Implementation — How we Preserve
⑦Encourage restoration and stewardship
Active stewardship through removal of invasive species, restoration of stream banks, or planting of native species is a critical part of ensuring open space is providing functions such as flood mitigation.
Encourage the restoration and stewardship of land and resources.
Why:
Open space land, if not properly managed and improved, may cause water quality problems and other issues. Realizing the highest value function of open space lands is best achieved through stewardship and, where needed, restoration.
How:
The management and maintenance of open space should be directed by conservation plans, which could identify strategies to limit or even reverse environmental degradation, such as from erosion or invasive species infestation. Stewardship is beneficial on all open space, whether permanently protected or not. Protected open space should be prioritized for significant restoration projects given the assurance that the land is protected in perpetuity. Significant planning and restoration on unprotected open space should ideally be accompanied by a permanent protection mechanism. Support for this effort would come from municipal, county, state, federal, land trust, and private sources.