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contents july 2017 volume 52 | number 7 | www.parksandrecreation.org

FEATURES

38 How Can Neighborhood Parks Attract More Users? The RAND Corporation shares findings from its recently conducted first national study of neighborhood parks.

46 Parks Build Community Is Headed to New Orleans This year’s project will help transform a portion of the historic Lafitte Greenway into a public space where residents can gather and play. Paula Jacoby-Garrett

Deborah A. Cohen and Kristin Leuschner

2017 NRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE SECTION

42 Get Your Play On! Over the past three years, competition for the coveted July Parks & Recreation cover has gotten stiffer and stiffer, and this year’s focus on play took it to another level. Roxanne Sutton

50 Host of American Ninja Warrior to Keynote NRPA Annual Conference Cort Jones

52 Justifying Your Trip to the 2017 Annual Conference 53 You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know Tom Crosley

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We don’t just manufacture playgrounds at Landscape Structures. What we do here is shape kids’ lives by teaching them about persistence, leadership, competition, bravery, support and empathy through play. For more than 45 years, we’ve invested our hearts and souls into creating amazing playgrounds for communities because for a better tomorrow, we play today. Request our Shaped by Play research at shapedbyplay.com.

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columns

contents july

departments

8 Perspectives The ‘Circle’ of Life Stephen Eckelberry

14 Research Parks and Recreation: Serving a Growing, Older Population 14

10 Editor’s Letter

Park Pulse: Most Americans Walk for Fun 16

Beyond Child’s Play Gina Mullins-Cohen

18 Member to Member

12 Letters In Solidarity with New Portlanders Som Subedi

A Coordinated Approach to Handling Homeless Encampments David Green and John Peterson

54 NRPA Update

20 Advocacy

NRPA Innovation Lab Explores How Communities Are Connecting Youth to Nature 54

The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) David Tyahla

Congratulations to the 2017 Gold Medal Awards Finalists 56 Member Spotlight: Wendy Waddle 57

22 Law Review

Parks & Recreation Crossword 58

Crash on Challenging Mountain Bike Trail James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

Connect Hot Topics 60 Member Benefit: Player Use and Abuse of Facilities 60 Professional Development Calendar 61

28 Future Leaders When Leadership Is ‘Green’ Richard Lukas

62 Operations Blue-Green Algae and Recreational Waters 62 The Lowdown on LED Sports Lighting 64

30 Conservation Nature’s Ability to Foster Growth Maddie Dineen

66 Products 67 Marketplace

32 Health and Wellness Mobile Recreation Programs Marla Collum

71 Advertiser Index

34 Social Equity

72 Park Bench

Stop the Interior Department’s Monumental Mistake Robert García

City of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department, South Carolina Photographer: Wendy Waddle

Parks & Recreation

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Photo courtesy of Giancarlo Acuna

The Community that Soccer Built Maureen Acquino

Page 22

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P E R S P E C T I V E S A M E S S A G E F R O M N R PA’ S L E A D E R S

The ‘Circle’ of Life As we experience the heat of the summer, I can’t help but think back to my childhood in Wheaton, Illinois, and all the days my friends and I spent at the local pool and area parks. Sometimes, I’d get dropped off at the pool with a bunch of friends, and sometimes, I’d ride my bike the 2 miles across town. I remember playing on the old, rundown playground at Triangle Park just a few blocks from the house, and days spent exploring through the woods. From sunup to sundown, we were outdoors and often enjoying whatever programs and activities our local park and recreation agency had to offer. Now, I’m watching as my youngest is getting old enough to do some of this on his own. Of course, the pool of my childhood pales in comparison to the aquatic centers our agencies have today. The bright, colorful playgrounds are completely different, and now, there are marked paths through most of the woods I used to explore. As we celebrate Park and Recreation Month in July, I think back to what a great impact parks and recreation truly has had on my life. My imagination ran wild as my friends and I made up games at the playground. Through swim lessons at the rec center, I learned to swim, and, at a very young age, I had the opportunity to try any sport I wanted, which taught me the value of team sports. Parks and rec even provided me with my first job as a baseball umpire at the age of 14. My mom taught me how to fish, and it’s something I still love to this day. We would fish at any of the local ponds in town. Some days, we would drive further out to find a better “fishing hole.” But, it connected me with nature, and I learned about more than just fishing. Life seems to have come full circle, as I’ve watched my three boys grow up the same way. Among the three of them, they have tried just about every sport our local agency offers, they all learned to swim there, and each has spent a lot of time at the two playgrounds in our neighborhood — I’m sure making up their own games. The older two had their first job at our local agency. I taught them to fish, of course, and, occasionally during the summer, I’ll get a phone call from one or more of them telling me they’re going down to the park with the pond to go fishing. It takes me back and makes me smile to know that they are connected. So, as we celebrate Park and Recreation Month, take a moment to reflect on all the ways parks and recreation truly touches our lives.

[Steve’s signature and title] S T EPH EN ECK ELB ER RY Chair of the Board of Directors

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2377 Belmont Ridge Rd. | Ashburn, VA 20148 2 703.858.0784 | www.nrpa.org

NRPA’S MISSION: To advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jack Kardys

Chair of the Board of Directors Stephen Eckelberry

Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department Miami, Florida

Bartlett Park District Bartlett, Illinois

Michael Kelly

Chair-Elect Leon T. Andrews

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

National League of Cities Washington, D.C.

Karen Bates Kress

Past Chair Susan Trautman, CPRP Great Rivers Greenway District St. Louis, Missouri

Treasurer Michael Kelly Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Secretary Jack Kardys Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department Miami, Florida

President and CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE National Recreation and Park Association Ashburn, Virginia

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jesus Aguirre

Advocate Emigrant, Montana

Herman Parker City of San Diego, California, Park and Recreation Department San Diego, California

Molly Stevens Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center Austin, Texas

Susan Trautman, CPRP The Great Rivers Greenway District Saint Louis, Missouri

William “Joe” Turner Houston Parks and Recreation Houston, Texas

LIFE TRUSTEES

Leon T. Andrews

Anne S. Close

PROS Consulting Indianapolis, Indiana

Kevin Coyle

Lexington, South Carolina Fort Mill, South Carolina

James H. Evans New York, New York

Rosemary Hall Evans Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

National Wildlife Federation Washington, D.C.

Earl T. Groves

Stephen Eckelberry

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

Bartlett Park District Carol Stream, Illinois

Richmond, Virginia

Harry G. Haskell

Robert García

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

The City Project Los Angeles, California

Kathryn A. Porter

Richard Gulley Balboa Park Conservancy San Diego, California

Roslyn Johnson Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Greenbelt, Maryland

US Patents D710,625 S; D710,139 S. US Patent D785,269 S.

Alliance for a Healthier Generation New York, New York

Beverly D. Chrisman

Neelay Bhatt

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Dr. Howell Wechsler

Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington National League of Cities Washington, D.C.

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Parks & Recreation

EDITOR’S LET TER

Beyond Child’s Play July is NRPA’s Park and Recreation Month, and we encourage you to “Get Your Play On” by emphasizing how parks, recreation and play coincide with one another. Whether you’re a child, teen or adult, being able to engage in play in neighborhood parks and participating in fun-filled activities at local recreation facilities is essential to maintaining one’s physical and mental health. Beginning with the feature “Get Your Play On” on page 42, NRPA’s Communications Manager, Roxanne Sutton, discusses how parks and recreation remain ahead of the curve, tackling play inequities by pinpointing and discovering solutions to such challenges as play deserts, deficiencies in recreation opportunities and more. We also showcase the winner of our 2017 cover photo contest. This marks the third year NRPA has hosted this challenge, soliciting the finest photos from throughout the industry. I’m sure you’ll agree that this year’s photo perfectly captures the importance of play. Next, contributors Deborah A. Cohen and Kristin Leuschner present important data from the RAND Corporation’s first-ever National Study of Neighborhood Parks in “How Can Neighborhood Parks Attract More Users?” on page 38. One key finding reveals disparities in who utilizes neighborhood parks. For example, gender disparities were higher among teenagers, with male teens making up 65 percent of all teen visits to parks — compared to 35 percent for female teenagers. NRPA’s Annual Conference is just two months away! I expect to see you there, so check out the Conference Content feature “Justifying Your Trip to the 2017 Annual Conference” on page 52, where you’ll find tips on how to talk with your employer about the value of attending conference, including a link to a justification letter template, along with information about some of this year’s new educational offerings. We’re also excited to announce that Matt Iseman, host of “American Ninja Warrior,” will deliver this year’s keynote. In addition to becoming the newest Celebrity Apprentice, Iseman is also a fervent advocate for the Arthritis Foundation. Be sure to check out P&R Associate Editor Cort Jones’s interview with Iseman on page 50. This month’s issue not only celebrates play, but also illustrates its critical effect on the overall well-being of community members. So, what are you waiting for? Get your play on!

GINA MULLINS-COHEN Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing Editorial Director

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLISHING, AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org MANAGING EDITOR Sonia Myrick smyrick@nrpa.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR Cort Jones cjones@nrpa.org ASSISTANT EDITOR Maureen Acquino macquino@nrpa.org EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR Catrina Belt cbelt@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Creative By Design www.creativebydesign.net SENIOR SALES MANAGER EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE Kip Ongstad 703.858.2174 kongstad@nrpa.org SALES MANAGER WESTERN REGION AND ASIA Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Gerald Brown Ernest Burkeen Brendan Daley Anthony-Paul Diaz Ryan Eaker Robert García Kathleen Gibi Tim Herd Edward Krafcik Todd Lehman Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Lisa Paradis Gil Peñalosa Dr. Kevin Riley Paula Sliefert Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs Randy Wiger

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Letters ter where they hail from, what religion they practice, their abilities, race, sexual orientation, no matter what. I encourage you to print and/or to distribute these posters to those you care about, and they are also all available in many more languages; please message us if you’d like to obtain them. Supporting New Portlanders continues to be a priority for the city of Portland and the Parks Bureau. It is based on valuing all who call Portland their home. Portland Parks & Recreation is more tolerance and acceptance. In his words committed than ever before to make sure We — Portland Parks & Recreation Difrom a poem he wrote: New Portlanders are safe and welcomed rector Mike Abbaté, Equity & Inclusion I spat in the eye of hate and lived. and embraced in our facilities, programs Manager Art Hendricks, Commissioner This is what we must do for one another and activities. As the person in charge of Amanda Fritz and I — write to you with We must live for one another the Parks for New Portlanders program, a heavy heart and many emotions. We must fight for one Mother. I offer my assistance in helping with inThe tragedy on the MAX a few days I met with the community youth amformation on PP&R programs, facilities, ago is both a sad and disturbing remindbassadors, who are employees of Portjobs and other offerings — and an open er that many Portlanders are confronted land Parks & Recreation’s Parks for New ear to further our diverse communities’ by hate and acts of violence — but also Portlanders Program. Among them, they healing. Please let me know how I may that heroes are everywhere, and many speak 15 languages and represent nine assist you and your partners. of them are your friends and colleagues, different New Portlander Communities: On a positive note, the Portland Poperhaps even you, someday. This event four are Muslim. These young leaders are lice Bureau and Portland Fire & Rescue may have touched you in profound and shocked, horrified and saddened by the started coaching teams for the Portland disturbing ways — that is certainly the loss of the two Portland heroes. They are World Cup Soccer Tournament this case with me personally. praying for the victims and their families. year! The popular annual tournament But know that, as our director wrote in Now more than ever, we must stand featuring teams of Portlanders origia recent email to our staff, every time you together against hate, ignorance and nally from around the globe took place engage a colleague or family member senseless violence. Portland Parks & Recwho says something that could be offenJuly 21, 2017, at PP&R’s Delta Park. reation (PP&R) has crafted the attached sive; every time you teach your children We encourage you to find out more, and poster (http://ow.ly/oTY830cxrId) afthat people are all made precious and to sign up to volunteer; more informafirming our embrace of people no matwonderful, and yes, each and every time tion is available at: www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/article/553563. you intervene to come to the aid Remember, no matter how long of the defenseless, the oppressed, each of us has been in Portland, the marginalized, you are a hero. We grieve as we mourn the loss a single act of violence doesn’t of the people who stood up for represent or define who we are the defenseless teen girls on the as Portlanders. This city belongs to all of us, all Portlanders, and train — including a fellow city I am proud to work for a governemployee, Rick Best and Taliesen ment that strives to make sure Myrrdin Mamkai-Meche. All we all feel safe and welcomed in of us are glad that Micah Daour home. vid-Cole Fletcher is out of the hospital and recovered enough Thank you for your continued Som Subedi (2nd from right) is pictured with the Portland Parks & Recreation’ s Parks for New Portlanders Community Youth Ambassadors now to spread his messages of generosity and compassion. [Editor’s Note: Following the May 26 tragedy on the MAX, Portland’s public transportation system, Som Subedi, who heads Portland Parks & Recreation’s Parks for New Portlanders program, shared the following post on the agency’s Facebook page. It has been slightly adapted for publication here. Given the increasing frequency of acts of violence against those who some have deemed “not American,” this post reminds us of the importance of making all members of our communities feel welcomed in our facilities.]

