the challenge of meeting open space needs in utah steve burr and dale blahna institute for outdoor...

The Challenge of Meeting Open Space Needs

in Utah

Steve Burr and Dale Blahna

Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism

Utah State University

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Rapid Growth

Cities and communities experiencing growth rates exceeding the national average

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A Number of Problems

• Lack of infrastructure• Increased cost of living• Changes in land values• Lack of planning to

manage growth• Resulting environmental and

social impacts• Perceived decline in quality

of life

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Certainly True in the State of Utah

• High rate of in-migration• Highest birthrate in

the nation• Concentrated growth--

sixth most urban state• High rate of land

and resource use• Poor zoning regulations

encouraging sprawl

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The State of UtahA Metropolis

More than four-fifths of Utah’s population now lives in a metropolis,

--The Greater Wasatch--

a ten county region of urbanization.

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The Greater Wasatch

By 2020...•67% increase in GW-- 1.6M to 2.7M people

•Adding 43,000 people every year

•84% increase in developed land (590 square miles)

By 2050...•Five million people in Utah

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A Perceived Quality of Life

Amenity Values

Values placed on the natural resource amenities of:

Clean Air and Water

Scenic Beauty & Aesthetics

Wildlife & Habitat

Outdoor Recreation

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Critical to These Natural Resource Amenities

Protection and preservation of Open Space:

• Undeveloped land that retains most, if not all of its natural characteristics;

or

• Land that is managed for the sustainable development of natural resources.

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Utah’s Great Outdoors Open Space Project

Purpose: Identify open space needs, priorities, and initiatives for each of the seven Planning Districts in Utah.

Focus on issues related to: • outdoor recreation• amenity values• ecological services

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•Seek input from key stakeholders:• land management and

planning professionals;• state and local officials;• community leaders and residents.

Identify action strategies for addressing open space needs.

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Three Phase Process

1. Utah’s Great Outdoors Conference

2. Statewide Key Informant Mail Survey

3. Public Meetings-- Presentations of Findings and Opportunities for Stakeholder Input

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Utah’s 7 Planning Districts and 29 Counties

Bear River Wasatch Front Mountainland Uintah Basin Central Southeastern Southwestern

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Utah’s Great Outdoors Conference

176 participants in 19 different groups responded to these two questions:• What are the most pressing outdoor recreation

and open space needs in your region of the state for the next 20 years?

• What are the most pressing outdoor recreation and open space needs for specific towns and communities in your region for the next 20 years?

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Utah’s Great Outdoors Conference

Results: Question #1--414 items identified:

“Preserve the wetlands and wildlife areas surrounding the Great Salt Lake.”

Question #2--242 items identified: “Small communities have insufficient funds for purchase of critical lands or development of recreation facilities.”

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Statewide Key Informant Survey

To further validate and prioritize the importance of outdoor recreation and open space needs for each Planning District that were identified at the Conference.

To obtain stakeholder attitudes toward 25 open space protection tools.

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Statewide Key Informant Survey

287 Surveys Mailed 182 Returned 63% Response Rate

Utah’s Great Outdoors

A survey conducted by Utah State

University’s Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism and the Utah Division of

Parks and Recreation

Spring 1999

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Statewide Key Informant Survey Results--Open Space Needs

Statewide• Cooperation/partnerships in planning for and

provision of open space• Trails/corridors for recreation and access• Education for children and adults directed at

proper use, minimizing impacts, and importance of open space

• Developing access and managing open space

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Northern Utah• Water quality and quantity, wetlands, riparian

areas, and wildlife habitat• Protecting access to mountain canyons and

public lands• Open space protection in urban, suburban, and

developing areas• Land acquisition-- identification

and funding

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Rural Utah• Long-term, reliable funding for development and

maintenance• Long-range planning-- cooperation

and assistance• Specific projects with economic benefits• Community quality of life as one result of

economic benefits• Historic/heritage sites

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Public Meetings

Present prioritized listing of outdoor recreation and open space needs for each Planning District.

Seek out stakeholder comments on these findings.

Ask participants to identify existing and potential projects addressing outdoor recreation and open space needs.

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Public Meetings

Presentations:• To approximately 350 individuals at 19 different

meetings throughout the state;

• Association of Governments (AOG) meetings in each Planning District;

• Travel Region meetings;

• City/County Councils meetings;

• Special Groups (e.g. Public Lands Forum)

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Results of Public Meetings

Over 300 specific outdoor recreation and open space projects identified for the seven Planning Districts in Utah.

