From mavs@panix.com Wed Sep 30 17:39:25 1998 Received: from mxu4.u.washington.edu (mxu4.u.washington.edu [140.142.33.8]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW98.06) with ESMTP id RAA18662 for ; Wed, 30 Sep 1998 17:39:24 -0700 Received: from panix2.panix.com (OJOiwkSb27/Td50hvNFXZHbaH9lrSWUE@panix2.panix.com [166.84.1.67]) by mxu4.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW98.06) with ESMTP id RAA30869 for ; Wed, 30 Sep 1998 17:39:22 -0700 Received: from localhost (mavs@localhost) by panix2.panix.com (8.8.5/8.8.8/PanixU1.4) with ESMTP id UAA27558; Wed, 30 Sep 1998 20:39:15 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 20:39:15 -0400 (EDT) From: Richard Stafursky To: Dave cc: aabgacol@list.msu.edu, CBCN-L List , Consbio List Subject: Re: Green Space Program: Request for your ideas In-Reply-To: Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Dave: This is something we are working on. ........... DRAFT - Natural Features Registry Checklist - DRAFT First drafted June 15, 1998 (1st draft revision July 22, 1998) World Species List - Natural Features Registry Institute (WSL-NFR Institute) Lewes, DE 19958 The landscape and waterscape are composed of natural features (nfs). The environment can be seen as (1) the natural landscape (nf), (2) the seminatural landscape (snf), and (3) the cultural landscape (cf). This checklist is to be used by anyone having an interest in the protection of natural features with one important stipulation. This checklist cannot be used by developers, owner developers, those they hire or those looking for a justification to develop natural features. The checklist can only be used by class A environmental consultants and nondevelopers. Checklist --------- WSL-NFR Institute Checklist (Must be successfully completed by a Checklist Performer prior to any development projects): If you answer NO to any of the following question the checklist fails 100 percent. Was a list prepared of all named natural features within and around the target area? Have all natural feature that cross ownership boundaries been listed? Has new construction or renovation been built/rebuild ONLY on footprint of existing structures? Have all roads and paved paths been kept out of roadless areas? Have existing thousand-foot buffers been fixed around natural features in this project (free of any new structure or roads)? Are all bike, foot, or access roads, paths, trails biodegradable? This eliminates, hardtop, paved, graded, gravel, shell, cinder, etc.) Are natural features marked or has some other way of identification been established? Have all original lands been included in the target area? Have all for landscaping designed for visual effects been eliminated? Does non hazardous, natural vegetation directly abut (grow next to) buildings/cultural features? Have available class A consultants been involved in this project? Do photographs and other data represent the target area accurately as fractions of natural, semi-natural and cultural areas? Have restoration projects been utilized rather than mitigation projects? Does restoration efforts make use of local, native plants and animals and exclude improper vegetation monocultures? Have all unnamed natural features been named? Have all natural features been delineated using common word description of their boundaries? Are there simple conservation plans for all natural features? Reason For This Checklist ------------------------ This checklist was designed to rediscover natural features which we space we share space. Natural features should be named for something natural in that feature. Cultural features should be named after something cultural. Regardless of their legal/ownership status (public and private property) all natural features must be preserved NOW. The world is not making new natural features. This is a checklist for survival. Pass/fail Only -------------- The checklist is pass/fail. There is no other score. No partial score can be interpreted or publicized. The checklist cannot be performed by any party receiving pay or other gratuities for the project in question. This would preclude any environmental consultant and any subcontractors hired by development interest from using this checklist or from posting the result of the checklist to mitigate other projects. Individuals who are looking for environmental justification for converting natural features (development) may not complete this checklist. Only those who do not profit from the project may use the WSL-NFR Institute checklist. How The Checklist Is Protected Against Misuse ---------------------------------------------- Developers or their paid consultants cannot perform this checklist. Natural Landscape ----------------- Natural landscape is composed of natural features. It may be virgin areas or second growth areas that have been generally free of cultural occupation. Thus, altered or disturbed areas that have reverted, can revert or are reverting to nature are natural landscapes must not be removed from this category. Truck tire marks through a tundra or a desert do not remove areas from this category. Seminatural Landscape -------------------- Seminatural landscapes are composed of features that are controlled by human culture, however, people do not live there twenty four hours a day. This would be farm lands, bridges, canals, city parks, landscaping with or without native vegetation gardens, etc. Development ----------- By development we mean any conversion of the natural landscape into the cultural landscape. The natural landscape contains plant features, animal features, geological features and aquatic features. This checklist does NOT preclude all projects involving building, rebuilding, renovation, modification of facilities and roads. Its purpose is to protect existing natural features. Class A Environmental Consultants --------------------------------- Class A environmental consultants are those individuals or companies which never have, and do not accept any fees, gratuities or accolades from a development or a developer. Graduates beginning their careers in the environmental profession will meet this criteria. By accolades we mean honors, photo opportunities or even a "pat" on the back. Class A consultants do not perform environmental triage and never take money or gratuities from the very same individual that they seek to enlighten. One-Does-All-Project Manager ---------------------------- There is a conflict of interest when one party does all aspects of the environmental work. This conflict of interest is frequently ignored when the packaging of the work saves money. Larger companies have the administrative ability, yet these companies are the most likely