VAMLIS Mission The Virginia Association for Mapping and Land Information Systems is a professional association in Virginia designed to provide educational and networking opportunities for professionals who have an interest in the mapping sciences in Virginia.
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, known for its ecological beauty and value. Unfortunately, it is also known for declined water quality due to urbanization. In 2010, the largest watershed clean up plan (or Total Maximum Daily Load, TMDL) was created to address impairments to the Chesapeake Bay. Over two-thirds of the state of Virginia drains to the Chesapeake Bay and has put forth efforts to reduce pollutant loading to the Chesapeake Bay. Also of ecological value in Virginia, Monarch Butterflies traverse this state on their annual migration route through the United States. Due to the continued reduction and threats to the Monarch’s habitat and feeding grounds, major conservation efforts have been undertaken by large land holders within Virginia and other states to preserve and enhance lands for the Monarch’s purposes. As one of the largest landholders in Virginia, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) plays a significant role in both of these ecological preservation efforts, and many of the initiatives for the Chesapeake Bay and Monarch Butterfly involve similar practices. In this presentation, we will discuss the practices used to enhance the ecology in Virginia, as well as the development of creating and tracking conserved lands for runoff reduction and pollinator habitat through Stantec’s technology solutions. Stantec used satellite-derived and mobile-LiDAR data to develop a land conservation baseline. Then, using a Geographic Information System (GIS) relational database, field observations and land management operations are tracked and reported. This solution streamlines the understanding of VDOT’s progress towards improvements for the Chesapeake Bay and the Monarch Butterfly.
