SU0015801 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Visual Impact Assessment Griffith Energy Storage Project further described in detail in BLM Manual H-8410-1 (BLM 2010), involves rating the resource's visual qualities, measuring public concern and determining the extent to which an area is visible from travel routes and other observation points.Those three factors then determine which of the four VRI classes are assigned to each area of BIM-administered lands based on visual sensitivity level (i.e., high, medium,and low),scenic quality,and distance.These fourVR1 classes represent the relative values of the existing visual resources.VRI Classes I and II represent the highest visual value,Class III represents moderate value,and Class IV represents relatively low visual value. Specific terminology used in describing the existing visual environment is provided below. • Contrast.Opposition or unlikeness of different forms, lines,colors,or textures in a landscape. Contrast rating: a method of analyzing the potential visual impacts of proposed management activities. • Form.The mass or shape of an object or objects that appears unified,such as a vegetative opening in a forest, a cliff or mountain formation, a water tank,or a highway overpass. • Key Observation Point(KOP). One or a series of points on a travel route or at a use area or potential use area,where the view of a management activity would be most revealing. • Landscape Visibility. Perception of details (e.g.,form, line,color,and texture) diminishes with increasing distance.The distance zone is dependent on the location of the observer relative to the Project.These distance zones are: o Foreground and middle ground:zero to 5 miles from point of interest o Background: remaining area up to 15 miles away from the point of interest o Seldom seen:over 15 miles from the point of interest • Scenic quality is a measure of the visual appeal of a tract of land. In the visual resource inventory process,the apparent scenic quality is determined using seven key factors: landform,vegetation,water,color,adjacent scenery,scarcity,and cultural modifications. • Sensitivity level.Sensitivity levels are a measure of public concern for scenic quality. Public lands are assigned high, medium,or low sensitivity levels by analyzing the various indicators of public concern. • Simulation.A realistic visual portrayal that demonstrates the perceivable changes in landscape features caused by a proposed management activity.This is done using photography,artwork,computer graphics,and other such techniques. • Texture.The visual manifestations of the interplay of light and shadow created by the variations in the surface of an object or landscape. • Viewshed.A landscape unit seen from a KOP. • Visual quality.The relative worth of a landscape from a visual perception point of view. • Visual resource.The visible physical features on a landscape (e.g., land,water,vegetation, animals,structures,and other features). Scenic quality is a measure of the visual appeal of a tract of land.The apparent scenic quality of the land is determined using seven key factors: landform,vegetation,water,color,adjacent scenery, OTETRA TECH 11 August 2023