by: chelsea tarbell and larry commisso; · national park service organic act, 16 u.s.c.1 “…to...
TRANSCRIPT
Enjoy the View: A Linear FeatureBy: Chelsea Tarbell and Larry Commisso;
National Park Service
Welcome to the Delaware Water Gap NRA
• Established in 1965
• Located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
• 70,000 acres
• 40 miles of the Middle Delaware River
• 100 + miles of trails including, 27 miles of the Appalachian Trail
• Receives about 5 millions annual visits
The Start of the “Enjoy the View” Project at the Delaware Water Gap
• Sesquehanna to Roseland Transmission Line
– Power line cutting across the Delaware Water Gap to bring electricity to New York City
– Replaced the old lattice structure with monolines
– The construction requires widening the existing ROW and constructing new access roads.
Introduction to the “Enjoy the View” Project
• Designed to conserve the guidelines of Organic Act and National Park Service Mission
National park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1“…to promote and regulate the use of the …national parks…which
purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
National Park Service Mission, 2000“The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservations and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.”
The Goals and Process
• Determine the scenic importance value of a particular viewed landscape based on:
– Physical quality, visitor experience, and other resources
Inventory-> Evaluation->Conservation
Methodology
• Be Prepared
• Determine what’s important
• Remain unbiased
Scenic Quality Form
a. Landscape Character Integrity
b. Vividness
c. Visual Harmony
• Individual Ratings
Scenic Quality Forma. Landscape Character Integrity
• Landscape Character Elements
• Quality and Condition of Elements
• Inconsistent Elements
Scenic Quality Formb. Vividness
• Focal Points
• Forms/Lines
• Colors
Scenic Quality Formc. Visual Harmony
• Spatial Relationship
• Scale
• Color
Landscape Inventory Form
• Observation Data, Photo Info, etc.
• Landscape Elements
• Prominent Design Elements
=Scenic Quality Ratings (E-A)
Landscape Inventory Form
• Observation Data, Photo Info, etc.
• Landscape Elements
• Prominent Design Elements
=Scenic Quality Ratings (E-A)
View Importance Form
• Park Interpreter
– Viewpoint Type
– Viewpoint Sub-Type
– View Components
=View Importance Rating (5-1)
Overall Rating
• Scenic Quality Rating (E-A)
• View Importance Rating (5-1)
=Total
Lowest E5 Highest A1
Building a Visual Display
• GIS
– Importing data and photos
– Transferring GPS points into GIS
– Plotting points
– Building cones
– Conducting a Viewshed Analysis
Amount of Cone Overlaps (Appalachian Trail)
Amount of Cone Overlaps (River)
How Many Cones Can See the Given Area (Appalachian Trail)
How Many Cones Can See the Given Area (River)
Amount of Cone Overlaps (River)
How Many Cones Can See the Given Area (River)
Amount of Cone Overlaps (Appalachian Trail)
How Many Cones Can See the Given Area (Appalachian Trail)
Closing Points
• Integrated Resource Management Application (IRMA) Database
irma.nps.gov/Portal
• Steps in Progress1. live connection between GIS ARC catalog and
IRMA
2. Cone ratings automatically placed into GIS
3. Automatic running of GIS Viewshed Analysis
• Viewshed Management Plan
Acknowledgements
• Larry Commisso
• Kathy Commisso
• 2015 Special Projects Interns: Michelle LeGarde, Dahlia Whiting and Ernie Lafferty
• April BeBault and the Special Projects Division of DEWA
• DEWA and NorthStar/LSAMP who funded the summer’s work
• And everyone here today
