The work of establishing a Greenway across the entire Tunkhannock
Creek Watershed will only be accomplished by breaking the project
down into manageable tasks. Perhaps the easiest way to go about
this is by promoting the idea of working as conservation neighbors.
Conservation neighborhoods are groups of people who are tied to a
specific natural or manmade feature … a lake, a pond, a mountain, a
stream, a community.
The advantage of working in a conservation neighborhood is
four-fold:
First, the task is more approachable
– financial needs are smaller, volunteers are easier to find, and
travel to meetings is reduced.
Second, local control means efforts
are concentrated on what is most important to those most affected.
Third, results are easier to obtain.
While it would take years to develop a 50-mile hiking trail, a
walking path around a community lake could be enjoyed in a matter
of months just by getting area residents to agree to give it a
try.
Finally, problems are easier to
handle. Neighbors working with neighbors can avoid the resentment
that often occurs when outsiders come in to a situation. Further,
a nucleus of people can provide a louder voice when needs or
changes of behavior extend beyond their boundaries.
This process of working in conservation neighborhoods was
started locally by Keystone College when they developed a riparian
buffer adjacent to the South Branch and Ackerly Branch of the
Tunkhannock Creek in 1998. This buffer area was extended with
additional plantings in 2001. Nineteen hundred feet of Creek were
buffered with a 50’ strip of native plantings.
A number of other communities, working as conservation neighbors,
have taken on similar projects. Wyoming County’s Lake Carey
Cottager’s Association has successfully applied for a grant that
will allow them to evaluate their water quality and help them
protect their lake from unwise development. Factoryville Borough
residents have established a streamside park, as has Dalton Borough.
In the Ackerly Creek sub-watershed, Lackawanna County residents,
with the help of Countryside Conservancy through a DCNR Grant in
conjunction with Keystone College and the Willary Water Resource Center, have just completed the study of their sub-watershed that
extends from the Ivy Industrial Park through Abington and Glenburn
townships and along the Route 6 corridor to La Plume. This study
included an assessment of the water chemistry, macro invertebrates,
a herp Atlas study, and a riparian buffer assessment. See Chapter 8
for details of this study and the recommendations.
Conservation neighborhoods are easy to identify. Some logical
conservation neighborhoods include homeowners near Maggie’s Swamp,
Kennedy Creek farmers, homeowners around our many lakes and ponds,
and residents who live near the exits along Interstate 81.
In addition to working in conservation neighborhoods, groups with
common interests – bicyclists, runners, equestrians, snowmobile
enthusiasts, hunters, hikers and ATV-owners – might band together to
develop and protect lands that would provide for their needs.
Snowmobile enthusiasts are some of the strongest supporters of the
D&H Rail-trail that runs 32 miles from Simpson to Steven’s Point in
western Susquehanna County. Groups with common interest not only
provide a base of volunteers and finances, they provide a strong
voice when lobbying for funding or change in legislation.
The improvements that come with a greenway are accomplished over
many years. It will not be possible now to estimate the exact amount
spent in, say, 10 years on a community park or trail crossing.
A related question is: what will it cost if we do not preserve
and protect this watershed and its natural resources?
Government programs like Growing Greener, the Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources, the Department of Environmental
Protection, the Department of Community and Economic Development and
PennDOT, as well as federal programs like Urban Forestry, National
Fish and Wildlife and the Army Corps of Engineers, offer funding for
parks, recreation and open space preservation. Counties, townships,
and municipalities frequently are eligible for state and federal
funding which is not available to non-profit groups. Local and
national foundations also fund projects such as these.
Further, costs can often be avoided or reduced by taking
advantage of local talents and assets…a company with a spare lot, an
accounting firm with no extra cash but a bookkeeping talent, a
builder willing to lend a truck…
Provide planning support
and financial backing for open space preservation and Greenway
development in their regions
Partner with the land
trusts to ensure that targeted conservation lands are purchased,
legally protected, and stewarded properly.
Establish a standard and
practice for tax abatement for conserved lands so that farmers and
developers are able to benefit from conservation without being
forced to return to the Assessor’s Office each year seeking tax
relief.
Upgrade or complete
County Comprehensive Plans to specify which lands are highly
desirable for preservation and how they are to be acquired.
Promote the use of
cluster housing in future development by authorizing density
bonuses for open space development design
Involve land trusts in
the conservation planning process.
Budget funds annually
for the purchase of land for open space and public recreation.
Provide mapping and
grant-writing expertise to allow townships and municipalities to
benefit from the economics of scale and talents of county planning
offices.
