R2008-87 AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT - Laserfiche WebLink

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Resource Problem: Wildlife Goal: Achieve a safe balance of wildlife and recommend appropriate habitat to reduce effects of defragmentation. Action: Provide education about the benefits of wildlife and educate on the proper way to address problems. Action: Promote use of wildlife habitat planning to develop travel lanes between existing habitat and target areas of new wildlife habitat placement. Findings: Quality natural resources benefit both wildlife and people.Natural areas such as wetlands and prairies can improve water quality by filtering pollutants and sediments as well as managing water runof£Natural areas provide a better quality of life with areas for recreation and enjoyment. These areas provide habitat for a variety of wildlife. However, negative changes to these habitats can have an effect on the wildlife. Pollutants can change the characteristics of an environment and as a result the wildlife. The degradation of water quality disrupts the balance of aquatic species. Some species of fish and macroinvertebrates are sensitive to water quality. A decrease in the quality would result in the eradication of these sensitive species and species more tolerant to poor water quality would become present.Non-native and invasive plant species alter the natural communities and crowd out the native plant and the animal dependant on them. Also, some wildlife species require a particular size of continuous land for habitat. Development can fragment natural areas and cause areas to become uninhabitable for certain species of birds. As these � examples show, wildlife and wildlife habitat is sensitive to environmental changes and change as a result. Some wildlife can become nuisances to urban areas and the environment. Wildlife need habitat and food to survive. Some wildlife take advantage of urban areas and the opportunities it provides, however this can be a problem for residents. Recommendations: Establish and Maintain Healthy Natural Areas Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife need quality habitat. Enhance and maintain existing habitat and establish new habitat where ever possible. Preserve Open Space 1. Implement Existing Open Space and Greenway Plans • Support Mt. Zion Greenway Plan. • Support open space development in the watershed • Work with the Soil and Water Conservation District, municipal governments, and non-profit organizations to identify specific areas to conserve and work towards securing these areas as open space. 2. Promote the establishment of conservation easements, for more information the Soil and Water Conservation District can assist with easement formation. An easement provides tax breaks and protects land by limiting use of the land and retaining features for future owners. Features an owner might want to protect include natural, historic, and scenic lands. 3. Promote the establishment of field border strips and critical area plantings. 4. Provide incentives for protecting natural areas. 5. Protect natural areas from development. 13