Susie Wood posted on February 07, 2011 09:01
By Robin Hoffman, Associate Professor, and
Maren King, Director, SUNY ESF Center for Community Design Research
Are you interested in being part of a process to plan the future of the Zenda Farm Preserve? Do you have stories, facts, photographs and other information that relates to the natural and cultural history of the farm, the village and the area that you would be willing to share? If the answer is “YES”, the Thousand Islands Land Trust invites and encourages you to participate in a series of events that will be held over the next several months that are part of a planning process focused on Zenda Farm.
The Thousand Islands Land Trust is partnering with the SUNY ESF Department of Landscape Architecture and its Center for Community Design Research to prepare a master plan for the Zenda Farm Preserve. The master plan will serve as the foundational document to identify opportunities for future use, programming and management of this cherished property. The master plan will be based on a comprehensive inventory and analysis of the past and existing conditions of Zenda Farm to inform decisions for preserving the property’s scenic character, natural habitats and cultural significance while providing proposals for future use(s) of the preserve.
The project is being accomplished through a collaborative Community Design process. Community Design, as a practice and process approach, integrates citizens into the design and planning of their environment, from the everyday to the sacred. Landscape architecture and planning students in the spring 2011 Community Design studio will work with the TILT staff and board of directors to facilitate a process that allows community members and other stakeholders to contribute local expertise and knowledge about the farm and its context, consider appropriate goals, discuss ideas for future conditions, and review alternative strategies to accomplish the desired future for the property.
The first stage of the project focuses on information gathering and sharing. The ESF students will be visiting Clayton on Friday and Saturday, February 18 and 19. Community members are invited to stop by to meet and talk with the students during an Open House on Saturday, February 19, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at the TILT offices. If you have photographs or other documents that you would like to share, please bring them along. With your permission, they can be scanned and immediately returned to you.
If you are interested in finding out more about the master plan process, please contact Jake Tibbles, TILT Interim Director, at 686-5345 or jtibbles@tilandtrust.org or Maren King, SUNY ESF Center for Community Design Research, mfking@esf.edu.