There are many reasons why we need open space: wildlife habitat, significant vegetation, water resources, recreation, environmental education, protection of visual resources, cultural resources, urban shaping and buffering and agriculture.

Manatee County plays a major role in this area. They have master plans with provisions for land conservation.

Greenways are corridors of protected open space managed for conservation and recreation purposes. Greenways often follow natural land or water features and link conservation lands, parks, cultural features and historic sites with each other and with populated urban areas.

Greenways can be publicly or privately owned and some are the result of public/private partnerships. Trails are paths used for walking, skating, bicycling, horseback riding, or other forms of recreation or non-motorized transportation. They can be single track non-paved, double track non-paved, improved surfaces such as asphalt and concrete, or a combination of surfaces to accommodate multiple types of trail users.

Trails and greenways positively impact individuals and improve communities by providing not only recreation and transportation opportunities, but also by influencing economic and community development. Some of the many trails and greenways benefits include:

• Making communities better places to live by preserving and creating open spaces
• Encouraging physical fitness and healthy lifestyles
• Creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation and non-motorized transportation
• Stengthening local economies
• Preserving culturally and historically valuable area

As Manatee County continues to develop and open space diminishes, greenways that we set aside will benefit Florida's native ecosystems and its people, both for today and for the future.

Our initial focus is on Gateway Greenways trails in Manatee County and as volunteers join our organization we can spread our efforts across all facets of Open Space in Manatee County.