Town of Montgomery Natural Resources Inventory

Presentation to the Town of Montgomery October 21, 2010Karen Schneller-McDonald, Hickory Creek Consulting LLC

NYS General Municipal Law: CAC’s, NRIs, and Open Space PlansText

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Town of Montgomery

The County of Orange makes no warranty whatsoever as to the accuracy or completeness of any information depictedon this map. Data depicted here may havebeen developed in cooperat ion with otherCounty departments, as well as other Federal,State and Local government agencies. TheCounty of Orange hereby disclaims liabilityfor any loss or damage resulting from the useof the information and/or representationscontained herein.

Prepared June 16, 2008by the Orange County Planning Department.

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LegendRoads

Drainage Basins - Details

Town Boundaries

Parcels

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Aerial Photography - 2004

Just as each parcel is a small part of the Town, the NRI is part of a larger effort to identify and protect natural resources

Biodiversity Assessment Training: Town of Montgomery study area report and habitat map Southern Wallkill Biodiversity Plan

Biodiversity Assessment Manual for the Hudson River Estuary Corridor

New York State Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy

Orange County Open Space Plan

New York Natural Heritage Program

New York State Open Space Plan

"The environment is not a competing interest to be balanced with other interests; rather, it is the playing field, the very foundation, upon which all our interests compete."  ~ Dr. Michael Klemens, Founder, Metropolitan Conservation Alliance

Wallkill River Corridor Study: Town of Montgomery

The Natural Resources Inventory documents the unique rural character

of the place where you live

• Soils and geology

• Water• Habitats, plants and animals

• Significant biodiversity areas• Protected lands

• Historic sites

• Air quality• Assessing impacts on watersheds and biodiversity

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NRI Maps and Tables

• Aerial View

• Steep Slopes

• Farms and Prime/Statewide

Agricultural Soils

• Water Resources

• Public Wells and Aquifers

• Stream Biomonitoring (table and map)

• Protected Lands

• Historic Register Sites

• 1895 Maps

• Soils

• Plants

• Birds

• Amphibians

• Reptiles

• Dragonflies and Damselflies

• Fish

Soils and Geology

• Soil properties table sample

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Town of MontgomeryFarms and Farm Fields

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Notes: Colored circles represent farm headquarters.Green areas are farmed fields. /0 4,600 9,200 13,800 18,4002,300

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Habitats and biodiversity: Aquatic and wetland habitats

Upland habitats and floodplain forests

Plants and animals

Significant biodiversity areas, 20 habitat descriptions

SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME NY NYNHP ATLAS USFWS WET-LAND

Shawan-gunk Kill

Wall- kill

River

Agrimonia parviflora agrimony, swamp Watch list FAC * *

Agrimonia rostella agrimony, woodland T Active inventory FACU

Aplectrum hyemale puttyroot E Active inventory FACU

Arethusa bulbosa dragon's mouth orchid T Active inventory OBL

Arisaema dracontium green dragon V FACW *

Aristolochia serpentaria Virginia snakeroot E Active inventory UPL

Asclepias purpurascens purple milkweed Active inventory FACU

Aster vimineus small white aster * *

Atriplex dioica thickleaf orah E Active inventory

Bartonia paniculata spp.paniculata

screw-stem E Active inventory OBL

Betula nigra birch, river V Watch list FACW *

Bidens bidentoides Delmarva beggar-ticks R Active inventory FACW

Bidens laevis smooth bur-marigold T Active inventory OBL

Boechera missouriensis green rock-cress T Active inventory

Boechera stricta Drummond’s rock cress

E Active inventory

Plants of Conservation ConcernTowns of Montgomery and Wallkill: 2008This is a working list, subject to periodic updates.

