The Scenic Locales Committee developed a two-track approach to its assignment. Committee members analyzed many examples of scenic studies from communities around the country, on the basis of which they worked out a matrix system for listing and ranking scenic sites in Hanover. Meanwhile, the committee also solicited community input through a survey mailed to 1,200 randomly-selected households. Survey forms and maps upon which people could give additional information were placed at the Howe and Etna libraries, the Municipal Building, and at the 1998 Town Meeting. Tabulation of the public surveys indicated more than 200 locations distributed throughout town that are important to the public.
A combined list of the highest-ranking sites from the committee matrix, and the sites that were mentioned the most frequently in the public surveys, was evaluated according to the degree to which each site was deemed by the committee to be vulnerable to or threatened by development. The nine most vulnerable sites were placed on the High-Priority Action List.
The committee wrote a set of goals for Hanover's scenic protection, upon which it based a lengthy list of recommendations for preservation of the landscape as a whole, and for the specific sites on the High-Priority Action List.
A complete description of the process, evaluation criteria, and survey results of this study are contained in Appendices A and B of this report.