The Palouse is home to rich farmlands and forests, and building outside city limits can impact local flora and fauna. A study conducted by University of Idaho graduate students and scientists charted landscape ecology, patterns and species in Latah and Benewah counties and mapped how potential city expansions could affect the local environment.
The third and final article about this study was recently published in “Conservation Letters,” a journal that focuses on theoretical research topics.
“Our surrounding land is always changing, and the quality of the land decreases with residential development,” said Jo Ellen Force, co-author of the article and chair of the Department of Forest Resources. “The study provides information about the trade-offs of building outside city limits — into the farming and forested areas of the Palouse.”
Force said the recently finished study began in 2003. The three students that created the study have graduated and now hold professional positions.
“They did all the work and research, we gave them feedback and helped them focus on specific areas,” she said. “We then presented the results to the local city council and county commissioners. I hope they can use what we collected to help them in future land-zoning decisions.”
Force said the study created scenarios from environmental plans and received feedback from surveys they sent to local landowners and renters. This information allowed them to look specifically at land protection, city growth boundaries and focus on ways to conserve the surrounding land.
“Our region has a rich landscape, and the choices of the people that use the area could make a difference in the land quality for future use,” said Lee Vierling, associate professor in Fire Ecology and Management. “This study gives the perspective of how to make better choices about city expansion and planning.”
The team broke the results down to show city council members and county commissioners the benefits and consequences of zoning decisions, Vierling said.
Penelope Morgan, fire ecology professor who also assisted in the study, said she thinks the landscape planning helps Palouse citizens to be aware of the consequences of certain planning and zoning.
“Since we presented the study results to the county commissioners, a lot of the local people have heard about the benefits that our results could provide to the local environment,” Morgan said.
She said the study was a valuable learning experience for the students and faculty involved and that it could benefit many people in the community.
“I hope they take our results into consideration, because I would think of it as a missed opportunity if the information wasn’t used and available to people that would plan the future of the Palouse,” Vierling said.