In Solidarity with New Portlanders

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Research Parks and Recreation: Serving a Growing, Older Population By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

oday, our nation is more diverse with greater and contrasting needs and desires. Park and recreation agencies have had to change to ensure that all members of their communities are able to benefit from their vast holdings of open space, recreation facilities and service offerings. One area of growing interest is serving the expanding population of older adults. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 13.0 percent of the U.S. population was at least 65 years old in 2010. Just five years later, this percentage had risen to 14.9 percent or 47.8 million people. Population forecasts suggest that the size of this cohort will expand greatly in the coming years. The Census Bureau anticipates the 65-plus population will swell to 65.9 million, nearly 38 percent, between 2015 and 2025. This group will grow even further to 82.3 million by 2040, at which time it will represent 21.7 percent of the total U.S. population, and will be larger than the percentage of the population under the age of 18. This month, NRPA is releasing a new research report that takes a look at how park and recreation agencies throughout our nation are serving this growing and

14 Parks & Recreation

increasingly important population. More than 520 park and recreation professionals responded to a 20-question survey sent out in May that explored park and recreation agency offerings geared to new older adults. What the survey findings tell us is that parks and recreation is a vital service provider to older adults, and yet there remains significant opportunity to do much more. More than nine in 10 park and recreation agencies report that they offer facilities, activities and programming that cater to older adults. Nearly three-quarters of survey respondents characterize their agency as the leader, or one of the leaders, in providing services and programming geared to older adults. These activities vary greatly, including providing older adults with chances to socialize with others, ways to stay healthy and active, and opportunities to serve others in their communities. Following is a list of activities that are among those most often geared to older adults: • Exercise classes (91 percent) • Field trips, tours, vacations (70 percent) • Arts and crafts classes (67 percent) • Opportunities to volunteer at recreation centers (58 percent) • Special events and festivals targeted to older adults (58 percent) • Group walks (53 percent)

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• Opportunities to volunteer in parks (48 percent) • Paid job opportunities to lead exercise classes, work in recreation centers or at parks (47 percent) Where park and recreation agencies can make a real, lasting difference is in providing evidence-based chronic disease prevention and/or management programs that keep older adults healthy and active for years to come. Three-quarters of park and recreation agencies offer these types of programs for older adults in their communities, including those focused on enhanced fitness, diabetes management, living with arthritis and improving balance. The wide breadth of service offerings for older adults from park and recreation agencies reflect the broad population served. This includes agencies following a wide definition of “older adults” when designing and marketing offerings — in many cases starting with adults as young as 50 years old. In fact, for their older adult programming, 44 percent of park and recreation agencies target adults as young as 50 years old, with another 40 percent of agencies targeting those 55 years old. Naturally, the needs and desires of 50 years olds can differ significantly from those of 75 year olds, yet it is critical that agencies serve both populations well. Furthermore, park and recreation agencies may be unique in ensuring that the needs of underserved older adults are met. Agencies are a critical, lifesaving resource for lower income communities. They provide low-cost nutri-

tional meals, transportation to and from senior centers, recreation centers and other needed services, and low-cost or free fitness programs. Park and recreation agencies often develop programming for older adults with a number of key partners in their cities, towns and counties. To best serve this population, they typically partner with: • Area agencies on aging (58 percent) • Retirement communities (44 percent) • Senior meals providers (42 percent) • Hospitals and doctors’ offices (40 percent) • Local health departments (39 percent) • Health insurance companies (38 percent) • Community-based organizations (e.g., YMCAs, faith-based) (38 percent) But even with these partners, most

survey respondents indicated that their agencies have hurdles that they must overcome before providing more services to older adults. Most of the challenges are the result of inadequate resources, including facility space shortages (58 percent), insufficient funding (50 percent) and inadequate staffing (40 percent). Presumably, these resource constraints will become even more acute as the older adult population grows and the demand for these services increase. In many ways, these survey findings mirror those of a study NRPA conducted in 2016 on out-of-school time programs. That study highlighted how park and recreation agencies are valuable providers of child care that afford parents and caregivers the opportunity to earn a living. Those programs provide educa-

tion about nature and nutrition, tutoring, mentoring and enrichment opportunities that improve the mental, physical and emotional health of youth. Here too, park and recreation agencies would be able to provide even more opportunities for the youth in their community if they gained greater access to resources. Both program offerings are examples of how parks and recreation has a positive impact on people’s lives, even as it means differing things to different segments of our communities. This diversity of service offerings highlights the strength of our field and the multitude of ways we improve our community every day. Kevin Roth, Ph.D., is NRPA’s Vice President of Research (kroth@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

NRPA Park Pulse Each month, through a poll of Americans that is focused on park and recreation issues, NRPA Park Pulse will help to tell the park and recreation story. Questions span from the serious to the more lighthearted, and with this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poll, we take a closer look at where Americans like to walk for leisure or pleasure.

Most Americans Walk for Fun A Park Pulse poll conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) asked 1,007 Americans ages 18+ where they like to walk for leisure or pleasure.

9 in 10 Americans walk for fun. Their favorite places to walk include local parks, along beaches or rivers, and neighborhood sidewalks.

Walking is a popular recreational activity for Americans of all ages.

Millennials

GenXers

Baby Boomers

Americans with children are more likely to walk for leisure or pleasure, mainly at their local park.

www.nrpa.org/Park-Pulse ÂŠ2017 National Recreation and Park Association The National Recreation and Park Association Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,007 nationally representative Americans, ages 18+, between April 24th and May 1st, 2017, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population 18 and older. The margin of error for this study is +/- 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

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Member to Member A Coordinated Approach to Handling Homeless Encampments How the City of Everett Parks and Recreation is addressing this issue in its parks By David Green and John Peterson

t 10 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day 2017, 11 City of Everett [Washington] Parks and Community Services employees began cleaning a wooded area where, just days before, 20 unsheltered individuals had been living. Although the individuals had left, the evidence of their past habitation was still present. Fire pits, toilet paper and other rubbish were left behind for the parks department to dispose of. Encampment cleanups like this have become commonplace for park employees. The January 2017 Point-in-Time Count, conducted by Snohomish County, estimated that 515 individuals were experiencing chronic homelessness in and around Everett, which is located 30 miles north of Seattle. This number represented a 60 percent increase in unsheltered individuals since 2015 — an influx that resulted in several of the undeveloped and wooded areas under the responsibility of the parks department becoming attractive locations for many unsheltered individuals. Coordinated Effort In the past, departments within the city

acted individually and removed camps as they saw fit. However, in 2014, as the epidemic of people without shelter continued to grow, the need for departments to utilize each other’s expertise became apparent and more interdepartmental cooperation developed. All city departments that were impacted by the unsheltered population began to meet to address the complications associated with encampments. Although the Everett parks department had park rangers who were able to perform enforcement, it lacked the resources to address encampments and the individuals who occupied them. It

was standard practice to post a sign in an encampment stating that everything on-site would be disposed of, and, after a few days, if staff was available, which is exactly what happened. At the staff ’s discretion, items could be kept in a storage area for up to 45 days before being donated to a local thrift store. This process was inconsistent, time consuming, and, often, unsheltered individuals didn’t receive assistance or a path to get off the street. In the fall of 2015, the Everett Police Department developed the Community Outreach and Enforcement Team (COET). Community members and city departments can contact COET if they are aware of an unsheltered individual who may want assistance. The COET employs two embedded social workers who connect with the unsheltered individuals and work with them to find assistance and services. The team can help these individuals to enroll in food stamp programs, find housing and work, and, in some cases, attend a rehab program. Park staff began to use COET to help address the underlying personal issues of many of the unsheltered individuals they encounter. Legal Ramifications On March 14, a park ranger, police officer and social worker entered the encampments to post a 72-hour notice of cleanup and to offer assistance and services to any individuals living on-site. They made contact with four unsheltered individuals that day, and they each had their own story,

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their own setbacks and each was at a different stage of willingness to accept assistance. Three days later, park staff returned and removed all the refuse that was left on the sites, tagging and storing any property that had value. While needing to provide safe, clean parks, Everett parks also had to be mindful of the needs and rights of the unsheltered individuals and their property. Parks are in a unique position: during set hours it is legal to occupy, sleep in and use most of our property. The fact that someone appeared to be unsheltered did not exclude them from using park facilities during daylight hours. There were complaints about people using the restroom or sleeping in the grass during park hours, and our staff in the field began educating park patrons and neighbors about the rights of individuals to use park property. We attended neighborhood meetings and spoke with local stakeholders about the processes we were required to follow when we encountered an unsheltered individual. When staff learned of what appeared to be an encampment — where people stayed outside of normal park hours — they had to determine if the encampment fell into one of three categories: • Active Encampment – Currently occupied by an individual or group of individuals. • Abandoned Encampment – Previously occupied, but for at least 72 hours, had not been used for habitation but was still recognizable by the abandoned property as an encampment. • Inactive Encampment – A location that previously was used as an encampment but was now closed, and all the individuals and their personal property had been removed and the area had returned to its natural and/or pre-encampment state. If an encampment is determined to be active or abandoned, staff is required to post a 72-hour notice of the plan to remove property and garbage. Staff is also encouraged to inform the COET of the encampment so the team can attempt to contact the individuals residing on-site. If park staff determines an encampment is inactive, they are able to clean up the area as soon as possible. A significant hurdle for the parks department was how to retain the property of value that was removed from an encampment site. This property was to be retained for 60 days to allow the owners time to claim it, but this presented a two-pronged issue: first, “Who determines what property had value?” and second, “Where do we store the property for 60 days?” The parks department was encouraged to use a loose definition of “valuable.” As a result, any blanket, pillow, sleeping bag, tent or other object that did not contain obvious rodent damage, human waste or drug paraphernalia was often stored. One encampment could produce a large amount of retainable property. Fortunately, Everett Parks Department has access to a large, former assembly hall in which to store the property.

A Look at the Future Weeks after the encampments are cleaned up bare spots are still visible in the wooded areas from the walking trails. Vegetation begins to reclaim the site, but it will take years before it fully recovers. Some of the unsheltered individuals will accept assistance from COET and other services in the region, and some will move their camps to another location and start the process over again. The epidemic of unsheltered individuals is not confined to parks, this one city or the region. There is not a single simple solution, and tackling the issue requires an immense amount of coordination and resources. In Everett, increased interdepartmental coordination and the creation of a standardized response to encampments have enabled park staff to clear encampments more efficiently. As a city, Everett will continue to explore new avenues to better serve its residents, both with and without shelter.

PARKS & REC Salsbury

David Green is the Park Ranger Supervisor, Parks and Community Services, for the city of Everett (dgreen@everettwa.gov). John Peterson is the Assistant Director, Parks and Community Services, for the city of Everett (jpeterson@ everettwa.gov).

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Parks & Recreation

ADVOCACY

The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) What it means for the future of the LWCF State Assistance Program By David Tyahla

or those of us who closely follow the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State Assistance Program, there’s very important news regarding funding for this critical conservation and recreation priority. And, it comes as a result of an energy law passed back in 2006.

