Securing the Region’s Green Infrastructure: The Challenge, The Tools

“Securing the Region’s Green Infrastructure: 

The Challenge, The Tools”

September 9, 2004 

12 noon to 1:45 p.m.

Sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute Forum 

1616 P Street, NW

Washington, DC

Twelve Things We Could Do for Green Infrastructure in Metropolitan Washington, DC

Glenn Eugster, Assistant Regional Director, Partnerships Office, National Capital Region, National Park Service

Background

As we look at the metropolitan Washington, DC region, its watersheds, cities and communities, and the condition of our parks, open spaces and recreation areas, we need to ask ourselves four questions.

1.  What is the current park, open space and recreation area situation?  (i.e. How much green infrastructure is your metropolitan, or micropolitan, region losing per day?)

What alternatives are possible?

What can cities and other government agencies and

private sector organizations do to protect, manage and use parks, open space, recreation areas and sustainable practices?

4.  Most importantly, what are we, as individuals, prepared to do about the current situation?

In metropolitan Washington, DC Congress, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, NPS-National Capital Region, and others, decided to create a “Green Infrastructure Demonstration Project” to respond to the situation, explore alternatives and take action. (http://www.mwcog.org/committee/committee/)

During this two-year effort we learned:

 Metropolitan Washington DC will lose 28 to 43 acres of open space everyday from 1997 to 2020.  

 Normal metropolitan growth does not provide open space although land is abundant.  Parks, open space and recreation areas are often the residual product of the development process.

 Experience reveals that parks, open space and recreation area planning, protection, management and use should emphasize the total green space system, rather than individual isolated parks, natural areas, greenways, trails and recreation areas. 

 A green infrastructure approach to parks, open space and recreation areas is a way to recognize land for it’s ecological, recreational, cultural, economic, and conservation values and functions.  It seeks to prevent, rather than ameliorate, the degradation of natural lands, air, water, the countryside, parks, recreation areas, farms and forests.  Green infrastructure can be used to clean land, water, and air, replenish the human spirit, and help to sustain and regenerate the economy.

The project partnership involved seven primary organizations and more than 600 representatives from various local, states, regional, and federal government agencies and private groups and businesses.  It used a variety of forums, workshops, technical assistance, and status reports to share information and communicate.

The following list of twelve alternatives has been prepared based on input from the participants in the demonstration project.  These actions offer promise for “Securing the Region’s Green Infrastructure".

Things We Could Do

Build an integrated GIS green infrastructure database.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments "Green Mapping Forum" idea was developed to catalogue existing mapping efforts in the region. COG is planning a forum this fall.

National Capital Planning Commission, Casey Trees and DC are putting together a data atlas that would be the first step in a "state of the District" report for a spring symposium. Basically, it's pulling together all the data that various groups have collected, getting agreement on what we have, and figuring out what else needs to be developed.

Establish locally relevant indicators to monitor green 

infrastructure gains and loses.

The Chesapeake Bay Program has a system of indicators that are used to monitor the progress of the Bay protection and restoration effort.  The Bay indicators could be used as a model for parks, open space and recreation areas.

The Trust for Public Land has identified "Measurables to Determine the Excellence of an Urban Park System".  Their recently published survey includes Washington, DC parks.

Put a face on green space loses!

Analysis reveals that we lose somewhere between 28-43 acres of green space per day in the metropolitan Washington, DC region and this trend will continue at least until 2020.  Yet, there is rarely a public outcry.  Loses need to be converted from abstract statistics to more personal-values.  Loses need to be documented and publicized using a "poster-child" approach that draws attention to the losses and encourages action to prevent further loss of green space.

Eat your green space!

Do your food purchases help to protect the scenery? Does the money you spend on food benefit local producers? Do our purchasing practices encourage closer links between the consumer and the local products they buy?  Are there ways that we can recognize the need to encourage and sustain vital rural agricultural and fisheries industries now, and for future generations?

The Local Food Project at Airlie, VA. works to link food buyers and producers in the same geographic region.

The Business Alliance For Local Living Economies (BALLE), with a chapter in Baltimore, helps promote locally owned independent businesses through marketing, networking and advocacy, and sharing information about socially and environmentally responsible business practices. 

Showcase and demonstrate on the ground success. 

Many leaders have interest in learning more about green infrastructure approaches being used in the metropolitan region. Close-to-home success stories are a way to demonstrate the benefits of green infrastructure and highlight the implementation process.  The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has designed a 13-stop tour of various examples of existing "best Management Practices (BMP's)" that are helping to sustain our green infrastructure.

