Natural Resources Observation Submission

Columbia Natural Resources Inventory

The City of Columbia Natural Resources Inventory is a compilation of data, descriptions, and maps to document the natural resources of a given geographic area. An information baseline has been established to be built upon by continued observation and research.

The NRI area covers the Metropolitan Planning Area defined by the Columbia Area Transportation Study Organization (CATSO), which is the local metropolitan planning organization. The information contained in the Natural Resources Inventory document has been compiled from a host of public sources. The primary data focus of the NRI has been on land cover and tree canopy, which are the product of the classification work completed by the University of Missouri Geographic Resource Center using 2007 imagery acquired for this project by the City of Columbia.

The NRI uses the area’s watersheds as the geographic basis for the data inventory. Landscape features cataloged include slopes, streams, soils, and vegetation. The impacts of regulations that manage the landscape and natural resources have been cataloged; including the characteristics of the built environment and the relationship to undeveloped property.

Planning Level of Detail

NRI data is designed to support planning and policy level analysis. Not all the geographic data created for the Natural Resources Inventory can be used for accurate parcel level mapping. The goal is to produce seamless datasets with a spatial quality to support parcel level mapping to apply NRI data to identify individual property impacts.

Land Cover and Tree Association Maps

The following document is being circulated for review by the City of Columbia's Vision Commission, Energy & Environment Commission, Planning & Zoning Commission, and the Parks & Recreation Commission.

Natural Resources Inventory: Review Draft 10-1-10

The goal for the NRI is to provide all of the data and imagery in an on-line mapping application for public viewing and use. Comments, questions, and additional data may be sent to jef@gocolumbiamo.com

Columbia Natural Resources Observation System

This system has been created to provide a way for people like you to report your observations of wildlife, plants, natural features or other items that should be included in the NRI databases. Our goals is to make the NRI maps available on-line along with searchable databases.

We welcome and encourage everyone to add their observations. Click on the button below and fill out the form to enter the observation. If you have photos, you may send them to: nri_report@gocolumbiamo.com

Thanks for participating!

Enter a NRI Observation
If you have been walking, biking, or driving around the community and see a tree, plant, bird, animal, or natural feature of interest, we want to know about it! Please use the online form to enter in the details about your observation, including the location, type of feature, when you made this observation, and a few details about yourself.

Print an observation form to take with you on your travels.