Tamara Laninga

Incorporating Wildlife Conservation into County Comprehensive Plans: A GIS Approach

Abstract Within the United States (U.S.), state wildlife agencies are required to identify Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), the factors that impact these species, and the conservation actions needed to conserve these species through documentation of a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS). While the identification of SGCN represents an essential first step towards a comprehensive management strategy at the state level, the incorporation of this information into county level comprehensive plans will likely increase conservation efforts needed statewide. Our objective for this study was to use spatial data to delineate areas of human activity overlapping with areas rich in biodiversity to provide state wildlife agencies and local county planners recommended conservation actions to reduce biodiversity loss by human activities. Using the state of Idaho as an example, we delineated areas within the state where biodiversity hotspots for terrestrial and aquatic SGCN and human activities may be conflicting. We then identified counties within the state where these areas of conflict occur and identified conservation actions that may mitigate human activities to benefit SGCN. Our study used available geospatial data and a simple geographical information system (GIS) based approach which could be applied to other areas to support county-level land use planning for wildlife conservation.

Using Traffic Simulation Software to Manage Recreational River Boats on Public Lands

This paper describes a novel use of traffic simulation software to model and manage recreational river use. River tourism usually benefits the local economy, but the influx of visitors can also burden the other functions of a river such as agricultural irrigation and critical habitat for flora and fauna. The management of boats on a river is very similar to the management of cars on a freeway. This paper describes how these similarities were modeled with the software package VISSIM. The paper elaborates on the differences encountered, including a discussion about the underlying differences between a traffic engineers concept of capacity and that of a recreational manager. The model was used to evaluate three management strategies for dealing with future growth: (a) do nothing, (b) build and improve boat ramps, and (c) issue limited boat launch reservations. The three strategies were evaluated on the basis of density (boats per mile) and boat ramp delay (excess minutes because of queuing). The input for the model included nearly 600 boats and 1,200 visitors. The results suggest that lower density and delay are best achieved by issuing limited reservations. The paper is intended for managers of public lands who may not be familiar with traffic simulation software. The approach could be extended to the management of other recreation facilities, such as bike paths and hiking trails. The paper is also useful for traffic engineers interested in new perspectives on capacity and congestion.

The Spatial Distribution and Quantification of Food Insecurity in the North Central Health District of Idaho

ABSTRACT This study examines the complexity of community food insecurity in a rural region of the United States. In this country, food insecurity is more about improper distribution than about scarcity. Quantifying why and where food distribution is not equitable or adequate depends on the context. We analyzed multiple indicators of food security at the ZIP code level to create a food insecurity index. With the index we used geographic information systems (GIS) technology to test for spatial autocorrelation. This technique shows spatial patterns of clustering or dispersal of food insecurity. The results conclude significant clustering of food insecurity and security in the study region.