GLIN==> Openlands Cebrates Burnham Legacy Sunday June 14th

Submitted by Roger Klocek <rklocek at openlands.org>

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Openlands Cebrates Burnham Legacy Sunday June 14th
www.openlands.org

Openlands Completes 500 Miles of Illinois Water Trails, Continues Burnham's 
Legacy
First-of-its-kind plan creates valuable resource for people of all ages, 
interests & abilities

> CHICAGO, IL--Regional land and water conservation leader Openlands marks 
> the completion of 500 miles of water trails in northeastern Illinois, a 
> decade-long mutli-million dollar effort connecting area residents and 
> visitors to a valuable natural resource. A green legacy project of this 
> year's Burnham Plan Centennial, the achievement will be celebrated on 
> Sunday, June 14, at 10:00 AM, at Gouwens Park, along the Little Calumet 
> River, in South Holland, Illinois.
>
> "When we began this project more than ten years ago, it was the first 
> initiative of its kind in a metropolitan region in the United States," 
> explains Openlands executive director Jerry Adelmann. "We looked at our 
> system of creeks, rivers, streams, and Lake Michigan more comprehensively 
> and identified ways to unify them into a rich and vast resource for people 
> of all ages, interests, and abilities."
>
> Today, states across the country, from Maryland to Minnesota to 
> Washington, are following suit. They are looking more broadly at the 
> values of local waterways, which include educational, recreational, and 
> research opportunities; habitat for wildlife; water quality enhancements; 
> and even financial benefits for nearby communities--studies indicate that 
> property values of homes and businesses near trails, parks, and other 
> outdoor recreational facilities generally go up.
>
> Our region's extensive water trails network emerged from the Northeastern 
> Illinois Regional Water Trail Plan, which Openlands co-authored with the 
> Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC), and the Illinois 
> Paddling Council (IPC) in 1998. With the plan's framework for 
> non-motorized boating activities established, these partners, as well as 
> dozens of government units, NGOs, and business community leaders, set in 
> motion a ten-year process to complete an extensive system of water trails 
> on the Little Calumet, DuPage, and Fox rivers and other area waterways.
>
> "An effort of this magnitude really requires robust and enduring 
> partnerships for success," asserts IPC president Tom Lindblade. 
> Collaboratively, partner agencies identified locations for additional 
> launch sites, secured funding for acquisition and construction, and 
> developed and installed signage. Nearly 50 new launch sites throughout and 
> signage along more than 250 miles of area waterways have been added since 
> the undertaking began.
>
> The Grand Victoria Foundation has been the principal funder of 
> northeastern Illinois' water trails, providing ongoing support since the 
> plan's inception. "This undertaking almost seemed tailor-made for our 
> mission of providing strategic funding to Illinois organizations 
> interested in long-lasting economic, educational, and environmental 
> change," states the foundation's executive director Nancy Fishman. "We are 
> thrilled to witness the fruition of this project."
>
> For many years, federal and state dollars were directed at cleaning up our 
> nation's rivers and lakes, yet relatively little went toward making them 
> more accessible to the people who lived near or visited them. "Now people 
> have a way to connect with nearby waterways in a meaningful way--this is 
> especially important in the nation's third largest metropolitan region, 
> where links to the natural world can be elusive," says Dave Gouwens, parks 
> manager for the Village of South Holland, Illinois.
>
> It is this relationship that makes northeastern Illinois water trails an 
> important legacy of Daniel Burnham's historic Plan of Chicago, which 
> envisioned an interconnected network of open spaces and natural areas, or 
> "green infrastructure," consisting of greenways, biking and hiking trails, 
> waterways, wetlands, parks, forest preserves, and native plant vegetation.
>
> "Achieving this milestone helps people to better understand the 
> environmental, educational, and economic value of investing in green 
> infrastructure--both here and across the country," adds Adelmann. 
> "Already, we're connecting with northwest Indiana to create an incredibly 
> wide-ranging and diverse network of water trails in this region."
>
> Founded in 1963, Openlands protects the natural and open spaces of 
> northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and 
> water, protect natural habitats and wildlife, and help balance and enrich 
> our lives. For more information about Openlands, please visit 
> www.openlands.org