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Executive Summary The second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) C40B2 Proof of Concept advances the goals of SHRP 2 CO6A and CO6B, and, in particular, shows how application of a geospatial tool can support integrated ecological planning at regional and local levels. This report addresses the work conducted by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments (the Council) and the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP) as co-principal investigators on the C40B2 Proof of Concept. The Council and MoRAP (C40B2 team) developed an ecological geospatial tool from 2008â2013 as a part of the Councilâs Ecological Approach to Infrastructure Development Initiative (Ecological Initiative). An ecological geospatial tool (Ecological Initiative tool) was developed to encourage proactive avoidance of ecologically significant natural resource areas in the Saint Louis region and to target mitigation and restoration efforts in locations of the most benefit toward regional conservation goals. The Ecological Initiative tool was applied at the regional level in the Regional Transportation Plan 2040 (RTP 2040), the regionâs long-range transportation plan. The Ecological Initiative is working to incorporate the tool into the work of regulatory and resource agencies in preâNational Environmental Policy Act (pre-NEPA) planning, natural resource mitigation, and wetland restoration in cases of unavoidable impacts. . By taking part in the C40B2 project, the C40B2 team was able to explore the regulatory acceptability of the locally developed Ecological Initiative tool (geospatial data sets integrated at different resolutions) and assess the transferability of this effort to other regions. The C40B2 team applied the tool to specific pilot areas in the region. The two pilot areas include transportation corridors that are under review in one or more aspects by state departments of transportation (DOTs). The C40B2 team engaged stakeholders at federal, state, and local regulatory and resource agencies. The engagement efforts produced findings that reflect the various levels at which the data are useful in the current state and aspects of the data that would benefit from improvement. The tool, as originally produced, provides state DOTs with useful information to apply in their initial review of a project or a corridor improvement (e.g., the location and extent of ecologically significant areas). However, the initial resolution of this information does not include land cover variation within urban landscapes (e.g., urban trees, open areas, lawns, and parks). Refinements to the Ecological Initiative tool were made within the pilot areas to provide an improved land cover using finer-resolution input data. The result is an enhanced tool that more accurately reflects conditions on the ground and allows users to see possible impacts at more of a human scale. The opportunities for applying the refined data to corridor studies in heavily urbanized areas are imminent. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is currently developing refined data for the study area of an upcoming I-70 planning and environmental linkages study. Other partners have expressed interest in developing and using this information for watershed planning, green infrastructure planning, and storm water management approaches. 1
The C40B2 team partnered with the C40A team throughout the development of a national-level web-based tool (Eco-Plan) designed to provide both geographic information system (GIS) users and non-GIS users access to national-level environmental data sets. Eco-Plan consists of two components, Eco-Plan and Eco-Plan Advanced. The C40B2 team conducted beta tests of both Eco-Plan and Eco-Plan Advanced. Beta tests concluded that Eco-Plan would be an excellent way for small-size metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and non-regular GIS users at state DOTs to access national-level environmental data sets. Eco-Plan Advanced is targeted toward more advanced GIS users but may not be of great benefit to large size MPOs with robust GIS services. This feedback on the tool was provided to the C40A team. As in the development of Eco-Plan, the Ecological Initiative tool development and implementation process relied heavily on feedback from experts in the field of natural resource planning and GIS as well as potential users. C40B2 discovered that environmental data needs to be more reflective of conditions on the ground and sensitive to the nuances of natural resource challenges in urban areas. Partnership and perseverance are important to advancing the development of reliable fine-resolution ecological geospatial tools for use in transportation planning and greater conservation and restoration efforts throughout the country. 2
