Paper

Jurassic Greenways: Planning a Dinosaur Trail for the Connecticut River Valley

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Abstract

Greenways often combine natural, historic/cultural, and recreational resources (Fábos 1995). However, there has been less integration with scientific interpretation, particularly in the area of paleontology and geology, except for a few notable examples. The current threat of global climate compels a look back in geologic time to how different landscapes, ecosystems, and human settlements evolved and adapted to rapidly changing climatic and environmental conditions. This study involves research and project development of a greenway and trail network that connects the important historical and cultural sites related to dinosaurs in New England’s Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts and Connecticut (USA). The project is a partnership of museums, cultural sites, and tourist businesses related to the discovery of dinosaur tracks and other significant paleo-geologic sites (www.jurassicroadshow.com). The lead organization, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, a historic museum in Deerfield, MA (www.deerfieldma. org), is developing an interactive web-site called the Impressions from a Lost World that is the beginning point for this project, which was conducted as part of a graduate landscape architecture studio at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst under the direction of Professor Robert L. Ryan.

Keywords: greenways, jurassic, dinosaurs, natural history, connecticut river, landscape

How to Cite:

Ryan, R. L., Doyle, S. & Studio, L., (2016) “Jurassic Greenways: Planning a Dinosaur Trail for the Connecticut River Valley”, Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning 5(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/fabos.703