An Open Space Plan is a community-driven guide to identify, connect, and care for the natural, scenic, recreational, agricultural, and cultural resources that define our town. Building directly on the Town’s 2021 Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) and our Comprehensive Plan, adopted August 11, 2026, this plan will establish practical, voluntary strategies to balance conservation with Olive’s future housing, infrastructure, and economic needs.

Town of Olive Open Space Plan

Planning for the future of our scenic, natural, and community landscapes.

Why Plan for Open Space in Olive?

  1. Recreation & Quality of Life: Expand and protect opportunities for hiking, fishing, hunting, and outdoor community life.

  2. Wildlife & Resilient Forests: Support contiguous forest cores and migration corridors that allow wildlife to thrive and landscapes to adapt to a changing climate.

  3. Clean Water & Watersheds: Protect groundwater, streams, wetlands, and reservoir buffers that safeguard our drinking water.

  4. Thoughtful Growth: Equip town boards, committees, and councils with transparent data for balanced decisions on development, recreation, housing, infrastructure, and future open space protection.

  5. Scenic & Dark Skies Character: Conserve ridgelines, steep slopes, historic places, and the rural character residents cherish.

What the Plan Does NOT Do:

An Open Space Plan does not:

  1. Make private property public.

  2. Prevent development.

  3. Change legal property ownership.

  4. Create mandatory new regulations on private lands.