Browsing by Author "Sjerven, Gerald"
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Item CoastalGIS: Delivering Spatial Information for Land Use Planning on Minnesota's North Shore(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2008-03-24) Host, George E; Sjerven, GeraldCoastalGIS has become a comprehensive repository for downloadable and interactive spatial data within the Minnesota Coastal Program Boundary, adjacent watersheds, and surrounding counties. It has provided a home for fundamental datasets for the coastal watersheds at both moderate and high resolutions, as well as for historic GIS projects funded through the Coastal Program. CoastalGIS has become an important element of other data intensive initiatives, including LakeSuperiorStreams.org and MinnesotaBeaches.org.Item Data for Discovery and Decision-Making: LakeSuperiorStreams.org(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2010) Axler, Richard P; Will, Norman; Henneck, Jerald; Carlson, Todd; Ruzycki, Elaine; Host, George E; Sjerven, Gerald; Schomberg, Jesse; Kleist, Chris; Hagley, CynthiaAn estimated 720 perennial and 127 intermittent streams flow into L. Superior, including 309 trout streams and their tributaries (>2100 miles) along the North Shore and St. Louis River Estuary alone. Bedrock escarpments create a high density of stream corridors in forested watersheds with steep gradients, thin erodible soils, typically low productivity, and “flashy” hydrology. These high-quality trout streams are sensitive to urbanization and rural development by factors raising water temperature and increasing water and sediment runoff, e.g. openings in riparian cover/canopy, impervious surfaces, road crossings, construction runoff, and the warming and increased frequency of severe storms predicted by climate change models (Wuebbles & Hayhoe 2003). Tributary streams are increasingly threatened by development as urbanization and rural development place increased pressure on the Lake Superior region’s coastal communities. Between 1992 and 2001, a 33% increase in low-intensity development occurred within the basin with an alarming transition from agricultural lands to urban/suburban sprawl (Wolter et al. 2007). In the early 1990s, over 50 new lodging establishments were constructed along the Superior North Shore, and from 1990-1996 Cook County, MN experienced a 24% population increase (MPCA 2000). Stream fish, amphibians, and the invertebrates that sustain them are being adversely impacted by increased temperature, excessive peak flows, turbidity and suspended solids, road salts, organic matter, and nutrients from increased development (Anderson et al. 2003). This conclusion is supported by the fact that 11 of 27 major Minnesota North Shore trout streams have been listed as Impaired (2010) since the 1990s and remain on the State 303(d) list - primarily for turbidity, temperature, and fish tissue-Hg. The integrity of these watersheds is also critical to the condition of the coastal and offshore waters of Lake Superior. The streams discharge directly into the nutrient and sediment sensitive coastal zone of ultra-oligotrophic L. Superior, or indirectly into the lake via the St. Louis River Estuary, itself an IJC designated Area of Concern and a zero discharge (of persistent organic pollutants (IJC 1999; MPCA 2000), in part because of its levels of phosphorus and suspended sediment. This is particularly important because the lake’s nearshore zone is the source of much of its biological productivity and recreational use, but is nutrient deficient and therefore, very sensitive to excess inputs of nutrients, suspended solids, turbidity and organic matter (e.g. Sterner et al. 2004; Rose and Axler 1998). Therefore, despite the fact that Lake Superior and its tributaries are among the most pristine waters in Minnesota and in the entire Great Lakes Basin, some of these resources are already stressed by increased urbanization and tourism. This creates the unusual challenge of how to inform the public, businesses, and local units of government (LGUs) that these resources need protection when few problems are obvious to the untrained eye. This project has built on the foundation established by the award-winning project www.LakeSuperiorStreams.org (LSS) that was created in 2002 via an EPA grant to a Partnership of the City of Duluth Stormwater Utility, the University of Minnesota –Duluth (Natural Resources Research Institute, Minnesota Sea Grant, and Department of Education), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (Duluth Office), the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, the Great Lakes Aquarium, and the Lake Superior Zoo (Axler et al. 2006, 2003; Lonsdale et al. 2006). The original partnership has remained substantially intact since 2002. The ultimate goal continues to be to improve environmental decision-making by: (1) Enhancing public understanding of the connections between weather, hydrology, land use and the condition of water resources in urban and rural watersheds, and (2) Providing easy access to tools for accomplishing the protection of un-impaired resource and cost-effective restoration of degraded