Conservation Prioritization Project

Adapted from the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests’ Chester, NH Natural Resources Inventory
March 21, 2005

In the spring of 2005, the Commission completed a parcel-based GIS (Geographic Information System) analysis of the occurrences of Henniker's natural resources. A numerical rating was achieved by assigning points for the occurrence of a resource on a parcel. Each resource class was mapped separately and then totaled on the final resource co-occurrence map. The result is an objective rating of a parcel's conservation value.

The scoring system is outlined below:

Resource Factors

Surface Water Resource Features
- NWI Wetlands and/or Hydric Soils 1 point
- Riparian & Wetland Buffer Zones (300’ buffers) 1 point
- Contoocook River Frontage 2 points
- Public Lake Shoreline (Carr Pond, Craney Pond, French     Pond, Grassy Pond, Keyser Pond, Long Pond, Pleasant Pond, Upper Pond) 1 point
- 100 Year FEMA Flood Zones 1 point
- Wetlands greater than 20 acres 1 point

Surface Water Resource Features Co-occurrence Map

Ground Water Resource Features
- Drinking Water Protection Area 1 point
- Wellhead protection Areas 1 point
- Aquifer (high transmissivity portion: Tmax > 1,000) 1 point
- Potentially Favorable Gravel Well Areas 1 point
(IDs potentially high-value areas of aquifer, derived using NH Dept of Environmental Services-developed methodology.)

Ground Water Resource Features Co-occurrence Map

Land Resource Features
- Unfragmented Lands (blocks > 500 acres) 1 point
- Steep slopes greater than 15% 1 point
- Hilltops above 750 feet elevation 1 point

Land Resource Features Co-occurrence Map

High Value Wildlife Habitat Features
Numbers indicate land cover type from 2001 NH Land Cover Assessment by Complex Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire
- Open lands: [Hay/Pasture (212), Orchards (221), Disturbed  land (710), Cleared/Other Open (790)] 1 point
- Mast-producing areas: [Oak/Beech forest (412)] 1 point
- Large, unfragmented forest blocks > 500 acres:
All forest types, including forested wetlands 1 point
- South facing slopes greater than 10% 1 point
- Pre-emergent Marsh 1 point
- NH Natural Heritage Inventory occurrence 2 points

High Value Wildlife Habitat Features Co-occurrence Map

Parcel Weighting Factors
Size
- 25-50 acres 1 point
- 50-100 acres 2 points
- > 100 acres 3 points
Proximity to Protected & Semi-Protected Lands
- Abutting protected lands including:
Semi-protected (town-owned) lands 1 point
Permanently protected lands 2 points
- Linking permanently protected lands 3 points

Parcel Weighting Map

Total Resource Co-occurrence Map

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