identifying land to set aside for wildlife. Nkdmize impacts of development on nearby protected natural areas. The importance of natural areas for wildlife does not depend entirely on their intrinsic features. Turning a natural area into an isolated "island" diminishes its value for wildlife. In evaluating plans for development or public facilities, it is thus important to consider any changes in the Contextual Ratings of nearby protected areas. When considering proposals for changes in land use, we routinely consider the consequences for neighboring land — not only for its property value but also for its water quality, noise, odor, traffic, schools, and other values. We should also consider changes in the wildlife value of nearby land. To do so, we can compute the changes expected in the Contextual Ratings of these areas for wildlife.