Greenways represent a new approach to building sustainable communities by preserving natural areas for wildlife, for natural resources protection and for outdoor recreation. Greenways define appropriate areas for accomodating community growth by first identifying and preserving the key natural areas and linkages critical for ensuring the region's quality of life. The key natural areas are those that:

· Safeguard a region's water quality and supply,
· Provide opportunities for recreation, and
· Preserve wildlife habitat.

At the heart of the greenways approach is the concept of linkage. Greenways connect core preserves for wildlife movement and connect people with natural areas, providing opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. The Loxahatchee Greenways program, a cooperative effort of The Conservation Fund, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and 1000 Friends of Florida, is working to develop a vision of green for the Loxahatchee Region: a green infrastructure that will protect the natural resources upon which the region's economy and communities depend. A Natural Resource Task Force, which brought together 18 different public agencies working in the Loxahatchee River watershed, has identified the remaining large "core" natural areas and designed the greenway connections between them. A Greenways Advisory Committee has begun creating "human connections to nature," working to design new communities that preserve their cultural, historical and natural assets through a system of interconnected neighborhood greenways. Together, the Natural Resource Task Force and the Greenways Advisory Committee have worked with communities in the region to develop a framework for sustainable development in the Loxahatchee Region.


What is a Greenway?

Greenways are corridors of protected open space that are managed for conservation and recreation. They can be as wide as a watershed or as narrow as a footpath. Some are publicly owned; others are established on private land by easements or other methods that protect valuable natural areas or allow public access along trails. Some are managed only to conserve native ecosystems and some are purely recreational; others serve both purposes.

Greenways link forests, parks, cultural and historic sites with each other and, in some cases, with populated areas. Greenways not only protect environmentally sensitive lands and wildlife; they also give people the chance to enjoy the outdoors close to home.


A Regional System of Greenways

What makes the greenways concept different from other conservation tools is its emphasis on connections. The Loxahatchee Greenways Project is dedicated to creating a regional greenways system flowing from urban and suburban settings to agricultural areas to native wilderness landscapes in northern Palm Beach and southern Martin counties. It will protect the Loxahatchee River watershed; preserve important connections between communities, parks and conservation areas; and provide a regional trail system that offers opportunities for walking, bicycling, horseback riding and canoeing. Connecting greenways, core reserves, natural areas and neighborhoods provides us a system greater than the sum of its parts.


Benefits of Greenways

The great appeal of greenways lies in the concept of connections. Greenways multiply the benefits of existing conservation areas, parks and open spaces by linking them together.

· Greenways can help conserve native ecosystems and landscapes by setting aside the space needed to sustain biodiversity in native plant and animal communities, and by conserving the connections that allow interchange between them. Greenways located along waterways help provide natural buffers between water and development.

· Greenways also can be used to conserve historical and cultural resources such as archaeological and historical sites. They provide places for visitors and residents to exercise and experience the many natural and cultural wonders of the Loxahatchee Region, and sometimes act as outdoor classrooms where both children and adults can learn about native plant and animal species, ecosystems, and ecological processes.

· Greenways can be used to protect working landscapes such as farms, groves, and private forest lands. Along scenic roadways, they provide travelers with a glimpse into the region's historic past. They pro-vide important growth management benefits by directing development away from natural resources and maintaining clear boundaries between urban and rural land uses.

· Greenways and trails often serve as walking and bicycling routes to work, school, local businesses and restaurants, parks and recreation sites.

The Loxahatchee Regional Greenways System will serve as a green infrastructure for the region, protecting the Loxahatchee River watershed, conserving important links between parks and conservation areas, and providing urban areas with lush green paths for walking, bicycling, horseback riding and canoeing.