NATURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES

The significant natural and environmental resources that are present in the greater Shepherdstown area are closely guarded by the community. Town residents embrace natural assets for their intrinsic values, contributions to quality of life, and ability to draw visitors to enjoy the region’s natural beauty. The community understands that the forests, farm fields, waterways, and the flora and fauna that they support, are irreplaceable assets that must be protected and conserved.

From protecting farmland from development, to improving the quality of the water in Town Run and the Potomac, to embracing walking and riding bikes to improve air quality, the community has already taken major steps toward realizing a future in which there is balance between the town and the surrounding natural landscape. This long term vision of balance and sustainability is critical to the success of the town, and a dedication to this ideal will help the community distinguish itself in coming years as it competes for residents, businesses and jobs that also embrace environmental sustainability practices.

Moving forward, the town should take a holistic approach to evaluating its actions, whether in terms of development activity occurring in town or how it provides services, to ensure that it is moving along the path of sustainability and protecting the environment in everything that it does.

Tree Canopy Map — This map depicts the extent of the tree canopy in the greater Shep-herdstown area. In general, the tree canopy in the urbanized portions of the area is more fractured, or in some cases nonexistent, while rural areas have a more dense tree can-opy, with the exception of those ar-eas in active use for agriculture.

Tree Canopy

Town Run Watershed — This map depicts the general extent of the Town Run watershed. The lower portions of the watershed, within and closer to Shepherdstown are more intensively developed, while the upper portion of the watershed is characterized by agricultural and low density rural residential development.

Watershed Area

This map depicts the location of permanent conservation easements in the greater Shepherdstown area.

Conservation Easements

This map depicts soils that have been determined by the National Resource Conservation Service to have properties that make them exceptionally suitable for farming purposes

Prime Farmland Sites