Bikeways Maui JOE BERTRAM III

Bikeways/Greenways discussed in the 00’s.

  

Summary & Timestamped Transcript

• [00:55 → 01:28]
  Introduction to the Maui Greenways and Bikeways Conference
• The Maui Arts and Music Association (MAMA) hosted coverage of the Greenways Bikeways Conference at the Maui Marriott.
• Joe Bertram is recognized as a key figure driving the greenways concept on Maui.
• The event featured speeches from notable community leaders including Elizabeth Russell and the Mayor.
• The conference aims to highlight the importance of greenways for Maui’s community and environment.

• [01:28 → 09:52]
  Joe Bertram’s Personal Journey and Vision for Maui Greenways
• Joe Bertram reflects on his childhood memories of Maui as an open, gentle, and natural place, emphasizing the importance of open spaces and community connections.
• He describes his return to Maui after time on the mainland and how rapid development changed the island’s character and disconnected people from nature and each other.
• In 1992, the announcement of the North-South Collector Road (a four-lane highway through Kihei) sparked his activism.
• Inspired by a National Geographic article on greenways, he transformed his frustration into advocacy, joining local organizations and advisory committees focused on bikeways and trails.
• Bertram connects greenways with Maui’s past: ancient trails used by Hawaiians, horse paths, and open spaces that supported community life.
• Today there is growing demand for alternative transportation modes such as biking, skating, and wheelchair access, emphasizing the need for infrastructure beyond cars.
• The greenways concept integrates:
  • Recreation and transportation alternatives
  • Lateral coastal access allowing public use of shorelines
  • Reforestation and native habitat restoration along corridors
  • Supporting Maui’s status as a premier tourist destination by enhancing visitor experience through nature engagement
  • Creation of pedestrian common areas to foster community interaction outside of cars and gated developments.

• [09:52 → 15:47]
  Current and Planned Greenways Projects and Community Engagement
• Several pilot projects are underway or planned, including:
  • Greenway development at Ohai, North Beach, and Ahana, addressing drainage and access issues.
  • Industrial area greenways near Foster McHenry and Kula Stream, providing safe routes for children and residents.
  • Integration of wetlands, stream beds, and beach reserves into greenway corridors in Kihei.
  • Streamside trails in Wailuku connecting new housing developments to valleys and the ocean.
  • A north shore greenway connecting Kahului to Haiku, incorporating equestrian centers and historic rodeo areas.
• These fragmented trail sections and greenways need coordination into a unified system.
• Involvement spans:
  • Community associations
  • Youth centers
  • Resource and conservation districts
  • Equestrian and trails access groups
  • Developers and tourism bureaus
• A bill is in the Maui Planning Committee to form a greenways steering committee tasked with guiding development and creating a master plan for Maui County.
• The philosophy is to “give back” to Maui’s land by preserving open space as heritage, ensuring sustainable communities for future generations.
• Joe Bertram’s closing quote references National Geographic’s view of humans as an endangered species if community and environmental values are not restored.

• [15:47 → 20:44]
  Mayor Alan Arakawa’s Remarks on Bikeways and Greenways Progress
• Mayor Arakawa recalls the early days of bicycle advocacy on Maui, noting how far the community has come from only discussing bike lanes to having over 12 miles of safe roadside bike paths.
• The initial citizen-driven planning process was crucial, resulting in a county-adopted four-year bikeways plan that prioritized safety and enjoyment.
• The federal government’s ICE-TEA program aligned with Maui’s planning efforts, providing multi-million-dollar grants to support bikeway construction.
• The Bicycle Advisory Committee pushed reforms to make bike registration easier, resulting in quadrupled bike registration revenue.
• They also helped launch a successful bike education program in Maui schools.
• Mayor Arakawa credits the community’s imagination, energy, and vision for these successes and encourages continued advocacy and involvement.

• [20:44 → 27:22]
  The Role of Community and Government Collaboration
• The greenways concept was introduced locally about four years ago by Joe Bertram and Elizabeth Russell, and has since gained traction.
• The North Shore Greenway project exemplifies collaborative governance, involving citizens, government, and advocacy groups working together.
• Mayor Arakawa highlights Maui’s unique relationship between residents and government, with strong community involvement in bicycle planning.
• Members of the Bicycle Advisory Committee were introduced, including key advocates and pragmatic members who drive progress.
• The mayor emphasizes the importance of keeping greenways a visible priority amid competing political issues.
• County government commits to supporting citizen-led initiatives to make Maui the best place in Hawaii to live and recreate.

• [27:22 → 33:25]
  Introduction of National and Regional Greenways Expert: Charlie Anderson
• Charlie Anderson, a veteran bicycle advocate from Texas and Colorado, introduces his experience with greenways and trail advocacy nationwide.
• He describes Texas as a state with unique opportunities due to its open spaces and cultural enthusiasm for biking and greenways.
• Anderson stresses that the greenways development process is inherently political, requiring organization, coalition-building, and strategic advocacy to secure limited resources.
• He emphasizes the importance of political sophistication for citizen groups to succeed in advancing greenways projects.

