Greenways

Guiding Principle:
Greenways provide a prime opportunity to connect people and communities, linking rural, suburban, and urban portions of eastern Connecticut while providing habitat protection, scenic and natural resource protection, and expanding open space and recreational opportunities.

 

Goal:
To increase the focus of RC&D and its partners on the development and the stewardship of greenways as a method of connecting rural, suburban, and urban communities with particular attention to natural resource protection, economic development, preservation of scenic resources and community character, and connection of environmental justice populations to public services.

 

Strategies:
• Investigate potential open space and greenway linkages across municipal and regional boundaries, with a special focus on river corridors and watersheds.
• Find and coordinate interested citizens, groups, organizations and governmental bodies to participate in greenway development.
• Working with DEP, NRCS, Regional Planning Organizations, the Green Valley Institute, conservation commissions, open space committees, land trusts, Connecticut Land Conservation Council, Connecticut Greenway Council, and others to coordinate an effort to indentify and connect the many fragmented and local greenways throughout Eastern
Connecticut, with focus on including the East Coast Greenway and Air Line Rail Trail.
• Support the development of greenways through resource coordination, fund raising initiatives, establishment of watershed or greenways organizations, pursuit of greenways designation and educational outreach.
• Partner with The Green Valley Institute, The CT Department of Environmental Protection and others to develop a model to assist communities with their greenway and open space mapping and planning initiatives.
• Continue to coordinate and partner on greenway and trail identification and statewide mapping.
• Partner with the CT DEP, City of Hartford and others to complete a greenway trail along South Branch of Park River in Hartford.
• If funding is secured through The Long Island Sound Futures Fund Grant program we will partner with The Eightmile River Wild and Scenic Coordinating Committee to conduct enhanced stormwater mapping and a review of existing stormwater management practices in the towns of Lyme, Salem, and East Haddam.

 

Projects:
• To continue to partner with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Capital Region Council of Governments, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), City of Hartford, Hartford Housing Authority, and other partners to complete Phase II of the multi-use trail along the South Branch of the Park River.
• Partner and seek funds to provide linkages and connections to the Park River Trail and other greenways in the Hartford area.
• Assist in convening a regional collaborative round table concerning greenway planning, creation, stewardship,
and municipal policies and regulations.
• Develop and implement a program to make GPS technology available to local communities.
A. Purchase GPS equipment to support GPS training and equipment to support area plan strategy.
B. Provide 2 GPS trail mapping training sessions for land trusts, conservation commissions, and conservation districts to
facilitate and in exchange for specific trail mapping projects to contribute to the State of Connecticut, DEP trail GIS database.
• Assist municipalities and school districts in understanding the Safe Routes to School program concept and seek opportunities to link SRTS planning efforts to off-street trails and greenways systems.
• Partner with Rivers Alliance of Connecticut on a statewide blue ways initiative.
A ‘Greenway’ is defined within the CT General Statutes under Section 23-100 as a corridor of open space that:
a. May protect natural resources, preserve scenic landscapes and historical resources or offer opportunities for recreation or nonmotorized transportation,
b. May connect existing protected areas and provide access to the outdoors,
c. May be located along a defining natural feature, such as a waterway, along a man-made corridor, including an unused right-of-way, traditional trail routes or historic barge canals or
d. May be a greenspace along a highway or around a village.