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Planning and Development District III in Yankton, South Dakota is leading the region by a facilitating a forum for economic development alongside the Missouri River in South Dakota and Nebraska. The goals of the Missouri River Corridor forum are to emphasize cooperation among groups, enhance natural and cultural resources, increase tourism, foster community relationships and generate increases in regional employment and investment. Groups participating in the forum include local cities, state agencies, tribal groups, water districts, local economic development corporations, chambers of commerce and local residents.

As part of this effort, District III used GIS technology to map the locations of abandoned automobiles and dump sites for appliances, batteries, metal, concrete blocks and other materials. Executive Director Greg Henderson explains, "We identified over 160 abandoned junk cars on the banks of the river. Using our GIS map, the city of Yankton, the state and other private organizations are beginning to pull those cars out. It was a problem that everybody knew existed, but until we mapped it, it did not seem real to most people unless they were floating by it on the river. That map is a powerful tool; it has helped to move the clean-up at a faster pace."

South Dakotans and Nebraskans in the region hope that fixing this environmental problem will spark economic development as well as improving the natural resources. Henderson says, "Tourism is a big part of our economy here. Extending south from Yankton is one of the few natural areas left on the Missouri River. With the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial [2003 to 2006] drawing tourists here, it's an embarrassment for our area to have visitors seeing the river in that condition."

Local groups are working with District III to clean up the Missouri River. The improved natural feature may help attract new development. For example, Yankton is hoping to be selected as the permanent home for a Lewis and Clark exhibit that has traveled across the nation since 2001. During the tour, 1.5 million people have viewed the exhibit, and Yankton sees the potential for generating tourist interest if chosen as the location. One possible site for the museum would be on top of the historic, two-level Meridian Bridge spanning the Missouri River.

Using GIS applications can make it easier for communities to plan land use while keeping water quality in mind. The East Central Florida Regional Planning Council is working to develop a GIS software application to assist its member governments in planning within the Wekiva River Basin. RPC Acting Executive Director Jeff Jones explains, "The Wekiva River is spring-fed, with several other spring-fed runs that merge into it. The river has become a natural resource jewel for the Orlando area. So far, development has moved around the river basin area. As a result, there's a lot of interest in trying to ensure that the functions of that system and its ecological structure are preserved."

The project began when the most urbanized county in the river basin area asked the RPC for a study to assist them in making decisions about a few proposals for large-scale developments. Jones says, "We told the county, we don't need another study. We need a tool to get a better handle on what the impacts would be and how to address them, and how development in our jurisdiction can affect other jurisdictions in meeting their goals, as well."

The East Central Florida RPC has used funding from member counties, the Florida water management districts and the Florida Department of Transportation to begin developing this application. "It's something that could be easily replicated in other regions, as long as you have the basic data," Jones says.

The ecological modeling software is still a work in progress. The RPC has an initial model up and running, but so far it is primarily accessible to seasoned GIS users. Jones says, "Our original idea was to have a very straightforward application that non-GIS people could use at their desks, and we're working to achieve that."

Planning and Development District III P.O. Box 687 Yankton, SD 57078 Tel: 605.665.4408 Fax: 605.665.0303 http://www.districtiii.org/

East Central Florida Regional Planning Council 631 North Wymore Rd, Ste 100 Maitland, FL 32751 Tel: 407.623.1075 Fax: 407.623.1084 http://www.ecfrpc.org/Main/Main.asp