• [33:25 → 43:23]
  National Success Stories and Lessons for Maui
• Minneapolis: Citizens transformed an abandoned rail yard into Cedar Lake Park, creating a popular urban greenway and expanding the concept to rail-to-trail projects connecting suburban parks.
• Anchorage, Alaska: The mayor’s active involvement overcame landowner resistance to complete the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which became a major economic development and real estate asset.
• Houston, Texas: Despite being a sprawling, car-centric city, Houston rejected highway expansion in favor of a $98 million trail system using existing bayous for greenways, addressing congestion and quality of life.
• Waimanalo, Hawaii (Oahu): Community-driven planning led to a four-phase trail system with county funding secured despite initial budget constraints, illustrating the power of clear vision and community support.
• Anderson stresses the urgency of early planning and formalized trail systems to be ready when funding opportunities arise.
• He quotes Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world,” encouraging Maui residents to commit even to short-term goals (six months) for sustained progress.

• [43:23 → 46:01]
  Charlie Anderson’s Personal Reflection on Maui and Greenways
• Anderson recounts his experience touring Maui’s North Shore with Joe Bertram, sensing the island’s unique beauty and the challenges posed by growth.
• The story of the Mendez sisters who refused a $50 million offer for family land illustrates local commitment to preserving Maui’s character.
• Anderson reflects on the need to protect sensitive areas beyond superficial controls, using greenways as a tool for sustainable development and conservation.

• [46:01 → 52:15]
  Greenways: Historical Context and Evolution
• Anderson traces the greenways concept to the late 19th century:
  • Origins in European cities (e.g., Catherine the Great’s boulevards in Moscow, Parisian circles) designed to create beautiful green urban spaces.
  • Frederick Law Olmsted’s legacy in the U.S. establishing green spaces and parkways connecting urban areas.
• The mid-20th century saw dominance of automobiles and decline of green spaces.
• In the 1960s, greenways re-emerged as:
  • Trails and bypasses for non-motorized transportation
  • Rail-trails and river corridors separated from street traffic, offering peaceful, safe routes.
• These greenways serve multiple purposes:
  • Recreation
  • Transportation alternatives
  • Historic preservation, as many follow old rail lines or waterways.

• [52:15 → 57:32]
  Benefits and Multifunctionality of Greenways
• Greenways offer an efficient use of limited urban open space by stretching linear corridors over long distances, increasing community exposure to nature.
• Example: Yellowstone National Park’s area could be extended as a mile-wide greenway 3,000 miles long, emphasizing the scale and immersive nature of greenways.
• In the 1970s-80s, growing environmental degradation spurred a backlash leading to:
  • Increased greenway focus on habitat conservation and environmental protection.
  • Recognition of greenways as buffers and corridors connecting fragmented habitats.
• Greenways promote:
  • Recreation and access to nature
  • Protection of wildlife and native species
  • Environmental education and stewardship opportunities
  • Economic benefits by raising property values and attracting residents (with people paying premiums for homes adjacent to greenways).
• Examples include:
  • Wetlands restoration integrated into community design
  • Linear parks with fiber optic cable infrastructure to offset costs
  • Greenways serving as natural filters for water and sediment, improving ecosystem health.

• [57:32 → 58:10]
  Summary of Greenways’ Role and Future Possibilities
• Greenways are multifunctional corridors that:
  • Protect natural areas
  • Provide recreational and transportation routes
  • Enhance community connectivity
  • Support cultural and historic preservation
  • Offer environmental and economic benefits
• The greenways concept continues to evolve, with new generations focusing on habitat corridors, water quality, and community engagement.
• Maui is at a critical juncture to embrace these principles and create an integrated greenways system that balances development, conservation, and quality of life.

Key Insights and Conclusions

• Greenways represent a holistic approach to connecting communities with nature, culture, and each other while providing sustainable transportation alternatives.
• Maui’s greenways initiative is deeply rooted in local heritage and the community’s desire to preserve the island’s gentle character amid rapid development.
• Significant progress has been made through grassroots advocacy, citizen planning, and government collaboration, but much work remains to unify fragmented projects into a comprehensive system.
• Political engagement, strategic planning, and coalition-building are critical for securing funding and overcoming obstacles.
• National examples demonstrate that successful greenways projects require a blend of vision, community support, political will, and persistence.
• Greenways deliver multiple benefits beyond recreation, including environmental protection, economic value, and social cohesion.
• Maui’s efforts align with broader trends emphasizing non-motorized transportation, environmental stewardship, and community well-being.

Timeline of Key Events and Developments

Year/Period	Event/Development
Early life (Joe Bertram)	Maui as an open, natural, gentle community with abundant open spaces.
1984-1987	Joe Bertram returns from mainland; notices rapid change and loss of connection with old Maui.
June 1992	Announcement of North-South Collector Road through Kihei sparks Joe’s bike and greenway advocacy.
Early 1990s	Joe joins Kihei Community Association, Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Bikeways, and statewide councils.
~2000	Citizen-led bikeways plan developed, adopted by Maui County Council.
Early 2000s	Federal ICE-TEA funds awarded, supporting multi-million-dollar bikeway projects.
Present (circa 2000s)	Pilot greenway projects underway across Maui; steering committee bill introduced for master planning.
Conference event	Sharing local progress, national examples, and strategies to advance Maui’s greenways vision.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is the main goal of Maui’s greenways initiative?
A: To create connected open space corridors that provide alternative transportation, promote recreation, protect native habitat, and foster community interaction, preserving Maui’s natural heritage.

