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Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Green Infrastructure Applications in the U.S.

Kris Hoellen, The Conservation Fund

EC Conference on Green Infrastructure

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

The Conservation Fund Partners in Land & Water Conservation

Mission & Program Areas“The Conservation Fund forges partnerships to

conserve America’s legacy of land and water resources.”

“Through land acquisition, sustainable programs, and leadership training, the Fund and its partners demonstrate sustainable conservation solutions emphasizing the integration of economic and environmental goals.”

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

The Challenge of Growing Communities

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

The Challenge of Growing CommunitiesWhat’s needed? Tools to be more strategic!

Where to permit development?

Where to construct roads & utilities?

Which lands to conserve?

A framework to integrate & inform!

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Green Infrastructure – What Is It?“Strategically planned and managed networks of natural lands, working landscapes and other open spacesthat conserve ecosystem values and functions and provide associated benefits to human populations”

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Hubs – anchor the system Links – tie the system togetherSites – smaller areas, may not be attached

Green Infrastructure Networks

Lands - public, private & non-profit Scales - statewide, regional & community Landscapes -urban, suburban, rural & wild

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities7

Network Design Tools: Hub/Core/Corridor Delineation

Core Areas:

•

Contain fully functional natural ecosystems

•

Provide high-quality habitat for native plants and animals

Hubs:

•

Slightly fragmented aggregations of core areas, plus contiguous natural cover

Corridors:

•

Link core areas together

•

Allow animal movement and seed and pollen transfer between core areas

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Green Infrastructure Network

Lands that Provide Associated Benefits for

Human Populations

Lands that Support Natural Ecosystem

Values and Functions

Green Infrastructure – What Is It?

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Green Infrastructure Approach

Natural resource, land planning and built infrastructure professionals

A science-based process that brings together:

Elected and appointed officials The interested public

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Both Require:

Relating Green to GrayGreen Infrastructure and Gray Infrastructure

Ideally Are:

Planned simultaneouslybefore development

Given equal priorityin the planning process

Planned as complementary systems

Given equal attentionin the funding process

Management to maintain services & maximize benefits

Strategic planningto ensure optimal / functional systems

Financing for design and maintenance

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

What Green Infrastructure is Not!

A program

A short-term solution

An isolated effort

No growth or anti-development

“Green” engineered structures

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Why Plan & Protect Green Infrastructure?

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Providing Ecosystem Services

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Supporting Working Lands / Tourism

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

“Selling” Homes and Communities

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Enhancing Quality of Life

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Context matters!

From: Conservation in Practice, Summer 2002

Infrastructure Principles

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Connect network components to function as a whole!

Infrastructure Principles

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

A strategically planned and managed network of natural lands, working landscapes, and other open spaces that conserves ecosystem values and functions and provides associated benefits to human populations

Scales of Green Infrastructure

Fairbanks, AKAnchorage, AK

Salt Lake City, UTFayetteville, AR

Minneapolis, MNHouston, TX

Numerous Counties

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Recent Examples

• Nashville needs to be a city for families." Karl Dean Inaugural Address September 21, 2007

• “Green space and open space are a quality of life issue, an environmental issue and an economic issue,” Karl Dean, January 7, 2010

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Green-Grey ExamplesPlanning the Green and the Grey as complementary systems. A transparent, defensible decision-making tool for selecting

mitigation projects

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

• NiSource– Natural gas transmission

company– Operation and

maintenance activities impact endangered species

• US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)– Enforce Endangered

Species Act– Streamline project review

while enhancing species protection

NiSource Green Infrastructure Project

NiSourcepipeline network

• 14 States• 15,500 linear

miles• 6.4 million

acres

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

• Assess endangered species impacts across the entire pipeline network over the long-term

• Develop Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan• Utilize green infrastructure approach to implement strategic

mitigation

Project Components

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Conservation Plan

• Identifies and protects undeveloped sites to protect from future flooding

• Define development through conservation investments

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

MMSD Results

• 1,881 acres conserved• 58 properties acquired• $13,650,583 spent to date• $5,240,381 in grants awarded• 603,476,052 gallons of water conserved

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

US 301 Waldorf Area Transportation Improvements ProjectMaryland State Highway Administration

Identification and Evaluation of Natural Resource

Environmental Stewardship Opportunities

Partners:

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

8 states

30 species

30 yr permit

~27 million acres of covered lands

Full range of activities

Midwest Region Wind Energy MSHCP

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Keys to Success – Beyond the Data!

• Strategically create a leadership group to guide the GI initiative; involve a broad array of people, programs & organizations;

• Develop a financing strategy for both short & long term;

• Develop an implementation quilt to make the network design a reality – tools, programs, people matched with network elements – no silver bullet;

• Continuously communicate the benefits – craft clear message points for a variety of constituencies.

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Land Planning

Land & WaterConservation

Water Resources

Livable Communities

Health andRecreation

Transportation & Utilities

Working Lands

LandscapeArchitects

Strategic Land Planning & Conservation

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

To Learn More

•Read the Book

•Attend the National Conference – Feb. 23 – 25, 2011

•Visit www.greeninfrastructure.net

Green Infrastructure – Linking Landscapes and Communities

Contact

Kris HoellenThe Conservation Fund698 Conservation WayShepherdstown, WV 25443khoellen@conservationfund.org304-876-7462