(ODON) – The White River Military Coordination Alliance released a new GIS-based Conservation Incentive Toolkit and public information website to establish effective and timely means of communication between the community and NSA Crane.
At the Alliance’s November meeting, members including government and economic development officials and Crane representatives shared how the website and its new GIS tool will help coordinate and address mutual concerns and issues, and create awareness about conservation programs that preserve farm and forest lands, while safeguarding the work that Crane does and protecting jobs in the region.
About the Conservation Incentive Toolkit
The new Conservation Incentive Toolkit is designed to identify opportunities to protect land in the communities that neighbor Crane and Lake Glendora, which reduces air and water pollution, preserves farmland, forestland and wetlands, and provides financial incentives for landowners. Keeping the land surrounding the installation compatible with the work Crane does is also an important part of preserving jobs at Crane. For example, incompatible development such as constructing a wind farm near the installation could cause flight hazards for the men and women who serve our country.
The new Conservation Incentive Toolkit includes a web-based GIS map that allows landowners to learn more about beneficial programs and also provides an avenue to connect directly with Crane with questions and concerns.
Community members can visit WRMCAlliance.com to access the toolkit and see state or federal land conservation programs for which they may qualify or report issues to Crane such as noise complaints or land use issues.
About the Community Resource Website
The Alliance’s public information website is designed to keep the community informed about Crane, identifying clear points of contact at Crane for questions or concerns. Through the WRMCAlliance.com website, community members can also sign up to receive notifications and news about Crane from the Alliance and submit general questions.
“I’m conservation-minded and do a lot of research on my own to find conservation programs for my farm. This new tool lets you go deeper than what you could searching on your own,” said Darin Sisil, owner of a 522-acre farm in Sullivan County. “This farmland is all we have because it’s a non-renewable resource, and we need to be good stewards and take advantage of this great opportunity—especially because you can get paid to do it. I hope by doing this conservation, it could lead to more jobs at Lake Glendora Test Facility and help our local economy in Sullivan. If I can protect and make my farm better from a conservation standpoint and help the mission at Crane, it’s a win-win. I hope others in the region will take the same approach.”
During the Alliance’s quarterly meeting, Regional Opportunity Initiatives President and CEO Tina Peterson also briefed the Alliance on a recently-completed Indiana Uplands Regional Housing Study that helps identify workforce housing needs and strategies for advancing housing opportunities in the region.
The next quarterly Alliance meeting will be held in February, when Alliance members who represent the community will present a State of the Community briefing to Crane.
About the White River Military Coordination Alliance
The Alliance is a community organization that was formed in 2018 to promote positive development and growth in the communities that surround Naval Support Activity Crane and Lake Glendora Test Facility (Daviess, Greene, Lawrence, Martin and Sullivan counties) by facilitating two-way communication between the communities, counties, state agencies, and NSA Crane. The focus of our 24-member alliance is to create opportunities for economic prosperity and land conservation in the region, safeguard Crane’s military mission, and protect community health and safety. We would encourage the community to take our survey about Crane at WRMCAlliance.com. Follow the Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