Equip all advocates and decision-makers with basic green 

infrastructure protection, restoration, management, funding tools.

As leaders respond to public concerns about the loss of green infrastructure communities are increasingly interested in focusing on tools and solutions to the loss of open space and the types of open space or green infrastructure that are most needed for a healthy community and region.  Jim McElfish of the Environmental Law Institute is the lead author of a new ELI guide -"Nature Friendly Ordinances" - that is one of the sources of information that people can use to help themselves save and protect green space. 

Build a network of green infrastructure practitioners, 

at all levels of the government and the private sector, with depth and breadth.

The future of the region's green infrastructure depends on people. Knowing who the key decision-makers, practitioners, community advocates, subject matters experts, public land managers, and civic associations leaders are can help protect and manage green space. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has produced a printable version of a "Who's Who in Green Infrastructure" directory" for regional community parks, green space and recreational agencies and organizations. The directory lists the names, addresses, telephone, telefax and e-mail contact information numbers of the most important green infrastructure contacts in the region.  The directory is indexed by green infrastructure category and will be accessible on COG’s website through a download format.

Create a public-private Metropolitan Washington Green 

Space/ Green Infrastructure Alliance.

The metropolitan Washington, DC region doesn't lack government agencies or private groups with an interest or a responsibility for green space.  Hundreds of organizations and agencies are involved in making decisions that affect the region's green infrastructure.  Unfortunately no one group or government speaks for green infrastructure or all the green space interests.

The San Francisco Bay communities in California created a Greenbelt Alliance "to make the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area a better place to live by protecting the region's greenbelt and improving the livability of its cities and towns".  Since 1958 they have worked in partnership with diverse coalitions on public policy development, advocacy and education.

9. Continue to afford leaders with an open and non-judgmental platform to discuss green infrastructure status and trends, techniques, programs, etc.

Nearly 500 community, government and private sector leaders participated in a series of green infrastructure forums over the last two years.  Participants indicated that the forums had value and were a no-decision-making platform for discussing common interests and innovative solutions to regional problems and opportunities.  The forums proved to be a way to showcase local experts and those from afar.

Link together related green infrastructure campaigns

The region's green space agenda has many related but seemingly disconnected pieces to it.  Different agendas often draw energy, resources and attention away from the common aspects of green infrastructure and blur priorities.  Different but related green space campaigns for parks, green roofs, low-impact development, invasive plants, submerged aquatic vegetation, greenways, cultural landscapes, forest buffers, wildlife habitat, wetlands protection, and trail corridors, would benefit from being linked as part of a larger green infrastructure system.

 Support and participate in regional green

infrastructure events.

Success is often a state-of-mind and our green space work is often influenced by the perception of what is going on.  Periodic green infrastructure events, such as conferences, workshops, forums, or special activity events (i.e. tree plantings, etc.) are a way to create synergy and send a message to service providers that things are happening in metropolitan Washington.  As partners convene these gatherings it is important to show support and participate.

For example, DC will host the Third Annual "Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards, & Trade Show" on May 4-6th, 2005 in Washington, D.C. This event will bring together experts from diverse fields across North America, and around the world. The conference will raise awareness of the many benefits of green roofs, share new research findings and provide information on the latest designs, implementation techniques and products. It will be a great opportunity to broaden networks and develop new business contacts while building more sustainable cities through green roof implementation.

 Celebrate green infrastructure. 

Panel discussions, meetings, conferences, reports and resolutions don't mean anything unless they lead to actions that make a difference.  Creating opportunities to celebrate the many varied values and functions of green infrastructure is essential to the green infrastructure movement.  It creates a connection with the places that need protection and management and the people that care about them.

For example, events such as the Potomac Conservancy's "Growing Native: Get Nuts for Clean Water" effort, the Committee of 100's special "Tour of the Fort Circle Parks-Civil War Defenses of Washington" and Washington Park's and People's "Washington Ridge Crossing" walk are but a few of the ways that people are taking action, sharing success and celebrating the values of green infrastructure.

For Further Information: For information on the Metropolitan Washington Green Infrastructure Demonstration Project and this list of alternatives contact: Glenn Eugster at NPS, National Capital Region, 1100 Ohio Drive, SW, Room 350, Washington, DC 20242. By telephone call (202) 619-7492.  By e-mail write: glenn_eugster@nps.gov