Working alongside the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), the Land Alliance spearheaded the Nassau County arm of the Region 1 New York State Open Space Committee. We convened a series of meetings where partner organizations and local government officials worked together to develop countywide recommendations for the Plan’s update.

Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Land Alliance reviewed the projects included in the 2016 Open Space Plan to identify areas that might have been overlooked in the last plan or have become eligible due to a changing environment. Three new priority projects areas were proposed. Those new project areas included recreational lands such as golf courses (which could become future forests, farms or grassland), green infrastructure (such as wetlands and forests) and coastal areas (to mitigate and abate the harmful impacts of climate change). Early indications suggest that these recommendations have been accepted by the DEC. Results of statewide efforts have been forwarded to DEC and OPRHP in Albany for review with the goal of releasing an updated Plan in 2025.

Due to the dense development that already occurs on Long Island, the Nassau County Committee also proposed that the definition of open space be expanded to encompass “un-development” or “reclamation” as a strategy for creating new open spaces.

The Open Space Conservation Plan (OSCP) is a comprehensive statewide plan that describes current open space conservation goals, actions, tools, resources and programs administered by state and federal agencies and conservation nonprofits. Since 1992, the OSCP has served as the blueprint for the State’s Open Space Program, guiding the investment of land protection funds from the Environmental Protection Fund. As required by law, the Plan is updated periodically, relying heavily on the work of the nine Regional Advisory Committees.