Using GIS to Build Citizen Alternatives for Travel Planning

Because travel planning has significant environ­mental consequences, it constitutes a major federal action subject to the National Environ­mental Policy Act (NEPA). This means that citizens have the opportunity to submit alternatives for consideration in a draft environmental assessment (EA) or draft environmental impact statement (EIS). Many travel planning processes produce a range of alternatives that favor motorized recreation at the expense of solitude, natural quiet, and resource and wildlife habitat. Depending on the political climate, agency employees themselves may even advocate expanding motorized route networks.

Often, a token “conservation alternative” will be alarmingly similar to the agency’s proposed action. In this scenario, a true conservation alterna­tive formulated by citizens is indispensable. It is critical to get involved early, determine what the agency’s alternatives will look like, and plan your own alternative based on true conservation values. It is also critical to meet with the Forest Service early to understand their format and timelines to make sure they will accept and analyse your alterna­tive. Knowing conditions on the ground, as well as thoughtful data gathering and GIS analysis, are key to building a successful conservation-oriented alternative.
There are a number of ways to complete the GIS portion of build­ing an alternative, and rather than producing a specific set of instruc­tions, this primer offers an overview of the technical process below. An important note: it is advantageous to utilize a GIS technician who is familiar with the issues related to travel planning, and who knows the lands they will be mapping.

There are essentially three major phases to building an alternative for transportation planning: data gathering and analysis, construct­ing and analyzing an alternative, and advocating for your alternative. Additionally, if certain routes are well-known for inciting user conflict or damaging resources, provide specific information on why the routes should be closed to motorized use as early in the process as pos­sible. This will help to take the worst offenders “off the table.” Include photographs and a 1:24,000 quad map displaying their location, and GPS coordinates if practical. This information is the most effective in eliminating “bad actors” from consideration for designation.

Data Gathering & Analysis Overview

Step 1: Determine criteria for areas where off-road vehicles do not belong, including, but not limited to:

• Designated, recommended or citizen-proposed wilderness or roadless areas
• Riparian zones (streams and wetlands should be granted a 150-foot buffer from each edge)
• Critical habitat for threatened, endangered and sensitive species (animal and plant species)
• Critical summer and winter range and fawning areas for big game species
• Areas covered by highly erodible and otherwise fragile soils
• Intersections with trails, areas, and watersheds traditionally used by hikers, skiers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, hunters, or other quiet recreationists and sportsmen
• Areas containing archaeological sites, cultural artifacts, and historic sites
• Selected sensitive vegetation types such as wet meadows, mesic meadows and alpine tundra
• Municipal Watersheds

Consider establishing a list of specific criteria such as these for submission to the agency prior to construction of your alternative.

Step 2: Obtain all of the available GIS data relevant to travel plan­ning from Forest Service planners, agency GIS staff, your state’s wildlife division, and USGS.

Forest Service data may be posted on the forest’s website. A re­cent ruling by the 9th Circuit re-affirms that GIS data qualifies for a FOIA fee waiver. Some forests have their own GIS websites, and a call or visit to the relevant agency GIS technician should produce a list of cover­ages maintained by the agency. Be aware of what datasets are called, and request them by name. For example, most forest’s coverages of timber sales are called “activities,” not “timber sales.” Some forests may have edited or expanded available coverages based on input from agency specialists.

You will need data on geography and administrative designations, roads, topography, forest cover, wildlife and wildlife habitat, sensitive species, soils, vegetation types, and much more. Please contact Wild­lands CPR for a complete list.

Step 3: Layer the datasets and criteria to identify those routes that appear to meet and those that violate established criteria.

Step 4: Take maps to meetings with engineering staff and “olo­gists” from the Forest and District levels to ask them to identify the routes and areas they are concerned about due to problems with user conflict, erosion, spread of invasive weeds, wet stream crossings, etc.

Ensure that the Forest Service is using appropriate datasets in their planning. Contact Wildlands CPR for a complete list of datasets that should be used.

Step 5: Based on GIS analysis and hot spots identified by Forest Service staff, prioritize and target ground-truthing fieldwork to get ad­ditional information, such as:

• The level at which inventoried roads are maintained: be they for passenger vehicles, high clearance trucks, off-road vehicles, or be they closed, or revegetated (some or all of this info may be available in GIS form and may not need to be monitored for confirmation)
• Condition of riparian zones that contain routes
• Existence of inventoried or uninventoried routes
• Condition of routes on steep or unstable slopes
• Known or suspected hot spots of cross-country travel

Step 6: Use existing protocol and forms to document route condi­tions (such as those provided by Wildlands CPR, http://www.wildland­scpr.org/resourcelibrary/misc/Monitoring.htm, or Great Old Broads for Wilderness, http://www.goginer.org).

Building a Conservation Alternative In GIS

When constructing an alternative in GIS, be sure to code your designations in the same terminology as the Forest Service. Obtain the list of classifications that the agency is using. Terms such as “obliter­ate,” “open yearlong – no restrictions,” “seasonal closure,” and “NM Trail” may be used. If your terms match, the Forest Service will be able to analyze your alternative more easily. Using different designations than the Forest Service can lead to an apples/oranges comparison.

Step 1: Run pre-selected screens on the agency’s roads data based on the criteria you defined in phase 1. The result will produce a new roads coverage that will be flagged for conflict with one or more of the established criteria. These conflicting routes are the first draft of routes that will be closed to motorized use in your alternative.

Step 2: Examine the screened roads data carefully, re-coding as “open” those routes that are arterials or collectors that conflict with the screens. (For example, an interstate highway may be flagged many times, but cannot be closed by this process.)

Step 3: Carefully examine critical summer and winter range for game species, and code seasonal closures for routes in conflict. Again, this may be impractical for some arterials and collectors.

Step 4: Review your designations route-by-route, using your preset screens and any photos or additional relevant information. Make sure all route segments are coded correctly, as small mistakes now can lead to big headaches later in the process.

Step 5: Rejoin cut route segments so the total number of segments matches the agency’s data.

Step 6: Assess the maximum possible “distance from roads” in your alternative, the “conservation alternative” and the preferred alternative. Calculate 1/2 mile, 1 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles, 4+ miles from roads in GIS, (there are a number of ways to accomplish this.) Construct tables and maps displaying this in­formation. The results are often shocking, and have impact with the public and agency personnel. (For example, even with many route closures, most areas of the forest are still likely to be within two miles of a road).

Advocating For Your Conservation Alternative

Step 1: Submit your alternative to the FS in a timely manner. Urge them to fully analyze it in the DEIS. If you have followed the steps above to assure consistency, there should be little argument that analysis isn’t feasible.

Step 2: Build a grassroots campaign to garner support for your alternative. Generate media, letters to the editor, and meetings with the Forest Service from community leaders and activists.

—Tim Peterson is the Wildlands CPR Transportation Policy Coordinator.