WWRC 97-09
GIS - A Tool for Private Land Use Planning
Abstract
Development and economic pressures in Wyoming and throughout the Rocky Mountain region have
directly contributed to the continual disappearance of the family owned and operated ranch or farm.
Not only are generations of a "way of life" being lost, but many times these agricultural lands/open
spaces are converted to residential housing of varying densities. Due to the ecological importance
and intrinsic value of these lands, several different organizations and government agencies have
employed an assortment of techniques to slow this trend. The most common of methods include
public land use planning (e.g. zoning, subdivision regulations), conservation easements, and/or land
acquisitions. Many times these approaches are impractical, unfeasible, and/or greatly restrict the
future ranching/farming practices of a landowner. One avenue currently being explored by Wyoming
Open Lands (WOL) is the use of legally binding private land use plans. This type of planning allows
for all landowners within an area of mutual interest (AMI) to equally be involved in the negotiating
and development process by addressing and incorporating the concerns of the collective group into
their plan. In order to facilitate these efforts, the Spatial Data & Visualization Center (SDVC) at the
University of Wyoming in cooperation with WOL has created and designed a geographic
information system (GIS) to be used as a tool throughout all phases of the process. This system, with
a minimal number of base data layers, uses customized AreView applications in conjunction with the
Spatial Analyst extension to produce a landowner derived land use preference maps to facilitate the
planning process.
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