PLEASE NOTE: New Phone Number You may now reach the Forum through one of two different telephone numbers: 615-627-1310 OR 615-562-1960. The toll free number (866-902-7300) is no longer in service.
New Quality Growth Report Released
As pressure from development, drought and climate change threaten our natural resources, water availability and quality of life here in the Southeast, many communities and organizations have found solutions for managing growth while conserving their green infrastructure. To showcase some of these most innovative case studies, the Forum is proud to announce the release of it's newest special report, Building Sustainable Communities: Quality Growth Strategies in the Southeast.
This 40-page publication first looks at challenges facing the Southeast as a whole and then takes you on a tour of towns, villages, and neighborhood developments where on-the-ground Quality Growth strategies are being implemented successfully. Found within the report as well are training and on-line resources for individuals, organizations and communities.
A limited number of hard copies of Building Sustainable Communities are available for free by contacting our offices at 615-627-1310 or kd@southeastwaterforum.org. Electronic copies are available: Cover (pdf file 3.5MB) / Section 1 (pdf file 3.3MB) / Section 2 (pdf file 3.3 MB)
Open Space Institute Reports on Importance of State Wildlife Action Plans Open Space Institute article: "Protecting Habitat and Diversity in the Southern Appalachians"
Biodiversity is under growing threat from inappropriate timber harvesting, second home development and invasive species. Enter State Wildlife Action Plans, or SWAPS. These plans, which each state fish and wildlife agency must develop to qualify for federal funding, are designed as a tool to conserve wildlife and vital natural areas before they become more rare and costly to protect. Click here to read the rest of the article.
All of the SWAPs for the Southeast that have been digitized are also available on the Community Resource Mapper where they can be overlayed with other land and water resource data such as impaired streams, impervious surfaces or protected lands to create custom maps of your community. Click here to visit the Community Resource Mapper
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