The LWCF is funded through revenues generated from oil and gas exploration in federal waters along the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) of the Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, LWCF is NOT funded at the expense of the individual taxpayer, but rather through lease and production fees paid by energy companies. These fees (in the billions of dollars) are collected annually, but are NOT guaranteed to the LWCF, which is authorized to receive up to $900 million each year in support of its broad portfolio of federal and state land acquisition and conservation initiatives, including State Assistance. Congress must still act each year to determine exactly how much fund20 Parks & Recreation

ing is “appropriated” to the various LWCF programs — 2016 saw total LWCF dollars reach $450 million with State Assistance receiving a major increase to $110 million. Both amounts represent the highest funding levels in more than a decade. What Is GOMESA? While the LWCF Act is more than 50 years old, the focus of this column is on a much more recent Gulf Coast energy law, known as the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 or “GOMESA.” This law was enacted in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and, in return for opening up additional parts of the Gulf of Mexico to

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energy exploration and production, allows four states — Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas — to share significant oil and gas revenues produced in the federal waters located off their coasts. In an effort to make the proposed law less of a parochial “Gulf Coast” initiative, the measure included a mandate that a portion of the overall revenues generated go to the State Assistance Program so each state could benefit from these new OCS funds. It’s important to note that this mandate means that the GOMESA revenues that are identified for LWCF State Assistance are guranteed and not subject to annual congressional approval and designation (appropriation)! Furthermore, the law included tight “caps” on the annual payments for the first 10 years, a move that facilitated bipartisan passage by lowering the measure’s impact on the federal deficit. So, although

GOMESA has helped fund the State Assistance Program since its adoption in 2006, the amounts during the first decade (Phase I) of the program have been miniscule — for instance, a total of $85,972 was contributed in 2016. However, with the start of Phase II, the restrictive caps have come off and State Assistance will begin seeing millions of dollars in mandatory funding coming into the program, each year. In fact, State Assistance will receive up to $125 million in mandatory funding annually. Compare that to the $110 million appropriated by Congress in 2016 and 2017 (highest amount in decades) and you can see why receiving up to $125 million in guaranteed funding each year can have a major, and lasting, impact when it’s apportioned out to every state and territory in support of close-to-home outdoor recreation and conservation. A stream of dependable funding will allow states to truly plan how best to use their annual State Assistance apportionment. While the maximum amount of annual funding that State Assistance may receive is $125 million, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) — the federal agency in charge of administering annual OCS revenues — reports that GOMESA is not expected to generate that maximum level of funding for at least two or three years. The latest estimates project approximately $88 million in mandatory GOMESA funding will go to the State Assistance Program this year; that means, that amount will be included in the state-by-state apportionment in FY2018. NOTE: This amount, alone, is twice as much as the pre-2016 average of about $40 million being appropriated by Congress. Finally, the president’s fiscal year 2018 budget request takes aim at GOMESA in two ways: (1) eliminating the revenue-sharing portion of the program to the four Gulf Coast states and (2) suggesting the incoming revenues intended for State Assistance be “in lieu” of further appro

priations by Congress. The president’s budget would also effectively eliminate discretionary funding for the LWCF overall. This plan has been roundly criticized by Gulf Coast lawmakers and major environmental groups, as well. NRPA has gone on record strongly opposing these and other major cuts to key federal priorities. We’re explaining to the

new administration that the GOMESA revenues were always viewed as “in addition” to whatever Congress appropriated to the LWCF, including the State Assistance Program, and not as a substitute for regular annual funding. There is much more to share about GOMESA — and what it means for LWCF State Assistance. For more information on the basics of GOMESA, visit the BOEM website, www.boem.gov/ Revenue-Sharing/. NRPA will host an educational webinar, Tuesday, July 18, which will provide additional background and resources about this critically important component for funding the State Assistance Program. Visit www. nrpa.org/webinars/ to register. David Tyahla is NRPA’s Senior Government Affairs Manager (dtyahla@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

Photo courtesy of Giancarlo Acuna

L AW R E V I E W

Crash on Challenging Mountain Bike Trail By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

n determining negligence liability, we are generally held to the reasonable person standard. What would the reasonable person do, or not do, under a particular set of circumstances? Negligence liability is more likely when one’s conduct falls below that which would generally be considered reasonable care under the circumstances. Reasonableness is a two-way street. On one hand, the provider of recreational opportunities must provide programs and facilities that are reasonably safe under the circumstances. On the other hand, those participating in recreational activities must look out reasonably for their own safety under the circumstances. Negligence liability generally presupposes the defendant has superior knowledge of an unreasonable risk of harm, which would not reasonably be known or discoverable by the plaintiff prior to the injury. Conversely, negligence liability is much less likely where the plaintiff has relative risk knowledge

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that equals or exceeds the defendant’s, or the hazardous condition was readily observable by the plaintiff through the reasonable use of his or her senses. In light of a known or readily perceivable danger, an individual has a general legal duty to look out reasonably for his or her own safety and avoid such obvious hazards. Accordingly, known or obvious dangers generally do not pose the requisite level of unreasonable risk of harm necessary to impose liability for negligence. (See “Overview of Negligence Liability Principles in Recreation,” http://cehdclass.gmu.edu/jkozlows/lawarts/06JUN96.pdf.) Similarly, in determining premises

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liability, landowners are generally not liable for negligence when recreational injuries result from conditions on the land that are as obvious to the visitor as to the landowner, or should have been observed by the visitor in exercise of reasonable care. Accordingly, the landowner’s most demanding legal duty of care is generally limited to keeping the premises free of unreasonably dangerous defects or conditions that are not known, or readily observable, to a visitor looking out reasonably for his or her own safety (i.e., hidden traps, dangers or pitfalls). Moreover, this landowner duty of reasonable care under the circumstances takes into account the reasonable expectations of those invited to use the premises for recreational purposes. In other words, the legal duty of landowners is simply to assure that their property is no more dangerous (or safe) than

it appears to be. Further, those using the premises must act reasonably using ordinary care to protect themselves and discover obvious dangers. (See “Landowner Duty: Assure Premises No More Dangerous than It Appears to Be,” http://cehdclass.gmu.edu/jkozlows/lawarts/02FEB96.pdf.) As illustrated by a review of reported court opinions and the case described herein, negligence liability should be the exception rather than the rule. The case described below involved injuries sustained during a ride on a mountain-bike trail in a city park. A number of YouTube videos allow a virtual ride experience on this challenging mountain bike trail, certainly more risky than a sedentary “walk in the park” (See Town Run Trail Park, Indianapolis, www.youtube.com/ watch?v=c45I8KCGgQ0.) Trail Difficulty Obvious? In the case of Hoosier Mountain Bike Association, Inc. v. Kaler, 2017 Ind. App. LEXIS 133 (3/23/2017), plaintiff Richard Kaler sustained injuries while riding on a mountain bike trail in Town Run Trail Park, owned and operated by the city of Indianapolis through Indy Parks and Recreation. The Hoosier Mountain Bike Association, Inc. (HMBA) was responsible for maintaining the trails, which have a difficulty rating from beginner through intermediate. (See “Town Run Trail Park,” www.visitindy.com/indianapolis-town-run-trail-park). In the spring of 2011, an Eagle Scout, as part of his merit badge project, built a new technical trail feature along Town Run’s mountain-bike trail. The feature can best be described as a banked wooden turn, also known as a berm. A rider, approaching the berm, has three options for completing the turn: (1) riders can avoid the berm by staying on the dirt path on its left side, (2) riders can elect

to enter the berm and ride it on the low grade, or (3) riders can negotiate the turn by riding the berm’s more challenging high grade.

feature. As he approached the end of the turn, Kaler could see “there was a drop,” so he “pulled up on the fork and did a little bunny hop.”

...landowners are generally not liable for negligence when recreational injuries result from conditions on the land that are as obvious to the visitor...or should have been observed by the visitor in exercise of reasonable care. The entrance onto the wooden turn is fully tapered with the ground, while the exit is only partially tapered. A rider choosing the low grade would exit the berm with a “little jump” off the end of the feature. A rider exiting on the high grade would have to make a two-foot jump back down to the trail. On July 9, 2011, Kaler and his girlfriend took their first trip on the trail. The mountain bike trail is shaped as a “figure 8,” with an approximate length of 6 miles. When he first approached the berm, Kaler “took the low grade” on the

On their second trip around the course, Kaler’s girlfriend decided to take a shorter loop back to the trailhead. She was not as “adventurous” as Kaler, and was concerned about getting back to the trailhead before dusk. Despite the approaching darkness, Kaler “wanted to ride the higher grade because he knew it was more challenging.” Kaler reached the berm again around 9:30 p.m. Feeling “capable of riding that high line,” he sped up and rode the berm “as high as he could possibly ride it with his skill set.” As he was near the

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Parks & Recreation

L AW R E V I E W

end of the berm’s high grade, he “just saw himself lose control and just knew he was dropping.” Kaler “didn’t see the drop, nor was he aware of the drop” at the end of the high-grade turn. Instead, he “thought it tapered off.” Due to the fall, Kaler sustained lacerations to his spleen and kidney. After calling his mother and girlfriend to inform them that he had crashed, he rode his bicycle back to the trail-head. That evening, Kaler and his girlfriend went out for dinner. Around 1:30 a.m. on the following morning, Kaler went to the hospital where he was diagnosed with lacerations to his spleen and kidney. On discharge, Kaler was offered physical therapy but refused it because he “didn’t feel it was necessary.” Kaler’s recovery did not last

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...the appeals court found ‘it was objectively reasonable for the city, under the facts of this case, to expect Kaler [the plaintiff] to appreciate the risks of riding the trail and take suitable protections.’ long, and he participated in a 100-mile bicycle ride later that summer. Kaler filed a premises liability claim against the city. The city filed a motion for summary judgment. Summary judgment would effectively dismiss Kaler’s claim prior to trial. The trial court denied the city’s motion for summary judgment. The city appealed. (After the trial court denied summary judgment, defendant Hoosier Mountain Bike As-

sociation settled with Kaler and was dismissed from the case.) Landowner Liability On appeal, the city argued that the trial court had erred in not granting the city’s motion for summary judgment in Kaler’s premises liability claim. In so doing, the city contended Kaler had failed to allege sufficient facts to support his claim of premises liability.

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The appeals court noted that all parties had agreed that Kaler was an invitee of the city when his injuries occurred in Town Run Trail Park. As described by the court, the following three-part test would be applied to determine “a landowner’s liability for harm caused to an invitee by a condition of its land”: A landowner can be held responsible only if the landowner: (a) Knows, or by the exercise of reasonable care would discover, the condition, and should realize that it involves an unreasonable risk of harm to such invitees; and (b) Should expect that they will not discover or realize the danger, or will fail to protect themselves against it; and (c) Fails to exercise reasonable care to

protect them against the danger. Applying this test to the facts of the case, the appeals court found the evidence presented by Kaler did not satisfy “the duty component of premises liability.” Specifically, the evidence failed to suggest that Kaler would not discover or realize the allegedly dangerous condition on the land. On the contrary, the appeals court found “it was objectively reasonable for the city, under the facts of this case, to expect Kaler to appreciate the risks of riding the trail and take suitable protections.” Moreover, the appeals court noted that the “trail’s difficulty was advertised as appropriate for beginner through intermediate.” Further, the court found “Kaler’s own deposition characterized himself as an experienced bicyclist,

who had ridden a fairly sophisticated trail before and who ‘always enjoyed the obstacles.’” Kaler had conceded that to “try to get an idea of the technical requirements of the trail,” he would get off his bike, especially if he noticed something “as a danger.” Moreover, he admitted that a fall “was just a general consequence of the sport.” In this particular instance, however, Kaler did not step off his bike and inspect the berm’s high grade prior to riding it in the approaching darkness. Instead, since he had ridden the trail the first time without any problems, Kaler decided to make a second run even though it was “getting dark.” Kaler was insistent that he “wanted to ride the higher grade because he knew it was more challenging.”

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Parks & Recreation

L AW R E V I E W

In the opinion of the appeals court, the evidence failed to establish that ‘the city had actual or constructive knowledge of a condition on the trail that involved an unreasonable risk of harm to Kaler.’ at least every other time he rode, and he would routinely fall off the bike over obstacles.” Having found “the designated evidence conclusively established that two of the elements of the premises liability test are not satisfied,” the appeals court concluded “the trial court erred by denying summary judgment to the city.” Imprudent Biker On appeal, the city had also argued that premises liability was precluded because Kaler was contributorily negligent in bringing about his own injury. As defined by the appeals court, a plaintiff is contributorily negligent when the plaintiff ’s conduct “falls below the standard to which he should conform for his own protection and safety.”

Photo courtesy of the Department of Public Works, City of Indianapolis

Accordingly, based on Kaler’s own deposition testimony, the appeals court concluded “the city could objectively and reasonably have expected an experienced bicyclist to realize the risks a beginner to intermediate trail would present and take appropriate precautions.” In determining potential landowner liability, the appeals court further considered whether the city knew, or should have known, of an unreasonable risk of harm to invitees, like Kaler, on the bike trail. In the opinion of the appeals court, the evidence had failed to establish that “the city had actual or constructive knowledge of a condition on the trail that involved an unreasonable risk of harm to Kaler.” Moreover, the court found “the expectation of a bicycle crash is a risk inherent to riding trails,” which did not pose an unreasonable risk of harm. In so doing, the appeals court noted, “Kaler’s own deposition unequivocally affirms that being involved in a bicycle crash was just a general consequence of the sport.” In particular, the court found Kaler himself had stated in his deposition that he “expected to get in a wreck

26 Parks & Recreation

Lack of reasonable care that an ordinary person would exercise in like or similar circumstances is the factor upon which the presence or absence of negligence depends. Expressed another way, contributory negligence is the failure of a person to exercise for his own safety that degree of care and caution which an ordinary, reasonable and prudent person in a similar situation would exercise. In this particular instance, the city claimed, “Kaler is foreclosed from any recovery because of his failure to exercise the care a reasonable, prudent mountain biker should have exercised.” As noted by the appeals court, at the time of the incident, a premises liability claim against a governmental entity, like the city, was still subject to “the common law defense of contributory negligence.” Accordingly, the appeals court acknowledged “even a slight degree of negligence on Kaler’s part, if proximately contributing to his claimed damages, will operate as a total bar to his action for damages against the city.” (In many jurisdictions, the common law defense has been replaced by comparative negligence statutes. Unlike the common law contributory negligence defense, a comparative negligence statute does not preclude liability based on any degree of fault on the part of the injured plaintiff. Instead, an applicable comparative negligence statute generalAerial view of Town Run Trail Park, owned and operated by the city of Indianapolis through Indy Parks and Recreation.