Q: How are greenways different from bike lanes?
A: Greenways are broader linear open spaces that may include bikeways but also serve ecological, recreational, cultural, and transportation functions beyond just bike travel.

Q: What role does community involvement play?
A: It is essential; citizen advocacy, planning, and cooperation with government agencies drive greenways development and ensure the projects meet local needs.

Q: How is funding secured for greenways?
A: Through a combination of local government adoption of plans, federal grants (such as ICE-TEA), and local political support based on well-organized community advocacy.

Q: What are some challenges to greenway development on Maui?
A: Fragmentation of trail sections, competing land uses, funding limitations, political prioritization, and balancing development pressures with conservation.

This summary captures the comprehensive content of the video transcript, highlighting Maui’s greenways initiative, local activism, government collaboration, national examples, and the multidimensional benefits of greenways.

Transcript

good evening welcome to mama presents the Maui Arts and Music Association is proud to have been there at the greenways bikeways conference at the Maui Marriott Joe Bertram has really done a great job of bringing greenways concept to Maui with Elizabeth Russell and the mayor and all kinds of people that were at this I hope that you’ll have a good time seeing this event hearing a little speech by a couple of the people that were there and understanding the great importance that this has for our Island please enjoy

01:28

this and again mama presents welcomes you to another wonderful show that’s valuable we hope to you Aloha Elizabeth Russell on his by queens now me really happy for you all here it’s exciting appreciate y’all coming out on a Saturday we’re really excited about the department’s we haven’t really done like speakers here for the mainland and locally as well see in a minute but I want to start with this introduction by our fearless leader Joe Bertram I could thank Joker is this think that’s driving

04:56

force behind this effort people that really already agree very much with what we’re doing here and I just wanted to basically go over what why I’m here why we’re here what we’re trying to accomplish here in what the purpose is you’re trying to bring Dean ways his mouth um basically was today is my birthday so I got a present for my parents said that they gave me a photo album that show basically as I was growing up I was a kid the smoky kind of into where i am now and it really it showed about

05:46

connections and this is with what greenway star it’s about connecting and I’m just connecting you know communities the communities or us to nature but it’s connecting us with time to ask the president of future this is what this little photo album showed can show us growing up a Maui here which it was a very much an open space place and these open spaces is what it is such a gentle feeling new people who were gentle with its mild and gentle is a very gentle place and this is what we’re trying to

06:17

recreate now would we go what I like those the emptiness so much of it that it was overwhelming and it’s just incredible beauty of frame when its open space well I went around traveling as I grew up and went around to walk whoo-hoo into the mainland and the whole time you know i always knew maui was here and I didn’t recognize the change that they were happening because growing up because you know so gradual even has started to accelerate you didn’t really recognize it because what’s happening

06:50

while you’re here well I went to man in 84 I came back in 87 and that was the big change and when I came back it was just incredible I always been kind of an apprehensive type of a witness to this so-called progress but when I saw when I came back it was like I was separated there was no longer connected to the Maui that I’ve known as a child so I went to lure any group which is mostly exposed about nine miles outside ahana so it’s very secluded in it’s a jungle everything and just kind of soaked in

07:27

the serenity and just the piece that was there still knew this was going on but didn’t feel I could do anything to change them to make it better anymore after three years there I was a little thing happened I I had a friend who got a condo in kihei again so it’s got to come back and I was starting to like it again the beaches and i’ll try to the middle of it there by Kalama park and wind howling marks are it was nice it didn’t feel like key anymore i did so i was home but it was just a fun place to

07:58

be but then something happened again another one of those changes and what this change was was first in the same month in June the 1992 mayor to virus that time announced the creation of this north-south collector room which was to be a four-lane highway through the middle of key with drawing a parallel between Peabody highway and coastal road so I got really angry and then at the same time just in that same one master Geographic came out with their article on green ones and really inspire so the

08:33

anger was transformed into information and it just became this Greenway kind of guy and I started telling everybody about anyways I told my plans my family and everybody’s like and it was my baby obsession I started on the key a community association they put me on the board of directors is that you want to do something this is way to do it and then subsequently with mandingo got landed with her bears strong platform book of having bikeways and bicycles as part of her heart of administration they

09:14

appointed me to the mayor’s advisory committee to bike ways as well then I joined a heli statewide trails and access Council and all of these groups were the main thing I was doing there was talking about railways so again the dope they do connect this and this is the way I saw for our past now as you know our past including horses and walking Aloha is the round the island trail that was utilized by the ancient wise 400 years ago to get around and basically people walked everywhere horses a major part of our heritage

09:52

people got around Raven and ki hey people might even dresses along the beach and of course Makka well there was either people still rode the horses right in the town pet store I worked out there as one guy bogus course right into where the cash register was before spelled now and then picked everything apart this is great I like this or something and of course it was the open space which was a natural framework which is just an overwhelming framework for than now the present way of the Nexus is that