Sample plant list

Some plants of conservation concern

COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME US NY PIF SGCN DEV-SEN

HABITAT

GREBES, WADING BIRDS, DUCKS

American bittern Botaurus lentiginosus SC PIF X X OU, MSW

American black duck Anas rubripes PIF X X MSW, LW

Black-crowned night heron Nycticorax nycticorax PIF X TF, MSW, LW

Blue-winged teal Anas discors X MSW, OU

Least bittern Ixobrychus exilis T PIF X X MSW

Wood duck Aix sponsa PIF X

Pied billed grebe Podilymbus podiceps T PIF X X MSW, LC

DIURNAL RAPTORS

Cooper's hawk Accipiter cooperii SC PIF X X TF

Red-shouldered hawk Buteo lineatus SC PIF X X TF, MSW

Sharp-shinned hawk Accipiter striatus SC PIF X X TF

Northern goshawk Accipiter gentilis SC PIF X TF, AM

Northern harrier Circus cyaneus T X OU, MSW, LW

Birds of Conservation ConcernTowns of Montgomery and Wallkill: 2008This is a preliminary list, subject to update as necessary.

Birds: combining habitat and

species information

NRI Information: Need to know what the resources are and where they are located in order to protect them

Information for EAF and EIS, site plan reviews

Saves time during project review, and provides for consistent reviews

Cumulative impact assessment - Evaluate resources across property boundaries

Mitigation: effectiveness depends on accurate identificationof resources and impacts

Basis for Habitat Assessment Guidelines

Open space planning

Environmental Assessment Form Part 1

pre-and post- construction

acreages: habitat

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Environmental Assessment Form Part 2

identification of impacts on species

and habitats (upland, wetland,

aquatic)

Correlating habitat and species information 3

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Town of Montgomery

The County of Orange makes no warranty whatsoever as to the accuracy or completeness of any information depictedon this map. Data depicted here may havebeen developed in cooperat ion with otherCounty departments, as well as other Federal,State and Local government agencies. TheCounty of Orange hereby disclaims liabilityfor any loss or damage resulting from the useof the information and/or representationscontained herein.

Prepared June 16, 2008by the Orange County Planning Department.

0 1 20.5Miles

LegendRoads

Drainage Basins - Details

Town Boundaries

Parcels

Text

Aerial Photography - 2004

Forest

Field

Wetland/Pond

Species and habitats are not evenly distributed within municipal boundaries

Inventory of plants and animals:

identification of impacts on biodiversity

Development-sensitive: Many species, high biodiversityHabitat specialistsSpecific habitat requirementsComplex life cycle requirementsSensitive to development, degraded habitat

Development-associated: Few species, low biodiversityHabitat generalistsLess-specific habitat requirementsAble to adapt to disturbed habitat and habitat edgesAssociated with development: lawns and landscaping

Example of biodiversity changes

Development-sensitive Amphibians: 12 speciesReptiles: 12 speciesBirds: 54 species(example from Southern Wallkill Biodiversity Plan)

Development-associated Amphibians: 5 speciesReptiles: 6 speciesBirds: 9 species(example from Southern Wallkill Biodiversity Plan)

Species of Conservation Concern

Absence indicates habitat loss or degradation

Presence is associated with higher biodiversity

Interconnections among species and populations

Specific habitat requirements

Montgomery NRI identifies:

Birds-- 75 species

Reptiles-- 10 species

Amphibians-- 16 species

! Nesting area! Streambank! Riparian buffer! Dispersal impedimentRoads! ! ! !Impervious surfaces! ! ! !Grading/construction! ! ! !

Nesting sites

Streambank condition

Size of riparian buffer

Corridors for movement

Food source

Adult turtles

Hatchlings

Grading/vegetation removal

Impervious surfaces

Roads

Construction

Post-construction use (pets, pesticides)

Sample species impacts table: wood turtle

A table similar to the simplified example below can be used to connect project activities with impacts on a particular species or group. This can facilitate the development and evaluation of effective mitigation measures.

Biodiversity is not about rushing to halt development because of the presence of a threatened or endangered species: it is a broader

approach that includes the entire landscape

NRI is a Work in Progress: Continue to add and update information as needed

• New studies, add information as it becomes available (Biodiversity AssessmentTraining report and habitat mapping)

• Municipal needs

• Additional text/ topics

• Additional maps and tables

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Legacy

“ We have a moral commitment to leave for future generations a livable environment even perhaps a better one than the one we inherited, certainly not one that has been further depleted.” --Amatai Etzioni, “Spirit of Community”

Karen Schneller-McDonald

Hickory Creek Consulting LLC

845 758-2369 *** katykill2@gmail.com *** HickoryCreekLLC.com