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ly reduces the plaintiff ’s recovery by the percentage of fault attributable to an injured plaintiff ’s unreasonable behavior.) Under the circumstances of this case, the appeals court found Kaler was not “completely free of all negligence.” Rather, the court found “Kaler contributorily negligent” in bringing about his own injury. In the opinion of the appeals court, “Kaler knew and understood the precautions a reasonably prudent mountain biker should take — inspect the feature prior to riding it — but chose not to follow them.” In his deposition, Kaler affirmed that in trying to build a skill, it would not be unusual for him to get off his bike and look at the obstacles. He also acknowledged that he knew the berm’s high grade would be challenging because he had just started riding high berms and had never ridden a berm as steep as the one at Town Run. According to the court, there was “no evidence that the jump from the high grade was obscured from view.” On the contrary, the court found Kaler had acknowledged he could see “there was a drop” as he “approached the end of the turn during his first ride on the berm.” Most significantly, the court found Kaler had “conceded that he could have anticipated the drop from the high grade, had he taken the precaution a reasonable bicyclist riding an unfamiliar trail would take.” After a successful first run on the berm’s low grade, Kaler decided to ride the feature again. Despite the approaching darkness, he planned to ride the berm’s high grade as high as he possibly could because it would be “really cool to ride it and get that speed.” Notwithstanding the coolness factor, Kaler conceded that riding obstacles posed a risk of bodily injury

Photo courtesy of the Department of Public Works, City of Indianapolis

One of the structures along the mountain bike trail at Town Run, which has a difficulty rating from beginner through intermediate.

as crashes were a general consequence of the sport. Typically, to get an idea of the technical requirements of a trail, the biker “would get off his bike.” Based on this pretrial evidence from Kaler’s deposition testimony, the appeals court concluded Kaler was not “completely free of all negligence.” Having found no pretrial evidence that would support Kaler’s claim of premises liability, the appeals court concluded summary judgment in favor of the city was warranted. Moreover, the appeals court held “Kaler was contributorily negligent when riding the city’s mountain bike trail at Town Run.” The appeals court, therefore, reversed the trial court’s denial of the city’s motion for summary judgment.

unreasonably dangerous condition that caused a fatal fall during a bike ride. In this particular instance, unlike Kaler’s mountain bike crash, the court found the premises defect was not reasonably observable or considered an inherent risk while riding a bike on this particular park roadway. (See “Park Pot Hole Fatality,” http://cehdclass.gmu.edu/jkozlows/lawarts/09SEP06.pdf.) In addition to the link cited above, a search of Town Run Trail Park on YouTube (www.youtube.com/results?search_query=town+run+trail+park) produces a number of videos that provide a virtual experience of riding the mountain bike trail, which formed the backdrop for the court opinion described herein.

Park Pothole Fatality In contrast to the outcome in the Kaler case described above, the state court in the case of Phelan v. State, 2005 NY Slip Op 25506 (NY 6/29/2005) found a depression in a park roadway was an

James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., is an Attorney and Associate Professor in the School of Recreation, Health and Tourism at George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia (jkozlows@gmu. edu). Webpage with link to law review articles archive (1982 to present): http://mason.gmu. edu/~jkozlows.

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Parks & Recreation

FUTURE LEADERS

Construction on the site of what would become the 13th and C Street Community Park and Garden, formerly an abandoned, fenced-off paking lot.

When Leadership Is ‘Green’ Young professionals sometimes learn to lead by doing By Richard Lukas

aving studied history and political science at Gettysburg College, when I arrived in Washington, D.C., in 2000, the city’s extensive Civil War legacy — emblazoned in bronze and stone — was not lost on me. I enjoyed walking the historic streets of Capitol Hill, which Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass had traversed well over a century before. And, I wondered if any park benches or shade trees had similarly provided them with a moment’s respite from the raging war that divided the nation. Thanks to its late 18th-century designer, Pierre L’Enfant, Washington does not lack for green spaces. The city comes in fourth for its park system on The Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore index, which ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities based on park access, acreage and funding. However, when I moved to southeast Capitol Hill in my mid-20s, I seemed to have found one of the city’s few patches of undesired concrete lots: a vestige of the car-centric and failed urban renewal

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program that scars many cities to this day. This abandoned, fenced-off parking lot, adjoining a public housing complex, was not only an eyesore, but also a public health and safety hazard that attracted hordes of mosquitoes after summer rains and frequent ne’er-do-wells trafficking in illegal behavior when the sun set. Plant the Right Seeds At the urging of my neighbor, a small group of 20- and 30-year-olds gathered one evening in his parlor to consider

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how that lot could better serve the community. Why not a park, we wondered, inspired by images of picnic tables, playsets and a verdant lawn, all replacing the existing black top? But, how could this idea become a reality? None of us knew anything about creating a park: Who owned the land? How much would it cost to build? Where would the funding come from? What did the community really want? Find Your Champions As fate would have it, weeks later, during a neighborhood safety walk with the DC Housing Authority executive director and a local councilmember, I approached the officials and shared our group’s idea for a park. Both men embraced the concept and committed to transforming the space, but only if our

Richard Lukas, president of the nonprofit Friends of the 13th Street Community Park and Garden group that was instrumental in getting the neighborhood park completed.

small group agreed to spearhead the community engagement. We quickly incorporated our ad hoc citizen assembly into an official nonprofit “friends of group,” the 13th Street Community Park and Garden. Because I was an urban planning professional, albeit a very green one with no experience tackling such a project, I was pressed into service as the organization’s president. Working in partnership with the housing agency, we held outreach meetings and a community charrette with the public-housing residents and the larger neighborhood. Luckily, we had the pro-bono talents of an architectural designer and a landscape architect to guide us through park options. From the community, we quickly learned that the senior citizens, who comprised the largest demographic of the neighboring housing complex, had no interest in playsets or active recreation areas for the site. Instead, they wished for a more peaceful place to relax and reflect. And, interestingly, many of the older residents, some who grew up with agricultural backgrounds, called for a community gardening space. After several months, with an agreed-upon conceptual design, we testified before the housing board, and the project was allocated $250,000. Ground was ceremoniously broken and all seemed right with the world. Except, as many of us learned, very few construction projects ever go as planned. Design challenges and their costs quickly outpaced our budget, and work on the park stalled. The housing residents and neighbors grew restless. Keep the Long View For more than two years, each time I stepped out my front door I had to dodge complaints about the project and what, to many, was beginning to look like false promises. Behind the scenes, however, our nonprofit was walking a delicate tightrope of politicking and advocacy. The housing director and remained our champions throughout, but bureaucracy and financial realities cast a pall on what should have been a feel-good task. Eventually, the housing agency, with the help of the board, successfully applied for and was awarded a federal grant to complete the park, securing more than $650,000. After four years of dedication by dozens of community members, the 13th and C Street Community Park and Garden finally became a reality and, to this day, remains a beloved gem of the community.

Be a Gracious Agitator Two miles due south of our new park is the Frederick Douglass Cedar Hill house and historic site. It was here that the abolitionist, civil rights advocate and statesman lived from 1877 until his death in 1895. A year before his passing, a young man approached Douglass at his home and asked how he could make a difference in this world. “Agitate,” Douglass replied. “Agitate, agitate.” I can offer no better advice to those hoping to create their own parks and protect natural spaces for future generations — except perhaps to do so with a smile and a sense of humor! Richard Lukas is Director of Federal Grants and Program Development at The Trust for Public Land and President of the 13th Street Community Park & Garden in Capitol Hill, D.C. (richard.lukas@tpl.org).

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Parks & Recreation

Nature’s Ability to Foster Growth By Maddie Dineen

hildhood Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses have been on the rise in the United States for the past few years. Between 2003 and 2011, the prevalence of the disorder in school-aged kids rose from 8.4 percent to 12 percent, a 42.9 percent increase (www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151208150630.htm). The significant rise in the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD has sparked a national debate on the best treatment for the disorder. Traditionally, treatments have focused heavily on the use of prescription medications, but an emerging body of research indicates that nature-based interventions could be an effective alternative to the use of pharmaceuticals. ADHD is a brain disorder characterized by an ongoing pattern of hyperactivity and/or inattentiveness that can hinder work, play and academic pursuits in children. There are few interventions in existence for ADHD, but almost all of them include the use of prescription stimulants, such amphetamines (Adderall) and methylphenidates (Ritalin). While these medications have been proven to effectively treat ADHD, they also carry the potential for moderate-to-severe side-effects, includ-

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ing cardiovascular problems, abdominal pain and increased anxiety. The use of environmental education programming as an intervention has the potential to reduce the symptoms of ADHD in children without the potentially harmful side-effects of medications, while simultaneously providing kids with increased opportunities to connect to nature. Some of the most important work on this topic has come out of the Human-Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois. In

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a series of studies, researchers found that green outdoor spaces foster creative play, improve children’s access to positive adult interaction and help relieve the symptoms of attention-deficit disorders. They also found a direct correlation between the amount of nature and increased functioning — the greener the setting, the greater the benefits. “Activities in natural, green settings were far more likely to leave ADHD children better able to focus, concentrate,” they concluded While the body for research on pharmaceutical treatments for ADHD is large, there is little published research on using nature-based interventions, and more research is needed before nature-based intervention is accepted as an evidence-based solution. In an effort to address this dearth of research, Bellingham Parks and Recreation and Camp Fire Samish will launch a study

to measure the impact of environmental education programming on foster children with ADHD. Camp Fire Samish, an outdoor adventure camp in Washington state, has partnered with Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department to bring outdoor learning and adventure to children in the Pacific Northwest. Camp Fire Samish has piloted a few of these studies in the spring, and now that it has learned the benefits nature provides to young minds, it wants to act swiftly in the implementation of additional outdoor programming. The camp is in the process of developing an outdoor stewardship program, called INVEST (Implementing Nature’s Values Empowers Stewards of Tomorrow), which is run out of a local park. We are determined to provide equal access to the great outdoors for all children, regardless of the socio-economic status of their parents, so scholarships are available to those who apply. We hope to build sustainable programs for all children in the community. Our growth and expansion allow for the addition of new, specific programs that cater to the needs of the community, as well as the funding to provide excellent programming. If we are successful in our endeavors, we could provide some bit of relief to the children who are the most vulnerable in our society. We’ve chosen to work specifically with foster children because of their general lack of family support. Research has shown that the less support a child has, the higher the risk he or she has of developing behavior disorders. A 2001 study of 1,600 foster children in the United States found that 50 percent had a social, behavioral or emotional disorder and that about 25 percent of them had ADHD. In comparison, the American Psychiatric Association determined that 5-6 percent of children in the United States had ADHD. Clearly, there is a very alarming discrepancy between the national average of childhood disorders and the percentage of foster children that have them. The goal of the study is to create measurable data in order to quantify the effectiveness of nature as an intervention for foster children with ADHD. We will use the Applied Behavior Analysis tool, a widely accepted methodology for assessing the effectiveness of an intervention on ADHD symptoms, to measure behavioral changes and intervention efficacy. It is used by special education departments in U.S. public schools and in numerous ADHD studies. We intend to use the tool to construct a case study with Camp Fire Samish in Bellingham and Western Washington University in order to measure and record evidence that environmental education programming can reduce symptoms of the disorder as an alternative intervention to medication. The case study will be run in early fall of 2017 and will con

sist of three sessions with 12 foster children in each. Behavior assessments will be administered at the beginning and end of the camp experience to measure growth. The foster parents will also be a surveyed before and after the study. We expect to produce published results, and hope that our case study will serve as a standardized method for collecting evidence-based data that park and rec agencies nationwide can use. We will attempt to answer the following questions: 1. Can environmental education programming cause a measurable reduction of ADHD symptoms in foster children? 2. If so, to what extent? Most of the existing research, as positive and encouraging as it is, is correlative, not causal. This is why more research is needed from park and recreation agencies and environmental education providers on the preventive and therapeutic benefits from time spent in nature. If you’d like to learn how to go about conducting a similar study in your area, we’d be happy to offer some advice. Maddie Dineen is the Environmental Education Program Coordinator, Camp Fire Samish at Bellingham Parks and Recreation (maddie@campfiresamish. org).

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | J U LY 2 0 1 7 |

Parks & Recreation

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

A mobile recreation team member in Boise, Idaho, engages with kids in the community.