10:27

there are so many people on bikes and skates and in wheelchairs that are trying to get around them I mean everybody wants to get outside and want to be on wheels for some users other than our motorized so the president now we have a lot of people that are looking at reputation and transportation that’s alternative to the car and it’s also part of our general plan and create these open space quarters for recreation and transportation and addition to that as access people are crawling on for

10:56

access right now and it’s especially along our coastline and the general manager talks about lateral access being created around the entire coastline now the way Nexus us connect this with the future is with substances reforestation there’s quite a movement right now to reforest mountain the native plants and find flora that existed here before weapon and even the widest game change the middle green ways to provide those corners that will allow these plants to re-establish themselves really look at

11:27

risk a fishing and native forest here on Maui it also we look forward to in the future to inventories which is growing three times faster than regular tourism and so this is the way we can position ourselves for the future so we can maintain our position as one of the top tourist destination the world and then it’s the creation of life pedestrian common areas in our house and as we are developing we need common areas where people get to see each other and be with each other face to face not in cars but outside in

12:00

nature this is what what creates that sense of community we’re losing it as we’re starting to box ourselves into cars and to little communities gated communities and so forth we need to make sure these common areas are a part of each web experience that exists you’re allowing the new communities they’re coming out so one of today’s and tomorrow’s kids to to know maui as i knew it as the gentle place with gentle people gentle smiles and way we make it happen is we can just do it it is all

12:36

possible in fact it’s all problem because it to the plans because so many different folks are working towards the same goal it’s just a matter of coordination already we have pilot projects ever be closing in all the separate communities we have mayoral just this morning the connection oh hi which is the white including park making that a green way as well as North Beach appear that jjl project ahana where they’re headed problems with their drainage and that could mean we could address that and also allow folks to

13:11

bite out of that magic down onto the coast we will be looking at in foster McHenry where they’re putting in a new industrial area that goes right up to kula stream and that could also include a green way that could be developed right along homeless streams of kids could get down Mahannah we’re going to write down to the coast without having to get on the highways so we’re starting to look at a system here in kihei of course is the north-south collector quarter and the 30 acres of county and

13:38

beach reserve that’s along the coast being connected with the wetlands and all the stream beds so that’s the key gauge system is starting to come in we even have land owners that are there are pushing us right now to try to get a plan together because they’re very anxious to see this as part of their friends in wailuku we’re looking email street and the way that the kids that all new housing developments have come along the stream there be able to get up into the valley or down to the ocean and

14:04

water bottle by walking or escape for that and then that would cook in with the kahului project which is the north shore meaning which has out to pi e along the coast around the airport in all the dual system right here to cuddle in idea and ended up into haiku the new worst place that’s coming into horse equestrian center is coming in right at the 4th Marine Park and they also have right the end of the legal votes they already have that first rodeo area so you use Malik adults right there as

14:38

connection between the two a natural connection that you can develop into a trip so there’s all these little sections of trails and different people working to try to make them happen we need for less i saw make it happen as one system so we have the community associations that youth Center’s try out our sandy which is the resource and conservation district folks we have the community work day Mihaly trails and access books the equestrian trails association that should physically challenged folks the developers my

15:11

visitors bureau all these folks we’ve contacted them and they contacted us are behind time to make this thing happen now presently was even a bill before tomorrow’s main planning committee to create a beam a steering committee that will guide the development reveal a master plan for milan county so we need your help on that to make sure that goes forward and finally that i took this closing statement from National Geographic guard and a species which I think we’re looking at is even us as being an

15:47

endangered species if we don’t start creating at the communities in island that we want to see and then that support us as a species which includes the first open space in the Natural Area and what they fished up with was that we’ve got to start now that from this point forward it is what we get back to my and not what we take them it that will make our Island home a better place to live this give back our our open space is our heritage let’s make it amazing now we’re legal address you find clothes

16:38

this morning rewinding she did this was Meryl Ingalls major one of our major clients was bikeways from from Rivera start when she first started writing for the banner and she’s followed through with ice-t funds with bike paths has been built you know using his shoulders for the reveal Wow for safe passage for bikes and now it’s supporting even our green waste and so we’ve had a fair strong and a very good friend in the administration I really want to thank for that very inspirational remarks this morning for

17:39

those of you who wrote over y llywydd this morning from the cannery over here to the hotel was a real great ride lesson I think everybody really enjoyed it for me it was sort of like any other day actually I was riding along and all of a sudden this fellow was riding along next to me going it you know also on Front Street you know why the firehouse taters if you know and there’s this dip in the road there and the police should go to these cards and you know I don’t think they really care of it and i think there’s part of

18:10

our ride and we went along like this role in awhile i think mike breakthrough was next to me and rob bishop was here and just gotta just kept on her naughty try to stay on the field on the highway at this point and i kind of ride and I again I thought soon you would get tired he kept talking to me an ebony I thank him for his input he just cut off from us when I cross compete learning highway 4 lanes of traffic and headed back the other direction so somehow he realized that we were on this ride that I was

18:47

here and I don’t worry was going he came across specifically to talk with a funniest thing but but besides that it really was a great ride and not having to be so close to the automobile traffic of whom went off-road was especially exciting and we really do live in such a great place greenways do seem to fit so well five years ago none of us we’re talking about greenways we were talking at that time about the very simplest form of bike lanes to make moving around Maui safer if you didn’t have a car and

