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OKI Greenspace Program

OKI promotes the conservation of greenspace for the social, economic and environmental vitality of the region.

OKI’s Greenspace Program was established to work with local governments, business interests, conservation groups, and OKI committees to conserve greenspace as the region grows. OKI’s program advances greenspace through efforts to:

• Implement Where Do We Grow From Here?, the region’s Strategic Regional Policy Plan, with a focus on integrating greenspace into the development process and conserving natural systems;
• Update and maintain the regional transportation plan, which requires information on environmental resources and consultation with environmental resource agencies; and
• Build a base for regional greenspace planning that will support and strengthen local efforts to conserve greenspace and natural resources.

Some of the projects underway involve work to:

• Identify programs that can provide resources or serve as models for local governments working to conserve greenspace and natural systems;
• Meet with key local agencies and organizations to discuss their work to conserve greenspace and natural resources, beginning with major park organizations;
• Research software programs that can enable local governments to quantify the functional value of natural systems (such as the i-Tree and CITYgreen models);
• Develop a stream database to provide information on high-quality streams and watersheds and local protection efforts; and
• Update and refine data for preparing maps to facilitate greenspace planning.

For more information, contact Margo Lindahl at (513) 621-6300.