Greenways: Planting Seeds for a Secure Future in Our Community

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Greenways Planting Seeds for a Secure Future in
Our Community
Gleneagles Community Development Aerial Photo 1993
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Greenways Planting Seeds for a Secure Future in
Our Community
Gleneagles Community Development Aerial Photo 1998
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Greenways Planting Seeds for a Secure Future in
Our Community
Gleneagles Community Development Aerial Photo 2002
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GreenwaysPlanting Seeds for a Secure Future in
Your Community

• NRC 471 Capstone Course
• in collaboration with
• Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

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What is a Greenway System?

• A comprehensive county wide network of
  conservation and trail corridors
• Provides safe connections
• The focus for community benefits
• Environment
• Health
• Recreation
• Education
• Economy
• Alternative transportation

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Aerial Photo of Site
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Project Objectives

• To develop a detailed analysis of a local natural
  resource issue with students functioning as
  natural resource professionals.
• Provide an analysis of the problems and create a
  management proposal of possible approaches to
  improve the state of the natural area, using a
  variety of techniques
• Research
• Interviews
• Primary data collection
• Focus Groups

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Gleneagles Greenway
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Class Instructor Douglas McLarenCourse
Collaborators Cynthia Deitz and Tim Queary
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Components

• Education
• Two Informational Brochures
• Benefits of Your Community Greenway
• Living with a Greenway, Knowing your
  Responsibilities
• Educational Video
• Computer Analysis
• Data Collection Analysis
• CommunityViz GIS Planning Program
• Management
• Comprehensive Management Plan for LFUCG

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Education Component
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Education Objectives

• Explain the benefits of greenways.
• Explain the responsibilities associated with
  greenways.
• Enthuse community residents about the natural
  resource in their neighborhood.

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Education Components

• Develop brochures explaining the benefits and
  responsibilities of the community greenway
  system.
• Create a visual aid to be used by LFUCG as an
  education tool when conducting presentations on
  the greenway systems.
• Video includes
• Greenway uses
• Greenway benefits

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Greenway Benefits Brochure
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Residents Responsibilities Brochure
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Educational Video

• To be used as an aid in promoting and educating
  audiences about greenway systems and uses.
• Worked in collaboration with Insight
  Communication in equipment training and footage
  editing.
• Designed for LFUCG

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Data Collection Component
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Data Collected

• Resolution
• Species
• Tree Number
• GPS Value
• DBH (Diameter at Breast Height)
• Canopy Diameter
• Health

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Resolution
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Species
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Tree Number
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GPS Value
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DBH
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Canopy Diameter
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Health
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CommunityViz Demo
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Greenway Management Plan Component
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Our Mission

• Comprehensive management plan for entire LFUCG
  greenway system
• Addition to the current Greenway Master Plan

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Specific Goal

• Maximize the six main benefits that greenways
  provide
• Recreational
• Community and Neighborhood
• Environmental
• Educational
• Health
• Economic

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Special Issues With the Greenway

• Environmentally sensitive areas
• Narrow corridor shape
• Community involvement
• Limited budget

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Implementation

• Planning and Preparation Phase
• Establish community, LFUCG, Ecological goals
• Clearly define property boundaries
• Remove hazards left from previous land use
• Evaluate the greenway corridor
• Development Phase
• Construct main trail system
• Establish buffer and transition zones
• Plant desired native species
• Initial control of invasive species
• Maintenance Phase
• Enforce greenway rules and regulations
• Continue invasive species management
• Tree maintenance
• Evaluation Phase
• Evaluate ecological indicators

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Management Plan Sections

• Recreation
• Riparian Buffers
• Maintenance
• Invasive Species
• Indicators
• Enforcement
• Community Partnerships

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Recreation

• Provide opportunities for responsible
  recreational uses

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Goals for Recreation

• Responsible Local Use
• Connectivity/Alternative Transportation

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Recreational Activities

• Permitted Activities
• Jogging
• Pet Walking
• Bicycling and Skating
• Fishing and Boating
• Prohibited Activities
• Motorized Vehicles
• Hunting
• Unauthorized Planting or Plant Collecting
• Dangerous and Illegal Behavior

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Riparian Buffers, Maintenance, Invasive Species,
and Indicators

• Implementing and Measuring Standards for
  Management Success

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Riparian Buffer Zones

• Reduce pollution and sediment runoff

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Riparian Buffer Zones

• Components
• Planting of streamside buffers, including forests
  and filter strips of grasses, shrubs, or trees
• Attributes
• Sediment control
• Restore optimal water temperature
• Recharge groundwater supply
• Control non-point pollution
• Nutrient Removal
• Aquatic Habitat
• Flood Control
• Wildlife habitat

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Riparian Buffer Zones

• Designing Buffers
• Choosing an appropriate buffer width depends on
  the buffers function
• Width can range from 35 to more than 300 feet
• Source Connecticut River Joint Commission

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Maintenance

• Keeping the look natural

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Tree Maintenance

• Snags and decaying logs should be left for
  wildlife habitat unless they pose a safety risk.
• Trim/Prune dead limbs only if they pose a direct
  threat to people or property.

