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From atop a 12-story building in midtown Memphis, the view toward downtown is a blanket of trees broken by a lone church steeple and finally the horizon by the tall buildings along the Mississippi River. Shelby County officials intend to assure that all communities within their county have the same balance of nature and commerce coexisting and complementing each other.
In the past 30 years, urbanization has too often meant deforestation: to reverse this trend, Shelby County Mayor Jim Rout is working to create or recreate forested, multi-user linear parks across his county and to improve the quality of life and economic benefit for all residents.
"The more attractive a community is, the better its reputation for caring about the environment, and the higher the number of family recreational opportunities, the more desirable that community becomes in attracting new businesses and families," Rout said, "This is a key strategy of our comprehensive plan to improve Memphis and Shelby County, and I know of nothing that will have a more positive effect than this greenbelt plan." |
Part of his vision is to establish comprehensive linear county parks that span Shelby County from its easternmost border at the Fayette County line to its western reaches at the Mississippi River, using three major waterway systems: the Nonconnah Creek, and the Loosahatchie and Wolf Rivers. These linear parks will follow the natural meander of each waterway with biking, hiking, and equestrian trails. Interpretive trails and parks will also be integral to the system, providing outdoor classrooms that link historic, cultural, and natural areas.
The long-range comprehensive plan will work to tie existing, future, and potential greenbelts, creating a system of parks what will offer recreational opportunities for families of all walks of life who will enjoy leisure, exercise, and competitive levels of activity, as well as safe, practical means of transportation. The plan also will act to strengthen the county's image by identifying Shelby County as an even more desirable place to live, increasing property value and providing economic benefits to businesses.
The Shelby County Conservation Board is the oversight body in the effort to orchestrate and |
implement the countywide strategic plan. This board, under the chairmanship of John Sheahan, will seek expertise from a myriad of sources, including public works, engineering, planning, and conservation officials of the county; representatives of environmental advocacy groups such as The Wolf River Conservancy, Friends of Shelby Farms, and the Sierra Club; city government representatives from Memphis, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Millington and others, and federal and state representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and the US Forest Service. This group of key stakeholders will assist the Board in identifying and recommending an assemblage of property acquisition opportunities as well as potential funding mechanisms. "This is an exciting time for the Conservation Board - never in our history have we had the opportunity, momentum, and support as we have today" said Sheahan. "There are great communications ongoing with all the parties involved to bring this tremendous project into reality."
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