Natural heritage protects all of life

From Staff Reports

The Albemarle County Natural Heritage Committee recently told the Board of Supervisors that its success was endangered by a lack of support.
It asked for $3,000 in the upcoming budget and for the services of a county employee to serve as liaison among the citizens, the committee and the county officials.

Without the county’s support in the next year, “the future of the committee looks bleak,” Chairman Michael Erwin told the board earlier this month.
The Daily Progress contacted Erwin and posed some additional questions:

Q. What are the role and purpose of the Natural Heritage Committee? 
A. The formal mission statement is: To maintain and restore the county’s native biological diversity and provide a healthy environment for the citizens of Albemarle County.

That means to protect and/or enhance the natural resources of the county and integrate that with land-use planning. A lot of counties have no connection between land use and resource protection. In this county, at least, we have explicit language to protect biological resources.

Q. How would you describe the relevance of “natural heritage” to the typical county resident?

A. Biodiversity is a very important part and parcel of many of our natural systems. All of our ecosystems functions interdependently.

Because biodiversity is so closely entwined with critical ecosystems services such as flood control, air and water quality protection, pollination of crops, and provision of wildlife habitat, the committee’s work should be seen as highly relevant to the quality of life to all Albemarle citizens. 

Without ecosystem functions there can be no ecosystems, and without ecosystems there can be no humans.

A major goal of the committee is to develop a biodiversity action plan and subsequent implementation measures … required for important ecological services and healthy populations of native plants and animals.

People often ask about why we encourage stream restoration and buffers. Planting trees and other vegetation prevents soil erosion, reduces flooding and improves water quality. Plus, the wider the buffer, the better for lots and lots of other species. You’re protecting water quality, but under that tree canopy live many other animals and plants.

Q. When was the committee first appointed, and under what circumstances?

A. The NHC was formed in late 2005, and was the result of recommendations made to the Board of Supervisors by the earlier Biodiversity Working Group (2003-2005).

Q. Please tell us a bit about how the committee is structured and how it operates.

A. All members of the committee volunteered for the position and selections were made by the Board of Supervisors in late 2005. There are 12 members (with one vacancy currently).

We began meeting in January 2006, and have met monthly as an entire committee since then. We have elected a chairman, vice chairman and secretary, and we have a liaison from the Community Planning and Development Department.

The committee developed four subcommittees: a strategic planning group, an education group, a biological assessment group and a rapid conservation group.

In addition to the monthly meetings, the subcommittees meet separately on an as-needed basis.

Q. What is the committee’s greatest accomplishment to date?

A. As a first step in key area identifications for protection, the committee nominated six key sites ranging from a few acres to hundreds of acres. These were approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2007. Research is under way to determine how much of these are already protected (by conservation easements, etc.).

Also, major steps were made in developing important natural resource “data layers” that map critical areas in the county thought to be rich in biological diversity.

These have become part of our Geographical Information System. These highlight large blocks of forest, high-quality stream corridors, steep bluffs in riparian areas, etc.

Q. What remains yet to be accomplished? Please give us an example of a short-term and a long-term goal.

A. A large number of items have been identified by the committee, but these require resources from the county.

We need planning staff time to help identify key land parcels for protection, or easements, and act as a liaison between landowners and organizations that process easements.

Also required is a GIS specialist who can continue to map important resource elements in the county, and conduct some analyses such as trends in land-use.

Short-term goals include having a workshop for landowners where emphasis would be placed on habitat management practices that would enhance biodiversity. Another short-term goal is developing an educational brochure on invasive species identification and control methods.

Q. What’s your history with the committee — when were you appointed and when did you assume the chairmanship?

A. I was a member of the Biodiversity Working Group, and have been a member of the NHC since its inception. I became chair in January. I am a professional ecologist-wildlife biologist. I am both a U.S. Geological Survey scientist and a research professor in Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia (since 1996).