LInking Lands and Communities in the
Land-of-Sky Region
Green Infrastructure
Initiative
Project Description
Project Announcements,
Updates and Special Events
Project Objectives
Project Timeline
Project Maps
Project "Fact Sheets"
Project Funding
Project Partners
What is Green Infrastructure?
Benefits of Green
Infrastructure
Additional Resources
Project Description
Land-of-Sky Regional Council is working with local and
regional interests to design a regional conservation
framework to strategically guide future growth for Madison,
Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania counties while
respecting the integrity of the region’s ecosystems. This
conservation network will identify valuable ecological
systems and resources, important working lands, and areas
most suited for future growth and development. By using a
collaborative approach, this effort will also help to link
urban and rural communities and protect the area’s rich
natural and cultural heritage.
For
more information about the project, see below or contact:
Linda Giltz, Regional Planner, Land-of-Sky Regional Council
828-251-6622 or
lindag@landofsky.org
Project Announcements,
Updates, and Special Events
Linking Lands
and Communities Regional Leadership Workshop – April 7, 2008
Project Objectives
1.
Create a conservation network design and a plan for its
implementation.
2.
Develop a strategic conservation planning model which can be
replicated across the 25-county Blue Ridge National Heritage
Area;
3.
Create a forum for practitioners, citizens, agencies, and
organizations to build a common understanding of the
region’s ecological systems and services and build
relationships across sectors and municipal boundaries.
Project Timeline
Winter
2007 –‘08:
Formation of Regional Leadership Group
Spring 2008:
Green Infrastructure County Information Sessions
Fall 2008:
Green Infrastructure Network Design Charrettes
Winter/Spring '09:
Green Infrastructure
Implementation Workshop
Summer/Fall 2009:
Formation of region-wide
partnership for implementation
Project Maps
LOS
Hydrology Map
LOS
Protected/Open Space Map
Project “Fact Sheets”
Linking Lands and Communities Fact Sheet
What is Green Infrastructure Fact Sheet
Linking Lands and Communities Benefits Fact Sheet
Project Funding Provided By:
The Community Foundation of
Western North Carolina
Blue Ridge
National Heritage Area
Federal Highway
Administration
Project Partners:
Blue Ridge
Forever Coalition
Blue Ridge
National Heritage Area
Carolina Mountain
Land Conservancy
ECO
Henderson County Planning Department
Land-of-Sky Regional
Council
Madison
County Parks and Recreation Department
NC
Division of Community Assistance
NC Department of
Environment and Natural Resources
NC Cooperative Extension
Service
Southern Appalachian
Highlands Conservancy
Transylvania County Planning & Economic Development Dept.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
U.S.D.A. Forest Service
What is green infrastructure?
Green
Infrastructure
is our region’s natural life support system --
an
interconnected network of land and water that contributes to
the health, economic well being and quality of life for
communities and people.
A Green
Infrastructure network may include:
Natural areas
- such
as wetlands, woodlands, rivers, lakes, and wildlife habitat
Public and
private conservation lands
- such
as public lands, wildlife corridors, and parks
Public and
private working lands and urban areas
–such
as forests, farms, and communities
Outdoor
recreation and trail networks
- such
as hiking and biking trails
Cultural
resources and sites
– such
as historic buildings, public art and heritage sites
Green
infrastructure networks are found at every scale:
Parcel or Site:
-Designing homes and businesses around green spaces
-Creating community open spaces
-Clustering units in new residential developments
-Linking parcels to the greater community by way of trails
or greenways
Community
Scale:
-Setting aside buffers along rivers and streams that protect
against flooding
-Creating greenways networks
-Buffering land uses with compatible growth
-Creating greenways that link existing parks and green
spaces, providing alternative transportation routes and
access to recreation
Regional or Statewide:
-Encouraging compatible, adjacent uses near agricultural
areas, national forests, and state parks
-Seeking out connections to conservation lands other natural
areas
-Providing linkages for wildlife migration between large
blocks of forested habitat
-Conserving large blocks of forested areas used for carbon
storage
Benefits of Green
Infrastructure
Economic
Benefits
-Provides
ecological services
that save local governments
and state agencies millions of dollars by offering
alternatives to engineered structures. Examples include:
• Clean drinking water
supply
• Drought and flood mitigation
• Timber production
• Air pollutant removal
• Groundwater recharge
• Food and fiber production
• Carbon storage
- Sustains working lands for
forestry and agriculture
that provide for
resource-based livelihoods, local food and biofuels
production, and maintains the character of our rural areas.
- Provides trails and sites
for nature-based recreation and tourism,
translating into millions
of tourist dollars every year.
- Offers natural and
restored green settings for growth and development
that provide economic
benefits to landowners while attracting new residents and
businesses.
- Attracts new business and
industry and
increases business retention
Community
Benefits
-
Creates community green spaces
that provide community
gathering places and accessible areas for relaxation and
recreation.
- Identifies linkages and
corridors which provide easy access to outdoor recreation
and support
activities that improve physical and mental health while
helping residents and visitors re-connect with nature.
- Provides opportunities
for land stewardship projects
such as planting trees,
restoring riverbanks, planting community gardens, and
installing green roofs
Environmental Benefits
-
Maintains ecological function
by identifying key
corridors that connect contiguous blocks of forestland and
other native ecosystems.
- Supports native wildlife
and plants as well
as the habitats upon which they depend for survival.
Additional Resources
American Forests
Conserve Online
Defenders of Wildlife Biodiversity Partnership
Environmental Protection Agency / Smart Growth Network
Federal Highway Administration’s Eco-Logical Framework
Human Dimensions of Urban and Community Forestry,
sponsored by the Center for Urban Horticulture, College of
Forest Resources at the University of Washington.
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s
Conservation Publications
National Association of Conservation Districts
One North Carolina
Naturally
Smart Growth Network Publications
Smart Links: Turning Conservation Dollars into Smart Growth
Opportunities from the Environmental Law Institute
The
Conservation Fund’s Green Infrastructure Information page
Treelink
USDA Cooperative Forestry |