sites.Item DuluthStreams heads north: Making North Shore stream data make sense to citizens and local officials(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007-09-25) Axler, Richard P; Will, Norman; Host, George E; Henneck, Jerald; Lonsdale, David; Sjerven, Gerald; Reed, Jane; Ruzycki, Elaine; Hagley, Cynthia; Schomberg, Jesse; Carlson, Todd; Lonsdale, MarnieThe Duluth Streams website initially focused primarily within City of Duluth boundaries, but some of the streams that intersect Duluth originate in the surrounding communities of Hermantown and Proctor. In addition, Duluth and Superior share the St. Louis River watershed. The current project enabled us to fully expand the DuluthStreams website into a regional entity. It was built on a previous, but limited, Lake Superior Coastal Program Enhancement Fund effort to Minnesota Sea Grant at the University of Minnesota and partners that created web links to Proctor, Hermantown and Superior on the DuluthStreams website. This made these communities ideal as the first candidates for a regional expansion. As the project continued to evolve it became clear from discussions within the RSPT and with state agencies that there was a need to expand the focus area of the website to include the “greater Western Lake Superior” region and more specifically the Minnesota North Shore and Wisconsin South Shore in order to better manage Superior Basin water resources by supporting the mission of the RSPT regarding developing regional technical cooperation and collaboration, common educational materials, and presentation of case studies of successful stormwater designs. Minnesota streams draining into the Lake Superior coastal zone and St. Louis River Estuary are typically sensitive, low productivity, high-quality trout streams. Some (Miller, Amity, Lester, Talmadge, French, Poplar, Brule) are currently listed on the MN Clean Water Act (303d) List of Impaired Waters - most commonly for turbidity and Fish-Hg (MPCA 2006). Steep topography and thin, erodible soils make these streams particularly sensitive to development. Effective management and remediation of these streams requires an understanding of their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, which can only be obtained by monitoring, particularly during storm and snowmelt runoff events, when the most dramatic impacts occur. These data are critical for developing and assessing BMPs, particularly in the face of increased development in the high growth watersheds along the North Shore of Lake Superior (e.g. Anderson et al. 2003; MPCA 2000; IJC 1999). MPCA initiated long-term monitoring of 6 critical streams along the North Shore in 2002. However, MPCA has lacked the resources to install automated water quality sensors, which are needed to capture critical pollutant loading events during high flows - important for developing cost-effective remediation and mitigation strategies.Item DuluthStreams.org: Community Partnerships for Understanding Urban Stormwater and Water Quality Issues at the Head of the Great Lakes(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2004-12) Axler, Richard P; Lonsdale, Marion; Reed, Jane; Hagley, Cynthia; Schomberg, Jesse; Henneck, Jerald; Host, George E; Will, Norman; Ruzycki, Elaine; Sjerven, Gerald; Richards, Carl; Munson, BruceThis final report summarizes the accomplishments of the Duluth Streams Partnership from its inception through an EPA Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) Program grant in January 2002 through September 2004. Duluth, Minnesota lies at the westernmost end of Lake Superior, the source and headwaters of the entire Laurentian Great Lakes ecosystem. Although perhaps better known for its extremely cold winters, Duluth residents and visitors know it as a city of forested hills, wetlands and trout streams with 42 named creeks and streams moving through the City in 30 subwatersheds. Duluth's park system is one of the most extensive in the nation, and the City owns and maintains 11,000 acres, including 125 municipal parks. Streams form the fabric of the aesthetic appeal and character of Duluth (Duluth Vision 2000), but are also the core of the City’s stormwater runoff system, with 250 miles of storm sewer, 93 miles of creek, 4,716 manholes, 2 lift stations, 13 sediment boxes, and over 138 miles of roadway ditches. Urbanization and rural development have placed increased pressure on the region’s coastal communities and on Duluth’s urban streams, in particular, on the 12 (with 2 more pending) that are designated as Trout Streams and 14 that are classified as Protected Waters. In addition, since the early 1990s, over 50 new lodging establishments were constructed along Lake Superior’s North Shore. One county located along the North Shore of Lake Superior (Cook) experienced a 24% population increase during that time. Stream communities of fish and amphibians and the invertebrates that sustain them are being adversely impacted by increased temperature, excessive turbidity and suspended solids, road salts, organic matter, and nutrients. Some of these streams have been placed on the Minnesota List of Impaired Waters, and several have