Great Ecology was contracted to evaluate 1,500 acres across more than 30 open space properties owned by the Town of Erie Department of Parks & Recreation to develop an overall management approach and site-specific management plans. Erie Parks wanted to ensure open spaces could be managed to withstand increased pressures from housing development and industrial operations while still providing appropriate wildlife habitat, ecological function, and maximizing user experience. Properties ranged from active agricultural fields to riparian floodplains to a local airport. Management issues Erie Parks faced include, but are not limited to: noxious weeds, wildlife management and conflicts, threatened and endangered species management, right of way vegetation management, and public access.

Great Ecology worked with Erie Parks to understand how their open space parks perform against ecological thresholds for management related issues and ecosystem services. These properties were mapped and characterized based on land cover type and ecological function using a method known as Landscape Typology, allowing Erie Parks to identify restoration opportunities and management priorities. This system also allows Erie Planning Department to quickly identify the ecological value of open spaces during planned development application reviews. Landscape Typology, in combination with Great Ecology's open space management planning, have allowed Erie to better understand their open space portfolio and prepare for a future where multiple uses on open spaces will be a necessity.