THE PLACE: TBA. This will be determined by working with Santa Fe’s adjoining counties and pueblos.
THE PROJECT: Collaborative Multicounty Conservation Priorities Workshop
Santa Fe and its adjoining counties and pueblos face challenges as they plan for growth and development. Without planning, their wildlife habitat and culturally significant areas will be irretrievably damaged. These counties have recognized the need to regulate energy development to protect the environment, wildlife, cultural sites, and traditional and contemporary communities and to preserve public health, safety, and welfare. The challenge is to provide the maximum level of protection for existing land uses, wildlife habitat, and environmental and cultural features, while fairly treating all development to include traditional as well as alternative sources of energy. The approach to planning and development regulation must be comprehensive, taking into account long-term impact rather than considering each development project proposal independently, since it is the cumulative impact of development that shapes the character of our communities and counties. Santa Fe County has been working on setting conservation priorities for its Sustainable Land Development Plan and Code, and it would like to collaborate with adjoining counties, including Bernalillo, Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe, and Torrance, to develop regional wildlife and habitat conservation priorities.
This all-day, collaborative workshop extends an invitation to community organizations, county and pueblo representatives, federal and state agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. The workshop will address the following topics:
* Reasons to Include Wildlife in Community Planning
* The Legal Framework for Wildlife Protection
* Community Engagement Strategies
* Habitat Protection Goals and Tools
* Habitat Modeling Overview
* Assessment and Validation of Habitat Models
* Using Revised Habitat Models to Set Conservation Priorities
* Coordinating with Adjoining Counties
MEALS: none
GEAR: A laptop computer is desirable but not required. Additional information will be available from the Contact below sixty days before the workshop.
MAXIMUM PARTICIPANTS: 5
This workshop is for county planners from all over the state. We will reserve five spots for citizen volunteers who would like to get a glimpse of the future of wildlife and how these counties are trying to accommodate both growth and the protection of wildlife corridors.
CONTACT: Please send request to attend to Craig Chapman at craig@nmwild.org.