been targeted for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) development. Further, all of these streams discharge either directly into ultra-oligotrophic Lake Superior or indirectly via the St. Louis River Estuary- Duluth Superior Harbor. This is particularly important because Lake Superior has been designated as a zero-discharge demonstration project by the International Joint Commission for eliminating inputs of persistent toxic chemicals to the Great Lakes system. Second, the lake’s nearshore zone, the source of much of its biological productivity, is extremely nutrient deficient and sensitive to increased inputs of nutrients, suspended solids, turbidity, and organic matter. Lastly, the Harbor itself is one of the 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) because of serious impairments to its beneficial uses. There are also significant social and economic impacts associated with this region - the Minnesota DNR reports that angling in North Shore streams and Lake Superior produces $63 million in direct sales and income and over 1,200 jobs. For North Shore streams alone, the numbers are over $33 million direct sales and income, and over 435 jobs. Stormwater issues have become increasingly important to resource and regulatory agencies and to the general public. In 1998 the City of Duluth established a stormwater utility to address the quality and quantity of surface water moving through the City and in 2003 was issued a Stormwater Permit under Phase II of the federal Clean Water Act’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Beginning in January 2002, under funding through EPA EMPACT in combination with in-kind effort from various agencies, the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) and Minnesota Sea Grant formed a partnership with the City of Duluth, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the Great Lakes Aquarium, and the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) to create Duluth Streams. Additional partners have since joined together to form a Regional Stormwater Protection Team (RSPT). The Partnership's chief goal is to enhance the general public's understanding of aquatic ecosystems and their connections to watershed land use to provide both economic and environmental sustainability. The project’s majors objectives were to: 1) link real-time remote sensing of water quality in four urban streams and GIS technology to current and historical water quality and biological databases (all 42 Duluth streams) using advanced data visualization tools in World Wide Web and information kiosk formats; 2) incorporate visually engaging interpretive text, animations and videos into the Duluth Streams website to illustrate the nature and consequences of degraded stormwater and the real costs to society; and 3) engage the public in the stormwater issue via programmatic activities such as establishing high school directed neighborhood stewardship and/or monitoring of 3 streams, developing curricula for high school and college students for inclusion in our Water on the Web curriculum, hosting a Duluth Streams Congress as a community forum for presenting all project results, and adapting the Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program to the greater Duluth Metropolitan Area. This final report summarizes the accomplishments of the Duluth Streams Partnership from its inception in January 2002 through September 2004. The website at htttp://duluthstreams.org is the focus of the project and offers water quality, biological, and GIS data in the context of a variety of school- and community-oriented educational material.Item Low Impact Development to reduce North Shore runoff: Successes, challenges, and lessons learned(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2012-04-21) Axler, Richard P; Schomberg, Jesse; Will, Norman; Henneck, Jerald; Carlson, Todd; Ruzycki, Elaine; Host, George E; Sjerven, Gerald; Kleist, Chris; Hagley, CynthiaThe project supported the LakeSuperiorStreams project9s stream monitoring and assessment network and the Superior Regional Stormwater Protection Team’s educational and technical assistance missions by helping to fund: (1) the water quality data and associated interpretive information needed to assess, model and manage threatened trout streams and the coastal zone of Lake Superior; and (2) the dissemination of low impact design information specific to the region to help communities reduce their stormwater runoff and erosion impacts on sensitive water resources. Resource agencies require better estimates of seasonal, year-to-year and stream-to- stream variability in water quality to address stream impairments and develop effect remediation and restoration strategies. The project has continued to produce on-line, no-cost data, data visualization opportunities, GIS landuse and land cover mapping and analytical tools, and educational information for a broad technical and non-technical audience.Item North Shore Community Features: Aquatic resources and growth scenarios(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2009) Brady, Valerie; Schomberg, Jesse; Sjerven, GeraldNorth shore communities