parks and Natural Areas protection and enhancement
Parks are areas of our environment that are set aside for our enjoyment, recreation and for preserving habitat for nature and wildlife. They are integral to healthy people and our communities. They provide areas for us to find serenity, to be active, and expand our knowledge of the world around us. They are vital social connection areas. They are essential to maintaining a healthy uniform ecosystem and to protecting air quality, water quality, and plant and animal diversity.
Different parks or green spaces in different areas provide different levels of experiences for people to enjoy. This is why having a comprehensive parks system that serves our village is so important.
Understanding what our community has, what it needs and how needs change over time requires a hands on approach of good governance. We have some terrific amenities in our parks and recreational areas encompassing a diverse amount of activities. But there is much more we can do. Providing more signage and maps to enhancing education and opportunities for exploration within the village is one such way, continuing developing and properly maintaining trails is another example. Let’s use some of our modern technology such as mobile apps to gain knowledge, catalogue and identify what flora and fauna are all around us. A healthy fire resistant urban tree canopy is important to urban health. Let us continue to expand our green spaces in the community.
The village must look at the positive benefits that have already been evidenced in the parks we have. We must look at and continue growing our parks alongside proper housing and other social or educational developments. Losing park space is never a solution. Losing places for children to play, not an option.
Our natural areas provide so much for the village. They help to create tourism, provide habitat for our wildlife, they naturally clean the air and water, they help to counter climate change and they help with flood control. Pest management is another benefit as birds, bats, dragonflies, and larger predators keep things in check.
There are so many types of parks; they all fill different environmental, physical and psychological needs.
We need to make sure that the village parks system fills those needs.
Healthy Parks Equal Healthy Communities
