— Advertisement —

Mountains to Sound Greenway looking to become National Heritage Area

In a time of tight state budgets and increased demand for preserved natural areas, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust is looking to get the area designated as a National Heritage Area. This would increase opportunities for grants and strengthen existing partnerships that make the 100-mile greenway possible.

The greenway follows the I-90 corridor. A recent extension of the trail brings it a little closer to Puget Sound, terminating (awkwardly) at Holgate on the west side of Beacon Hill. There are also plans to someday connect the trail from Beacon Hill to the International District.

A Heritage designation could also help to tell the story of the MTS greenway as a culturally-important stretch of America and help spread awareness of it.


— Advertisement —

From the MTS Greenway Trust:

The Mountains to Sound Greenway connects Puget Sound and Central Washington and is a national success story. In 1991, a broad coalition of stakeholders crafted a vision for a sustainable balance between the region’s built and natural environments. For the past twenty years, Greenway partners have worked together to achieve this vision of accessible natural areas, livable communities, productive working lands and incomparable scenic beauty.

Maintaining this balance is a growing challenge. Public land managers struggle with safety and sanitation in an age of shrinking budgets, while demand for outdoor recreation continues to grow. It is essential to carefully manage forests and natural areas that clean our air and water. Critical steps must also be taken to ensure that our cities remain attractive and dynamic, accommodating smart development and serve as catalysts for economic growth.

The designation of the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area by the U.S. Congress is a key strategy in preserving this iconic landscape.

Official recognition of the Greenway will strengthen a sense of place, enhance funding opportunities, empower partners to work together more efficiently, and formalize the Greenway coalition’s cooperative management style across this broad landscape.

At the same time, a National Heritage Area Designation will not affect private property or water/fishing rights or add regulatory authority.

What a National Heritage Designation WILL and WILL NOT DO.

The Greenway Trust conducted an extensive study on the future of the Greenway that included active community participation of over 1,000 stakeholders. Government agencies, local businesses and conservation organizations support the designation of the Greenway as a National Heritage Area.

Here’s a draft of the National Heritage designation feasibility study:

Green Way Feasibility Draft


About the author:


Related posts:

Comments

One response to “Mountains to Sound Greenway looking to become National Heritage Area”

  1. […] MTS Greenway Trust oversees a corridor of green spaces roughly following the I-90 corridor. Though still missing many key segments, the I-90 Trail (also known as the MTS […]

— Advertisement —

Join the Seattle Bike Blog Supporters

As a supporter, you help power independent bike news in the Seattle area. Please consider supporting the site financially starting at $5 per month:


Latest stories

Bike Events Calendar

Apr
2
Tue
6:30 pm West Seattle Bike Connections mo… @ Online
West Seattle Bike Connections mo… @ Online
Apr 2 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
 ShareMastodonTwitterFacebookRedditEmail
7:30 pm NW Greenways Meeting @ Virtual via Zoom
NW Greenways Meeting @ Virtual via Zoom
Apr 2 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Our regularly scheduled meeting, happens every other month. Please check NW Greenways Twitter account – https://twitter.com/NWGreenways, our Google Group – https://goo.gl/W9jmzW or our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NWGreenways/) to confirm the meeting. ShareMastodonTwitterFacebookRedditEmail
Apr
3
Wed
6:00 pm Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board M…
Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board M…
Apr 3 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Monthly agendas can be found at: http://www.seattle.gov/seattle-bicycle-advisory-board/meetings/meeting-agendas The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board (SBAB) advises the Mayor, City Council, and City Departments and Divisions on projects, policies, and programs that improve and/or affect bicycling conditions in[…]
Apr
4
Thu
7:15 pm Point83 @ Westlake Park
Point83 @ Westlake Park
Apr 4 @ 7:15 pm
Point83 @ Westlake Park
Meet up in the center of the park at 7ish. Leave at 730. Every Thursday from now until forever rain or shine. Bikes, beers, illegal firepits, nachos, bottlerockets, timetraveling, lollygagging, mechanicals, good times.ShareMastodonTwitterFacebookRedditEmail
Apr
6
Sat
9:00 am First Saturday Neighborhood Clea…
First Saturday Neighborhood Clea…
Apr 6 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Every month volunteers gather to collect garbage and help beautify our neighborhood. On average, we collect about 15 bags of garbage per clean up, which means 1,000’s of small pieces of plastic that do not[…]
— Advertisements —

Latest on Mastodon

Loading Mastodon feed…