Last month our stewardship team explained the different types of baseline documentation and record-keeping that must be conducted in order to best steward our fee-owned properties and conservation easements. Let’s take a closer look at what goes into conducting a baseline site visit, compiling information for a management plan, and the other types of plans that GPC regularly writes for our properties!
What is a Baseline Site Visit?
For each new property GPC holds, whether GPC owns it, or it is a conservation easement, stewardship staff must collect baseline information about that property at or near the time of acquisition. This allows staff to capture a big snapshot of the conservation values of a property (why it’s protected), any present issues (such as dumping sites), human features (like buildings or roads), access easements, boundary markers, management needs, and more!
Before conducting a baseline site visit, stewardship staff collect as much information about the property as possible – was there any history of land management, are there specific features such as wetlands or streams, has a survey been conducted, etc. Heading out in teams of two or more, staff visit as many of the property boundaries and corners as possible, and place signs and identify survey stakes. Staff visit as much of the interior of a property as possible, depending on the habitat types, areas of significant conservation value, and known features. Staff log all observed wildlife and plant species and the conditions of the property through photographs and detailed descriptions.
Here’s a great behind the scenes breakdown of baseline reporting with Ali Querin in which she visited the Dewatto Headwaters Forest on Hood Canal in Mason County. Fun fact: Ali, who used to be part of the Stewardship Team, now focuses on land acquisition as a Conservation Project Manager.
What goes into a Management Plan?
After collecting the conditions of the property through baseline photo documentation, staff return to the office and compile as much information about the property as possible. Staff refer to outside resources for data and information, for example the Wild Fish Conservancy, WA Department of Ecology, USGS Web Soil Survey, WA Department of Fish & Wildlife, and WA Geospatial Open Data Hydrography. Data from these resources, onsite data, photographs, and previous landowners all help to create a complete picture of the history and current condition of the property. Staff also compile documents pertaining to the acquisition of the property, including the Statutory Warranty Deed, the Title Report, or the Conservation Easement Deed. Additionally, staff use existing geospatial data to create multiple types of maps for a property. All these documents are compiled into a Management Plan (for a fee-owned property) or a Baseline Documentation Report (for a conservation easement).
Other Plans to Inform Property Management
In addition to the plans that GPC stewardship staff create in-house, we will also contract local organizations to write more detailed plans for a property. Other organizations can better inform our staff on the conditions and management considerations for forests, sensitive habitats, and culturally significant areas, and can manage larger-scale habitat restoration. Some of the partners we regularly work with are Northwest Natural Resource Group, local surveyors, Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, cultural resource consultants, local conservation districts, and Smayda Environmental Associates, Inc. This list is not exhaustive – GPC staff values our many partnerships that allow us to tap into the incredible expertise in our region.
We seek outside consulting depending on the property’s habitat conditions, and one of the plans that we most regularly contract for our forested properties is a Forest Management Plan. These detailed plans guide stewardship staff on ecologically-based forest management considerations for both the short- and long-term.
