Knox County Tennesee

Three workgroups are looking at preservation options. The areas of focus are agricultural resources; natural and recreation resources; and archaeological and historical resources.

- Identify significant natural and man-made assets along the Lower French Broad River

- Outline options to conserve a rural heritage

- Establish a framework whereby other rural communities in the Nine Counties area can assess their resources systematically and begin a process to conserve their heritage

At the heart of the land use-planning process is an Open Space Initiative that calls upon residents to envision a new approach to land use. It calls for a network of green spaces that protect our landscape and natural infrastructure, provides close-to-home recreation opportunities, buffers unique resources and improves our experience as we move through the land. This new approach highlights a system of protected open spaces that helps determine where growth and development should occur, and empowers communities to preserve what they value.

Identifies and prioritizes key resource areas that significantly contribute to
- Clean air
- Clean water
- Biodiversity
- Habitat stabilization
- Open space
- Agricultural production
- protects ecologically important hub and corridor networks
- provides quality environmental information
- and is a new and innovative
- -approach to address environmental problems.