have recently been growing rapidly, and coastal streams are showing signs of stress. One third of north shore streams are on the MPCA list of impaired waters, including the Lester-Amity system (www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/tmdl-303dlist.html) . Similar rapid development has been happening all around the coasts of the U.S. (Bartlett et al. 2000). However, few communities have the tools to forecast the potential effects of future growth on their natural and aquatic resources, or to evaluate various growth or zoning scenarios. Nor is it always obvious how the effects of various zoning regulations will be manifested on any given landscape. Insidious cumulative effects of small incremental land use changes can be quite difficult to detect or predict until much of the damage has already occurred. These effects and interactions can be made much more specific and obvious by creating GIS-based maps of the landscapes in question, showing potential development of particular areas of land based on a community’s current zoning and also on alternative zoning options. These location-specific maps can highlight areas where current zoning scenarios have the potential to allow degradation of important aquatic resources and natural features. This knowledge can allow a community to act and create alternative, more protective, zoning scenarios that will reduce future restoration costs by reducing or preventing the harm from occurring in the first place.Item The North Shore Data Consortium: Acquiring and Distributing High-Resolution Geospatial Information(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2012) Host, George E; Sjerven, GeraldThis project came about because of strong local and regional interests in the acquisition and distribution of high-resolution spatial data needed for land use planning, natural resource management, and environmental assessment. Included among these data was LiDAR – light detection and ranging imagery which provides very high resolution (0.5 to 1 m) elevation data, which in turn can be used to generate other spatial data, such as hierarchically structured watersheds, topographic moisture indices, and refined wetland classifications. In spite of the strong interests in these data sources, acquisition was hampered because no single agency had the mandate for developing interagency strategies to coordinate funding and planning for largescale data acquisition projects. To address this, we proposed to create the North Shore Data Consortium (NSDC), with the purpose of developing specific funding strategies and timelines for collecting LiDAR and contemporary high-resolution aerial photography for the region. The Consortium created partnerships among local, state, and federal agencies along with interested NGOs to develop data standards, provide for data sharing and leveraging of funds for contracting LiDAR acquisition. The NSDC worked closely with the Ditigal Elevation Committee of the Governor's Council on Geographic Information, who coordinates statewide data efforts. A secondary goal of the proposal was to facilitate data distribution and training.Item A Physical Inventory and Valuation of State-Owned Lands within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - Volume 3: GIS Maps and Physical Inventory, Volume 3 of 3(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2003-01) Sjerven, Gerald; Host, Connie; Host, George E; Johnson, Lucinda B; Anderson, Curt L; Skurla, James AGeographic Information System (GIS) data layers were used to categorize DNR-administered lands within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness based on a set ofvaluation criteria. DNR lands were classified into parcels, each parcel being approximately 40 acres or less. 3253 individual parcels were included in the analysis. Valuation criteria were derived from parameters used in the assessment report, and included island parcels, parcels with shoreline frontage on lakes of various size, and parcels on oradjacent to perennial streams. The proportions ofuplands and wetlands were also included in the valuation — see key on following page for a detailed description ofthe valuation criteria.Item Stormwater Planning Initiative Project – Stormwater Management Planning Guide and Landowner-friendly IMS website tool(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007-06-30) Host, George E; Hale, Cindy; Collins, Pat; Geissler, John; Axler, Richard P; Schomberg, Jesse; Granley, Mindy; Sjerven, Gerald; Brown, TerryIndividual landowners in rapidly growing areas of the North Shore Community are increasingly required to create stormwater management plans (SMPs) prior to building. Planning development with stormwater runoff in mind is particularly important on the North Shore of Lake Superior, characterized by shallow clay-rich soils over bedrock, steep slopes, and delicate wetland complexes. While numerous organizations exist with pieces of the information required to complete a SMP, the process of collecting expertise from multiple agencies is daunting for landowners. Duluth Township recognized the environmental importance of stormwater planning by passing new zoning