Site
Reclamation & Open Space
To provide outdoor spaces which
encourage leisurely appreciation of the natural environment and refreshment for
the human psyche.
The
research of Kaplan & Kaplan (The Experience of
Nature, 1995) shows that
access to natural settings is important to human beings, not merely because it
serves some purpose (improved air quality, a place for exercise, etc.) but
because it is an intrinsic human need. Omnia Humanitas will provide free access
to a variety of outdoor spaces which are carefully maintained to
heighten their restorative effect.
To preserve open space and to reclaim
and revitalize abandoned or neglected sites.
Throughout our communities there are tiny parcels of
land that have run to wrack and ruin that, with a little care and ingenuity, can
be reclaimed and provide vital, vibrant connections to the land and to one
another.
Omnia Humanitas is currently working towards the
revitalization of two sites and the preservation of an additional third: a 33
acre parcel associated with a regional county park which includes 17 buildings
comprised of a historical residence and several barns and a 105 acre farm which
has been set aside for “agricultural education” and is adjacent to a state
park. The third parcel is comprised
of approximately 50 acres of woods, wetlands and meadow adjacent to the regional
park. In addition to these larger
sites, there are several smaller plots in local communities that can be
reclaimed to bring the work of Omnia right to people’s doorsteps.
