3.5: Community Connections
Physically and visually emphasize and strengthen the social, historic, cultural, recreational and economic connections of
communities to the Basin’s waterways.
Other Information:
What’s the connection? Waterway landscapes appeal to all of our senses. Our history and culture are tied to our waterways.
Our progress as a society has depended on water for transportation, power, commerce, recreation, and for poetic and artistic
inspiration. Unfortunately, many people take water for granted, possibly because they are disconnected from it. Drinking water
comes from a pipe or a bottle. Buildings, abandoned industrial sites, or the protective railings of the bridges that traverse
rivers and streams and the roadways that hug their shores often block views of waterways. Experience is education. Education
and knowledge are the foundation for stewardship, the concept of responsible care-taking based on the premise that we do not
own resources, but are managers and are responsible to future generations for their condition. Providing the opportunity for
waterway experiences is critical not only to the stewardship of water resources, but for the maintenance of some of the best
aspects of human culture. • It is important to acknowledge the historic roots of a community as well as its current and future
social and cultural needs. Providing the opportunity to experience our waterways. Re-establish access and visual connections
where suitable, especially in association with redevelopment opportunities. In urban areas, projects for the redevelopment
of abandoned waterfront areas should require elements designed to restore connections and relationships to the waterfront.
Providing opportunity to experience our waterways may include commuter ferries, river walks and bike trails, boat access points,
fishing piers and interpretive signage. Public lands should incorporate educational elements to foster stewardship. We need
to maintain what we have and to restore what we have lost. Without the opportunity to experience our water resources — especially
for sheer enjoyment and wonder — we may remain disadvantaged, missing the inspiration of water. Linking land and water resources
management summary. This Key Result Area involves all aspects of water resource management, landscape management, planning
and growth management, cooperation and coordination, education, and stewardship. Integrating the management of land and water
resources challenges us to: • Understand the physical, chemical and biological processes that define the water-land connection
within a watershed • Recognize the management strategy options necessary to achieve positive water resource and development
outcomes • Improve communication and planning within the watershed community • Improve regional coordination among water resource
and land use agencies • Create public, non-profit and private partnerships • Improve our collection, analysis and distribution
of water resource information • Develop and use analytical tools for local and regional decision-making • Commit state, regional
and local entities to engage in and support growth management and resource protection on a watershed basis • Commit financial
resources to support and coordinate local and regional planning and water resource protection efforts The first three Key
Result Area sections address the human and ecological uses of water, the critical land-water interface of waterway corridors,
and the watershed landscapes and management decisions that can have long-term impacts on water resources. Clearly, the human
component is a critical one. Individuals, businesses, organizations, and society, have the potential to effect important changes
to our water resources through the land and water management decisions we make every day. The following section, “Key Result
Area 4: Institutional Coordination and Cooperation,” focuses on how to manage that human component through our decision-making
structures, formal and informal partnerships and agreements, sharing of information, ideas and data and, ultimately, by institutionalizing
our relationships to the water resources of the Basin.
Objective(s):
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