The Greenway Way
The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust leads and inspires action to conserve and enhance the landscape from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains to Central Washington, ensuring a long-term balance between people and nature.
Sounds like a lot of work! How does the Greenway Trust achieve all that?
Over the years, the Greenway has developed a way of doing things that is somewhat unique, and seems to work. We believe that the values we operate off of day-to-day are largely responsible for our success, indicative of our character, and transfer well to other areas of civic action.
Share a Long-Term Vision
Snoqualmie Point Park opened under sunny skies in 2007. This 8-acre scenic park commands one of the most dramatic and accessible views in the Greenway.Long-term visions are inspiring. Once people are excited and motivated, they take the lead and divide a vision into achievable steps. Looking ahead also means passing it on. Through mentoring relationships, and our education and stewardship programs, we build knowledge about the landscape and our vision.
Under-Promise, Over-Deliver
It is far better to surprise than to disappoint. When people see results that are better than expected, their confidence in who we are, how we work, and a shared vision gets stronger.
Break Bread
The Greenway sets the table. After all, everyone likes food! Sharing a meal has a special magic, helping coalition members establish strong and lasting relationships and a sense of common purpose.
Find the Middle Ground
Sometimes, agreeing to disagree can get you far: no matter how big differences are, we have found that there is always a middle ground. We work hard to find places where we can say yes, and move forward.
At the Greenway, we figure that since we are conserving the Greenway for everyone – not just environmentalists, or ORVers, or hikers – compromise aimed at agreement is always worth the extra effort.
Compromise and Collaborate
Working together builds ownership. Giving credit for achievements builds a coalition. Admitting mistakes and asking for help makes room to grow. Sharing needs, resources, ideas and energy has great results.
The Tiger Mountain trailhead is just one small example springing from a board meeting: the trailhead was overflowing with cars. The Department of Natural Resources thought it would have to cut down surrounding forests to expand parking. Meanwhile, Puget Sound Energy needed to continuously clear trees under some neighboring power lines. The solution? Put a new parking lot under the power lines. More forest, less power maintenance.
Without board meetings and other venues, collaborations like this would not have the chance to flourish. We find that if you give folks the space, wonderful things happen!
