Tomorrow, The Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies at the University of Central Florida (UCF), in partnership with myregion.org and The Trust for Public Land will be hosting a regional open space forum, “Are We Paving Paradise?” John A. Delaney Mayor, City of Jacksonville, will be the guest speaker as the group looks at ways to protect the Central Florida environment.

myregion.org Executive Committee member Duane DeFreese and Clay Henderson, member of myregion.org Leadership Council both Co-Chairs of the Environmental Collaboration Workgroups, will participate, along with faculty from UCF and The Trust for Public Land, and other environmental organizations.

The Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies at UCF has been working with six central Florida counties to develop a regional open space plan. The Central Florida environment consists of important ecosystems that cannot continue to function at their full ecological value without a regional approach.

The work group is basing their approach on a pilot program developed by Brevard County's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program (EEL), which is bringing three counties together to protect the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem.

"One thing the work of myregion.org has stressed is the importance of setting aside county boundaries in approaching a host of important issues," said Linda Chapin, director of the Metropolitan Center and member of myregion.org Leadership Council and Technical Committee. "We'd like to take Brevard County's efforts and expand them to include even more of Central Florida."

To register for this event, please contact Carla Novak at 407.823.1291 or cnovak@mail.ucf.edu.

Please click here to view the invitation and RSVP for this very important event.