2009 Year in Review

Green Infrastructure Training

2009 was another big year for Green Infrastructure! In addition to two national offerings (May and September), regional offerings were brought to northern Mississippi and the Pacific Northwest. We also partnered with the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) to customize the green infrastructure curriculum for water utilities focusing on clean water. Additionally, in partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), we delivered five 1-day workshops in Indianapolis, IN; Solomon’s Island, MD; Seattle, WA; Charleston, SC; and Denver, CO – targeted to conservation districts. Our GIS Tools for Strategic Conservation Planning was offered twice in 2009 – Charleston, SC in June and Shepherdstown WV in October, and we will be rounding out the year with a Green Infrastructure (GI) workshop in Chicago on December 1 – 3, 2009, where the focus will be on implementing GI plans. Look for another big year for Green Infrastructure trainings as we move into the 10th anniversary of the course!

Balancing Nature and Commerce Training

The 2009 annual offering of Balancing Nature and Commerce in Communities that Neighbor Public Lands course was held in April at the National Conservation Training Center. Since taking the course, the Freedom’s Run Team, based in Shepherdstown, WV recently conducted the first ever marathon in the area, which was routed through the four national parks located in the tri-state area. Congratulations to the Shepherdstown team for a successful inaugural event! The Canaan Valley Team (also from WV) is making significant progress on the Heart of the Highlands Trail with successful grants awarded from the National Park Service, the State of West Virginia, and a $500K appropriation from Senator Byrd, and the Chelsea, Michigan team is continuing to meet and is planning to bring a regional workshop to the area in 2010.

ARC-NEA Gateway Communities Program

The Conservation Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) partnered again in 2009 to offer technical assistance in the forms of tourism assessments and workshops, along with targeted grants to gateway communities in the Appalachian Region. The awards assisted gateway communities to benefit from tourism development by enhancing natural assets, developing local artistic resources, preserving local heritage and character, and supporting asset-based economic development. This program is made possible from funding by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
Nine communities received awards in this round of proposals. Calhoun County Alabama and the Tri-State area of Tennessee (Claiborne County), Kentucky (Bell County), and Virginia (Lee County) were each awarded Gateway Community Tourism Assessments, which were conducted by the Conservation Leadership Network and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Allegheny Highlands Economic Development Corporation was awarded a Gateway Communities / Share Your Heritage workshop, which took place in May and was designed and delivered by the Conservation Leadership Network and the Trust for Historic Preservation. Six communities received technical assistance grants for projects ranging from trail signage and brochures to the development of a culinary tourism program.

New Case Study Published

Finally, the Conservation Leadership Network completed a new Green Infrastructure case study focused on the Kansas City region’s MetroGreen network. The case study, available online at greeninfrastructure.net, is the tenth in a series of case studies documenting the planning, design, and implementation of green infrastructure planning. The Green Infrastructure Case Study Series is available online on greeninfrastructure.net.