Authorize the use of
county equipment and manpower to assist townships in developing
and maintaining Greenway projects in their communities
Promote the use of
Senior Volunteers in Greenways projects
Write or update existing
master plans and ordinances to incorporate conservation planning
and other quality of life strategies, such as “walkable
communities” and open space development design
Promote the use of
cluster housing in future development by authorizing density
bonuses for open space development design
Make
pedestrian/bicyclist protection a priority with local police
Appoint and authorize a
Greenways Implementation Committee to develop a local Greenways
inventory and plan
Partner with surrounding
communities, townships and organizations to develop a funding
stream for such projects
Partner with Countryside
Conservancy and other land trusts to protect large tracts of land
and develop spoke connections between communities
Buy or accept donation
of land for use as parks, recreation and open space
Authorize the
utilization of township and borough employees for routine
maintenance and trash removal in area parks and at trailheads
Require developers to
present both an Open Space Development sketch and a conventional
building design when seeking approval for new subdivisions
Give density bonuses for
Open Space Development Designs
Re-write local
regulations to eliminate conventional cookie-cutter developments
(see Appendix for build-out examples under conventional and open
space development)
Re-write local
regulations to allow for narrower, curbless roads in new low
volume neighborhoods
(ATV, Snowmobile,
Equestrian, Hiking, Running and Bicycling Groups and Sportsmen’s
Clubs )
Provide knowledge of the
area to county, township and school officials and area land trusts
so that they are aware of opportunities and threats within their
region
Lobby State agencies and
write letters of support for grant applications and legislation
which would fund greenways, recreational improvements, and
environmental studies
Make land trusts,
planning offices, and legislators aware of your needs and the
strength of your support
Provide a base of
volunteers and financial support to community hub and land trust
spoke projects
Continue monitoring the
Ackerly Creek sub-watershed and assist in other sub-watersheds
emulating the protocol of the Ackerly Creek study
Partner with Countryside
Conservancy on the expansion of developing the Tunkhannock Creek
Watershed Atlas and communicate it to the public through workshops
and a specific descriptive flyer
Partner with area
environmental groups in expanding the dissemination of Home*A*Syst
water-related issues
Continue working with
Countryside Conservancy in assessing and recommending potential
buffer areas in and near the Tunkhannock Creek Watershed
Develop and implement
“Water in the Classroom” presentations such as “Water from a
Global Perspective”, “Status of the Tunkhannock Creek Watershed”
and “Project Wet Activity”
Provide mapping
opportunities when appropriate at a reasonable fee
Explore new strategies
in water quality monitoring including real-time data capturing
from the Ackerly Creek sub-watershed and the South Branch of the
Tunkhannock Creek Watershed
Develop a monitoring
network with area high schools and Keystone College’s Willary
Water Resource Center
Expand upon 2002’s First
Annual State of the Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Earth Day forum
with groups such as the Willary Water Resource Center, Keystone’s
ERM Program, DEP, Countryside Conservancy, local conservation
districts, local watershed associations, and local high schools
reporting annually
Continue offering
workshops on Lake and Pond Management utilizing Keystone’s Lake
Manataka biology field station
Continue education
relative to the importance of riparian buffers
Partner with various
organizations when appropriate in disseminating educational
information pertinent to watershed issues
Direct senior projects
within Keystone’s ERM program to research and expand upon current
efforts in the Tunkhannock Creek Watershed
Build-out Mapping depicts
the probable locations of new roads and houses that could legally be
constructed on vacant and buildable land that is remaining within
the municipality (to do this use A Manual of Build-Out
Analysis—Lacy, 1990). Lay members of local planning boards etc. can
conduct a preview of their town’s future prospects under current
zoning.
Once you’ve prepared a
build-out map, discuss:
Is the location of
growth desirable?
Are infrastructure plans
linked to the location and magnitude of development?
Once the community is
built-out, there will be few opportunities for additional growth.
Will revenues be adequate to pay for services and infrastructure
needed?
Are there adequate plans
for public parks, open spaces and walking paths?
Does the build-out
pattern in the community positively or negatively impact
neighboring communities?
Can an abandoned timber
road, a utility corridor or railway be used as a trail?
Are there people that
need to be drawn into the planning process?
Determine and Prioritize
Goals
Who should use the
Greenway and for what purpose? Who will be affected?
How should the Greenway
protect and enhance the water, vegetation, wildlife, air and other
natural resources and ecological systems?
Who should implement
this plan? Is this a township-wide venture or one that should be
broken up into small conservation neighborhoods based upon a lake,
pond, stream, mountain, neighborhood etc.?
Will this require
cooperation among multiple agencies or groups?
Once the Greenway is
completed, who will manage it? What level of management is needed?
(yearly mowing versus weekly trash pick up)
How much and what type
of funding would be necessary to make this happen?
What will be the
economic benefit of this Greenway and who will benefit?
Develop a Vision
Twenty years from now,
what should this township look like? What recreational assets
should be available? What level of development is acceptable? Who
will work together to make this happen? How will the success of
the plan be measured?
Select a First Project
Select a project that
will be noticed and can be completed within one year. In some
cases, that first project will be the evaluation of a problem like
the pollution and developmental stress on Ackerly Creek in
northern Lackawanna County or pollution in Lake Carey. In other
communities, the project might be the building of a small local
park. (Dalton Streamside Park, Factoryville Borough Park) Projects
near schools and town centers are particularly good first projects
because there is a built-in audience and volunteer base. Success
breeds enthusiasm.
Establish a Time Line and
Development Scheme
Look at the entire
Vision and establish a time line. Recognize that the longer the
plan takes to implement, the more likely it is to find that needed
land has been developed or is too expensive to purchase. Also,
develop a logical development plan. Working on multiple areas at
one time can save money through bulk purchasing, but it can also
waste manpower and resources and sap enthusiasm since jobs takes
longer to complete.
Develop an Implementation
Plan
Who will do the work and
what skills are needed?
What skilled labor is
available in the community? Who has the truck, the tools, the
skill to manage, the skills to write or plan, the skills to teach
others?
What financial resources
are available in the community? (either cash or donated services
that will cut costs)? Are there local companies that will benefit
either through good publicity or through happier employees? What
can they offer (cash, land, manpower, skills?)
What can the township or
county offer? (planning or permitting assistance, tax abatement,
equipment or manpower, maintenance?)
What can local community
groups – churches, Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, and athletic groups
like hunters, bicycle clubs, equestrians etc – bring to the
project?
What parts of the
project are beyond the means of the local community either because
they cost too much or extend beyond the boundaries of the local
area? Can local land trusts, the county or a cooperative of
several townships meet the need? What grant and foundation money
is available? Who will apply for it?
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