Slide 1

Citizen Monitoring and
Local Land Use Decisions

Dreux J. Watermolen
Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources


Slide 2

Presentation Outline
Citizen Monitoring and Local Planning
Important Considerations
What You Can Do
Conclusions


Slide 3

Presentation Outline
Citizen Monitoring and Local Planning
Important Considerations
What You Can Do
Conclusions


Slide 4

Local Planning

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
June 14, 2005


Slide 5

Local Planning
Steps in the planning process
Inventory
Visioning
Analysis
Updating

Implementation

Alternative
Selection


Slide 6

Local Planning
Inventory
Visioning
Analysis
Updating

Citizen monitoring data can:
• Help define community values.
Alternative
• Help prioritize places
for protection
Selection
Implementation
or attention.
• Identify interest sectors to include
in the planning process.


Slide 7

Local Planning
Inventory
Visioning
Analysis
Updating

Citizen monitoring data can be used to:
Alternative
• Help prioritize places for protection.
Selection
• IdentifyImplementation
areas in need of attention.
• Elucidate gaps in knowledge.


Slide 8

Local Planning
Inventory
Visioning

Citizen monitoring data can:
• Help identify problem
statements.
• Updating
Help prioritize resources.
• Help calibrate/validate
predictive models.
Implementation

Analysis

Alternative
Selection


Slide 9

Local Planning
Inventory
Visioning

Updating

Implementation

Plan implementation
tools:
• Zoning decisions
Analysis
• Lake classification efforts
• Tree ordinances
• Construction site
Alternative
erosion
control
Selection


Slide 10

Local Planning
Inventory
Visioning

Citizen monitoring can
Analysis
be used to:
• track plan implementation.
• identify levels of success.

Updating

Implementation

Alternative
Selection


Slide 11

Presentation Outline
Citizen Monitoring and Local Planning
Important Considerations
What You Can Do
Conclusions


Slide 12

Considerations
Local government decisions cannot be
arbitrary or capricious.
Local government decisions should be
based on available data/information.


Slide 13

Considerations
Bird watching and
other phenological
observations are
useful monitoring
data if they are
written down/
recorded in a timely
manner.


Slide 14

Considerations
Monitoring data do not result from
random, isolated, one-time events.
Monitoring observations should be
gathered in a structured, recurring
manner.


Slide 15

Presentation Outline
Citizen Monitoring and Local Planning
Important Considerations
What You Can Do
Conclusions


Slide 16

What you can do:
Share your monitoring data.


Slide 17

What you can do:
“Publish” your monitoring data.
Summaries
Booklets
Reports
Web sites
Newsletters


Slide 18

What you can do:
Keep a copy of your raw monitoring
data, even after publication/sharing.
Keep documentation of methods
used.


Slide 19

Presentation Outline
Citizen Monitoring and Local Planning
Important Considerations
What You Can Do
Conclusions


Slide 20

Conclusions
Citizen monitoring data can
inform local planning and
decision-making processes.

Quality control and quality
assurance measures increase
the value of citizen monitoring
data for local decision making.


Slide 21

Conclusions
Local governments
can make greater use
of citizen monitoring
data in their planning
and decision making
processes.


Slide 22

Thank you!

Questions?