Mobile Recreation Programs Delivering fun where it is needed most By Marla Collum

here do kids want to play? The answer seems to be wherever they are invited to or allowed. Mobile recreation programs make it even easier to bring fun and play to where people are — and not just to kids, although they are often the first to partake. Vehicles and bikes travel throughout neighborhoods and across communities transporting and pulling toys, games, athletic equipment and supplies, creating safe environments for fun and physical activity. Park and recreation staff serves as positive role models for participants by reinforcing good sportsmanship and well-being. In neighborhoods where activities for youth are lacking, mobile programs step in to fill a significant void. It is commonplace for the mobile recreation team in Boise, Idaho, to set up a temporary play space where 10 different languages are spoken by its large refugee population. Often, the kids will help translate for each other and communication happens in various ways — both verbal and nonverbal — but play has also become a shared language of sorts for the kids and provides an important opportunity for them to interact with

32 Parks & Recreation

and be part of a common team. Nic Ginter of the city of Boise coordinates the mobile recreation program and loves to develop new and different activities for the kids in his community. When asked about the favorite part of his job, Ginter says, “Working with the kids and helping them grow — especially our refugee population — and watching them flourish in an environment that we have created for them.”

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July is a time for integrating into the schedules of various summer camp programs in Boise. During the school year, the agency’s two vans travel to various schools for lunch and afterschool programs. Throughout the year, they take as many opportunities as possible to visit farmers markets, festivals, movies in the park and apartment complexes where activities might be lacking. “We go where the kids are, and, if we have the space we need, we’ll make it work,” Ginter says. Favorite activities of their participants include dodgeball, capture the flag, soccer, hula hooping and jump roping. When turned into a game, butcher paper rolled out on the ground can combine arts and crafts and movement. Kids draw a picture, switch positions and then move to another spot. The end result is a beautiful com-

pilation of all of their artwork combined. The weather is one of the greatest challenges Ginter faces in keeping the program running smoothly. From snowfall and bitter cold weather to rainfall and extreme heat, they deal with it all in Boise. In addition to finding a shady spot in the park to stay cool and hydrated in the summer or ensuring participants are warm enough in the winter, Ginter and his team also serve participants healthy snacks, another added benefit that helps kids be active and have fun. The Calm After the Storm When devastating floods ravaged Baton Rouge in August 2016, Michael King, who coordinates the BREC on the Geaux mobile recreation program for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, and so many others in his department didn’t stop working and found meaningful ways to help their community in crisis. The Red Cross enlisted BREC’s help to set up temporary shelters immediately following the flood until everyone could be transferred to larger shelters. BREC on the Geaux visited as many shelters as possible, including Celtic Studios, a large local movie studio with several stages that was converted to shelters, and the FG Clark Activity Center, the gymnasium at Southern University. Cheryl Michelet, BREC director of communications, and King coordinated activities at these larger shelters with Baton Rouge River Center staff, the American Red Cross, Louisiana Office of Child and Family Services and the Office of the Mayor-President. They loaded up their trucks, determined a route they could access with their vehicles and set up temporary place spaces for kids who needed to release energy, but who also needed to relax for a while and forget about the trauma happening around them. This allowed their parents and caregivers the time needed to deal with paperwork and the often painful process of determining what was possible and what was next. The kids were able to escape the stress, have fun and be kids again — and spend time with their friends. BREC on the Geaux allowed them to be together in a safe environment, have fun and experience something that was familiar and comforting to them. Anyone who has supervised this type of program will likely tell you that kids are incredibly adept at creating fun in unique ways and developing new games. They will generate, often independently of any adult involvement, a new set of rules, requirements and purpose for an activity all on their own. When asked if the mobile recreation team at BREC had ever introduced an activity that was unpopular and that the kids simply didn’t like, King was silent as he thought about it. A colleague happened to walk in the room and King posed the same ques

BREC on the Geaux staff in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, set up a temporary play space.

tion to his co-worker. They were both at a loss. “No matter what we do, the kids always find a way to have fun,” he responded. Kids are resilient and good at making the best of even stressful situations, but mobile recreation programs help facilitate their creativity and offer invaluable opportunities for play — particularly when it is needed most. Marla Collum is NRPA’s Senior Manager of Programs (mcollum@nrpa.org).

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(305) 393-5230 alan.georgeson@constructive4.com soccer5usa.com Constructive 4 is a leading consulting group with 20+ years of national experience in parks soccer planning and development, and Soccer 5 USA is one of the nation’s leading small sided soccer operators.

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | J U LY 2 0 1 7 |

Parks & Recreation

SOCIAL EQUITY

Advocates for preserving our national monuments testified during a forum on the HIll, June 8, 2017: (left to right) Hugo Turek, Megan Duffy, Carrie Hamblen, Robert Vessels and Robert García.

Stop the Interior Department’s Monumental Mistake By Robert García

nder the Trump administration’s executive order to review national monuments designated since 1996, the U.S. Department of the Interior identified 27 monuments that could be scaled back or even eliminated. The list targets seven in California alone: the San Gabriel Mountains, Sand to Snow, Mojave Trails, Berryessa Snow Mountain, Giant Sequoia, Carrizo Plain and Cascade Siskiyou National Monuments. Recently, Ryan Zinke, the interior secretary, issued an interim report on reductions to the 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears monument in Utah. He is set to submit a report by August 24 with recommendations for changes to monuments from Maine to California, as well as marine monuments in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Now is the time to defend our national heritage. The review targets and threatens monuments that focus on the history and culture of diverse communities. An attack on one monument is an attack on all monuments. The order is an attack on the Antiquities Act, on the rule of law, and on democratic governance. We, the people, are the ultimate check on government. We must protect our monuments, and hopefully, before the July 10 deadline, more than 250,000 public comments will be submitted to save the monuments. “If we want our system of parks and public lands to reflect the incredible diversity of America, then the Antiquities Act is a crucial tool for achieving that goal. Congress is not always able or willing to

34 Parks & Recreation

act quickly enough — or frankly creatively enough — to recognize and preserve sites with cultural or historic significance. Without the act, we might not have sites honoring people like Cesar Chavez or Harriet Tubman or events like Stonewall,” says Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, top Democrat on the House Committee on Natural Resources. Ranking Members Grijalva, Nydia Velásquez and Tim Waltz of the Committees on Natural Resources, Veterans Affairs, and Small Business held a forum on the Hill, June 8, on the order. A diverse group of advocates testified on the values at stake: Hugo Turek, a Montana rancher, testified that even a rural state with more cattle than people needs monument protection. Megan Duffy from retailer Patagonia testified about economic benefits

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of outdoor recreation -- $887 billion and 7.6 million jobs per year. Carrie Hamblen, CEO and president of Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce and an LGBTQ leader, testified about civic pride and civic engagement in support of White Sands, Prehistoric Trackways and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks monuments. Robert Vessels, a U.S. Army veteran, testified about empowering service members, their families and veterans by providing access to the outdoors and developing volunteer leadership skills. I testified on behalf of the Next 100 Coalition, which supports public lands and waters for all; GreenLatinos, an international network of conservation, environmental justice, and health equity allies; and San Gabriel Mountains Forever. Support the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument The San Gabriel Mountains Forever coalition has worked for more than a decade to earn local support for this monument. The official Community Collaborative has worked with the U.S. Forest Service for three years developing the management plan. Community needs have driven designation and planning from the start.

“We were able to come up with a document that we can all support, which is the first time this has been done when a national monument has been designated to serve the recreational needs of such a large, urban population,” says Liz Reilly, city of Duarte, California, councilwoman, and a member of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments. The monument serves 15 million Los Angeles residents in the nation’s second largest urban center, includes 350,000 acres of the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests, and logs more than 4 million visits per year. It holds evidence of more than 8,000 years of human history and 600 archeological sites, and hosts a wide variety of year-round activities. The area provides Angelinos with 70 percent of their open space and 30 percent of their drinking water. And, in Los Angeles County, which is park poor, this monument promotes equal access to parks, waters, recreation, climate justice, health equity, quality jobs and education, especially for low income children and children of color. Civil rights groups, health equity and social justice advocates, Native Americans, youth leaders, conservation groups, local governments, gun owners, hunters, hikers, cabin owners, off-road vehicle users and businesses oppose this review.

Support the Antiquities Act Since 1906, 16 presidents, Republican and Democrat, have used the Antiquities Act to preserve 152 national monuments. It is one of the nation’s oldest and most successful laws to conserve our environment and cultural heritage and should be preserved. We urge you to stand in solidarity and resistance with we, the people, to support national monu-

ments and the Antiquities Act for all. Visit www.monumentsforall.org for a complete list of monuments under attack and to submit comments. Robert García is Founding Director and Counsel of The City Project, and a member of Next 100, GreenLatinos, and the San Gabriel Mountains Forever and Community Collaborative (rgarcia@ cityprojectca.org).

Celebrate the Values at Stake This review denigrates the work that brought diverse communities together, from those in urban neighborhoods providing equal access to nature and recreation, to others protecting cultural identity. It puts the interest of oil drilling and mining companies, big business and developers ahead of the needs of the people. Thirty Native American tribes came together to support Bears Ears in Utah, the first target of the review, which celebrates the earth and her people, sacred cultural sites and ancient artifacts. Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains National Monuments also protect and celebrate Native American history, values and culture. Their history is our common history. W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | J U LY 2 0 1 7 |

Parks & Recreation

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Neighborhood Findings from the National Study of Neighborhood Parks By Deborah A. Cohen and Kristin Leuschner

he United States is home to more than 108,000 parks, ranging from large regional parks and natural resource areas to sports complexes and small “pocket parks.” Most urban residents live in close proximity to one or more neighborhood parks, which are ideal places for people to engage in physical activity, such as sports, brisk walking and other forms of exercise. U.S. guidelines recommend at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity for youth and 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for adults. However, fewer than half of Americans currently meet these guidelines and that inactivity is contributing to a growing epidemic of chronic disease. Given that park space and facilities already exist, what would it take to encourage people to use this space to be more physically active? To explore these issues, the RAND Corporation recently conducted the first national study of neighborhood parks — a special project sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Our team of 60 field staff visited a representative sample of parks across the country to understand who is using parks, what features

38 Parks & Recreation

they are using and which factors contribute most to park use and physical activity. Between April and August, 2014, one pair of data collectors traveled to each of 174 neighborhood parks in 25 major cities, observing multiple “target areas” in each park (sports facilities, picnic areas, skate parks, seating areas, etc.) on 12 separate occasions — three times per

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day on two weekdays and on a Saturday and Sunday — for a total of 2,088 hourly observations. Trained individuals rotated through all the target areas and recorded who was there by gender, age group, race/ethnicity and activity level. We made observations only during clement weather. If it rained, the visit was rescheduled to the next clement day (e.g., if it rained on a Tuesday, the team observed the following Tuesday). In addition to seeing how people are using neighborhood parks, the team also assessed whether there are differences in the way parks are used by men and women, young and old, and in high- and low-income neighborhoods. Our results provide insights into how neighborhood parks are being used today, and what can be done to ensure that parks take a more prominent role in promoting physical activity in the future. Access and Users The average park in our study was a little

Parks Attract More Users? less than 9 acres in size, with a median local population of about 12,400 living within a mile of the park. Our research confirmed that neighborhood parks are easily accessible for most urban residents. We also found that parks tended to be busiest on weekends and in the afternoons, and were less used in the mornings and on weekdays. Disparities Among Park Users Disparities in who uses neighborhood parks tended to break down along age and gender lines. More park users (57 percent) were male, and they accounted for 60 percent of all physical activity. Gender disparities were greatest among teens, with male teenagers accounting for 65 percent of all teen visits to the park (compared to 35 percent for female teens) and 68 percent of teen physical activity (compared to 32 percent for female teens). Park use also differed significantly by age group. In our study, children and

teens were overrepresented, comprising 51 percent of park users, although this group represents only 27 percent of the total U.S. population. In contrast, seniors (age 60 and older), who comprise nearly 20 percent of the general population, accounted for only 4 percent of park visits. Increasing physical activity among seniors is especially important, given the effect of chronic disease among this segment of the population. Facilities: Plentiful But Underuse Neighborhood parks offer a large variety of facilities and almost all the facilities were found to be in good condition and accessible. Parks in our study have a median of five different facility types, though some have only one and others have as many as 11. Figure 3, a ranking of park facilities in order from most to least common, shows that the vast majority of parks have lawns (97 percent) and play areas (89 percent). Nearly half the parks

have outdoor basketball courts (53 percent) and baseball fields (49 percent), 31 percent have tennis courts, and 29 percent have a walking path or loop. The number of facilities was related to the number of users such that each additional facility (basketball court, tennis court, play area, etc.) was associated with a 2 percent increase in the number of park users and a 2 percent increase in physical activity in the park, compared to the average park. Neighborhood parks offer relatively few supervised activities, such as exercise classes or sports competitions. Although we observed an average of five supervised activities per park, more than half of the parks had no supervised programs at all. Furthermore, few scheduled activities were targeted to adults and seniors. Parks located in low-income neighborhoods tend to be smaller and to be used less than those in high-income neighborhoods. Parks in low-income neighborhoods also had significantly fewer supervised activi-

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | J U LY 2 0 1 7 |

Parks & Recreation

N E I G H B O R H O O D PA R K S Fig. 1 – National Study of Neighborhood Parks Cities about 60 percent of all activities observed in the parks. Some park facilities appear to be especially conducive to physical activity. Those park facilities that generated the most physical activity were walking paths and gymnasiums, followed by fitness zones and exercise areas, but, as shown in the Figure 3, such features are not common in most parks. Walking paths were found in fewer than 30 percent of parks, while gyms (9 percent), fitness zones (2 percent) and exercise areas (7 percent) were among the least common park facilities.

