The outdoors has always been a big part of the Twin Cities way of life. We bike, run, skate, canoe, hunt, fish, hike, ski, sail, and camp in all seasons in all kinds of open spaces. But with nearly a million new residents settling here over the next 20 years, much of our beautiful remaining open space could be lost or degraded.

			Part of the reason the Twin Cities is growing so fast is that remaining natural areas and open spaces make this a good place to live. We need to make sure that in growing, we don't wind up killing the goose that lays the golden egg. We've got to plan ahead. There are ways for us to grow that use less land, protect treasured natural areas, and create greater transportation and housing choices—in the process saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

			Everyday—all across the Twin Cities region—public decisions are being made about which land we build on and which land we protect. Only you can make sure those decisions are the right ones. Acting together with other citizens and local officials, you can make sure that the woods down the street remains a place where wildflowers bloom and birds return each spring. Only you can see to it that your grandchildren will still be able to sight eagles and herons soaring along the river close to downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul. Begin today by checking into the status of your local favorite place, before the "For Sale" sign appears and bulldozers line up. Assist advocacy groups that are championing the cause of other worthy sites for protection.

			At local meetings and commissions, speak up in support of efforts to restore or protect natural areas and urban green space that's important to your quality of life. Let decision-makers know what you value. Make a case for far-sighted planning and environmental stewardship in our communities.

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Embrace Open Space is a joint effort among Twin Cities organizations concerned about protecting open spaces in our region. Our primary goal is to mobilize Twin Citians to become more vocal in public decision-making about land use and land protection in this region. Please contact us at: Embrace Open Space, 710 South Second Street, #400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 | info@embraceopenspace.org © 2005 Embrace Open Space, All rights reserved. Web policies. If you use a link on this website which connects to another organization's website, please note that Embrace Open Space is not responsible for the content of that site, nor does the link imply any endorsement of the outside site's operator or the site's content. Use of all links to outside sites is at the user's sole risk.