Just Added to Roses and Resources Workshop – Walking Tour of Bloomfield Farm! Click here

Inspired by the November 2003 Green Fields/Green Towns referendum and the passage of Pennsylvania’s $625 million Growing Greener II Bond Initiative, the Montgomery County Green Futures program is in its third year of offering a multifaceted approach to training and education for local municipal officials and their advisors.

This dynamic series of workshops and celebration events has reached over 600 people throughout the county, offering in-depth analyses of land conservation issues in a variety of engaging and stimulating venues. In creating an energizing and fun environment for the exchange of ideas, Green Futures provides local leaders with the open space tools to deliver what the citizens of Montgomery County want: enhanced quality of life through land conservation and greener communities.

Click here for the 2008 Green Futures calendar.

These programs are made possible with the generous support from the William Penn Foundation, Claneil Foundation, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and Montgomery County.

Green Fields/Green Towns Application Deadline Extended

Montgomery County Commissioners adopted the Green Fields/Green Towns Open Space Program on December 18, 2003. This ten-year, $150 million program was approved by the Montgomery County citizens in November 2003. The Green Fields/Green Towns Program is made up of three basic components: municipal grants ($67 million), private organization grants ($8 million), and county open space expenditures ($75 million).

The Green Fields/Green Towns Program established an allocation of funding for each municipality in Montgomery County based on population. The initial funding round commenced on April 1, 2004, and will now end on April 1, 2009. On February 21, 2008 the County Commissioners amended the Green Fields/ Green Towns Program guidelines to extend this date one year from April 1, 2008 to April 1 2009. This extension was established to encourage municipalities to develop good plans and applications for implementation as soon as possible. All grant applications received before April 1, 2009, will be reviewed under Round I guidelines.

After April 1, 2009, all remaining grant funds, including planning grant funds, will be made available to all municipalities for additional open space acquisition and green infrastructure projects that are consistent with the municipal open space plans. The approval of grants under this second round of funding will be competitive. The Montgomery County Open Space Board will review all applications in accordance with a process that it will establish. The board will make recommendations based upon its judgment of which projects best meet the goals of both municipal plans and the county open space plan. For further information, contact Devan Stewart at 610.278.3743.

All sixty-two of Montgomery County’s municipalities have approved open space plans formally adopted by the Open Space Board. With your approved open space plan, you have a blueprint for project selection at your fingertips. County, local non-profit organizations and regional consultants are ready and willing to provide guidance and expertise to help you develop your projects. Contact your municipality to obtain a copy of the open space plan for your community.

Click here to see how your municipality has participated in Green Field/Green Towns.

The recharged Montgomery County Open Space program – Green Fields/Green Towns has energized planning in Montgomery County communities.

Don’t write off farming in Montgomery County just yet. Check out these impressive farm figures collected from a recent growing season.

• Buy the Best, Zone the Rest: Building a Green Future presents an
  overview of conservation choices available to municipalities, nonprofits
  and the citizens of Montgomery County.
• Landowner Conservation Options incorporates stories from landowners working with us to preserve their land and outlines the assortment of preservation techniques available to any landowner newly considering preservation.
• Open Space Success Stories is a 36-page booklet highlighting the
  wide array of innovative projects emerging from Montgomery County’s
  first open space program.

To obtain a free print copy of any of these booklets, please make your request on our contact page. And while you’re at it, become a member. Joining is a great way to make a difference.

Montgomery County Lands Trust partners with groups throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania such as Green Space Alliance to implement strategies that keep our region vibrant, encourage smart growth, and protect our valuable natural assets. Click here to access the Regional Open Space Priorities Report produced by the
Green Space Alliance of Southeastern Pennsylvania. To see conservation plans for some of the important resources in Montgomery County, visit our Working Together page.

Interested in preserving a piece of your land? The Trust can help you ensure that your land is protected, now and in the future. The Trust can help you design a conservation easement that fulfills your wishes for the future of your land. If the conservation easement is donated to the Trust, the Trust will monitor your easement yearly and ensure that the land remains as you wish. For more information, see our Landowner Conservation Options brochure, and our Conservation Easement Fact Sheet.