Natural Infrastructure

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Natural Infrastructure Regional Experts

Don Allsbrooks (Tennessee Valley Authority), Eric Bridges (City of Lakeland, TN), Brian Carver (Freed-Hardeman University), Jerry Garret (US Geological Survey), Allen Houston (Ames Plantation), Don Orr (US Fish and Wildlife Service-retired), David Pitts (University of Tennessee-Martin), Stephen Stephenson (US Army, Milan Ammunition Plant), Katherine Terry (Ensafe), Ed Warr (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency), and Mike Kennedy (University of Memphis), chair.

Natural Infrastructure Top Five Recommendations

1. Develop regional programs to promote awareness, foster communications, and educate all stakeholders (e.g. people of the region; policy makers; developers and planners; scientific community; land owners; and K-12 youth) as to conservation issues affecting the region and the importance of a sustainable future. This could include workshops, speaker series, public meetings, material for distribution, TV ads, and other.

2. Promote conservation programs that “inventory the status and distribution” of existing natural resources (e.g. Animal and plant species) to determine the rare and threatened species and to provide a “heritage list” of native flora and fauna that are a part of the historic landscape and have significant conservation value. This provides baseline information for future decision-making and planning. Promote regional conservation that enhances development of green infrastructure plans across boundaries.

3. Develop metrics (Ecological Index) that promote research and development of conservation metrics as a tool similar to LEED and other green programs. These tools must provide a framework suitable for any place in the region but adaptable to fit local conditions and could focus on the region’s biodiversity as well as “restoration potential,” adequate widths of corridors, measures of habitat quality and others. This approach makes it feasible to include the natural environment as well as the structural environment or built community and sustainability planning.

4. Promote a watershed management strategy for the region’s water resources that ensure adequate supplies of clean water; the plan addresses issues related to stormwater management and use of water resources in the home. Such management would enhance the health of our streams and rivers and promote a move toward water conservation in the region.

5. Encourage the creation and expansion of connected greenspace, including natural areas, state parks, state forests, nature preserves and similar resources. These areas serve as valuable habitat for living organisms and provide resources that promote a “connection to the land” and an “environmental ethic” among the public.