Overview of LEAPE

What is LEAPE?

Target Audience

Why Local Government?

How LEAPE Works

Pilot Towns

Educators

Presentations about LEAPE

Project Leader & Collaborators

Funding

Contact Information

Locally-led Education and Action for Protecting the Environment (LEAPE) is an educational program for local governments interested in protecting water resources in their communities. LEAPE offers basic education about pollution of surface and groundwater, the relationship of water resources protection to traditional local government responsibilities, actions local government can take to protect and improve water quality, and sources of technical and financial resources.

LEAPE was developed by Cornell Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with New York Sea Grant, Lake Champlain Sea Grant and the Vermont Local Roads Program. The program uses resource information technologies (including geographic information systems software) and the latest thinking on nonpoint source management to provide education and policy options for local government officials. The core of the LEAPE program is custom software that offers an interactive, easy-to-understand format. A number of management options are provided to assist local officials in developing effective policies for protecting water resources while meeting their other management goals..

Development of LEAPE started in 1998 when a group of faculty and Extension educators at Cornell University was convened to seek funding for the idea. The New York State Department of Conservation Nonpoint Source Section of the Division of Water began supporting the program in October, 1998 and has renewed the funding to expand the scope of LEAPE and develop a delivery network of trained educators.

back to top

Who is the target audience?

Local government is the primary audience for LEAPE because of its:

•          traditional responsibilities that are related to water resources, including public health and safety, roads, and economic vitality.
•          role in land use planning.
•          potential to influence individual actions that impact nonpoint source (NPS) pollution.

back to top

Why should local government be interested?

Sound environmental management can:

•          protect public health by protecting drinking water quality.
•          improve quality of life, for example by improving opportunities for recreation.
•          protect and increase property values, for example by preventing streambank erosion and preserving open space surrounding development.
•          improve infrastructure, such as by reducing roadbank erosion.
•          improve the local economy by enhancing tourism.

LEAPE can increase local capacity for environmental management by:

•          providing education on stormwater management, NPS pollution control, and watershed management.
•          using visual methods of understanding the community.
•          making referrals to sources of technical assistance.

What will local governments gain by participating in this program?

The participants will be able to identify NPS issues in their community and will learn about the role that local government can play in controlling NPS pollution and protecting water resources. Management options for taking action on the following specific issues will be described:

•          stormwater
•          on-site wastewater treatment systems
•          turf
•          local roads
•          streamsides
•          marinas
•          small water systems

Participating local governments will

•          understand NPS pollution and watershed management.
•          recognize the NPS issues in their community.
•          develop enhanced capacity to capitalize on educational and technical resources and funding opportunities.

back to top

How does LEAPE work?

LEAPE introduces the basic concepts behind stormwater management, nonpoint source pollution control and water quality protection and leads the learner through an aerial exploration of the learner’s community. The municipality will participate in identifying nonpoint source (NPS) issues themselves and LEAPE describes some actions that local government can take to protect water resources. The procedures make use of resource information technologies, including resource inventory, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS). The education is built around a profile of the community based on existing publicly available data.

back to top

Pilot towns:

LEAPE has been tested in four pilot towns in New York State: Essex, Marcellus, Porter, and Southampton. Extensive changes were made on the basis of the pilot experiences. Further testing in additional pilot towns will occur as new information and components are added to LEAPE.

back to top

Role of Educators:

Training for Cornell Cooperative Extension educators and their partners in the use of LEAPE as an educational tool for local government will be offered around New York State. In addition to educator support materials, a set of laptop computers with software will be available for loan from the Cornell campus for educators who have received training in LEAPE. Long term support for educators includes outreach to potential audiences through presentations by LEAPE collaborators at forums such the New York Association of Towns annual meeting.

For information about Train-the-Trainer workshops for educators, see our Workshop page.

back to top

Presentations:

Two PowerPoint presentations about LEAPE and LEAPE implementation are available - click here to go to the Presentations Page.

back to top

Project Leader:

Deborah Grantham, Department of Crop & Soil Sciences, Cornell University

Collaborators:

1. Eugenia Barnaba, Stephen Smith, and Amy Galford, Cornell Institute for Resource Information Systems (IRIS), Center for the Environment, Cornell University
2. Peter Loucks, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
3. Ann Lemley and Katrie DiTella, Department of Textiles and Apparel, Cornell University
4. David Allee, Lyle Raymond, James Skaley, and Michael Hattery, Cornell Local Government Program, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
5. Frank Rossi, Department of Horticulture, Cornell University
6. Rebecca Schneider, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University
7. Robert Kent and Eileen Keenan, New York Sea Grant
8. Jurij Homziak and Mark Malchoff, Lake Champlain Sea Grant
9. Henry R. Lambert, Vermont Local Roads Program, Saint Michael’s College
10. Lorne Brousseau and Emerson Hasbrouck, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County
11. Anita Deming, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County
12. Sheila Myers and Amy Samuels, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County
13. Daniel Olmstead, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County
14. Larry Fisher, Tahnee Robertson, Bobby Cochran, and Sarah Davidson; Program for Environment and Community, Center for the Environment, Cornell University

back to top

Funding:

•   US Environmental Protection Agency/NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Section 319 Program funds
•   College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Smith-Lever funds

back to top

For further information:

click to go to the LEAPE Staff and Contact Information Page

LEAPE Program Office

307A Rice Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

telephone (607) 254-7262; fax (607) 255-4662; click here to email

back to top

This page last modified 7 March 2003

Back to Home Page