For this reason, the Wetlands Conservancy Program is giving a full set of these orthophoto maps free of charge to each community through its Conservation Commission. The following is a list of possible municipal uses for these photo-based maps. As a result, these maps can serve as an atlas of the community's wetland resources. Commissions should encourage project proponents to review the maps and discuss possible wetland regulation implications with the Commission prior to the submission of a Request for Determination of Applicability or Notice of Intent. Ongoing projects can be recorded on the maps.
Symbols can be color-coded to easily communicate the status of each project.
Wetlands within the community that have not been included in the photointerpretation process could be displayed. These areas will become evident during the normal course of business during the Commission's on-site visits and also could come from local knowledge. This locally developed wetland data will be very useful when the statewide wetland data layer is updated. It is anticipated this will be conducted in ten year intervals. The cumulative effects of multiple projects can be better evaluated and understood by seeing the projects displayed on the maps.