| “This is a combination of bringing us up to the digital age and getting information out to a new generation of users.” | |
| Darren Jablonsky, St. Louis County, Minnesota | |
The intricate rules, regulations, and requirements for owning or developing shoreland property got easier to navigate this summer in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Not only was a new 28-page comprehensive guide published and made available on the Internet, but a series of complementary short videos were posted on YouTube.
“We’re excited to take a new and varied approach to getting complex regulatory information out to the public and seeing it so well received,” says Darren Jablonsky, planning, research, and GIS manager for the St. Louis County Planning and Community Development Department.
The “Shoreland Guide for St. Louis County, Minnesota: A Comprehensive Property Owner’s Guide” provides easy-to-understand information about sustainable shoreland practices. “We wanted to highlight best practices and encourage residents, contractors, and developers to institute these best practices in their projects as they go through the land use permitting process,” Jablonsky says.
The guide includes information on zoning, land use standards and terms, stormwater management, and structural standards, as well as wetland sequencing, classification, and identification.
At various points throughout the manual are icons indicating a supporting video on YouTube. In total, 13 short educational videos are available on topics such as how to calculate slope, how to prepare a site plan, and how to preserve and establish shoreline vegetation.
“We’ve received positive feedback that validates that this multimedia venue is where people are going, and where the industry is going, in terms getting information out quickly,” Jablonsky says. “This is a combination of bringing us up to the digital age and getting information out to a new generation of users.”
The county received grants from Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program to create both the shoreland guide and the YouTube videos, which were launched simultaneously in June.
“Lots of planning went in up front,” Jablonsky says, to define the target audience and tailor the publication to them.
Most of the text was written by county staff members, but a graphic artist was contracted to design the manual. A 15-year-old VHS video was mined for the 2- to 7-minute digital YouTube segments.
While still too early to measure the effort’s success, Jablonsky says, the videos have had hundreds of downloads in just a few months.
“We’re confident our communication efforts will help protect the shoreland, the 1,000 lakes we have in this area, and our other key natural and riparian resources,” he says.
“Anybody who is looking to package their statewide rules related to shoreline development and local ordinances could use this as a model and just modify it to make it work for their community,” says Amber Westerbur, coastal program specialist with Minnesota’s coastal program.
She adds, “We’re really excited to have been able to help St. Louis County with their efforts.”
To view the shoreland guide and watch the YouTube clips, go to www.co.st-louis.mn.us/slcportal/SiteMap/HomePage/Departments/Planning/tabid/79/Default.aspx. For more information, contact Darren Jablonsky at (218) 725-5011, or jablonskyd@co.st-louis.mn.us. You may also contact Amber Westerbur at (218) 834-1445, or amber.westerbur@state.mn.us.