Fig. 2 – Average Number of Weekly Park Users

Average number of weekly park users (Person hours/week) 800 674

700 588

600 500 400 300

204

200

100 0

Children

Teenagers

ties — an average of 2.1 compared to 4.5 for parks in higher-income areas. Interestingly, there appeared to be no difference between low- and high-income neighborhoods in terms of the number of facilities available, which suggests that disparities are likely to be related more to social factors than physical structures. 40 Parks & Recreation

Adults

Seniors

Use of Park Facilities for Physical Activity Findings from this study suggest that the most popular park activities focus on recreation and relaxation rather than physical activity. Sedentary activities, such as sitting on a park bench or resting on the lawn, accounted for

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Walking Paths or Loops Since walking paths were associated with the greatest amount of physical activity in parks, we took a closer look to see if there were any differences in parks with and without such paths, in terms of users and frequency of physical activity. Walking paths, often in the shape of a loop, are designed to facilitate continuous movement along a pathway. These paths are distinct from park sidewalks, which are usually shorter and intended mainly to connect one part of a park with another. We found that parks with walking loops had 80 percent more users compared to those without loops. Moreover, levels of physical activity were 90 percent higher in parks with loops relative to those without. There also appeared to be a spillover effect in that parks with walking loops had higher rates of park use and physical activity overall compared to other parks — not just on the walking loop, but throughout the park. Seniors tended to use parks with walking loops more than other parks, although overall park usage by seniors was still low (8 percent in parks with loops compared to 4 percent in those without). There are many possible explanations for the increase in park use associated with the presence of a walking loop. For example, walking loops might attract a

Fig. 3 – Features of Parks

regular community of users who get to know and support each other. Loops may provide safer settings to walk or jog in than sidewalks or city streets, where traffic may be a concern. Whatever the reason, our findings suggest that specific facilities, such as walking loops, might be a promising means to increase physical activity among park users, especially adults. Importance of Supervised Activities and Marketing Increased park use and physical activity were also associated with the number of supervised activities offered by the park, as well as with on-site marketing of park activities. For every additional supervised activity, park use tended to increase by an average of nearly 50 percent and physical activity by 37 percent. Marketing of existing park facilities and activities — through banners, posters and signs — was associated with a 62 percent increase in the number of park users and a 63 percent increase in physical activity with the park. Moving Forward The mere existence of a park does not guarantee that people will use it, even when the park offers many recreational facilities. Also, those who use parks may do so for many purposes other than physical activity. Indeed, many parks were designed in earlier eras, when jobs often required considerable physical activity and parks were intended to provide a much needed opportunity for leisure and recreation. However, given today’s relatively sedentary occupations and lifestyles, as well as the growing incidence of obesity and chronic disease, there is a significant need to increase physical activity among Americans, especially adults and seniors. Neighborhood parks can play a key role, but changes will be needed to encourage more people to use parks for physical activity. We offer the following three suggestions for moving forward: 1. It is important to encourage more peo

ple to make use of neighborhood parks and to address disparities in park use among certain populations. Our study found that although it is critically important for adults and seniors to engage in routine physical activity, most parks are geared toward serving youth rather than adults. Given that physical activity may have more-immediate benefits for adults and seniors in terms of preventing or mitigating the effect of chronic disease, park systems should consider adding enhancements, such as walking loops, and more programs that would appeal to older age groups. 2. Parks need to offer more supervised activities and to engage in greater marketing and outreach efforts to get people involved. Such efforts are particularly important in lower-income neighborhoods, where parks may not be adequately meeting the needs of local residents, even though they have similar facilities to those found in higher-income neighborhoods. 3. Targeted investments in facilities, such as walking loops, may also be appropriate. In this study, the presence of walking loops was associated with increased park use and increased physical activity. In contrast to other park facilities that support physical activity, such as gyms, swimming pools and skate parks, walking loops may provide relatively inexpensive additions that could be inte-

grated into many existing park designs. These would be particularly beneficial for seniors. Improving our nation’s neighborhood parks will require investments, and obtaining funding for improvements can be challenging given that parks are usually financed at the local level. However, the current investment in urban parks across the United States is relatively small, considering the potential health benefits these parks can provide. In 2013, the average annual per capita expenditure for parks was $73 — less than 1 percent of the $9,146 per capita expenditure on healthcare in the same year. Relatively modest investments may improve neighborhood park conditions to make them conducive to physical activity for everyone, regardless of age, gender or income level. To read the full “National Study of Neighborhood Parks” study, go to www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(16)30079-4/ pdf, and to read the full “The Prevalence and Use of Walking Loops in Neighborhood Parks: A National Study, go to https://ehp. niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/125/2/ EHP293.alt.pdf. Deborah A. Cohen, MD, is a Senior Scientist at the RAND Corporation and the Principal Investigator of the National Study of Neighborhood Parks (dcohen@rand.org). Kristin Leuschner is a Communications Analyst at the RAND Corporation (kristin@rand.org).

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Parks & Recreation

By Roxanne Sutton

tuart Brown, founder and president of the National Institute for Play, said in a 2009 New York Times opinion piece (tinyurl.com/2009NYTPlay) that “play-deprived adults are often rigid, humorless, inflexible and closed to trying out new options.” We agree. And, this is just one opinion within scores of research that validates the importance of play for people of all ages.

That’s why, this July, NRPA decided to focus Park and Recreation Month on the importance of play. Parks, recreation and play go hand in hand, and we would argue that there is no better place to play than your local park or recreation facility. Parks and recreation is on the front lines of addressing play inequities by identifying and finding solutions to problems like play deserts, lack of recreation opportunities and more. To highlight the importance of play during Park and Recreation Month and to encourage the general public to seek out more play at their local parks and recreation, NRPA released an infographic demonstrating the power of play. You can find the infographic on page 45 as well as online at www.nrpa.org/july. 42 Parks & Recreation

So, no matter how you get your play on, we encourage you to invite others to join in. By inviting others to climb, groove, throw, bike or swim, you’re inviting them to lead a healthier, more fulfilling life. Extreme Play For the past three years, NRPA has hosted a cover photo contest, soliciting the best photos from around the field, narrowing them down to about a dozen finalists and putting them to a public vote. This year, we were thrilled with the winner as it’s a perfect representation of the importance of play. Submitted by the City of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department in South Carolina, the cover photo features a national BMX race from April 2016 at its facility. The City of Rockhill Parks, Rec-

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reation and Tourism Department owns, operates and maintains the Novant Health BMX Supercross Track, which opened its doors in 2014. The facility is the first Olympic-caliber BMX training facility that’s open to the general public on the East Coast. Rock Hill was inspired to open such a facility in order to grow its amateur sports venues, which it has been developing since the mid-1980s. “Constructing outdoor recreation facilities to include a world-class BMX Supercross Track and other cycling venues was part of a larger vision set forth by our mayor, city council and city management in an effort to expand the city’s already successful amateur sports tourism niche beyond traditional sports like soccer, softball, baseball, tennis, etc.,” says Laurie Helms, marketing coordinator for the City of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism. By hosting state, regional and national sports competitions, Rock Hill’s amateur sports venues bring in millions of dollars to the local economy annually.

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Parks & Recreation

P&R MONTH

For example, the girl featured in the cover photo is 15-year-old Carly Kane — a BMX superstar and 2020/2024 Olympic hopeful. Carly and her family are from Guilford, Indiana, and specifically sought out competitions at Rock Hill to prepare for the UCI BMX World Championships being held there this July 25–29. Carly got into BMX racing after watching her dad compete. They headed to a small, local track in Cleveland, Ohio, to give it a try, and she fell in love with the sport and has been at it ever since. Her

The Runners Up

love for recreation doesn’t stop with extreme sports. Carly also enjoys visiting her local park and recreation centers to roller blade, play tennis and spend time with family. “I love BMX because I love the adrenaline rush,” Carly says. “I’ve always wanted to fly and it’s the closest thing to flying.” You can catch Carly flying through the air on her Instagram account, @CarlyRacesBMX. The City of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism will be celebrating Park and

Every year, we are impressed by the quantity and quality of the photos submitted to the annual Park and Recreation Month Cover Contest, and this year was no exception. These photos received the next highest number of votes (and who knows, they still might grace our cover at some point). You can see all the finalists at tinyurl. com/2017PRMCover.

Fireworks, submitted by David Genty with the Village of Glendale Heights Parks, Recreation and Facilities in Illinois.

Waterfall, submitted by Jim Blake from Forest Lake, Minnesota.

Tip Off, submitted by Jon Richards with the City of San Diego, Park and Recreation Department.

Carnival, submitted by David Genty with the Village of Glendale Heights Parks, Recreation and Facilities in Illinois

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Recreation Month by hosting the UCI BMX World Championships. The agency expects the event to attract about 3,300 riders from more than 40 countries. This event was last held in the United States in 2001 and will host the world’s best riders, including Olympians. You can learn more about Rock Hill’s BMX facility and the world championships at www.novant healthbmx.com. Roxanne Sutton is NPRA’s Communications Manager (rsutton@nrpa.org).

1 hour Most Americans spend 5 hours per week participating in fun outdoor activities1

of daily vigorous play provides intense skill learning2

If youth are active

Kids who play outside

25 min a day 3 days a week: 243,830 fewer overweight/obese youth $20 billion in saved medical costs3

have better vision than those who play inside4

3 in 4 adults age 30+ who play sports played sports as children6

Community play spaces boost positive attitudes toward cultural diversity & reduce feelings of isolation5

Get out and play at your local parks and recreation centers today!

50%

of all vigorous exercise in America happens at parks7

Kids who play at school become team players develop into creative thinkers8

1. July Park Pulse, National Recreation and Park Association, 2017, www.nrpa.org/park-pulse 2. opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/02/let-the-children-play-some-more 3. assets.aspeninstitute.org/content/uploads/2016/06/StateofPlay_2016_FINAL.pdf 4. www.care.com/c/stories/4178/5-health-benefits-of-playing-outside 5. www.ornes.nl/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Play-in-children-s-development-health-and-well-being-feb-2012.pdf 6. www.aspenprojectplay.org/the-facts 7. www.aspenprojectplay.org/the-facts 8. kaboom.org/about_kaboom/our_mission_vision

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Parks & Recreation

King Hunter

Friends of Lafitte Greenway

GeorgeLong.com Hunter

King

Emily Valentino

Friends of Lafitte Greenway

All photos courtesy of Friends of Lafitte Greenway

Parks Build Community Is Headed to

w e N leans! r O W

Spencer Thayer

Tenbo Air

yBy Paula Jacob Garrett

annuy for our eighth as E ig B e th uth to te Greenway. e are headed so project at Lafit y it un m om C city of our al Parks Build site in the host a s se oo ch PA CommuniEach year, NR a Parks Build t uc nd co to a new ence annual confer n is restored or io at liz ta vi re to need of PA is headed existing park in This year, NR . ed ty project. An ne nre gh o hi underg in an area of Greenway will te it af L park is created e ay th of and pl . and a portion nts can gather de si re re he New Orleans, w space ovide a public ovations to pr

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Parks & Recreation

PA R K S B U I L D CO M M U N I T Y

Tenbo Air

the Lafitte Greenway, damaging infrastructure, buildings and the community gardens that had been in existence since the 1940s. In 2006, local community members were concerned about the area and how it would be revitalized after the hurricane. They joined forces and created the Friends of Lafitte Greenway. This active group has been working tirelessly since the mid-2000s to create amenities along the greenway, enhance economic development, and encourage community and active lifestyles for all ages. Today, “the Lafitte Greenway is a public amenity,” managed by the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC). Friends of Lafitte Greenway is a community-driven nonprofit organization, composed of more than 400 members and over A Long History Located in the heart of New Orleans between the historic areas of the French Quarter and City Park, Lafitte Greenway has a long history as a transportation and recreation corridor. It was originally part of the Indian trading route between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. In 1795, the Carondelet Canal (also known as the Old Basin Canal) was constructed to transport boats from Lake Pontchartrain, through another canal to the French Quarter. The canal also served to drain the swamps in the area allowing for more development. During this time, there was a walking path along the canal called Carondelet Walk which was later named Lafitte Street. The Carondelet Walk was well used and enjoyed by many. Beautiful gardens aligned a portion of the walk. Mules pulled barges filled with people along the canal to Lake Pontchartrain for a day’s visit and boats transported goods, such as cotton, tobacco and wood, along the canal. In the 1920s, “it was clear that the

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The [Lafitte] greenway fits into the city’s master plan by providing a transportation corridor, garden classes, outdoor health and recreation opportunities. Carondelet Canal was of no real practical use” (gonola.com) and the canal was converted into a storm drainage system by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). By 1938, the canal was filled in. Railroads soon took the role of the canal, providing a transportation route, and ran until the 1960s when automobiles became the preferred mode of transportation. A lack of business resulted in vacant buildings and an overall decline in the area by the 1980s. Revitalization After the Storm In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Touted as one of the deadliest and costly hurricanes in U.S. history, it had a devastating effect on

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600 volunteers, that works in close partnership with the city to build, program and promote the Lafitte Greenway as a great public space,” says Sophie Harris, executive director of the Friends of Lafitte Greenway. “The Lafitte Greenway runs through the heart of New Orleans, connecting six neighborhoods. Over 13,000 people lived within a quarter mile of the Greenway in 2010, and we expect that this number is higher today. In 2017, an average of 866 cyclists used the Greenway daily for transportation and recreation (UNO Transportation Institute). The Greenway is an integral part of our transportation network, serves local transportation needs, provides vital community space to play

and exercise for New Orleanians,” explains Harris. “The site is unique; it runs straight down the city and connects the French Quarter to City Park,” says Victor N. Richard III, chief executive officer of NORDC. The Lafitte Greenway is part of an overall citywide master plan called the Plan for the 21st Century: New Orleans 2030. Adopted in 2010, the plan calls for historic and cultural preservation, vibrant neighborhoods, green infrastructure, sustainable transportation options and urban agriculture, among other points. The greenway fits into the city’s master plan by providing a transportation corridor, garden classes, outdoor health and recreation opportunities.

