Open Space Toolkit for Alberta
Overview
The Open Space Toolkit for Alberta will increase the effectiveness of local citizens and landowners in addressing conservation issues and finding workable solutions through;
- Increased use of conservation tools and processes as identified through the community workshop process
- Effective community-based dialogue and participatory learning in rural communities
- Identification of concrete and appropriate actions for open space conservation and sustainable land use.
The Open Space Toolkit for Alberta is a community workshop and resource series that helps rural Albertans to plan for and implement sustainable land use practices. Presented as four workshops, the program educates participants on the trends driving landscape change, the natural assets worth protecting, and the diversity of conservation tools available to them.
Curriculum
The Open Space Toolkit for Alberta community workshop and resource series guides participants through three modules:
- The Natural Amenities Rush: Alberta’s Changing Landscape
Describes the socio-economic and demographic trends shaping land use and landscape changes in Alberta – analysis of Alberta community ‘hotspots’ of growth and residential development. - The Value of Alberta’s Open Space
Reviews the ecological, social and economic benefits of open space; discussion of human values and impacts of community-related trends, and research highlighting the amenities Alberta rural home buyers are seeking. - Community-based Conservation Tools and Processes
An inventory of conservation tools and community building processes available for open space conservation and sustainable land use in Alberta including:
- Voluntary landowner tools
- Municipal and development planning tools
- Fiscal and economic tools
- Community building processes
- Technical Tools
Delivery
The Chinook Institute will deliver Open Space Toolkit for Alberta workshops in collaboration with partner organizations, local government agencies, community associations, stewardship groups and educational institutions. Each Toolkit workshop will be adapted to the needs of the host community or group and their specific geography and issues. Workshop participants may access follow-up assistance from the Chinook Institute or other partners to help them apply new land conservation strategies or tools in their area.
The Chinook Institute is seeking opportunities to partner with community-based groups or local agencies to implement the Alberta Toolkit workshops, and can offer coordination, facilitation and evaluation services.
Publications
Alberta’s Natural Amenities Rush - 2005. B. Robinson.
Describes the socio-economic and demographic trends shaping land use and landscape changes in Alberta – analysis of Alberta community ‘hotspots’ of growth and residential development.
The Value of Alberta’s Natural Landscapes - 2005. B. Robinson.
Reviews the ecological, social and economic benefits of open space; discussion of human values and impacts of community-related trends, and research highlighting the amenities Alberta rural home buyers are seeking.
Tools for Conserving Alberta’s Natural Landscapes
An inventory of conservation tools and community building processes available for open space conservation and sustainable land use in Alberta 2005. B. Robinson and C. Stark.
Coming Soon