Читать книгу The Outdoor Citizen. Get Out, Give Back, Get Active онлайн

49 страница из 75

It’s not necessary to be a Benton MacKaye or an Alan French to bring a greenbelt to one’s community. Outdoor Citizens should speak with their local municipality leaders, conservation nonprofits, urban agriculture groups, potential funders, and others, and begin sketching what the greenbelt could look like. A grassroots effort and substantial interaction with local leaders are the keys to success.

Staffing an Outdoor City

We need to rise to face significant and shifting needs. The outdoors requires champions to carry the flag of stewardship and innovation and pursue a bold outdoor-centric agenda. But while there should be a movement of Outdoor Citizenship, there also needs to be a representative at the municipal level who can liaise with city officials to set an outdoor strategy and initiatives, and help secure funding. The person would be appointed the city’s Outdoor Officer (or OO)—a role I’ve long thought needs to exist.

In my opinion, a city needs an OO just as much as it needs a director of public works or director of economic development. It is insufficient to simply have Departments of Parks and Recreation or Departments of Natural Resources. There needs to be a specific position that oversees a city’s broad outdoor strategy. Municipalities need on-the-ground leaders who intimately know the communities they serve. The role is tantamount to the prioritization of a city’s long-term outdoor strategy, and the OO would champion and spearhead outdoor-centric initiatives. An Outdoor City’s success can be contingent on having the right OO.