19:27

we’ve come a long way since then there are now safe roadside round 12 / Maui we can ride a bicycle safely from my lands in kapalua that’s 40 miles one way that would have been hard to imagine ten years ago but a group of cyclists pulled together bikeways model and he started to imagine and to lobby government we’ve made so much progress since then but still we’ve only just begun the work just four years ago I appointed a bicycle advisory committee without realizing how excited and

20:05

committed this group would be I wanted a little help just planning some white brows and I received that help and so much more it also didn’t hurt that one of my executive assistants Dave de Leon was on the ride with us this morning is also an avid cyclist and advocate for bikeways and greenways well that committee that we appointed as an advisory committee produced a plan a four year plan for haha we should receive to build his bike weighs in what areas and in which portion should be built first and they broke it down in a

20:44

very important way they identify those areas that were safety problems first and we were going to on that and then they went more of what would we want to enjoy after we address the safety issues and that plan was formalized and sensitive County Council and the County Council adopted it at the official bikeways plan of the county of Maui coinciding with the adoption of that plan was strictly coincidental we had no idea that the federal government would begin this iced tea program and come up with these funds for

21:18

alternatives to cars on the road so here we were we just lucked out honestly we had this plan and we asked the feds would you accept this as the plan and they said yes and I think in the first year we’ve got I don’t know one and a half million dollars or two million dollars and next year another two million dollars it all came out of this citizen design plan we didn’t hire fancy consultants although I see some of them here in the room today and we’re and we’re glad to have them yes but imagine

21:56

multi-million dollar grants from the federal government all out of this plan that was citizen initiated and citizen accomplished they also this this advisory committee that we thought would just help out a little bit they successfully lobbied to reform our county code as it related to bikes they made it easier to register bikes in Maui County and through their recommendations by making it easier to register we have quadrupled the revenue in the bike away from here in Maui County and of course they’ve helped us to get our successful

22:35

bike ed program off the ground to Maui schools all that happened because of a little imagination and a willingness to work hard on the part of that committee I never heard the term Greenway until about four years ago Jill Bertram introduced us to the idea and then he just kept talking about it until we listen Elizabeth Russell picked up the theme and I can picture her in my office talking about this greenways and then the whole committee joined in on this idea of greenways and the next thing we knew we started planning for

23:16

the North Shore Greenway that off road route between kaweah hiya and that’s really the way our form of government is supposed to work we can’t do it by ourselves we don’t have all the knowledge of all the different areas or the expertise in fact most ideas of government come from the community Maui is our home and how it involves is joe said is up to all of us we’re in this together no one is going to come to maui and help us to create a great community but we are fortunate to have the numbers

23:51

of committed and unselfish citizens maui county truly has a special relationship with our residents i hear this around the state from leaders in all types of fields and one area i hear about it is in bicycle planning and advocacy i’d like to introduce some of the members of our Bicycle Advisory Committee we’re here today Walter animoto standing in the back with us tremendous degree great glaux sir Raymond chassis and of course Joe Burton and Elizabeth Russell is member emeritus my executive

25:02

assistant de de Leon calls Joe Bertram the Johnny Appleseed of Maui de maison and he has been that kind of dedicated advocate this group is proven it has the right combination of idea guys like joe says a greenway type of guy we have idea guys and they’re doers they are zealots and we have pragmatist on the committee and you need that combination in order to move anything of import forward to with a long way over the last few years and we’re proud of our successes but we have a long way to go greenways are an

25:41

idea whose time has come how far they will go on Maui is pretty much up to all of you I don’t imagine it would be at the top of the list of politicians as an issue to push on a day-to-day basis so whether or not this is successful is very much money and are you keeping it in the forefront and keeping it an issue because there are so many competing issues out there but that’s why we’re here today my message view Joe and others is to keep up the good work babak county government will attempt to keep up with your

26:18

imagination and your desire for this we are dedicated to making maui the greatest place in Hawaii and as I look around the room and I coke later on all these people will be introduced but of course he has two council members with us today Oh Kathy from the caeliar general Raja all sorts of people have as was mentioned community work day our director of Parks and Recreation charming Tavares this year and since she didn’t ride in the bike ride I did she’s going to sit here for the conference and I’m going to go so

27:22

good luck to you all today and really appreciate being included in the program and being included at the beginning of what I think will be something very important for us in the long time congratulations to all of you thank you learn urban edge of the green wave designer who’s one of the planners of the Platte River Greenway images agreed my family they’ve got Joe entrances with full concept food was featured in that national geographic article and here in Colorado and are in trial again you’ve

27:58

been there the past was a bicycle Federation of Americanism and fizzy astok advocate short break and go on to a slideshow Wow planning conference room USDA the possibility and then we’re going to gain so it was actually gotta go fun a program plans with you and I’m really glad y’all here so further ado Indian Charlie Andy I it is going to be here and to be able friends this is my 28th at least mentally maybe my site physical to see if I hi Holly I think I attend on sunday or monday follow Baba’s tried to discourage to