ordinances mandating stormwater planning in some land use zones. However, they recognized the difficulty that landowners face in creating a SMP and are committed to finding solutions. The objective of this project was to connect Duluth Township landowners to tools and resources necessary to complete a Stormwater Management Plan for their property. This pilot project features development of a user friendly Internet Map Server (IMS) tool that allows landowners to easily generate working base maps of their property. To date, IMS website tools have been largely developed by GIS professionals who are familiar with the GIS interface. When the general public tries to utilize these same tools, they typically become frustrated with the complexities of these programs, and cannot obtain the valuable information they need. This project was unique in that it was driven by extensive landowner input before, during, and after development to ensure that the tools developed achieved our objectives. Township administrators were also involved in development of the IMS tool and companion step-by-step guide so that the resulting landowner SMPs satisfied the regulatory and reporting requirements of the township. With the user-friendly IMS interface, the landowner is able to easily obtain base maps of their property containing multiple layers of the best existing data, including aerial photographs, topography, and wetlands for developing the SMP's required by the Duluth Township zoning ordinance. While there are resolution limitations to the existing wetland data, the website guides landowners on how to elaborate on this base layer of data as they conduct a site evaluation of their property. For instance, the website illustrates how to identify a small unmapped wetland and add these features to the base map. While the SMP Guide and IMS mapping tool was specifically designed and tested on Duluth Township, the project serves as a model template easily expanded to other townships along the North Shore.Item A Web 2.0 guide to coastal resources, hazards, and habitats(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2013) Host, George E; Sjerven, Gerald; Will, NormanLake Superior’s North Shore, due to initiatives by Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program (MLSCP), NOAA, and other federal, state and local efforts, is rich in data. The MLSCP-funded CoastalGIS web site, initiated in 2005, provides a means for users to view or download a broad range of spatial data, including spatial data for GIS users, collections of oblique aerial photographs of the Lake Superior shoreline, numerous parcel layers for townships and municipalities, as well as wetland, forest and trail inventories. MLSCP has also supported studies with strong geospatial aspects, such as assessments of impervious surface, trout streams and urban forests. Other data is ‘real-time’ or timerelevant. The award-winning www.LakeSuperiorStreams.org website, funded by MLSCP, US EPA and others, has maintained a network of real-time stream sensors in several urban trout streams, and now has a high-resolution record of core water quality variables dating back to 2002. Other data repositories include Minnesota DNR’s Data Deli, which includes information on infrastructure (roads, railroads), land cover (aerial photo, interpreted satellite imagery) and hydrography (rivers, streams, lakes). At the same time, many communities have undertaken studies to quantify and capitalize on the unique social and economic characteristics of this natural resource and tourism-based environment. However, a persistent issue facing key end users of data, including citizens, local governments, and non-governmental organizations, has been the fact that data are distributed across numerous repositories, often available only in technical formats, which makes them less accessible to end users without GIS expertise. The Coastal Atlas project, funded through MLSCP, was designed to consolidate these multiple data sources. The intent of the Atlas was to create print-copy volumes focused on the data needs of individual townships. A set of map plates was created for each township within the coastal boundary, featuring watersheds, hydrography, infrastructure, land use/land cover, recreation and other attributes important to land use planning. These data were also made available on line through the CoastalGIS website. The objective of this current project was to develop a Web 2.0 application to integrate the long-term information provided in the Atlas, CoastalGIS, and other sources with realtime or near-real time data related to coastal resources, hazards, and habitats. Web 2.0 refers to Internet applications that go beyond traditional web sites – they facilitate interactive information sharing, drawing information in real time from diverse sites, and connecting with social networks. A unique contribution of this project is the inclusion of real and near-real time data relevant to the health and well-being of citizens in the coastal region. These include beach advisory data, rip current information, weather, recreational opportunities and other attributes of coastal communities.