Critical Areas for Preservation in the Paw Paw River Watershed
The PPRW Land Protection Committee assisted the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) in the development of a model used to map critical areas for preservation.
PPRW Preservation Area Model (PPRW preservation map incorporating wetland function assessment data)
PPRW Agricultural Area Model
PPRW Urban/Developing Area Model
Southwest Michigan - Potential Conservation Areas
The mapping effort also includes identifying Potential Conservation Areas. These maps were developed by Michigan Natural Features Inventory.
A report explaining the criteria and methodology used to create these maps can be downloaded by clicking here:
Berrien, Cass, Van Buren Counties Potential Conservation Areas: Providing Ecological Information for a Green Infrastructure Plan
Planning and Zoning Recommendations
Master plans should:
- Identify water and natural resources in the municipality
- State the value of the water and natural resources to the community
- Target development to the most appropriate areas
- List specific actions or policies to protect water quality and natural resources
Basic planning and zoning approaches that will help to protect water quality include:
- preserving open spaces by encouraging compact development in areas with existing infrastructure
- enacting water quality protection setbacks from surface waterbodies (rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands)
- reducing impervious surfaces (parking lots, driveways, roads, lot setbacks, lot coverage)
- requiring low impact development techniques to be utilized to reduce runoff and slow water down, spread it out and soak it in as much as possible
- ensuring the site plan review process requires the identification of natural features on site plans and having review standards which require their protection
- clustering development to reduce impervious surfaces and protect open spaces and environmentally sensitive areas
- requiring the use of native plants species to increase infiltration of stormwater
- limiting growth in areas where soils are not suitable for septic systems
