Ensuring a green future, the Metropolitan King County Council today adopted the 2010 Open Space Plan for King County, establishing the direction of the County’s open space system of parks, trails, and natural areas for the next six years.

“King County’s green and protected open space is what so many people love about this region,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, chair of the Council’s Environment and Transportation Committee. “This Open Space Plan ensures that even as our population grows, our parklands will continue to contribute to the health and well being of our residents, our regional trails will continue to support environmentally-friendly transportation options, and our natural resource lands will provide the food, timber, and jobs we need.”

The plan builds upon the legacy of previous plans to provide a framework guiding the King County Parks and Recreation Division in the planning, acquisition, development, stewardship and management of its complex system of 200 parks, 175 miles of regional trails, 26,000 acres of open space, and 145,000 acres of conservation easements.

The plan places emphasis on the regional role of the county in parks and open space, as well as the local role in the rural area. The plan reflects the many changes the division has undergone in recent years and advances new goals in the areas of equity and social justice, backcountry trails and forest management, and climate change and biodiversity.

Adopting the Open Space Plan also qualifies King County to receive federal and state open space and recreation funding.