Week 1 of the 2023 Open Space Conference was “Open Space and Recreation Plans, from Writing to Action”. We were joined by Mike Penko (Upton Open Space Committee), Dan Leahy (Chair, Wendell Open Space Committee), Allison Gage (Senior Land Use & Natural Resources Planner, Franklin Regional Council of Governments), and Kathy Sferra (Conservation Director, Town of Stow). You can learn more about our featured speakers here.

The recording of the “Open Space and Recreation Plans, from Writing to Action” webinar is available for viewing here.

Resources

• Access Dan Leahy’s and Allison Gage’s PowerPoint presentation here.

  • View Wendell’s 2021 Community Survey here.

  • View the summary of results from Wendell’s Community Survey here.

  • The Open Space and Recreation Planner’s Workbook is found here.

• Access Mike Penko’s PowerPoint presentation here.

  • Upton was featured in the “Writing an Open Space and Recreation Plan” case study on page 13 of the Open Space Handbook. You can view the Handbook here.

  • During the presentation Mike recommended reaching out to the Division of Conservation Services (DSC) early in the Open Space and Recreation Plan process about ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance. He shared an example of a one-page template Upton made for their Conservation Areas for their 2020 Open Space and Recreation Plan. You can see an example of the template on page one here.

• Access Kathy Sferra’s PowerPoint presentation here.

  • You can view the Stow Acres Open Space, Recreation, and Housing page here to learn more about the Stow Acres project.

  • Learn more about the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant programs here. You can also learn more about MVP grants at our Week 3 webinar “Land Conservation and Restoration Initiatives for Climate Resiliency”.

Photo credits: Becca Solomon