to justify the developers destruction of natural features. These larger consultant firms usually describe the project as "environmentally friendly" or a "win win" situation. This is really not the case at all. Work should been split up so that there is no one-does-all project manager. Our experience is that large companies are nearly always under pressure to change, omit, or fail to elaborate on environmental impact let alone DEMAND that the development not be done at all. A newspaper journalist would not think of taking pay from those they are writing about. Likewise, class A environmental consultants should not take pay from developers of natural features he is writing about. They must not assist developers obtain permits. This type of livelyhood is wrong. Target Area ----------- The project target area is the area including all the nfs in that space regardless of who owns those features. A forest may be named even if it crosses private boundaries. The target area may contain features that extend beyond the target area (i.e. an island being studied is the target area, however, the island is located within an archipelago which is located within an ocean. All are overlapping nfs.) Original lands -------------- A checklist fails if the target lands in question is only part of the original lands. Land cannot be intentionally split up to justify development. Developers frequently use the term win win. In reality, the natural features always lose. Disclosure of this environmental deception, by those pretending to speak for the environment, is one of the key reasons for the design of this checklist. --- Richard Stafursky, Pres. Voice phone: 302-645-5592 World Species List - Natural Features Registry Institute (WSL-NFR Institute) Lewes, DE 1995 http://www.envirolink.org/species/ http://www.panix.com/~mavs/nf/ First drafted June 15, 1998 (1st draft revision July 22, 1998) DRAFT - Natural Features Registry Checklist - DRAFT ..... On Wed, 30 Sep 1998, Dave wrote: > > > Dear folks (with apologies for cross-postings), > > I am participating in the development of a cooperative partnership to > develop community and urban ecologically-functional green space across > Canada. > > I have been asked by the Steering Committee to request feed-back on a few > key issues surrounding this program. Below is a brief description of the > program and then a couple of specific requests for your ideas and opinions. > > Please provide any feed back or ideas directly to me, by the end of this > week, by Internet email at: > > David A. Galbraith > > or by FAX at: > > +1 905 577-0375 > > Thank you for your assistance. > > Sincerely, > > > David A. Galbraith, Ph.D. > Coordinator > Canadian Botanical Conservation Network > > (Apologies to any francophone recipients of this message; I would value your > opinions greatly; If you are reading this, rest assured that your English is > far better than my French) > > ===================================================== > > Brief description of the program: > > The program is a national partnership to encourage stewardship of > Canada's natural heritage, improve community health and environmental > health, enhance ecological biodiversity and stimulate economic activity in > communities across Canada. The program is one of "green infrastructure" > established on publicly-accessible lands within settled landscapes. > Practical, community-based initiatives will be fostered through grants, > facilitation and resource-networking, model programs and celebrations of > success. Projects within this program will include, among others: > > - reclamation of abandoned sites > - restored wetlands > - greenways > - urban forests > - naturalized school grounds > - heritage gardens > - ethnobotanical gardens > > > Question A) Program Name > > In recent discussions the issue of the name of the program has > emerged as an important question. Please indicate the name you feel best > expresses the intent of the program as stated above, and is yet "catchy". > If you have alternative suggestions they would also be very welcome. > > Here are the English versions of the two prime candidate names for the > program: > > 1. Greening Canada: Communities and Nature, Together > 2. Gardens 2000 > > > Question B) Development of a seed bank program > > One component of the overall program is a "seed bank" program. The seed bank > will provide continuity for the program as a whole, because it is intended > to achieve long-term conservation goals in addition to assisting in the > development of the present larger program of green infrastructure under > discussion. The seed bank program will facilitate access to appropriate > native plant seeds for the greening projects, and will help connect and > enhance existing sources of seeds for native plants with the "market": the > individual projects across the country. The seed bank program will be > integrated with a national rare and endangered native plant germplasm > program, based at approximately five regional resource centres across > Canada. The regional centres will be based at existing major botanical > gardens, and will facilitate their participation with the public in > developing an increased stewardship ethic and action within Canada's > settled landscapes. The whole program will be facilitated and assisted by a > national core facility, physically based at a botanical garden but operating > primarily on a "virtual" footing over the internet. > > I would be very grateful if anyone can help with the following points: > > 1. Are you aware of any similar programs (eg. FloraBank in Australia, CPC in > USA)? Examples and contact names are eagerly sought. > > 2. Any suggestions for a name for such a national seed bank program for > Canada? (I've come up with such snappy winners as "National Seed Bank > Program" -- clearly any fresh ideas would be welcomed!! How about "Natural > Heritage Seed Bank"?) > > 3. Any general suggestions on the setting up of such a program would be > welcomed. > > > Question C) Any other ideas or suggestions? > > If you are interested in learning more about this proposed program, please > contact me at the email address above. We are eagerly looking for help in > the form of letters of support that can be used in the development of our > formal proposal for grant-making bodies. I look forward to hearing from you. > Thanks for your patience and email band-width. > > - DAG > > > Sincerely, Richard Stafursky Voice phone: 302-645-5592 mavs@panix.com World Species List - Natural Features Registry Institute World Species List (WSL): http://www.envirolink.org/species/ Natural Feature Registry (NFR): http://www.panix.com/~mavs/nf/ (Public Access Information Network) .