29:31

ride my bike stay out of the way the Bluebirds of the bicycle is coming down hipro texas and which is very much like you had cactus here yet Cowboys you’ve got country music because unique places at like Texas it’s very eating place and that provides unique opportunities as an exciting place because like Texas there’s a whole lot and a lot of it has to do from greenway possible pedestrian access to effective the canvas for in this room they’re enthusiastic they’re created their talented people and and they are

30:28

truly that are truly interested and best interesting Leonato are there any other texts in the room I’m just talking for a while Texas is like that well at least the Texas bicycles in Texas and people who are rigid in an open space and can talk about example that one of the things that Elizabeth didn’t today a sort of the Texas Legislature here today one day in spite of that I spent a whole lot of time traveling around the country helping people to organize themselves and learning applications and to

31:36

understand the political process and to be players in that process because what we’re talking about here is is absolutely a political process there are limited resources available for you here and for everybody else and those that have to political act together generally are successful and those that don’t are frustrating and so the opportunity is to achieve some level of political sophistication to accomplish your dreams individuals and there are absolutely do’s and don’ts associated with that it

32:09

will talk about today there are some ways to do that and there’s made what I want to do is you share with you some of the sick a couple of success stories around the country talk about the notion of when you advocate organize and to be politically successful and then discuss some of the next steps that you might take here on how to be successful in the publication examples Minneapolis we talked about we met by the way we met with professionals yesterday with the county of Maui and consultants interested folks where we

32:53

told some of these stories and their responses to this those of you that that come in with a with the notion that this is a either a foreign concept or something that you’re going to be told on two off to reconsider that respect because they are taking the take the lead of the mayor and other elected officials are saying this is a new day we haven’t done this in the past and Maui but that’s okay we’re going to do it today we’re going to do it into the future and they’re looking to citizens

33:25

help them establish that agenda obviously that is going on around the country in Minneapolis a group of citizens saw an abandoned rail yard at the downtown yes they decided to just simply convert that abandoned rail yard at light on their community in an urban park they create an organization called say cedar lake park they’d already named the park cedar lake park and are gonna save it they organize people they organize money they took their vision and acted in such a way that they’ve been presented to the

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city council into the bananas part of recreation for they solve the problems that they see and make compromises along the way and that project three years later is not only successful but it has given them the amount the energy and the excitement and the confidence to go to base to save Cedar Lake Park which is you have this is abandoned rail yard here with these rail lines going off in all different directions there were also abandoned they’re taking those rail lines linear parks and connecting with

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suburban parks all over the Minneapolis st. Paul area that’s big that’s exciting that’s uplifting that has got the community excited about the whole concept of a more livable community that the opportunity for their kids to ride their bikes to and from the part that happen to be chauffeured but for adults to be able to ride across town on these trails and many others low life now it’s knows about five marriages here it’s amazing how much these trails views and where there’s well not only by

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bicycles and pedestrians across barriers in Anchorage Alaska the there’s a thing called coastal trails 12 a long trail that that looks very much like what a trail would look like and it was along part because it’s a long a the very scenic river front around land around Anchorage they may achieve that in the last couple of years partially because they got the maître involved in a big way they had some landowners that were resistant to and we’re creating roadblocks or trail locks on this vision

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but by getting the mayor involved he was able to use his position to influence those landowners and to get past those objections consequently now not only is that trail done and is one of the great selling points for Anchorage and has created economic development now when people sell their homes they they advertised as it that’s next to the Tony Knowles coastal trail is not a coincidence that Tony Knowles was the mayor vendors and it’s also not coincidental that 20 Knowles is now the governor of Anchorage

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our excuse me da Alaska and he has a serious trail agenda for that state just as he did for Anchorage begun i’m elected partially he got elected to the governor as governor of that state and he’s taking that same cadre of people that look very much like you and are saying help me develop the same kind of vision for the state of lasting and we did in anger because it works because that’s where people are that’s where the that’s where the economic development agenda right now the floor i hear had

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copies of it if you like that talks about in the 1990s homebuyers the number one thing on their agenda is trail greenways and slow safe streets it used to be golf courses and tennis courts but now people are looking for this kind of amenity in their community and they’re buying homes that’s one of the decisions they make when they choose to purchase oh that’s 800 home buyers survey nationwide and I don’t know about the lie but in many parts of the country now when you listen to the ads or that something that is put

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on television radio and newspapers there’s all the trails and access to the trends it’s part of their marketing interesting Lee enough they are very sensitive to the market a lot of communities a lot of municipalities are lagging behind that they have heard that message yet that’s part of our our opportunity is to let them know that’s where the real estate market is if you want to sell houses that’s one of the things you ought to provide Houston Houston Texas Texas is a small southern

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state in the middle they’ve just created a 98 million dollar trail plan for the city has anybody been to Houston it doesn’t look like Mary Houston is a desperate place they had a public key right here about four years ago where they were thinking about the Department of translational saying about taking the loop around Houston highway and growing it from eight lanes to 12 minutes since it showed up and said you’re crazy a better way interestingly enough the Mayor was there and he listened to that

