Conserving high-quality natural areas in the DFW region is Open Space Conservation Program’s mission.
Through this program, the City of Fort Worth is looking to provide environmental benefits, offer recreational opportunities for residents, and support sustainable economic development by conserving natural areas in Fort Worth. In August 2019, the team made a list of goals they wanted to accomplish through the initiative and collaborated with nonprofit The Trust for Public Land, which works with cities across the country developing similar programs. The program also created an online mapping tool that features dozens of data layers and outlines the high-priority areas in the city, ranging from floodplains to endangered prairies.
“It’s an exciting program and what we’re really trying to do is look at the future,” says Brandi Kelp, senior planner at City of Fort Worth. “The Dallas-Fort Worth region is going to continue to grow, and we want to make sure we’re growing in the right way and preserving these really important natural spaces for future generations.”
Open Space has seven priorities — one of them being recreational opportunities, as studies have shown that having access to parks and open spaces leads to better health, according to the city. The program also looks at underserved communities and areas that do not have close access to parks and open spaces. Public surveys have been distributed to figure out what the people would like to see, and the city is encouraging residents to continue filling out those surveys as they come.
A virtual meeting will be held Thursday at 5:30 p.m., during which city staff will update participants on the progress being made, as well as present the results from the public survey. The Open Space team will also give a first look at the modeling results from their prioritization tool. Participants will be able to give feedback on the program. The meeting will also discuss a benchmarking study conducted by Trust for Public Land to help the city determine best practices and policies for open spaces.
The virtual meeting will take place via Webex. The meeting number is 182 001 5276 and meeting password is b9yJUJxeK69. Join by phone at 469-210-7159.
Learn more about the Open Space Conservation Program here.