December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 26

ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE
As more communities consider a
coordinated approach to land conservation,
the Dorchester County (South Carolina)
Greenbelt Master Plan and associated
development process serve as a researchbased,
community-led model.
Dorchester County Greenbelt Master Plan
By Kim Morganello, Lucas Hernandez and Rachel Cotter, RLA
D
orchester County, South Carolina, is home to diverse ecosystems,
including swamps, blackwater rivers, bottomland hardwood
forests, longleaf pine savannahs and tidal marshes. Residents
and visitors can partake in outdoor recreational activities
across the county's vast park system, trails, waterways and forests. The
county, however, has undergone significant growth and development in recent
years, and has embraced the challenge of managing rapid urban growth
while also trying to mitigate environmental damage and degradation.
In 2023, Dorchester County
Government, along with Weston
& Sampson, Audubon South Carolina,
and the Dorchester County
Conservation and Greenbelt Advisory
Commission, collaborated
with the community and Dorchester
County Council to create the
first-ever Dorchester County Greenbelt
Master Plan. Dorchester County
Council adopted the plan in May
2024 with the goal of protecting,
purchasing and improving green
space.
This
seven-month process
included cataloging existing green
space, reviewing existing policies,
soliciting community feedback, developing
GIS tools and creating a
master plan to guide future green
space program implementation.
Pairing Data and Feedback
The data collection process began
with a high-level review of local
and regional land-use plans, as
well as incorporation of state-level
26 Parks & Recreation | DECEMBER 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
guidelines. At the onset of the plan
review process, eight key themes
were identified based on the goals
of the Greenbelt Program. Plans
were reviewed and the presence or
absence of the identified themes
was noted. Of the themes, critical
habitat protection, connectivity and
public health/health equity were
the most widely identified as opportunities
for consistency and potential
to leverage planning objectives
and funding on diverse scales.
For this master plan, it was important
to assess the unique perceptions,
values and needs of Dorchester
County residents and foster a sense
of community ownership. Public
engagement opportunities, including
community surveys, open-house informational
sessions, passive engagement
stations, and close coordination
PHOTO COURTESY OF KIM MORGANELLO

December 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2024 – Parks & Recreation

December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - Intro
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - Cover1
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - Cover2
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 1
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 2
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 3
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 4
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 5
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 6
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 7
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 8
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 9
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 10
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 11
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 12
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 13
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December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 15
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 16
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 17
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 18
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 19
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 20
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 21
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 22
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 23
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 24
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 25
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 26
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 27
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 28
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 29
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 30
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 31
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 32
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 33
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 34
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 35
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 36
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 37
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 38
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 39
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 40
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 41
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 42
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 43
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 44
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 45
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 46
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 47
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 48
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 49
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 50
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 51
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 52
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 53
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 54
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 55
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 56
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - Cover3
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com