WakeNatural+Wonders

george hess - 2009 Feb 21
 * DRAFT CONCEPT FOR CRITIQUE AND IMPROVEMENT OR DISCARD**


 * //WakeNatural Wonders// - Ecological Gems of Wake County's Parks Systems**

After our 19 Feb capacity building meeting at Anderson Point Park I started thinking a lot about our approach to nature preserves in Wake County. Not so much the idea, but the words and the presentation.

I was really taken by the juxtaposition of active recreation areas, walking paths, and valuable natural areas -- the bird meadow and the wetland pools -- that we saw at Anderson Point. The bird meadow, in particular, really got me thinking about how at least some of the things WakeNature partners care about can coexist with other uses.

I also continue to feel that we are creating an uphill battle with the term "nature preserve." It seems that no matter how much we say that it doesn't have to be a whole park, that it doesn't mean you have to lock everyone out, it doesn't mean you can't do anything else in the park ... the minute we use that word, that's the impression people take. It seems to hamper conversation once we take it out of the WakeNature room.

So, here's an idea for thinking about and branding this somewhat differently.

What if we called a place like the meadow at Anderson Point something like a "WakeNatural Wonder." And we had "WakeNatural Wonders" throughout the parks systems in Wake County. This would be a common brand applied to areas within parks and open spaces that are managed for some ecological / conservation / natural resources purpose. The wetland pools at Anderson Point would also be so designated.

There would be a county-wide WakeNatural Wonder logo. Each WakeNatural Wonder would have a uniform sign explaining its importance. Each park would have a brochure describing the WakeNatural Wonders (if any) contained in the park. There would be a WakeNatural Wonders web site and an overall guide book identifying all of the WakeNatural Wonders in the county.

Partnerships could be established for designing and managing each of the WakeNatural Wonders, building on the model of how Wake Audubon has worked with the City of Raleigh on the meadow in Anderson Point Park. (I can imagine the herp club helping with the wetland pools, for example.) NCSU students could participate through service-learning opportunities to slowly build the network, including identifying the sites, developing management plants, creating marketing material, and so forth.

The WakeNatural Wonders would be identified using the same criteria we've been talking about from the beginning, but we would discard the language about Exceptional Natural Areas, Outstanding Natural Areas, and Natural Areas ... they all take on the single brand. There can still be parks / open spaces that are entirely designated, designed, and managed as WakeNatural Wonders, but WakeNatural Wonders also can be embedded within parks that serve other purposes.

And we simplify our name to WakeNature Partnership (or WakeNatural Partnership).

Again, I don't think we're giving anything up here. I see this more as a different way of talking about things.

Toddi: this makes a lot of sense to me. i think you are right on the mark in terms of suggesting a different type of branding. it immediately gets us out of the "complete park" mindset and encourages folks to think about a particular natural asset as something valuable. i am eager to hear from others on this. i also like the idea of simplifying to WakeNature Partnership. 2/22/09

Hi all. I won't be able to make the WakeNature meeting this week- Horseshoe Farm meeting conflicts with this meeting. Too bad, I wanted to be in on the discussion of the Wake Wonders idea. I would suggest before any decision is made regarding that issue, that we consider taking a group visit to the Buffalo Road Athletic Park site and experience the juxtaposition of athletic facilities with protected natural areas. I haven't visited the site since it was developed- it was nice farmland and floodplain habitats before the athletic fields went in and I wrote a report on it. Would be interesting to see what's changed. JC