rural district exiStiNG coNditioNS The Rural District is sparsely populated. This district is the farthest from the urban centers than other districts and is overall less developed. The development patterns are defined in part by a zoning regulation that requires each house lot have a minimum of two acres, causing patchy development that has divided wildlife habitat. Wildlife is common in the Rural District, and populations are especially rich along riparian corridors and wetlands tucked between the hills. The Rural District has several large open space conservation areas protecting wildlife and habitat. Conservation accounts for 9% of the land area in the Rural District. All forms of development
are restricted in the conservation areas and, seasonally, even human access is restricted. There is discussion of protecting a wildlife corridor between the conservation areas, but no plan has been determined at this time. Few roads bisect the Rural District. These roads are small, and weave through hills of varying steepness that are almost completely covered in forest. House lots, fields, wetlands, or reservoirs are the only breaks in the dense forests. The land in this district has historically been logged, cultivated, or grazed. While the young dense forests currently hide this history, the consequences of past agriculture practices have been the removal of top soil, exposing the rocky sub-soils.
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