Making sound decisions when managing natural resources and encouraging economic development requires many types of information that are not always readily available. Integrating the wide range of information is also difficult or technically unfeasible for people making these day-to-day decisions. The Southeastern Ecological Framework (SEF) GeoBook was developed to provide an easy way to view, overlay and query geographical information. The SEF GeoBook also provides links to more in-depth information on various topics, potential funding sources to protect resources identified, and high-resolution data to visualize on the ground landscapes in your community.

Most environmental management decisions occur at the county or watershed level. This is the level where future development or conservation decisions typically occur. For this reason the SEF GeoBook was designed primarily for county planners, watershed managers or local land trusts and conservation groups needing a wide range of information on an area the size of a few counties or a watershed. It is intended for people who need geographical data but do not have access to the technical expertise or software to use such information.

Along with its many views and layers, the SEF GeoBook contains the Southeastern Ecological Framework; a guide for identifying the important ecological areas in the southeastern US and the corridors linking them together. This Framework is intended to sustain the ecological function of the Southeast's diverse ecosystems by avoiding fragmentation of critically important habitats. Identifying crucial ecosystems and habitats at the local level also provides insight into larger scale processes that provide cleaner water, cleaner air, better protected land and a healthy economy. For example, protecting vegetative buffers along local streams helps remove sediments from runoff. Without such buffers, sediments build up in major waterways and throughout an entire watershed. This in turn degrades water quality, harms aquatic species and fish populations, hampers recreational activities and requires expensive removal through water treatment and dredging.

The SEF GeoBook provides users, like you, with a simpler way to visualize local land uses and natural resources within a defined geographical area. No additional software is required to get started. All necessary instructions and tutorials are contained within the SEF GeoBook. As added resources, the SEF GeoBook also contains a slide show presenting the tool's major components and a video on the importance of natural resource protection. The instructions, slide show and video should give you a solid understanding of the tool's capabilities. Additional features also allow you to zoom in and out of the maps, turn on and off various layers, and to query data tables related to specific locations. If connected to the internet, you may use the provided links to access additional information, aerial photos, EPA data on federally regulated facilities, and funding resource sites. Once you become familiar with the SEF GeoBook how you use it and the decisions you make will be limited only by your imagination.

The SEF GeoBook contains 8 different map views or themes: the SEF; Urban; Water; Landscape; Agriculture; Community; Demographics and Forest. In turn, each of these map views contains multiple layers or coverages of information that can be turned on and off allowing you to see different land uses, urban boundaries, roadways, watersheds and many other characteristics.  A more detailed explanation on how to use map views and their associated layers is provided in the tutorial.

Information contained on the maps is useful for visualizing your community's resources, however the SEF GeoBook's power as a decision-support tool comes from your ability to ask questions related to natural resources and your current goals. As an example, let's assume you belong to an organization trying to conserve greenspace to protect a local watershed. One initial question to ask is "Given limited funding, where are the critical areas that need immediate protection?". By selecting the SEF map view, you can see which ecosystems within your watershed have been identified as critical by the11 federal agencies dealing with natural resource management issues in the Southeast. This information can then be cross checked with areas identified at the local level through community outreach meetings, by Boards of Directors, or through other mechanisms. Aligning your local conservation efforts with larger scale, State and Federal efforts often provides more opportunities for partnerships, assistance and funding. This then takes you to your next questions, "What threats are pressuring these areas?" "Are there opportunities for partnerships?" and "Who has potential funding?" By looking at each of the map views and turning on and off their various layers, you can find answers to such questions. For instance, when looking at the SEF map view, turning off all of the layers except the Regional Threats, SEF Mask and Roads, shows you where there may be conflicts between future urban growth and your critical areas. Using the Agriculture map view and its layers may help you identify agricultural resources or related activities that support your conservation efforts. Similarly, links within the Agricultural map view may help you locate potential partner organizations or funding resources on State and Federal websites. These are just a few examples, as you become more familiar with the SEF GeoBook's map view and the layers you will find it provides a wealth of valuable information.

We hope that the EPA GeoBook is self-explanatory and easy to use however if you are having problems, please refer to the contacts list on page 10. A tutorial is included in the package to help you use the SEF GeoBook. You can access the tutorial by clicking on the help button in the upper left corner of the SEF GeoBook window.