Title
Resolution to Establish Preserve Areas Within the City Park System
Staff
Proposed by: Parks Advisory Commission
Body
Whereas, The goals of the City of Ann Arbor Natural Features Master Plan 2004 call for preserving high-quality woodlands and prairies, and protecting native forest and savanna fragments, and habitats rich in native flora and fauna. The disturbance of such areas can cause the introduction of invasive and destructive species along with erosion and other detrimental effects on plant and wildlife habitat;
Whereas, The 2006-2010 PROS plan states that "the Nature Preserve designation signifies that these are the highest quality natural areas within the City and thus deserve the highest level of protection.";
Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor recognizes that the preservation of nature's diversity is an important goal;
Whereas, For many urban residents, an opportunity to experience an environment where non-human forces define the landscape is a valued respite from everyday life and a recreational and visual resource;
Whereas, The City has extensive 'natural areas' in our parklands that contribute to these goals;
Whereas, The Natural Area Preservation program (NAP) has undertaken an extensive analysis of the ecological status of natural areas within the city parklands, and classified them, based on floristic quality, as either Conservation Areas (higher quality, restorable sites) or Greenspace (lower quality disturbed sites);
Whereas, The Natural Area Preservation program has designated as Wildlife Sanctuaries those Conservation Areas or Greenspace that meet one or more of these criteria: A) part of a contiguous block of 20+ acres of Natural Area or other undeveloped habitat, or B) part of a contiguous block of 5+ acres of Natural Area or other undeveloped habitat and adjacent to the Huron River or one of its tributaries, or C) known to contain useable habitat for note-worthy species of wildlife;
Whereas, At the present ti...
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