. . . We protect the beauty and character of our natural settings and historic buildings . . .
. . . engage in comprehensive and integrated local and regional planning . . .
. . . We will be an environmentally responsible community and conserve our natural habitats . . .

The goals of this plan are

• To meet the town's recreational needs for all groups
• To preserve our existing wildlife diversity and habitats
• To create greenway connections to link various parcels of open space
• To identify options and methods to provide open space for active and passive recreation
• To identify options and methods to protect open space for the many values it provides - to preserve the current green character of the town
• To protect, restore and enhance the town's natural resources by promoting environmentally sound decision making by all town agencies, community groups and property owners

The most significant privately owned open spaces, in terms of visibility and general public accessibility are

• The McLean Hospital Land
• Massachusetts Audubon and Habitat Land
• Concord Avenue Corridor (between Pleasant Street and Mill Street)
• Sergi's Farm
• Belmont Country Club
• Belmont Uplands (owned by O'Neill Properties.)

Resource Protection Needs

• Protect large tracts of unprotected open land such as McLean Hospital and the Belmont Uplands.

Community Needs
Community needs were identified partly through a questionnaire distributed during the spring and early summer of 1996.

• Preservation and upgrading of existing open space such as the open fields and conservation areas were a top priority.
• Preservation and upgrading of the landscaped deltas, neighborhood squares and tree-lined streets was a high priority.
• . . .

Recommendations: The Five Year Action Plan
The most important part of an open space plan is the Five-Year Action Plan. The Five-Year Action Plan is a comprehensive list of recommended actions that will help to advance the goals and objectives of the plan. The key recommendations are listed below.

A- Preserve and protect Belmont's open space, historic scenic areas, and plant and animal habitats.

A-1 Preserve existing contiguous scenic corridors and wildlife greenways.
A-2 Protect the natural state of the undeveloped areas of McLean Hospital property.
A-3 Develop a process to facilitate the conversion of the remaining unprotected parcels to protected status.
A-4 Develop a system of responsibility and stewardship for open space and improve town wide open space planning to include and coordinate the activities of all relevant committee, commissions and boards.
A-5 Develop public support for the protection and preservation of open space.

B- Identify and protect open space parcels critical to the prevention of excessive flooding and pollution of Belmont's wetlands

B-1 Identify, map, and protect critical floodplains wetlands
B-2 Prevent pollution of ponds and streams
B-3 Publicize the need to protect Belmont's wetlands.

C- Enhance Belmont's park areas and recreation opportunities for all Belmont's citizens.

C-1 Develop greater public support and participation to preserve, protect and enhance Belmont's recreational resources.
C-2 Upgrade Belmont's playgrounds and playing fields.
C-3 Upgrade and enhance Belmont's parks and deltas
C-4 Improve elderly and disability access to recreation and conservation areas
C-5 Create new walking and biking paths and link them into a regional and town-wide network, and increase public use and access
C-6 Look for opportunities to protect or acquire additional open space for recreation, cemetery and conservation use.

D - Create systematic approaches for the management and funding of open space and recreation

D-1 Develop better methods to coordinate the management of open space and recreation.
D-2 Develop new methods of funding the protection of open space
D-3 Develop new methods of funding enhanced recreation opportunities.

E- Provide "Universal Access" to Belmont's parks and open spaces
Note: This section of the Action Plan includes items also delineated in the separate Section 504 Handicapped Self-Evaluation Transition Plan.

E-1 Ensure that all park entrances have corresponding curb cuts and accessible parking.
E-2 Upgrade all gates and fence openings in parks so that they are wide enough for wheelchairs and easy to open.
E-3 Upgrade or provide walkways and paths that are level and sufficiently hard-surfaced to accommodate wheelchairs and baby carriages.
E-4 Provide accessible equipment and access to all play structures and playground amenities.