Massachusetts Land Information Management System Philip Griffiths Undersecretary

Massachusetts Land Information Management System Philip Griffiths, Undersecretary for Environment May 6, 2011 CGA Conference, Harvard University Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Land Information Management System Boston Globe, May 6, 2011 – Page One State buys pristine Berkshires site for $3 m 840 acres will be linked to forest “…the property will be under the control of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which will hold a series of hearings to seek public views on how to manage it. ” Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Land Information Management System What percentage of land in Massachusetts is permanently protected open space? < 10%? • 10 to 20 %? • > 20%? • Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Land Information Management System Massachusetts Protected Open Space Massachusetts land area +/- 5 million acres 1. 2 million acres (24%) are permanently protected from development State owns 568, 000 acres, plus 140, 000 acres of permanent restrictions (59% of protected lands, 14% of the state) Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Land Information Management System • Patrick Administration has invested $50 million/year in land conservation targeted to support habitat protection, working landscapes and urban recreation • Partners include 5 state agencies (DCR, DFG, DAR, DEP, EOEEA) federal government agencies, municipalities, NGOs, local land trusts, individual landowners • Leverages $20 -25 millon per year in private, federal and local funds Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Types of Protected Land Water Supply Coastal Lands Protection Agriculture Habitat/Biodiversity Protection Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Types of Protected Land Athletic Fields Working Forests Scenic Vistas Passive Recreation. Trails Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Land Information Management System Why invest in a Land Information Management System? Leverage our investment in spatial data to: • Inform future investment in land conservation • Share information with the public and our partners • Improve stewardship of the properties we own • Facilitate agency operations and management Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Land Information Management System We are starting with our state agencies first, scoping out a system of shared databases and tools to: • Facilitate collection of complete and accurate boundary information • Integrate document management with spatial data (titles/deeds, use limitations, management plans) • Project management – acquisition processes • Share information with the public – stewardship, resource planning Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Land Information Management System Challenges • Shrinking agency budgets, competing for resources with demand to maintain existing systems • Implementing a document management system across multiple agencies • Stewardship – what will we do when we find an encroachment or illegal use? Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Land Information Management System Opportunities • Integration of GIS capabilities into agency workflows • New applications for sharing information with the public • Public engagement in stewardship - informing us of inappropriate uses or activities on protected lands • Tools for partners (land trusts, municipalities) to share data • Timing – organizational changes present an opportunity Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Land Information Management System Protecting our Common Ground Collaborate with the public and our partners, dissolving organizational boundaries, to manage and plan for use of our common ground based on the natural resources and values we choose to protect Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs