The Adirondack Park Blueline Expansion

The Adirondack Park Blueline Expansion

Meg HarrisGeography 184

Fall Semester 2006

Goal: To illustrate how the expansion of the Adirondack Park’s Blueline has changed its landscape

Goal: To illustrate how the expansion of the Adirondack Park’s Blueline has changed its landscape

Sub-objectives:*explore land use within the park’s original and current boundaries*explore human impact

MethodsMethods

• Adirondack Park Agency(APA) Shared GIS CD

• 2 APA Land Classification Maps: (for original and current boundary comparisons)

*symbology - altered and saved as a file*clip function*import symbology *data exporting, tables and graphs

• 2 Old Growth/ Human Activity Maps: *lots of spatial joining*lots of selecting by attributes

Methods cont’dMethods cont’d

*making new layers from selections*lots of clipping*calculations and tables

*1 Visual Aid/ Location Map*dissolve function

ResultsResults

Results cont’dResults cont’d

Original Blue Line Land Classification Types and Percentages

0.005.00

10.0015.0020.0025.0030.00

HamletModerateIntensity

Low IntensityRural UseResource

ManagementIndustrial UseWildernessCanoe Area

PrimitiveWild Forest

Intensive Use

HistoricState

Administrative

PendingWater

Land Types

Percentages

Land Classification Percentages For the Current Blue Line

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

Hamlet

Moderate Intensity

Low IntensityRural Use

Resource Management

Industrial UseWildernessCanoe Area

PrimitiveWild Forest

Intensive Use

Historic

State AdministrativePending Classification

Water

Land Type

Percentage

Results cont’dResults cont’d

Results…Results… Roads, trains, trails, and recreation points riddle

old growth areas all over the Adirondack Park The original blueline outlines 4761 square miles

that remain the richest but not completely untouched

Expansion of the blueline has not increased the amount of undeveloped areas by any significant percentage

Expansion has also opened the door for more development and impactual use of parklands

Blue line expansion, land management acts, and APA restrictions have reduced impact but not eliminated it

ProblemsProblems

• The ArcMap Demo CD

-no coverage tools

-no spatial analysis functions

• Contradictory literature

• Land classification definitions

-Questionable APA evaluations and initiatives

• Area discrepancies

• Horrible outdated data from 2001

Why ?Why ?