BSLT's Carr Lake Partners Group is helping guide the community engagement process. Organizations involved include:
- Action Council of Monterey County
- Alisal Center for the Fine Arts
- Alisal Community Arts Network
- BAKTUN 12
- Building Healthy Communities
- Center for Community Advocacy (CCA)
- Habitat Stewardship Project Monterey Bay
- City of Salinas (Parks and Recreation, Community Development and Public Works)
- Community Housing Improvement Systems and Planning Association (CHISPA)
- Local Urban Gardeners
- Monterey County Health Department
- Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement (MILPA)
- The Epicenter
- Urban Arts Collaborative
BSLT has also partnered with CCA to help directly engage residents through door-to-door campaigns, educating families and gathering their ideas for our Carr Lake site.
Here are some perspectives from partners and volunteers:
"Big Sur Land Trust is taking a big step towards the vision we all share for our city. It's a project that will be good for people, the environment, and our economy. I'm delighted to see the community's vision coming much closer to fruition."
"We are excited for the opportunity this brings to engage our community in creating and encouraging the use of green spaces to improve the health of Monterey County residents. Not only is Big Sur Land Trust doing something courageous and exceptional for our community, they are going further by committing to work with partners like us to ensure that the community's voice is heard and that residents are engaged in determining the use and design of the space. We are grateful to be at the table and be able to participate in such a momentous project."
"Open space access is critical to community health and well-being. East Salinas residents clearly understand this connection and have long been organizing for improvements to an expansion of our parks network. Residents, especially those who have been historically disenfranchised, should have access to open space regardless of their race or socio-economic status. Building Healthy Communities congratulates the Big Sur Land Trust on this exciting development. We look forward to the collective work of ensuring our community is authentically engaged in the design and implementation of the Carr Lake area. This is an incredible opportunity to have our community steward a process with equity at the center that allows for true ownership from all Salinas residents."
"On behalf of the Watershed Institute at CSUMB, I am thrilled with Big Sur Land Trust's acquisition of a keystone piece of Salinas' Carr Lake. In time, I hope this area will become "A Park for all the People Who Feed the Nation". We anticipate that CSUMB students will be involved in the area's transformation from participating in community engagement sessions, to engaging Salinas' school children and families in the physical restoration of the ancient lakebed. We envision that these same CSUMB student leaders will come from the Salinas Valley, and that their involvement will be critical in creating a green heart in the center of Salinas."
"Families in all communities understand the importance of safe outdoor spaces for the health and emotional well-being of their children. Big Sur Land Trust embraces the opportunity to partner with the Salinas community to preserve this part of Carr Lake as community open space for the benefit of residents of all ages. We look forward to working with children, youth, parents and all sectors of the community to envision and plan how this historically significant and treasured land can best serve them – and how the natural resources of that space, including water, can be preserved to protect the health of the land and of those who will enjoy it for years to come."
