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AUTHOR(S):
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Mark T. Southerland - southerlandmar@versar.com
Versar, Inc.
Columbia, MD, USA
Donald. E. Strebel
Versar, Inc.
Columbia, MD, USA
Allison Brindley
Versar, Inc.
Columbia, MD, USA
A. Morris Perot
Versar, Inc.
Columbia, MD, USA
Sandra Shaw Patty
Power Plant Research Program
Department of Natural Resources
Annapolis, MD, USA
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The Power Plant Research Program (PPRP), a
division of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is charged
with addressing the environmental consequences of electric power generation
and transmission within Maryland.
At the same time, DNR has embraced an ecosystem approach to natural resources
management and is seeking new tools to help meet more ambitious environmental
stewardship goals. Geographic information systems (GIS) are powerful tools
for overlaying electric utility infrastructure management needs and
biodiversity conservation opportunities. PPRP has recently assembled a
comprehensive GIS data base of transmission line routes and rights-of-way (ROWs) attributes throughout Maryland. PPRP has also used rare, threatened, and
endangered species data on a watershed scale to identify priority regional
biodiversity hotspots. For a separate initiative, DNR has identified hubs and
corridors of contiguous forests and wetlands as part of a statewide
"green infrastructure" program. PPRP is now using these layers in a
GIS to: (1) assess the impacts of current ROWs
management practices, (2) recommend improved practices in specific areas, (3)
facilitate optimal siting of new transmission lines, and (4) promote
ecosystem-based planning that minimizes the costs and maximizes the benefits
of landscape changes. For example, utility ROWs in
the vicinity of biodiversity hotspots are being targeted to enhance habitat
for rare plants and animals, ROWs within proposed
green infrastructure corridors are being proposed for compatible vegetation
management to link fragmented habitats, and utility properties within
existing green infrastructure hubs or biodiversity hotspots are being
considered for purchase or management as "core" preserved lands.
Keywords: Geographic information systems (GIS),
rights-of-way, transmission lines, power plants, biodiversity, endangered
species, greenways, land use, conservation, environmental stewardship
Ref#: 8-2
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