Land Assessment
OSRP focuses on lands and waterways across the Broad, Upper Catawba, French Broad River, and New River basins in Western North Carolina. To identify the best locations for restoration, we use a combination of trusted mapping tools, state data, and local partnerships.
How We Identify Open Spaces for Restoration
We start by reviewing conservation maps from NC OneMap, which show protected lands like state parks, game lands, national forests, and land trust properties. This helps us understand where Open Spaces already exist and how they connect across the landscape.
Next, we evaluate watershed health using data from the Western North Carolina Vitality Index, developed in partnership with Western Carolina University and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. This allows us to prioritize areas where restoration can have the greatest impact on water quality and ecosystem health.
We also work closely with local land trusts identified through the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, ensuring our efforts align with ongoing conservation work and community priorities.
To understand public lands and access, we incorporate mapping from the U.S. Forest Service, including areas like the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest and Nantahala National Forest. These lands often play an important role in connecting habitats and supporting large-scale restoration.
Finally, we incorporate basin-specific planning efforts, such as restoration priorities identified by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for the New River Basin, to ensure our work supports broader regional goals.
By combining these data sources with on-the-ground knowledge and landowner collaboration, we identify Open Spaces where restoration is both feasible and necessary, helping build healthier, more resilient landscapes across Western North Carolina.