Paula Jacoby-Garrett is a Freelance Writer based in Las Vegas, Nevada (paula. jacoby.garrett@gmail.com).

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Building Out Lafitte Greenway To date, the Lafitte Greenway is on its way to meeting its own master plan objectives. Private lands were acquired, in part through a grant from the Trust for Public Lands, to bring back the full length of the greenway to the public. A 2.6-mile asphalt trail for pedestrians and bicyclists has been created and is extensively used. Recreation fields and landscaping improvements, including approximately 500 shade trees and areas with native plants, have been included in the greenway. Lighting was added to the trail, and ADA-compliant curbs and crosswalks were added at each road crossing. Improvements so far have gone beyond the greenway and attracted new businesses, such as restaurants and housing developments, to the area. This is sparking a revitalization and buzz that the area has not seen in a long time. While the greenway has made much progress, there is still more development to occur to fully build out this space. “The greenway was a brainchild of the entire community, and they are ecstatic about its progress. The multipurpose amenities, open green spaces, mixed-use areas and different types of programming are having a positive effect on citizens’ lives. Everyone is extremely excited and proud of the progress. It was a great honor for the Lafitte Greenway to be selected for the Parks Build Community Program,” says Richard. As with all Parks Build Community projects, the renovations and transformation are made possible through the donation of materials, equipment, manpower and funds from our NRPA community. A tour of the new park facilities will be conducted on September 24, 2017, during the annual conference in New Orleans. If you would like to be involved with this year’s Parks Build Community project, please contact Gina Mullins-Cohen at 703.858.2184 or gcohen@nrpa.org. Stay tuned for more information on the progress of Lafitte Greenway!

Parks & Recreation

Host of American Ninja Warrior to Keynote NRPA Annual Conference By Cort Jones

att Iseman has quite the résumé. He’s the host of the Emmy nominated “American Ninja Warrior,” the newest Celebrity Apprentice, a comedian, actor and doctor. He is a strong advocate for the Arthritis Foundation, among many others, and is fighting an ongoing battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis himself. Even with his ridiculously hectic schedule, Iseman still sees the importance of taking the time to live an active lifestyle in order to feel his best. To add to his long list of accomplishments, this September Iseman will be the keynote speaker at the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference, and he couldn’t be more excited to meet with park and recreation professionals in the Big Easy. Parks & Recreation recently caught up with Iseman to learn why he feels parks and recreation is vital to our lives and what quality recreation opportunities mean to him. Trust him, he’s a doctor. Parks & Recreation magazine: You’re the host of American Ninja Warrior, which just started its new season and is a pretty rigorous physical competition. As far as health and wellness, which is one of NRPA’s Three Pillars, why do you feel physical activity is so important? Matt Iseman: What I’ve seen in my life is that staying active keeps you active. In other words, the more active I am, the better I feel. Like with American Ninja Warrior, it shows what the average person can do with a little hard work. We’ve been watching the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup, and these are world-class athletes. With American Ninja Warrior, these are ordinary people who have fam-

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ilies and full-time jobs — they don’t get paid to work out, but they find time to do it. It’s really inspiring for people watching at home to see these competitors and see what’s possible. They see the power of hard work and physical activity. They see these people not only transform their lives physically, but also the discipline that comes along with working out and feeling better. But you don’t have to be an American Ninja Warrior — sometimes it’s just being more active than you were the day before. P&R: Recreational programs and activities bring people together and promote healthy lifestyles. How important is the role of parks and recreation in making a difference in communities and shaping the lives of all people from different ethnicities, ages and abilities? Iseman: We get submission videos every year from people working out at parks and playgrounds, finding ways to get active. Just having a place to go do it is really important. I grew up playing sports, and I can think of a dozen parks around the area I grew up where I played soccer, baseball and football. Those parks were a part of my life and were a place where people would go to be active and have a good time. The cool thing is that parks are places people can go to be together. They’re really an invaluable thing to have in society because, despite being more connected today than ever before, personally, people are

becoming more disconnected. Parks are a gathering place for people. Being a doctor, and someone who’s around health and wellness, I see how we’re getting increasingly less active and how important it is to have a place like a park where kids can go run around and learn to make physical activity a part of their lives. P&R: A big concern right now for park and recreation professionals is that federal budget cuts may threaten a lot of the programs that are beneficial to our communities. What can we do? Iseman: The fact that funding is being cut just shows how important it is to find causes that are truly important to you and to crusade for those causes. It’s hard to control how the government waxes and wanes on what’s important, but we, as people in the community, can always make a difference. It can start in your neighborhood park — just getting out there and making sure that if it’s important to you, you share that importance with other people. We have to realize that starting locally is the best way to make things happen globally. P&R: The CDC recently released a study on the prevalence of arthritis in rural America, and how access to activity through park and recreation agencies can help decrease the pain associated with arthritis. In your experience with rheumatoid arthritis and your work with the Arthritis Foundation, what does access to quality recreation mean to you? Iseman: I had to find a gym in Los Angeles that had a pool, and my girlfriend recently showed me a public pool where, for a few dollars a day, we can go and use an Olympic-caliber pool. What the CDC said is something that I’ve noticed,

“...personally, in my life dealing with [rheumatoid arthritis] — ‘The more active I am the better I feel and the more

active I’m able to be.’” personally, in my life dealing with RA — the more active I am the better I feel and the more active I’m able to be. So having access to places like parks is the biggest thing. If you can walk a block to your neighborhood park and run around or play a sport, the easier it is to do it. We need to break down the barriers to make sure these places are available and, more importantly, that kids learn these habits so they become part of their lives. P&R: What are you most looking forward to about being the keynote speaker and spending time at the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference? Iseman: I’m ecstatic to go to New Orleans and see people from around the country who have this passion for parks

and recreation and hear their ideas and the ways they try to make these parks more valuable to people. I’m interested to see how people are becoming more creative with the spaces. Just like American Ninja Warrior is encouraging people to be more active, being around people who have that same agenda, I think we can do a lot of good together. We can try to create some synergy in the messages and feel like we’re all on the same page and want the same thing: getting people more active and healthier. We’re all trying to encourage people to get active and take care of themselves, and in the end this builds a better country. Cort Jones is the Associate Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine (cjones@nrpa.org).

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Justifying Your Trip to the 2017 Annual Conference

he 2017 NRPA Annual Conference is your best opportunity to network with thousands of your peers, learn from some of the top thought leaders in the field and get insight into innovative practices and programs from other agencies.

But, travel budgets can be tight, and even though 97 percent of past attendees would recommend the conference to their colleagues, it can still be difficult to convince your employer that your attendance is worthwhile to you and your agency. We want to see all of you in New Orleans this year, so we have put together some tips on how you can talk with your employer about the value of attending as well as some best practices when traveling to the conference. Outline your trip. Let your employer know you’re not going to be spending your days eating beignets at Café du Monde or making friends with the locals

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on Bourbon Street. Create an outline of the sessions you want to attend and how they’ll support your work. Select sessions that are most beneficial to you, your team, community and your agency. Present this to your supervisors or those who are approving your travel. Maybe even promise to bring your supervisor a souvenir for good measure. Prove the worth. You’ll earn continuing education units (CEUs) at a majority of the sessions and pre-conference workshops you attend during the annual conference. Tally up the number of CEUs you’ll receive, and show the value of attending and earning credits at a one-stop shop.

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See and be seen. Face time with exhibitors can pay off. As you discuss your attendance, review the list of NRPA Annual Conference exhibitors with your employer and pinpoint any business opportunities that could develop from establishing connections with park and recreation professionals and partners. Share the wealth. You are guaranteed to leave the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference inspired and filled with great ideas, so, when discussing your attendance at the event, commit to a post-conference presentation for your team, town council, board, etc. Plan to highlight what you learned and tie your training to your organization’s challenges, goals and strategic plans. And, if you promise beignets, attendance is guaranteed to be high. To further show your commitment to success, we’ve put together a justification letter template you can complete and submit to your employer. The letter outlines the sessions you plan to attend, the connections you’ll make through networking, and a breakdown of the costs expected during your travels. Visit www. nrpa.org/conference2017/about/justification-tips to download a copy. Our field depends on enthusiastic people like you to continue to learn, innovate and lead us into a bright future. Don’t miss this opportunity to attend the largest park and recreation conference in the world. For more information about the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference, visit www. nrpa.org/conference2017. See you in New Orleans!

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know By Tom Crosley

s we go to press, more than 500 conference speakers, moderators and thought-leaders are preparing to educate and inform us about the issues that affect parks and recreation. In addition to almost 300 off-site institutes, pre-conference workshops and education sessions, NRPA will also roll out new conference features aimed at increasing our understanding of the industry’s best-practices and helping us to meet future challenges. As you make your plans to attend, we encourage you to go online to www.nrpa.org/conference2017/program-schedule/ to see the full schedule of events and educational offerings. Here are a few highlights of some of the exciting new features and “back-by-popular-demand” standards you can expect in New Orleans for this year’s annual conference: Directors’ Corner — This new learning area, located in the Riverside Room near the convention center entrance, will feature facilitated discussions about the 21st century problems agencies face. Stay tuned for more information about this year’s first-ever conference hackathon, during which we’ll take a deep dive into one of those important issues. Speed Sessions —This year’s expanded list of 60, 20-minute sessions will take place Wednesday, September 26 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and, for the first time, WE WILL OFFER CEU CREDIT for attending a total of three speed sessions within that timeframe. Dive into Aquatics — In New Orleans, we’re excited to roll out a new aquatics learning track for our aquatics professionals. In addition to offering the AFO Certification Course (Sunday, September 24–25, pre-registration is required), we’ll also have an aquatics course available throughout the conference education session schedule from Tuesday through Thursday. Here are a couple of highlights: Water Wisdom: Planning, Designing & Maintaining Water Play — Destinations Water is a powerful medium that natural

ly inspires us to play and interact together, while offering a variety of choices for how users enjoy and engage. Celebrate the many research-based health benefits of water play, and empower communities to effectively champion water play initiatives. Discover design strategies that thoughtfully address child development and key considerations in the planning, design and maintenance phases of your project to create a beloved community destination. Reinventing the Urban Aquatics System — Cities with pools built prior to the advent of waterparks and interactive aquatic features are struggling with declining attendance and revenue and with maintaining facilities that have outlived their usefulness. This session will explore how one city is addressing this issue and transforming its aquatics system to meet the demands of today’s aquatics users while remaining financially viable. If you’ve visited New Orleans before, we think you’ll agree it is one of the world’s great cities, and we’d be remiss not to offer opportunities to discover it and help you create your own memories away from the convention center. With 10

off-site institutes plus an exciting mobile workshop, there’ll be plenty of ways to step outside and really get a feel for what our host city has to offer, and this year’s offerings are spectacular (pre-registration is required for these activities)! New Orleans Jazz History Mobile Workshop — Only in New Orleans could there be a National Park for Jazz! Explore the French Quarter and the history of Jazz on a National Park Service (NPS) Ranger-led Jazz tour, which will begin at the NPS visitor center in the Old U.S. Mint. Learn about the parks mission and purpose and experience a Jazz concert at the new state of the art performance venue on the visitor center’s third floor. Participants will also have the option to take a Jazz Pilates class led by jazz vocalist Stephanie Jordan. New Orleans City Park: Recovery from Hurricane Katrina — Following a brief history of the state’s most visited regional park, with an emphasis on the watershed events that have shaped it, participants will hear about the park’s four-point recovery program after its near annihilation by Hurricane Katrina, with particular attention paid to how the park raised more than $100 million dollars from the public and private sector, how it secured its first-ever public operating funds and the lessons learned along the way. A tour of the 1,300-acre park is included. Don’t miss out on these and many, many other opportunities to learn and grow professionally at the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference! Tom Crosley is NRPA’s Senior Manager of Education, Conferences & Schools (tcrosley@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

NRPA Update NRPA Innovation Lab Explores How Communities Are Connecting Youth to Nature By Richard J. Dolesh

group of more than 80 professionals from the fields of parks and recreation, early childhood development, public administration and other professions attending NRPA’s latest Innovation Lab sat raptly listening to a panel of five Latino teens from an Austin, Texas, high school describe the first time they felt really connected to nature, and the barriers they faced in their lives in doing so. David Gonzalez spoke of the first time he really connected with nature. “I went to a park near where we lived and just sat down and listened to the birds and insects and sounds of nature — the running water of a nearby stream. I was lost in it, and suddenly, I realized it was already nighttime. I knew I had to get home or I was in big trouble!”

