What Is Green Infrastructure?

Bangor Train Depot-Van Buren County

Green infrastructure is a connected network of natural areas and other open spaces planned and managed to conserve natural ecosystems and the services they provide.  These lands provide multiple benefits to people and wildlife such as maintaining clean air and water and providing areas for recreation.  Often these natural areas are connected to communities by trails or greenways.  Green infrastructure elements can be in urban, suburban and rural areas and may or may not be open to the public.

WHY IS GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPORTANT?

1.  Consumption of Natural Lands.  The consumption of our natural lands for development (residential and commercial) has created disconnected communities, fragmented habitats, disruption of natural landscape processes and a degradation of our areas water and air quality.  This has prompted people to take action to ensure the sustainability of natural resources in our region.

 “Just as we must carefully plan for and invest in our capital infrastructure-our roads, bridges and waterlines, we must invest in our environmental or green infrastructure-our forests, wetlands, streams and rivers.” Paris Glendening, Governor of Maryland.  

ü      Nearly 900 golf courses to enjoy

ü      960,014 registered boats - more than any other state in the nation

ü      More than 11,000 inland lakes and 36,000 miles of rivers and streams

ü      In Michigan, you are never more than 6 miles from a lake or stream

ü      Stand anywhere in Michigan and you are within 85 miles of a Great Lake

ü      1,300 designated mountain bike and bicycle trails

ü      600 campgrounds

ü      More lighthouses than any ocean state - 116 on the shores of the Great Lakes

ü      97 state parks

With a plethora of natural resources around every corner, conservation and protection of the resources becomes more important as development encroaches upon them.