The Mercer County Green Links Plan
(What to Consider When Creating a Green Link.)

Opportunities for making a connection to the Mercer County Green Links Plan are possible when municipalities update or develop their Open Space and Recreation Plans or when the community or organizations make plans for local greening projects. The following recommendations should be considered to increase the probability for a project's success. Planners, local decision-makers, and interested community groups should strive to achieve the following objectives when considering a Green Links initiative.

• Multiple Functions. Links should be developed to fulfill a variety of objectives. For instance, a link developed for recreational opportunities may also preserve historic character, serve as a pedestrian transportation route, and achieve environmental protection goals. One link may not be able to achieve every objective, but multiple objectives can be reached by making connections between diverse links.
• Environmentally Sensitive Areas. A green link can buffer environmentally sensitive areas, such as wetlands. It can also be a buffer between a sensitive area and an adjacent land use. Pedestrian paths within the system should be designed to direct people away from environmentally sensitive areas to minimize their disturbance.
• Natural Resources. The location and size of a link will determine the extent of protection it can provide for natural resources, such as air, water, vegetation, and wildlife.
• Habitat. Natural corridors can connect isolated parcels of open space and provide access to a greater variety and size of habitat for wildlife. This reduces habitat fragmentation and increases habitat diversity available to wildlife.
• Local/Historic Character and Visual Continuity. People connect to a site based on its aesthetic and cultural character, therefore these characteristics should be preserved or enhanced when creating a link. Well-designed links can also protect and enhance historic sites and districts, as well as provide visual continuity. For instance a Main Street corridor or a tree-lined street can preserve a community's architectural character and help define the local character of the town or village.
• Scenic Value. Viewsheds and focal points can be protected and enhanced in a variety of ways. The character of a rural community can be preserved by protecting the green buffers along transportation corridors or through farmland preservation efforts. Trees and other vegetation can soften the hard edges of the built landscape in urban settings.
• Recreational Opportunities. Linear links can provide for active and passive recreational opportunities such as walking, hiking, jogging, bicycling, canoeing, cross country skiing, and bird watching. Links should also connect active recreation centers and organized sports fields to populated areas.
• Continuous/Effortless Access. Links should have a number of easy and visible access points that serve the user population. A short link may have only one or two access points, whereas a longer link has the potential for numerous access points. Some links may not be appropriate for public access, however communities are encouraged to create links with public access.
• Alternative Transportation Modes. Access to open space and activity centers can be enhanced by providing a framework for alternative modes of transportation, such as walking or bicycling. This provides opportunities for the portion of the population that chooses not to drive or is unable to drive, notably the very young and the very old. Additionally air quality can be improved if people use their vehicles less, especially when commuting to and from work or school.
• Land Use Integration. Links can ease the transition between two dissimilar land use types by providing a natural buffer. This type of link should be designed to provide environmental value, as well as aesthetic value to a community.
• Existing Open Space and Other Sites. Links should provide a connection between two or more sites, such as open space, historic sites, community facilities, or other activity centers. By providing links to local and regional sites, more people and wildlife have the opportunity to access and use them. When sites are connected, the usefulness of both the sites and the link is enhanced.
• People, Communities, and Sites. Natural systems are not bound by arbitrary political boundaries, nor should the proposed regional Green Link system be limited by them. A comprehensive network of green links has the potential to provide connections between urban, suburban, and rural areas and a variety of sites. They also provide the opportunity to form diverse partnerships.
• Development Pressures and Connection Opportunities. Development pressure can be used as a tool to preserve open space and create new linkages. When developers are required to set aside a portion of their development tract as open space, care should be given to its location and design. Communities should encourage developers to locate the set aside in such a way as to link to other sites and to other open space, rather than creating numerous isolated parcels that fragment the local community and its ecological systems.
• Community Support and Participation. The community should be invited to participate in all phases of the green links project from planning through its implementation and upkeep. Community support can increase the success of a project by providing resources, such as volunteer participation, fund raising, and popular support for the project in the political process. Local stakeholders can generate additional community support with their enthusiasm and action, along with providing continuity and longevity when local leadership changes.
• Partnerships. A green links project should involve groups with different areas of expertise to ensure that it achieves multiple goals, provides more benefits, and responds to a variety of challenges and concerns. Partnerships can enhance a project, help leverage needed funds, and aid in its implementation and success. They also allow benefits to accrue to multiple communities.
• Existing Policies. A green links project should be consistent with local and county master plans, as well as the State Development and Redevelopment Plan. Those that are, will have a better chance for success.
• Project Feasibility. A project's feasibility should be based on whether there is community support, whether funding is available for all the project's phases, how the funds will be generated, and whether the acquisition of land is necessary or feasible. For example, if a land trust group supports the project, it can increase the project's potential for success. If the project is deemed to be a worthwhile investment, then long term funding sources are important. If a project requires land acquisition, consider whether it can be donated as an easement or purchased outright.
• Public Education. During the planning and implementation of a green links project, formal and informal educational activities for both children and adults can cultivate support. The education process should focus on the benefits of Green links projects in the community and region.
• Data Collection. Comprehensive scientific data is necessary to improve the evaluation process for determining and prioritizing open space and green links. Data is needed to document habitat and open space, as well as to evaluate air and water quality. The Mercer County Planning Division is able to add information about local and regional green links plans and projects to its GIS database.
• Communication. Communication between local and county planning offices must be improved to ensure consistency in plans. In addition, nonprofit and grassroots groups need to share their plans with each other and with government agencies to avoid duplication of efforts or conflicting plans. By sharing information the planning process will be improved.
• Community Forestry Plans. Community forestry plans ensure positive returns on a community's investment in its "green infrastructure" (e.g., greenways, open spaces, street trees). These plans include inventories, design guidelines, implementation ideas, and maintenance techniques.
• Benchmarks. One way of measuring success is to establish benchmarks. Benchmarks may include such things as the number of trails created or the number of new plantings that survive the first year or five years.