TRAIL RELATED LANDSCAPES & KEY PARCELS
User Tips: GIS Data
- There are many detailed GIS data sets (state, regional, and municipal level) available for community planning. In addition, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has a comprehensive data set available for download that includes preserved land and ownership, land use, roads, access points, recreation points, parking areas, etc.
- When using GIS data, data sources, and state plane projections will sometimes differ between data sets. Users should verify the level of accuracy of data, especially location, level of precision, and date.
- Identify any necessary updates to existing open space, water, and other natural resources maps. Typically, a natural resource inventory includes both maps and a descriptive narrative.
- Potentially vulnerable resources include natural, scenic, historic, and cultural resources. Open space and undeveloped land surrounding the AT should be considered potentially vulnerable to development, unless it is permanently protected or publicly owned.
- Agricultural and woodland areas visible from scenic overlooks and vistas along the Appalachian Trail may also be considered vulnerable resources.
- Complete periodic updates to historic and cultural resources. Local historical societies and the PMHC are important sources of information for this data.
- Utilizing GIS to view and understand physical and ecological relationships may help prioritize strategic conservation areas (e.g. steep slopes and woodlands can be protected together).
- Utilizing a point rating system for resources is another method to help determine preservation priorities for municipalities along the AT.
- The MPC gives Pennsylvania municipalities the ability to create an Official Map. Official Maps are used to implement open space planning and set aside the most appropriate land for future public facilities. This process provides municipalities with the option to designate priority preservation areas (e.g., lands along the Appalachian Trail) as future public open space. (See PALTA and Lancaster County Smart Growth Toolbox for more information).
- Official maps are ordinances, not advisory plans, and carry the same weight as other municipal regulations.
- Unlike a future land use map or zoning map, an Official Map allows the municipality to reserve an area for acquisition for public use within a specified time frame. Note: If an owner proposes to develop a property designated by the Official Map for future public use, the municipality can delay development of a property (for up to a year) to consider acquisition for conservation or other public use.
- Include existing conservation lands (in addition to land mapped for future acquisition or easement) on the Official Map. It is also useful to include text or notes explaining how land was designated for conservation and reference existing municipal open space and/or comprehensive plans.