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injury now they’re not expanding that what they’re doing is looking for other ways to solve their congestion problems and one of those is tricks they’ve got a good system of bayous around Houston that service drainage or when trains but ninety percent of time they make excellent Green Wave’s lastly in this little session let me tell you about the community closer to who about a year ago decided that they were going to change from concept to implementation a vision that a lot of people

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and they decided that they wanted to take and create a trail system throughout their community they held a public meeting about this make people and put lines on maps and prioritize and it decided this is what our system is going to look like and then they took that consequently they took it to the the appropriate level going and they had a commitment from that book from that government to achieve their vision now that community is why man on the island why they have a session like this decided what they wanted to do package

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did got community support for it took it to the county council the county council has committed to phase one of four phases of this trail plan found 120 thousand dollars in their budget and I assure you going into that they had been told that they didn’t have any money for this but because the decisions did their job and did it well the county found the money to do a six hundred fifty thousand dollar total phase one and accounted for it’s happy it’s in place now and it’s a very it’s going to be a good success

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story this happening everywhere Ron Riley had a lot to do with that he said to the audience today he also told me that and I think rotten melons but I can apparently the state do tease that are their long-range plan are the transition improvement plans come up some 15 million dollars short of projects because that IRA and they have until May some deadlines and pay to come up with these projects only telling you that too when you’re at a time and the way you know that it does matter that you get

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ahead of curve and that you put your plans down on paper and you can’t create a go when the money becomes available take the mayors of guys take charge of this agenda and be aggressive about it it’s absolutely essential that you break out of the pack of all those organizations and groups that have good intentions but don’t have good plans and are not pursuing the plan following through all this point make yourself relevant to them they operated a political world winners and losers decide you’re going to be a

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winner Margaret Meads quote you’ve all heard it I’m sure but it’s important to stay here never doubt that small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world in fact that’s all that ever has it’s also important to say what are we going to do in the next six months what portion of this vision are we going to achieve in the next six months not here not two years six months volunteers interestingly enough can’t commit to six months six months is a is a threshold that for some reason people

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are readily willing to commit please don’t give up this is a project is absolutely healthy it’s visionary and it will it will have positive benefits that go far beyond the next question was going where we actually talked about creating greenways and bottle service wrote the book greenways trail users guide 21st century and I actually order book from women never paid for it I could he’s get it anyway so that I welcome Bob sir actually Joe took me down the key hey I kind of got some of that same feeling

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that he has some of the changes taking place I see some of that happened my own web colorado’s well the growth taking place the other thing we did is Charlie night ripper right up along the North Shore along that line again jerkin turn road and after about thirty hair pins i threw up but but but that’s not important i do i do a flashback or that nausea but since george bush made accessible of drugs but that’s not what’s important about that tour as I drove along that road we swear why do you looking at the coast in

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the beautiful scenery kind of away from the development we stopped at a little roadside stand and had some mango and some banana lumpia serve to us by the Mendez sisters who are two young women that run this little staff and we were standing there that you seem to tell us how they had been offered 50 million dollars Lister their father and grandfather had for the property and had decided not to sell and right at that moment it all came together I think I got a little hint of that special feeling just a little I didn’t grow up

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here what Joe is talking about about what a special place this is and maybe it’s the turns in the nausea that are still protecting that area and and that might be part of the challenge that we’re facing is is how do we protect areas by going beyond the terms of the nausea to do it and I’d like to talk a little bit today about the concept of green waste what they are where they came up and where they’re going and see how they might possibly apply here I’m going to do that some slides

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see there some way to music and how we’ve been losing much of our right arian space nationwide you lose 10,000 acres of wetland a day we now have nine hundred species on the friend and endangered species list as well we see a lot of this too as with the economic and population pressures expanding development in the areas where they may not really be appropriate for that kind of thing to happen I think we’re also losing an intimacy with nature with with with the resources that are around us as we see our rivers and

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streams sacrifice for development and other more utilitarian objectives this is a one of my favorite stream converts this is action in levis at the ultimate solution hearing and we also see issues of contamination we see a cost I think to our infrastructure our national infrastructure that we’re losing and I think what chills me most about all of this is what my colleague Robert Kyle calls the extinction of experience that we’re losing again that intimacy with nature close at hand and that our

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experiences with nature are becoming increasingly contrived whether it’s an interpretive center or it’s a heart or something that’s controlled we have less and less places where a kid you just go down and catch a lizard or or experience something right in his or her own backyard so I finding solace to find those places of escape he’ll divided spirit I think we’re losing that as well well I think this phenomenon goes back a few years in fact maybe a century or so urbanization BN is spread across Europe

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and in America I think the first response to it was to try and create beautiful green places within the city and initially they were the formal part ways or boulevards this is one in Moscow Russia that Catherine the Great decreed that circles the city and Paris happen in many other cities and then that tradition came over to the United States by the Olmstead Frederick Law Olmsted and his his nephews and his children as well in the legacy of half ways that they left in many American cities green

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spaces that connect together other green spaces within the city and that to me was the first generation of greenways that evolved from well really the late eighteen hundreds until about nineteen sixty in the 1960s we began to see the domination of the automobile and I think we began to react to it and I think one of the things that grew out of that was the creation of trails of by plays on alternative ways non-motorized ways to move through the urban environment and we also saw trails along rivers we saw

