Lower numbers
reflect less
fragmentation of the landscape. Routt County ranks seventh among the Core counties for this category, with the current total farm and ranch land reflecting only 4.6% of the total possible
fragmentation of the landscape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

The Team arrived at six final categories to measure:

Land Use,

Water Quality

Air Quality

Ambient Conditions

Solid Waste

Environmental Stewardship

As biodiversity
information becomes available, it will be added and tracked in the Index.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Land Use

land fragmentation

Routt Couny Ranks 7th

1. Land Use (weight: 25%)
How does land use impact our environment?
Basis: The land in Routt County is valued both economically and environmentally.
The Team’s concern is that as more building occurs in rural areas, with specific regard to fragmentation of farm and ranch lands, the increase in density will affect the environmental conditions and “value of the view.” The team looked specifically at changes in farm and ranch land uses to measure this factor. In accordance with Colorado state law, the minimum size for a farm or ranch which does not require review by the planning department is 35 acres. Therefore, there is a maximum percentage of such potential land fragmentation within each county. Using five-year Agricultural Census data, the Team is measuring the increase in percentage towards a theoretical 100% fragmentation of farm and ranch.