2)Planning Examples
This page provides links and references to relevant examples and resources from other communities.
BC Examples
Comox Valley has several inter-connected initiatives that could serve as models for similar Bulkley Valley initiatives:
- Comox Valley Land Trust is an organization of local volunteers dedicated to protecting the Comox Valley’s heritage of land and resources through voluntary conservation.
- Comox Valley Project Watershed is a small group of citizens concerned by declining fish stocks, water quality, and urban development in Comox Valley watersheds. The group has undertaken detailed mapping of sensitive habitats using standardized procedures called the SHIM methods. Project Watershed is a founding member of the Community Mapping Network.
- Nature Without Borders – The Comox Valley Regional Conservation Strategy phase 1 report
- Comox Valley Conservation Strategy Community Partnership is made up of partner organizations that have joined together to oversee the promotion and implementation of the CV Conservation Strategy.
Civic Info BC offers examples of Practices and Innovations such as:
- Sustainability Initiative — Official Community Plan and Sustainability Checklist, contributed by the City of Port Coquitlam.
- Pemberton & Area Sub-Regional Land Use Planning Study
- From Page to Stage: Fostering Health and Environment in Golden Golden’s 2008 OCP incorporates environmental initiatives while creating a healthier and more sustainable future.
- Colour Us Green The Town of Qualicum Beach recognizes that careful planning and adaptation is required to maintain the high quality of community life and natural environment in the midst of changing climate, economy and demographics.
Outside Perspectives
Developing the North in British Columbia is a brief report by Tony Jackson & Barbara Illsley (University of Dundee); John Curry & Eric Rapaport (University of Northern British Columbia)
Resources
BC Stewardship Centre
Mission statement:
To support and advance stewardship activities in British Columbia by providing a centre for information exchange, communications and outreach, and by fostering partnerships and collaboration among those participating in stewardship in BC.
The Community Mapping Network is a cooperative community based approach to sharing resource information, combining agency base maps and information with local data about sensitive aquatic habitats and their riparian areas, primarily for settlement areas of British Columbia.
The Habitat Acquisition Trust Manual: Planning and Stewardship in Your Community This manual was produced for the Capital Region (Victoria) “for people who want to protect natural areas, but are not sure of the options open to them. These people might be local government decision-makers, developers, members of conservation organizations and individuals who are trying to make a difference.”
www.landstewardship.org – an electronic clearinghouse and free educational referral service. Designed for land stewards everywhere, it contains a wealth of information about user-friendly, land-use conservation practices, programs, agencies and referrals for hundreds of resources – from books and videos to websites. (based in Alberta)
PlanMapper
Plan Mapper at www.PlanMapper.ca is an experimental web-based mapping and database tool that is piloting a way for stakeholders to access land use planning information. Currently, PlanMapper has six Land and Resource Management Plans (LRMP) that fall within the bounds of the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition area. Most of the Bulkley Valley is covered. Unfortunately, the portion of the Valley within the Kispiox LRMP (around the Hazeltons) is not yet included.
Resources North (formerly McGregor Model Forest) provides information about Plan Mapper, including the following:
PlanMapper is the first online tool of its kind that links or tags each land use objective with its related spatial area. This means that when you draw your “area of interest” and press the search button, a report will be created in seconds that will tell you which land use objectives relate specifically to the area of interest you described.
Update – October 2008
www.planmapper.ca is now hosted by GeoBorealis Spatial Data Management of Prince George BC. Unfortunately, some of the components of PlanMapper are no longer functional as they relied on older software that no longer operates on new servers. PlanMapper is still a great concept but needs a rebuild. Alternatively, there may be other applications that can provide the same service. GeoBorealis uses a planning portal application that is based on up-to-date open source software.
Leave a comment below if you have information about PlanMapper or similar applications.