A broader picture of the social and political context in which open space planning must occur in Utah.

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Major Themes Evident

1. Two broad types of open space needs:

• Specific Purpose Projects• individual trails • water projects• visitor centers • heritage sites• parks • wildlife habitat

• General Concerns • funding • education • partnerships • planning

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2. There are two different orientations toward open space values.

• Some major differences in opinion exist between stakeholders in urban/suburban and rural planning districts regarding the purpose and value of open space.

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Urban/Suburban stakeholders emphasize protection of open space for non-use or intrinsic values, along with recreational and access needs. • For community aesthetics and amenities• For controlling growth and development• For providing ecological services

-wildlife habitat -wetlands/riparian protection -water quality

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Stakeholders in rural areas are more concerned with the use value or instrumental value of open space.• To help meet local economic needs through

outdoor recreation and tourism development • To retain public access for recreation• To retain traditions of multiple use of natural

resources on public lands

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Key challenge to successful, long-term, statewide funding and planning efforts…

…is providing opportunities to enhance both the use and environmental protection roles of open space simultaneously.

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Need to meet recreational access/use and wildlife/habitat protection needs simultaneously, whenever and wherever appropriate and possible.

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Recommendations

Linking these two orientations is possible.

Will require an explicit and balanced effort to bring these together.

Especially important to encourage support and collaboration with rural areas of the state.

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3. Open space linear corridors and water-related resources are critical.

•Linear corridors mentioned most often: -trails and paths -bikeways -OHV routes•Corridors implied by projects identified for: -parkways -riparian corridors

-riverways -wildlife corridors -canyon protection & access

-corridors linking communities & towns

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• Water-related projects are considered important throughout the state.

• In rural areas, focus is on providing or improving reservoir and river recreation.

• In urban/suburban areas, water quality, wetlands/riparian protection, and wildlife habitat are of equal or greater importance.

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Recommendations

To enhance long-term benefits from statewide coordination and funding will require Specific Purpose Projects to be designed to simultaneously meet recreational development and use goals along with natural resource and environmental protection goals.

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Recommendations

Many types of linear recreation lands and open space, such as greenways, need to be viewed in a wildlife context as providing corridors for migration and access to other habitat blocks.

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4. Funding, funding, funding…

• Stakeholders throughout the Planning Districts view funding as a key role for state agencies.

• Not simply providing funds, but also providing technical advice and coordination for identifying and acquiring funds.

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Recommendations

Provide a larger portion of funds to rural Planning Districts.• Distributing funds on per capita basis

is problematic.• Many urban/suburban residents travel to

rural areas of the state for recreation.• Tourists visit many of the rural areas.• Puts a higher level of pressure on rural

resources and infrastructure.

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Major Themes & Recommendations

Long-term and consistent sources of funding important for rural areas.

Long-term resource protection and amenity/ecological service values are statewide concerns.

Funding should be used to encourage Planning Districts to help protect these broader social values.

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5. Local Control--State Coordination

In general, stakeholders see great value in statewide coordination of open space planning and funding efforts, but at the same time want to retain local control.

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Recommendations

Focus on projects that meet local needs.

• Large pool of existing and potential open space projects in all planning districts.

• Priorities can be identified by local stakeholders.

• Local needs should be a starting point for statewide planning and funding priorities.

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Recommendations

But also emphasize that such projects must meet broader state needs. • Funding criteria should recognize both use and

non-use values of open space.

• Funding should help meet local needs as well as broader state level needs.

• Open space planning and funding must be a joint effort between local and state agencies and stakeholders.

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Planning and funding criteria for a project might include evidence that it:

• Meets both local and state level needs;

• Has local community support;

• Is part of larger scale planning efforts;

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Planning and funding criteria for a project might include evidence that it:

• Meets objectives related to amenity and ecological service values... even if the project focuses on use;

• Is part of a collaboration or partnership;

• Has an educational component.

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New methods for combining human values of open space and wildlife/habitat protection in project planning, funding, and implementation are needed.

Will require more collaborative efforts in social and ecological research.

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The Challenge of Meeting Open Space Needs

in Utah

Steve Burr and Dale Blahna

Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism

Utah State University

5220 Old Main HillLogan, Utah 84322-5220

(435) [email protected]

the challenge of meeting open space needs in utah steve burr and dale blahna institute for outdoor...

Documents

utah slide

sprawl slide

southwestern slide

preservation of open

quality of life slide

stakeholder input slide

national average slide

pressing outdoor recreation