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Reasons for Mowing

• Utilize open spaces
• Provide access for the public and maintenance and
  emergency vehicles
• Maintain previously designated grasslands

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Invasive Species

• To limit invasive species and encourage growth of
  native species

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Invasive Species

• What is an invasive species?
• All living organisms that are non-native to the
  ecosystem under consideration and whose
  introduction causes economic or environmental
  harm
• Why control?
• Impact biodiversity of the greenway

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Effective Invasive Species Management

• Early detection
• Use most effective treatment method
• Site rehabilitation
• Responsible chemical use

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Common Greenway Invaders

• Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maakii)
• Winter creeper (Euonymus fortunei)

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Indicators

• To measure success of management plan
  implementation

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Sustainability

• What is sustainability?
• Community anticipating and accommodating the
  needs of current and future generations in ways
  that reproduce and balance local social,
  economic, ecological goals/concerns while linking
  these actions to regional and global concerns in
  an equitable manner.
• Why is this important for greenway management?

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Goals/Principles

• Ecological Health
• Livable Built Environments
• Place-Based Economy
• Equity
• Users Pay
• Responsible Regionalism

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Measuring Success

• Environmental Health Indices

Substrate Quality
Riffle Quality
In-stream Cover
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Measuring Success

• Surveys
• Property Values Over Time
• Cost-Benefit Analyses
• User Counts

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Greenway Enforcement and Community Partnerships

• Working with you to build a better greenway system

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Enforcement

• To enforce rules for greenway use

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Greenway Enforcement

• Property Line Delineation
• Private Landowner Encroachment
• Enforcing Greenway Activities
• Community Greenway Enforcement

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Property Line Delineation

• Physical Barriers
• Transition Zones
• Fence Removal from Previous Land Uses

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Private Landowner Encroachment

• Enforce through Education
• Written or Verbal Warnings
• Removal of Private Property

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Enforcing Greenway Activities

• Pets
• Transportation
• Litter and Vandalism
• Hours of Operation

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Community Greenway Enforcement

• Violation Cards
• Violation Phone Number and Website
• Community Meetings

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Community Partnerships

• To build cooperation with the public to increase
  management effectiveness

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Planning
How?
Why?

• Ensure management is compatible with community
  desires
• Take advantage of community assets

• Focus community meetings on specific greenways
• Inform public of LFUCG goals for greenways
• Determine community goals for greenways
• Determine methods by which to achieve goals

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Funding

• Business Sponsors
• Reward with recognition on promotional materials,
  PSAs, etc.
• Monetary and equipment/supply donations
• Private Sponsors
• Charitable foundations
• Friends of Greenway Groups
• Help in development and maintenance
• Membership funds merchandise sales
• Connect committed community members to local
  governments

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Maintenance

• Adopt-a-Greenway Program
• Non-profits, Boy and Girl Scout troops, church
  and civic groups, businesses, etc. take
  responsibility for a stretch of greenway
• Remove trash, control invasive species, conduct
  water quality monitoring
• Rewarded with a sign recognizing their efforts
• Non-Profit Partnerships
• Conduct organized work days in cooperation with
  LFUCG employees
• Plant trees, control invasives, conduct community
  education
• Possible partners Bluegrass PRIDE, KWA, UK
  Greenthumb, UK Student Volunteer Center

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Accomplishing Goals and Objectives

• Bringing the Three Components of the NRC 471
  Capstone Course together to create an effective
  Management Plan for the LFUCG Greenway System

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Tying Each Component Together

• Educating the Public
• Data Collection and CommunityViz
• Greenway Management Plan
• Each component works together to ensure the
  proper management of all LFUCG greenways.

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Educating the Public

• Brochures
• Created to educate private landowners about the
  benefits and responsibilities that come along
  with living near greenways.
• Video
• The five minute video will be aired on Insights
  Public Access Channel in order to better educate
  all members of the public about the greenway
  system.

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Data Collection and CommunityViz

• Data must be collected from each greenway and
  then entered in GIS programs in order to create a
  database such as the tree database developed in
  the course.
• CommunityViz incorporates the data collected in
  order to project future management needs of the
  LFUCG greenway systems.

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Management Plan

• The Goal - to create a comprehensive management
  plan maximizing all benefits for all LFUCG
  greenways.
• The seven sections of the plan provided an
  important contribution toward proper management
  of the LFUCG greenway system, allowing the goal
  to be successfully completed.

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The Future of the LFUCG Greenway System

• The proper data collection, education, and
  management of the greenway system can only fully
  maximize benefits if the public becomes involved.
• Help the LFUCG greenway system by
• Volunteering to perform maintenance on the
  greenways
• Respecting the rules of the greenways
• Enjoying the greenways!

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Acknowledgements
Ben Luckett Neil Wilson Brian Whittaker Joe
Buckles Justin Ford Chris Pierce Preston
Lacy Courtney Snapp

• Elizabeth Trawick
• Ashley Pass
• Will Bowling
• Tonya Eversole
• Zach Couch
• Shaun Laungani
• Brandon Taylor

• Cory Bloyd
• Tim Geneve
• Seth Hatfield
• Paul Shumaker

Insight Communications The Office of Academic
Programs (N-6) Darryl Cremeans
Doug McLaren Cindy Deitz Tim Queary
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Questions?