November 29: Open Meeting to Found the Meadow City Conservation Coalition in Ward 3

The Ward 3 Neighborhood Association announces:

AN OPEN MEETING IS BEING CALLED TO FOUND THE MEADOW CITY CONSERVATION COALITION IN WARD THREE

The Coalition’s purpose is to foster Conservation in the Connecticut River Flood Plain.

Please join us on Monday November 29th at 7 pm at Bridge Street School Library.

We welcome Ward Three residents and want to hear your concerns.

We will review our newly developed Articles of Organization and Bylaws and elect Directors, THUS OFFICIALLY FOUNDING THE ORGANIZATION.

This organization is being created by Ward Three residents to do the following:

  • Preserve and enhance the natural character of the Connecticut River floodplain,
  • Oversee the wise use of natural resources to meet community needs for open space,
  • Promote and facilitate conservation, and
  • Through community outreach promote the development of effective land use policies responsive to community needs

MEADOW CITY CONSERVATION COALITION is being created separate from and with the approval of both Broad Brook Coalition and the Ward Three Neighborhood Association. Neither of these organizations is able to take on this mission which we believe is so important.

CONTACT: Fred Zimnoch; e-mail Zimnoch@crocker.com

See also:

Northampton’s Draft New Open Space, Recreation, and Multi-Use Trail Plan (PDF)

Video: Wayne Feiden Presents Draft 2011-2017 Open Space, Recreation & Multi-Use Trail Plan

Video: Second Forum on Northampton Open Space, Recreation & Multi-Use Trail Plan (9/23/10)

Video: Glynwood Presents “Keep Farming” at Agricultural Forum (9/25/10)

State Offers Funds to Help Conserve North Street Woods (8/19/08)

Ward 3 Open Space Survey Results (10/11/10)
Here are the top five responses to Question 7 (among the 94 respondents who answered the question correctly):

If you could tell the City three things that we needed in Ward 3 that would make it better from an open space and recreation point of view, which of the following would you choose to say?

  1. We need to conserve as much farm land and agricultural soil as we can
  2. The tree-lined streets are an important part of the Ward 3 experience and should be maintained and replanted when needed
  3. The wooded areas should be protected because they provide natural play space for kids, habitat for wildlife, and give Ward 3 character
  4. Protect the remaining wetlands in Ward 3
  5. We need 2 or 3 small (less than an acre) neighborhood parks to promote walking and livability

Bay State Village Visioning Project: Survey Results (7/26/10)

MA Secy of Energy and Environmental Affairs: Urban Parks Deserve Protection as do Habitat Reserves and Working Landscapes
[Ian Bowles:] We need smart land conservation along with smart growth. That’s why, going forward, the commonwealth is going to concentrate its land protection efforts on three priorities, which complement the administration’s smart-growth goals:

  • Urban Parks: For smart growth to succeed, urban life needs to be attractive. From a land perspective, the best thing we can do to improve urban living is to make sure there are beautiful parks within walking distance of every urban dweller. So we plan to create visionary urban parks in 10 to 15 cities in neighborhoods that don’t have them, and to significantly [improve] parks in all 51 Massachusetts cities over the next four years…

CommonWealth Magazine: “Urban greenery can bring better health, more attractive neighborhoods, and even safer streets”
 
Photo Essay: 10 Reasons People Like Trees Around Them; Will the Sustainable Northampton Plan Put Urban Trees at Risk?

Rutherford Platt, “Regreening the Metropolis: Pathways to More Ecological Cities”

UMass Press: “Natural Land: Preserving and Funding Open Space”