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rail lines being converted to trails cigarette how the beauty of these quarters is that many times rail in river ways our grade separated from street traffic so you can kind of go under or over rather than have to be dealing the streets and as a comment was made me earlier about the notion of just stepping a few feet down into a river channel we’re down onto the shoreline you get away from the noise of the urban area that might only be 15 or 20 feet away yep and you step down into it it’s a totally different experience

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and these quarters can also serve the function of rafting quarters many places to restore and recall our history because much of our development occurred along rail lines and a lot of river ways along shorelines and so their places of historic interest and I think it pretty heavily you this issue this is when the Pope came and request but we have some days we have some days where where our trail you are very popular and as you know you build it and indeed people will come the beauty of greenway star is

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there a very efficient way to use scare some space in urban areas if you have a traditional sump pump of open space that’s rectilinear in shade thank you for the focus you might have a unit that’s you know three units outside which gives you nine units of area you know maybe say nine square miles the area for three miles on the side when you stretch out that same land area into a linear quarter you get for that same nine square miles 37 miles of edit that’s more than three times more than four

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times in fact the amount of hedge exposure where people in the community kind of but this quarter can experience it and also it seems like much more space when you move through it the linear manner and in fact if you had an area the size of Yellowstone National Park and you were to extend it out along i-80 to make i 80 every way it would be a mile long at 3,000 or mile wide and 3,000 miles long with 6,000 miles of engine if you’re in the middle of that thing you think you’re in the wilderness

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and so realized just mathematically be a really interesting way to maximize the use and enjoyment and benefit of landscape anyway that was the second stage of Green Wave’s these munir parks with trails and focus well mainly trails and Parks and Recreation use as we moved into the 70s and 80s we began to see increasing destruction of our natural habitat channelization of streams in the degradation of our environment and like most things that that are destructive in this nature there was a backlash people

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began to react that the end to say we need to protect these places they’re important they’re part of our heritage as joe said we want them to be a part of our ladies so I think what is bird is a new consciousness a new sensitivity to a wildlife that that is disappearing now this boy isn’t responsible for the disappearance of frogs but they are by the way disappearing at an alarming what grace and they may be the canary my dad gets our weekly we developed what I like to comb all by objective greenways three

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ways that are recreational but they also serve other functions for wildlife habitat and those kinds of benefits we have more of a sensitivity to the edge creating places where people can get down to the instead of being isolated here’s another good example where we can begin to buffer those edges too and provide a sense of separation and this is this kind of illustrates that that concept though as you can see here where we have the urban areas and then we have areas separate and developers I think

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are beginning to pick up this theme as well providing these things as a metathesis Charlie mentioned they they are places in spaces that people actually pay extra for we also see these green laces ways to live together habitat islands of habitat and you can almost begin to picture Maui and you begin to see these shapes and the natural areas and ways to tie them together as quarters of circulation and connection for wildlife species there are places for interpretation and outdoor environmentalism

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and this is the sunfish officer Fred this is actually an underwater fish Observatory in boulder which I think it’s off that theme as well it’s a place for people to get involved in the community to learn the sense of stewardship so these can become ongoing permanent kind of places what if every school adopted a green lake and used it as an outdoor lab that place to learn it’s also I think a value that we can pass on to the development community that there can be those economic benefits as I mentioned where

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development doesn’t just cookie cutter a lot of a quarter not paying any tension any attention to the resource but a sensitive to the resource and by clustering development we can save those buffer areas and those natural areas that are so valuable because they become amenities that people actually tax therefore from this development here people pay forty thousand dollars extra to have their house case the Greenway and so there’s my attitude it’s a win-win we should I think people can see the

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light those how who are living rooms are what people will locate for now rather than just filling in the houses or turning them into concrete channels they can be both points for commercial development quality personal development here’s an example where the Dalton was built a walk around a wetland which used to be an undesirable area and a status symbol there are the spine scope in the executive offices that takes the wetland and so again we can kind of change what might have been a liability into an

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asset another example of a wetland is landscaping for a project that I think I see Joe pointed out yesterday kikay many opportunities to do exactly this kind of thing to have a wetland community that can be a real asset so there are a number of reasons to create green links we did Environmental Protection we provide for recreation relate origins and destinations we have cultural and historic protection we have an opportunity for infrastructure beautiful place to run fiber-optic cables does long green white corners in fact you

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might be a way to help paying for some of those quarters they’ve done that in Virginia where the fiber optics company actually pays a royalty to the people who operate the green way to use the right of way of course the trail is great for maintenance see the preservation and buffering which I afghan stress enough here because this environment is so bright and we have those human functions that I talked about recreation shaking the urban community in a new kind of way and the cultural education economic and

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utility circulation deficits and the generation three greenway is also as I say to have that habitat that their way for animals and seeds water sediment and nutrients to move up and down corridors going to be a barrier as well protecting some areas filters wetlands are artists like sponges that contrasting panels and meet me used as a cost-effective way to treat sewage they be a source of for the gene pool of seed and other benefits of the surrounding landscape but some of your greenways may not have passed and

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still be green ones i think i think the total package these two ready for our exercise our exercise exercise we’re going to stretch its person