National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

www.nps.gov/rtca

Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA)Large Landscape Conservation Action through Locally Led Planning and Partnerships

Poster ID: P06 Kimberly Shafer, National Park Service RTCA

Salmon Creek Greenway, Vancouver, WA. Within The Intertwine Alliance’s focus area, this 130-acre urban greenway includes bottomlands, wetlands and forested hillsides on both sides of Salmon Creek. It is extensively used by local wildlife, including migratory waterfowl and other birds, deer, coyotes, rabbits, opossums, raccoons and beavers. A 3-mile multi-use trail extends through a portion of the greenway. Photo: Mike Houck

RTCA FY13 & FY14 Scaling Up Projects

Photo: Mike HouckNPS Photo NPS PhotoNPS Photo Photo: Mike HouckPhoto: Mike Houck NPS Photo Photo: WildLink

RTCA OFFICE LOCATIONS

RTCA FY13 & FY14 Scaling Up Projects

PACIFIC WEST REGION1. Central Puget Sound Regional Open Space Conservation – WA2. Intertwine (Conservation Initiative and Sense of Place) – OR & WA3. Johnston Creek Acquisition Strategy: Investing in a Natural Area Network – OR4. Northwest Community Forest Partnership – WA, OR

INTERMOUNTAIN REGION5. East Gallatin River – MT6. Rocky Mountain Greenway – CO7. Pinal Partnership Open Space Conservation – AZ8. Hidden Cove Petroglyph & Ranch Ruins – AZ9. Connect Trails to Parks: SAAN Feasibility Study – TX10. Franklin Mountains Landscape Conservation – TX11. Green Lake County Park – TX

MIDWEST REGION12. Flint Hills Trails – KS13. Mississippi River Connections Collaborative – Mississippi River Trail MN, WI, IA, IL, MO, KY, TN, AR, MS, LA14. Connecting Volunteers in the Heart of the Continent – MN15. Headwaters of the Mississippi River Water Trail (NWTS) – MN16. Niagara Escarpment Greenway – WI17. Hackmatak NWR – IL & WI18. Northwest Illinois Driftless Region – IL19. Southern Prairie Pothole Wetland Expansion – IA20. Greening the Crossroads: Central Indiana – IN

SOUTEAST REGION21. Pascagoula River Blueway – MS22. Wekiva Partnership Wild and Scenic River – FL

NORTHEAST REGION23. High Peaks Trails – ME24. White River Buyout Connectivity – VT25. Delaware Valley Landscape Conservation – PA, NJ,& NY26. MPMC Connectivity – People, Trails and Environment – PA27. Spotsylvania Greeenway Initiative – PA28. New England National Scenic Trail – CT, MA29. Lower Connecticut River Conservation Plan – CT30. East Bronx Coastal Connections – NY31. Cacapon Valley Regional Conservation Priorities – WV32. Gloucester Greenways, Blueways, and Flood Mitigation – VA33. NeighborSpace of Baltimore County Strategic Conservation – MD34. Gunpowder Valley Strategic Conservation – MD

NOTE: Projects in italics include a national park partner.

RTCA OFFICE LOCATIONS

SEMIWILD: Detroit/Southeast MichiganSEMIWILD is a collaboration of nine land trusts in the Detroit metropolitan area focused on protecting and preserving the treasured open spaces, green corridors, and natural areas found throughout Southeast Michigan. A synthesis of numerous regional green infrastructure plans, priority conservation lands assessments, critical habitat plans and watershed plans have identifi ed the high priority conservation lands and corridors in the region. SEMIWILD land trusts are joining forces and working beyond their boundaries to systematically protect these remaining wild places in Southeast Michigan.

Building Community, Inspiring ActionLandscapes and communities are unique. RTCA plays a role in assisting conservation partners to build capacity for community engagement, resource assessment and strategic conservation planning to address the long-term needs of people and place.

Integrating Community Based Conservation Action with Large Landscape Conservation(NWLLC Session F65 will focus on three RTCA partnerships)

Intertwine: Portland/Vancouver RegionThe Regional Conservation Strategy for the Greater Portland-Vancouver Region (RCS) is a product of The Intertwine Alliance—a broad coalition of over 80 public, civic, private, and nonprofi t

organizations dedicated to building a world-class system of parks, trails, and natural areas. The RCS covers 3,000 square miles along the Columbia River and nine counties, presenting a broad regional view of conservation while highlighting ongoing eff orts and potential actions at the local level. It is a starting point for future collaboration, provides a larger context for local eff orts and serves as a framework for future strategic conservation actions.

NeighborSpace: Baltimore County/Chesapeake Bay WatershedNeighborSpace is a nonprofi t organization that works with partners to promote more livable communities inside Baltimore County’s growth line by acquiring land for a variety of open space uses. Their strategic

conservation plan focuses on responsible stewardship, sustainable growth and strategic acquisition guided by environmental, social, and economic objectives.

Conservation and restoration of these lands contribute to improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Scaling UpThe National Park Service RTCA program is currently providing assistance to partners in 34 LLC projects across the country. These eff orts include regional and statewide strategic conservation planning; green infrastructure planning, wildlife corridor protection, protection and restoration of natural lands and waters; recreation planning across networks of public lands; and implementation of local projects that further large landscape conservation goals.

The projects focus on collaborative eff orts to protect and steward resources and holistic ecosystem processes in support of a range of ecological, economic, historical, cultural and recreational goals. They are multi-jurisdictional, involving the participation of many governing entities; multi-objective, conserving priority lands to meet a range of needs and goals; and multi-stakeholder, requiring partnerships among public and private organizations, and enabling stakeholders to better prioritize actions, expand partnerships, and share services for conservation success.

Conservation Vision, Local Action Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program staff work in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. RTCA projects lead to tangible on-the-ground success while building capacity to sustain locally based conservation.

Special Thanks to:

Barbara Hopkins, NeighborSpace

Jonathan Jarosz, SEMIWILD

Mike Wetter, The Intertwine Alliance

Wink Hastings, NPS RTCA, MD

Barbara Nelson-Jameson, NPS RTCA, MI

Dan Miller, NPS RTCA, WA

Stephan Nofi eld, Deputy Chief, NPS Conservation

and Outdoor Recreation Offi ce

Mike Houck, Photographer