Ah, spring. This season has become one of my favorites. Once it arrives, I am always struck by how quickly Mother Nature changes form. It seems as though I simply blink my eyes and suddenly the entire forest is covered in tiny, bright green buds. They unfurl and expand at an imperceptible rate, but somehow take their natural form in only a week’s time. I love watching the journey of the forest floor, with pink and white flowers popping up through last year’s foliage, followed by yellow and purple blossoms. It is a transformation that seems to take place not at all and then all at once.

I like to think of the Greenspace Alliance in this way, with new life, new projects, and new members popping up from past work and collaboration. It is funny how our work, while done mainly through intangible things that are often completed indoors, always seems to align with the seasons.

The first quarter brought about our initial plunge into Working Groups. Below are some general updates about these Working Groups. Please connect with me if you have any questions or would like to join!

Regional Prioritization Plan & Policy Working Group: Three members attended the OKI Regional Planning Forum on Earth Day. Our presentation focused on the RPP, how it can be used, and resources that planners can utilize to support conservation efforts in their county. Potential collaborative opportunities have arisen from this meeting. At our June 25th meeting, we’ll determine which other groups we will share this message with in 2025.

Grants Working Group: At the April meeting, partners plotted projects their organizations are working on or want to pursue on a large-scale RPP map. This will help us as a collaborative have a visual representation of what is happening with partners regionally and assist us in determining collaborative conservation projects.

Research & Implementation Working Group: This group is collecting Greenspace Alliance partners’ data and research needs in a database. The goal is to connect Alliance partners with local academics and coordinate their research needs with prospective students or professional researchers. 

This past week, funding for AmeriCorps, the 31-year-old national staple dedicated to service and volunteerism, was cut. This change has not only impacted groups nationally, but has also impacted the Cincinnati metropolitan area. Greenspace Alliance Partner Dave Schmitt, Executive Director of the Mill Creek Alliance (MCA), spoke about this to local news source WVXU. Check out their article to learn more about how MCA and other conservation groups locally were impacted.

Greenspace Alliance Partner The Hillside Trust is working with the City of Cincinnati to evaluate maps and zoning requirements for the city’s hillsides. Two public meetings will be held on May 7 in Price Hill and virtually on May 20 for residents to contribute feedback about issues they are currently facing and what they would like to see. If you’d like to learn more, you can connect with Eric Russo, the Executive Director of the Hillside Trust at eric.hillsidetrust@fuse.net.

KAEE is offering up to 10 $5,000 grants to address urban forestry, tree canopy coverage, and strengthening community resilience. Projects should focus on addressing these concerns in underserved communities across Kentucky. Proposals are due to Perry Thomas at perry@kaee.org no later than June 15 and awards will be made by June 30, 2025.

June’s Meet A Greenspace Hike will be a collaboration between the Greenspace Alliance and the Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance at Sargeant Park in Dayton, Kentucky. This property was closed for several years and has recently been reopened for the public to enjoy. It is an example of a sustainable multi-purpose natural use trail system with more than 2 miles of rails to explore.

Reply to this email to reach Claire, or for questions regarding membership, visit here or email membership@greenumbrella.org