Creating and Managing Community Greenways

GOAL TWO: Stimulate public and private sector awareness, involvement, and action in creating and managing community greenways and greenways systems. Greenways not only provide connections between native ecosystems, landscapes, parks, historic sites, and residential areas but they provide a means of connecting people to their surrounding landscape. This connection provides people with a "sense of place." Having a sense of place creates a public value, helps people feel responsible for their surrounding environment, and makes people feel as if their community is distinct. It is this community pride that encourages people to preserve urban greenspaces, restore river floodplains, link community parks, and become active in greenway initiatives. Community greenway projects are driven primarily by citizens at the grassroots level who are often motivated by a strong leader from the private sector. However, community greenways also require support by elected officials and partnerships between landowners, environmentalists, historic preservationists, recreationists, the business sector, and other community interests. Local governments have an ideal opportunity to integrate greenway initiatives into their communities through the comprehensive planning process. Actions to stimulate local government, civic, community and business sector awareness and involvement in creating and managing community greenways will help provide the foundation of Florida's system of greenways. Community-level participation is critical if Florida's system of greenways is to become a reality. To encourage this participation, we must:   create partnerships between public and private interests; establish a broad coalition of citizens, including private landowners, local businesses, and grassroots environmental groups in support of greenway initiatives; minimize conflicts associated with private property rights and public access-, educate the general public and local community leaders about the benefits of greenways; and bring together diverse population groups around a common greenways link. Summary of Recommended Strategies Facilitate and encourage private sector support and strong community involvement in local greenway initiatives. Strong and continued citizen support is the hallmark of all successful community greenways. To encourage community involvement, the individuals responsible for promoting a greenways effort must educate not only themselves but others as well. Helping people understand the benefits provided by greenways is key to the success of greenway initiatives, and critical to fostering public/private partnerships. Greenways are often developed out of a desire to preserve an area of environmental quality, set aside an area for recreation, promote alternative transportation, or improve overall quality of life. Communities need an established set of guidelines or a framework that will get local greenway projects underway, facilitate the formation of private/public partnerships, and educate the community about the benefits (economic, conservation, and recreation) of greenways. Foster the promotion and creation of community greenways and greenspaces using local, regional and state planning tools and programs. Local government comprehensive plans and state and regional land acquisition programs offer some of the best opportunities for stimulating local greenway initiatives. Water management district planning and land acquisition programs also provide windows of opportunity for promoting greenway initiatives. Greenways and greenways systems could be encouraged through these programs by identifying conservation easements, tapping into water management district resources, staying apprised of their land acquisition activities, and looking for community greenspaces that have the potential to connect to water management district lands. The water management districts could also be encouraged to promote multiple uses of floodplains, waterbody buffers, and wetlands areas to accommodate greenways and greenways systems. The state's eleven regional planning councils are now drafting strategic regional policy plans that map natural resources of regional significance and address their needs through goals and policies. This presents another opportunity to encourage and stimulate greenway initiatives. Finally, there are several programs at the state level that can facilitate community greenway initiatives, including the: Florida Communities Trust within the Florida Department Of Community Affairs; Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Land Acquisition Program and Office of Greenways and Trails; Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission's Wildlife Management, Land Acquisition, and Wildlife Habitat Geographic Information System Programs; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Forestry's Cooperative Forestry Assistance Programs; Florida Department of Transportation's Planning and Environmental Management Programs; and Florida Department of State's Historic Preservation Grants Program. Communities should familiarize themselves with these programs and took for ways to use state resources, whether technical or financial, to foster local greenways activity. Components of Greenways Systems A wide variety of building blocks or components make up a greenways system. These include greenways, the links in the system, as well as parks, preserves and cultural/ historic sites, which can serve as system hubs. Greenways Although best considered as a continuum of features and opportunities, many different types of greenways can go into creating the statewide greenways system. For example: Landscape linkages. These large linear protected areas provide sufficient areas of space for native plants and animals to flourish while serving as corridors connecting ecosystems and landscapes. Landscape linkages can also provide space for the protection of historic sites and opportunities for human use like hunting, fishing, canoeing, swimming and hiking. Conservation corridors. Less extensive linear protected areas serve as biological connecting corridors and, in many cases, also provide outdoor, resource-based recreational opportunities. Greenbelts. Protected natural lands or working landscapes surrounding cities are called greenbelts. They serve to preserve agricultural productivity as well as to balance and direct urban and suburban growth. Recreational corridors. These linear open spaces are the sites of moderate to intense recreational use for residents and visitors. Scenic corridors. Some corridors of land are protected for scenic quality and other aesthetic considerations. Utilitarian corridors. Linear features, such as powerline and pipeline rights-of-way and canals, may also help connect recreational, cultural or natural system features. Trails. Designated trails provide access to and appreciation of the values of natural areas, greenspaces and historic sites, present diverse resource-based outdoor recreational opportunities, and enhance the understanding of historical sites and cultural diversity. Hubs and Sites Natural, recreational, and cultural/historic hubs and sites are the other critical components of greenways systems. System hubs and sites come in all shapes and sizes, and serve different purposes. For example: Reserves. These large protected areas serve as primary sites for conserving biological diversity and natural resources such as fisheries and fresh water. Reserves also can protect important historical and cultural sites and provide some nature-based recreation opportunities. Regional parks and preserves. Less extensive hubs of regional signifi cance provide ecological benefits and offer important recreational opportunities. Ecological sites. These smaller sites conserve important or unique natural or geologic features. Cultural/Historic/Recreational Sites. Community parks orcultural/historical sites provide recreational opportunities, help protect and interpret Florida's cultural/historic heritage, and can often serve as a system origin or destination. Urban Areas. Cities and towns serve as human hubs for greenways systems.