Table of Contents

• Acknowledgments

  iii
  

• Introduction

  vii
  

• Section I: Greenways and Their Benefits

  • Chapter 1: Greenways

    • What is a Greenway?
    • The Greenway Approach to Open Space Protection
    • The Greenway Movement: Bringing New Life to an Old Idea

  • Chapter 2: Why Greenways - The Value of the Greenway Approach

    • The Benefits of Greenways
    • Advantages of the Greenway Approach

• Section II: Developing a Greenway Strategy

  • Chapter 3: Getting Started- Organizing a Greenway Initiative

    • Defining Your Project: Cultivating Ideas
    • The Project Group: Forming a Greenway Committee
    • The Vision Statement: Articulating a Vision Statement
    • Project Publicity: Spreading the Word
    • The Planning Process: Taking the Next Steps

  • Chapter 4: Understanding Your Resources- Inventory, Analysis and Goal Setting

    • Looking at the Resource Base
    • Looking at Land Ownership and Land Use
    • Considering Land Use Regulations and Programs
    • Putting It Together: Some Important Questions
    • Goals and Objectives

  • Chapter 5: Implementation- Making Your Greenway a Reality

    • Developing Your Implementation Strategy
    • Designing and Developing Your Greenway

  • Chapter 6: Keeping Your Greenway Alive

    • Managing and Maintaining Your Greenway
    • Countering Concerns About Greeways

• Conclusion

• References

• Section III: Appendices

  • Appendix A: Useful Resource Materials for Greenway Planning and Implementation

  • Appendix B: Sources of Technical Information

  • Appendix C: The Massachusetts Watershed Initiative

  • Appendix D: State Land and Resource Protection Programs and Laws

  • Appendix E: Voluntary Land and Resource Protection Techniques

  • Appendix F: Massachusetts Land Trusts

  • Appendix G: DEM Greenways and Trails Demonstration Grants

  • Appendix H: Sources of Interns

  • Appendix I: Grants for Greenway Planning and Land Protection

  • Appendix J: Landowner Liability- A guide for Massachusetts Landowners and Trail Groups

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Deborah Becker,Orange Revitalization Partnership, Carolyn Bess, Outdoor Explorations, Terry Blunt, DEM Connecticut Valley Action Program, Rachel Fletcher, Great Barrington Land Conservancy, Alan French, Bay Circuit Alliance, John Hendrickson, Town of Hamilton, Krisztina Holly, NEMBA, Steven Levy, Bowman School, Tom McCarthy, DEM Access Coordinator, Ed O'Brien, Neponset River Greenway Coordinating Council, Leslie Reed-Evans, Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, Laura Rosenzweig, Tracy Villareal, Ten Mile River Watershed Association, Gail Yeo, DEM Bureau of Resource Protection, and many others for sharing their ideas and projects with us, and the countless individuals who allowed us to use their wonderful photographs.

-Jennifer Howard

Author: Jennifer B. Howard, DEM Greenways Coordinator
Editor-in-Chief:Ann Christine Reid
Project Profile Research and Writing: Ann Christine Reid with assistance from Amy Ansell
Editorial Assistance: Amy Ansell, Terry Blunt, Danielle Brunelle, Susan Hamilton, Tracie Hines, William Howard, Christine Judge, Carol Kowalski, Andrea Lukens, Richard Thibedeau, Gail Yeo, Susan Ziegler
Design: Carol Best Tyler, Tyler Layout and Design
Cover Design: Meredith Albright

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Introduction

Greenways are corridors of land and water that help protect a variety of unique resources, create many opportunities for enjoying and learning about the outdoors, and most importantly link these special places together. Creating greenways can satisfy a diverse set of environmental and social needs by connecting open areas, making them more accessible and interesting for people, or more life-sustaining for plants and wildlife, and by connecting people with nature and with each other. Greenway advocates hope that these experiences will inspire us to create new greenways and trails, and expand this essential network of green for future generations.

How to use this guidebook

For ease of presentation, the process of planning and implementing a greenway is described as a set of orderly phases. In practice, however, creating a greenway is not a step-by-step, linear process. For example, project publicity, fund-raising, and land protection activities will likely overlap, rather than ocur sequentially, and it is important to keep this in mind when reading through the book.

The information presented is general, and should be tailored to meet the needs of specific projects. Throughout the book there are case studies, sample materials, and many photographs from real projects and places in Massachusetts, which show how some of the ideas and information presented actually work on the ground. If you have just heard about greenways, it may be helpful to read the entire book anddecide which concepts are relevant to your effort, and which need to be adpted or reoriented. If you are involved in an ongoing project, it may be most useful to focus on those sections that relate to specific issues that your group is facing. Feel free to borrow ideas and copy materials from the book to inspire your colleagues, and to help make your greenway case to local and state officials, to your neighbors and to the public.

Happy Greenways & Trails!

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