Jasmine Garcia said the first time she realized she really connected with nature was as a participant in an adventure recreation rock-climbing sponsored by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. “I climbed to the very top of a rock face. I felt I had really accomplished something. I conquered my fears!” Ellyssa Saldivar and Arleni Carreno

Attendees at NRPA’s Austin Innovation Lab.

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discussed how many Latinos in their community didn’t know about parks near where they lived, didn’t have transportation to get to parks or felt discomfort about the idea of encountering “bees, bugs and other critters.” They spoke seriously of their friends who feared going to parks because of the chance they or members of their families might be questioned or “taken” by authorities. These students from Akins High School are part of an innovative program that Austin Parks and Recreation Department conducts in cooperation with the Austin Independent School District, enabling teens to connect to potential career choices. The agency’s park ranger cadet program is a paid internship program for high school students who gain training in real-life job skills — talking to park visitors, presenting interpretive programs, learning how to budget for activities and other skills. On the Cutting Edge of Innovation NRPA’s Innovation Labs have established a reputation for high-quality, immersive experiences taking on challenging topics facing parks and recreation. The Austin Lab was presented in collaboration with the Children and Nature Network (C&NN) and the National League of Cities (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education and Families. C&NN and NLC are working jointly in a three-year program with seven cities to activate strategies that will develop green schoolyards, connect chil-

David Gonzalez and Jasmine Garcia, students in Austin’s park ranger intern program, share their experiences during the opening youth panel.

dren and youth to nature during outof-school time, and address the needs of underserved communities in developing better connections to nature for youth and families. Lori Robertson, NPRA’s director of conservation, who led the team presenting the content of the Innovation Lab, said that there was a particular focus on the topic of creating equitable access to nature, especially for people in underserved communities. “Creating equitable access means focusing on those who have the least access to nature and those who are most in need,” she said. Austin was an ideal location for this Innovation Lab because of the many strong partnerships and innovative programs for children and youth that take place there. The Texas Children and Nature Collaborative, the programs of Westcave Discovery Center and other public/private partnerships have flourished. One innovative setting on the banks of Lady Bird Lake is the Camacho Activity Center, which provides adventure recreation programming for youth, teens and seniors, including mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking and film making. Teen participants in adventure programming produce videos and other creative arts, and their Totally Cool and Totally Art program has theater arts and other creative expression components. Attendees also toured Perez Elementary school, where there is an all-hands effort to connect kids to nature, providing a model of practice for green schoolyards. Valuable Takeaways The heart of this Innovation Lab centered on strategies for providing equitable access to nature for children and youth. Participants discussed how to foster new partners for out-of-school time activities, how to encourage policies that are applied across city departments, how to build health partnerships that can sup

Youth leaders from Camacho Activity Center talk about their adventure recreation programs for teens.

port policies and programs, and how to foster early childhood nature experiences that can lead to a lifetime love of nature. Some of the discussion was informed by a recent study titled “The Nature of Americans,” by Dr. Stephen Kellert of Yale and DJ Case and Associates, which surveyed 12,000 children and parents about their access — or lack of access — to nature, and the barriers children and youth encounter to gaining the benefits that nature provides. Their major findings point to profound changes in the way Americans connect with nature. For many Americans, major barriers stand in the way of easy access to nature, and they found that one-time visits to distant nature places are not enough to instill a lifelong love of nature in children

and youth, despite the growing body of knowledge that our human health not only benefits from contact with nature but may very well depend on it. The Austin Innovation Lab addressed the challenges youth and adults face and attendees gained valuable knowledge and lessons learned from their peers. One of the most important takeaways was the recognition that a city that provides multiple ways for children and youth to connect with nature is a city that truly cares about its youth. Creating communities where health and wellness is a vital civic goal means providing equitable access to nature for all. Rich Dolesh is NRPA’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives (rdolesh@nrpa.org).

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NRPA Update

Since 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program has served as a testament to the hard work and dedication of agencies that strive to meet the needs of diverse communities. The Gold Medal is a comprehensive award that looks at the many challenges agencies face and how they are leveraging resources to meet those challenges. This awards program includes seven classes: five classes based on population, one class for armed forces recreation and, in odd numbered years, one class for state park systems. A panel of five park and recreation professionals reviews and judges all application materials. Judges are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in parks and recreation on both the local and national levels. Excitement is building as the 28 Gold Medal Finalists prepare for the Grand Award announcement during the September 26, 2017 Opening General Session at NRPA’s 2017 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Please join us in congratulating the 2017 Gold Medal Finalists: Class I (population 400,001 and over) • BREC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana • Johnson County Park & Recreation District, Shawnee Mission, Kansas • Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, Minneapolis, Minnesota • Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department – Lake Worth, Florida

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Class II (population 150,001 – 400,000) • Arlington Parks and Recreation Department, Arlington, Texas • Grand Prairie Park, Arts and Recreation, Grand Prairie, Texas • Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington • Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District, Beaverton, Oregon Class III (population 75,001 – 150,000) • Arlington Heights Park District, Arlington Heights, Illinois • City of Evanston Parks, Recreation and Community Services, Evanston, Illinois • City of Mountain View Community Services Department, Mountain View, California • Roswell Recreation, Parks, Historic & Cultural Affairs, Roswell, Georgia Class IV (population 30,001 – 75,000) • Alpharetta Recreation and Parks Department, Alpharetta, Georgia • Bismarck Parks and Recreation District, Bismarck, North Dakota • Lombard Park District, Lombard, Illinois • City of Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation Department, Wheat Ridge, Colorado

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LD MEDA L GO F

2017

ST ALI IN

he American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with NRPA, is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2017 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Musco Lighting, LLC has been a proud sponsor of the Gold Medal Awards program for more than 10 years.

NATIO NA

Congratulations to the 2017 Gold Medal Awards Finalists

Class V (population less than 30,000) • Glencoe Park District, Glencoe, Illinois • Homewood-Flossmoor Park District, Flossmoor, Illinois • Itasca Park District, Itasca, Illinois • Town of Windsor Park, Recreation & Culture Department, Windsor, Colorado State Park Systems • Arizona State Parks & Trails • Tennessee State Parks • Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission • Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails Armed Forces Recreation • Marine Corps Ground Combat Training, Twentynine Palms, California • MCAS Cherry Point, Cherry Point, North Carolina • Fort Carson, Colorado • Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine

Member Spotlight: Wendy Waddle By Maureen Acquino

Parks & Recreation magazine caught up with Waddle to learn more about what keeps her engaged in our field. Parks & Recreation: Prior to starting, what did you think would be the most challenging part of your job? What has in fact been the most challenging? Wendy Waddle: I wondered how I would provide therapeutic recreation programs, some of them very large and time consuming, and still have time for an active and busy family life. Fortunately, many programs and activities the department offers are family friendly, and that has allowed my family to participate with me. I have been working with youth and adults with intellectual disabilities for more than 25 years, and the challenge has been keeping the programs and events fun and exciting for everyone, myself included. I have found that when I feel like I am in a programming rut, I always turn to something arts based for inspiration. P&R: What makes a successful park and recreation program? Waddle: The Rock Hill City Council has adopted a strategic plan that places an emphasis on three main goals: to provide QUALITY service, develop QUALITY places and foster a QUALITY community. These goals influence all areas of the job. Within the department staff, members are

empowered to develop goals, partnerships, programs and events that support the strategic plan. Rock Hill PRT is lucky to have partnerships with great organizations like Special Olympics, Rock Hill Schools, Winthrop University and the Rock Hill/York County Convention and Visitors Bureau, just to name a few. These partnerships help provide the best services possible for the Rock Hill community. In addition, having a great team of co-workers who support each other like a family throughout the good, busy and challenging times always makes the job easier and a lot more fun. P&R: How does Rock Hill PRT use programming to engage the entire community? Waddle: Rock Hill PRT emphasizes programming for its citizens of all ability and age levels. The BMX cycling program is a good example of this programming philosophy because participants as young as 18 months and as old as 84 years have participated in races at the Novant Health BMX Supercross track. While we offer many of the traditional youth sports programs, other outdoor adventure programs, Special Olympics, cycling and leadership programs are just as popular. When you invest in teenagers by teaching them to appreciate the outdoors, respect everyone and serve their community, you are producing future leaders in your community who will support your programs in the years to come.

Photo by Kathy Covington

endy Waddle has found her home in the city of Rock Hill, South Carolina parks, recreation and tourism (PRT) department. Drawn into the department by the amazing people and fun atmosphere, Waddle has worn many hats over the past 25 years. In her current role as special populations supervisor, she can still say that she works with some of the greatest people in the business, and they are still having fun. As a bonus, Waddle says one of the strengths of Rock Hill PRT is that the employees are encouraged to share their talents, and her photography hobby has been embraced by the department, creating a niche role for her as the photographer at most events.

P&R: Rock Hill PRT submitted the winning photo for the 2017 Park and Recreation Month Cover Contest. What does the photo convey about Rock Hill? Waddle: Winning the contest was exciting because so many people and groups rallied behind Rock Hill PRT and supported the NRPA photo contest. The residents of Rock Hill and the surrounding area are overwhelmingly service and community minded and support the programs and events offered by Rock Hill PRT. This contest was a good example of how the community comes together for a great cause. Everyone from local friends and volunteers to international and pro BMX riders were involved with voting and sharing the contest. Everyone involved is really excited that the July cover will coincide with the 2017 UCI BMX World Championships being held in Rock Hill, July 25–29, 2017. Without the support of the Rock Hill community, all of our volunteers, partnerships and BMX athletes and their families, one of the other very worthy photos would have won the contest. We can’t thank everyone enough. Visit rockhillSCbmx.com for more information about BMX’s biggest event on the world’s best track. Competition Lives Here! Maureen Acquino is the Assistant Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine (macquino@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

©Myles Mellor

Parks & Recreation Crossword

Across 1 Company that gave $1 million for the Meet Me at the Park program 4 They are flown in parks all around the country 7 Equipment 9 The L in TPL 11 Rowboat equipment 12 America’s “Uncle” 13 The interlinked environment 16 Apple state, for short 17 They run a boat 18 Coastline 19 Water Safety Month 20 There’s one for NPRA events 21 ___ chi (martial art) 22 Sanctuary 24 Showy flower 26 Form of advertising for parks, 2 words 28 Amaze 30 Suffix with expert 31 Natural areas where fauna and flora are protected 32 You can’t bring one to Mackinac Island

Down 1 Pets that love parks 2 Did laps, say 3 Daffodil color 4 Enjoyment 5 Expand 6 Person who designs city spaces, 2 words 8 Chew on 10 Make a hole to plant a tree perhaps 13 Make a mistake 14 First letter in camping 15 On top of the world emotionally, 2 words 17 Protect from decay or destruction 18 Mountain peak, all in white 19 It often has a “you are here” arrow 20 Water related 23 Debris on a mountain 25 Popular 27 Go visit 29 It has 59 national parks

Check the answers to the crossword at www.nrpa.org/crossword. As an added bonus for completing the crossword, you can enter a drawing to win a bundle with one Get Rec’d T-shirt and one Park It T-shirt when you check your answers. The winner will be randomly selected and notified July 31, 2017. 58 Parks & Recreation

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Leadership is the capacity

TO TRANSLATE VISION

into reality

Refine Your Skills at Directors School August 27â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 1, 2017 Oglebay Resort and Conference Center Wheeling, West Virginia