| Linking Lands and Communities in the Land-of-Sky Region |
| Creating a framework for conservation and development that respects community values and natural systems |
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Land-of-Sky Regional Council (LOSRC) is working with leaders from across our four-county region to develop a strategic plan for conservation and development. The project will bring together data from public, private, and non-profit sources, resulting in a series of maps and other tools that can be used to help guide land use decisions across the landscape. How does the Linking Lands Project differ from other land use planning efforts? The Linking Lands Project aims to understand how our natural systems function across the entire four-county region. While many groups and municipalities focus their land use-related efforts on smaller subsets of the region, the Linking Lands Project uses a landscape perspective to understand the region as a whole. Natural systems don't stop at county boundaries, or at the edges of a land trusts focus area. This regional approach provides a broader context that can help to knit together these disparate efforts and provide opportunities for leverage and partnership to implement conservation and growth management priorities. Project Methodology Using the green infrastructure planning approach, the Linking Lands project will identify a physical network comprised of region's most valuable natural systems - including lands that provide water resources, agricultural lands (farms and forests), wildlife habitat and large functioning ecosystems, recreation lands and cultural resources. This science-based approach incorporates the most current data from local and state agencies and the land trust community and the "on the ground" knowledge of local experts. A series of ecological assessments (conducted by local partners) will be finalized in the fall of 2009 and serve as the backbone for the regional green infrastructure assessment. Following the green infrastructure assessment, partners will come together through a public charrette to explore future growth scenarios and other factors that impact the region's natural systems, including climate change, invasive species, and other natural disturbances. As a result, Land-of-Sky Regional Council will develop a Regional Conservation and Development Network that will serve as a resource for local governments, land trusts, landowners, and developers. Implementation strategies and tools for land use planning, financing, management, and stewardship will also be explored. |
| 339 New Leicester Hwy. Asheville, NC 28806 ph: (828) 251-6622 fax: (828) 251-6353 |
| A Project of Land-of-Sky Regional Council |
The project is organized into 5 distinct steps:
and recruit community leaders to participate in the following four steps of the project. 2. Gather data, conduct ecological assessments and develop maps for key elements of our region’s natural systems (i.e., green infrastructure), including water resources, agricultural lands, wildlife habitat, recreation and conservation lands, and cultural resources. 3. Develop a science-based green infrastructure network for the region based on the assessments and data collected above. 4. Create a Regional Network that incorporates future development and natural disturbance factors into the green infrastructure network developed above. 5. Identify implementation strategies for the Regional Conservation and Development Network and engage partners in these activities. Public outreach events are scheduled throughout these 5 steps to solicit feedback on all phases of the project and share our results with the regional community.
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Click here to download the Project Information Fact Sheet |