Curlew Drawing
Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society
Ridges to Rivers - Open Space Network
of the Mid-Columbia region
For more information visit the Tapteal Greenway Ridges to Rivers webpage

Or Contact:

Scott Woodward,Chairman RROSNMC, woodfish24@charter.net, 627-3621

Debbie Berkowitz, LCBAS representative, cdandrb@charter.net, 375-4740

Draft Action Plan
pdf file

Public Workshops Concluded -- Questionnaire/Survey closed --- Draft Plan being written

March 2009
Two more workshops hosted by the Ridges to Rivers Open Space Network were held in Richland and Kennewick in February.  The purposes of the workshops were
  • update on progress since the November workshops
  • receive feedback on our conclusions from previous workshop and the on-line questionnaire 
  • generate a discussion on the challenges we’ll face in implementing an open space plan and get input on possible solutions. 

We asked the approximately sixty participants how they thought we should prioritize criteria for selecting projects given limited funds and manpower.  Input from all four workshops and the questionnaire will play a large role in shaping the open space plan. 


We are starting to write the plan and hope to have a draft out by late summer.  When that happens, we will need your help again to attend council and commission meetings to encourage jurisdictions to adopt the open space plan into their comprehensive plans.  Letters to the editor in support at any time are also helpful. 


For those of you who filled out the questionnaire/survey, thank you; it is now closed.  For more information, see the Tapteal Greenway website. 


Background
In 2008, the Tapteal Greenway Association, with support from local government and non-profit organizations, received a grant from the National Park Service through their Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program to facilitate regional open space planning. 

The resulting Ridges to Rivers Open Space Network of the Mid-Columbia Region (RROSN) is a partnership of organizations and governmental agencies representing a broad spectrum of entities who advocate coordination of regional open space planning.  The goals of the Ridges to Rivers Regional Open Space Plan are to preserve, promote, and increase enjoyment of the unique natural and other open spaces that are important to the region’s communities and that draw new families, visitors, and sustainable businesses to this area.

RIDGES TO RIVERS OPEN SPACE STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
  • City of Pasco
  • City of Richland
  • City of West Richland
  • City of Kennewick
  • City of Benton City
  • Benton County
  • Franklin County
  • Tri Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau
  • Community Health Alliance
  • Lake Lewis Chapter, Ice Age Floods Institute
  • Tapteal Greenway Association    
  • Columbia Basin Chapter, Washington Native Plant Society
  • Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society
  • Friends of Badger Mountain
  • Open Space Coalition of Benton and Franklin Counties
  • Fun Fit and over Fifty
  • National Park Service
  • Benton Franklin Council of Government
  • Washington Health Foundation