Building Nature

A recent built space in Lafayette, Colorado, highlights that access to “naturalized” urban landscapes might be almost as good as the real thing.

By Carter L. Marshall III

Can “nature” be built?

The answer may not be as important as why one might ask it. A recent built space in Colorado highlights that access to “naturalized” urban landscapes might be almost as good as the real thing. “Nature,” as it turns out, can be a fluid and fickle concept that eludes definition and ignores boundaries.

Running by neat rows of neighborly homes in City of Lafayette, Colorado, a municipal drainage line called Drainage #4 had become a well-trodden route for trespass. Locals headed across town on foot, particularly kids headed to and from school, scrambled on uneven terrain along social paths made by necessity to save a few minutes on the way to their destination.

The Inspire Trail and Nature Kids Discovery Zone opened to the public in September 2019. Fully designed and built natural resource lands, constructed along the city’s Drainage #4, these unified projects created opportunity for lower-income residents to engage with the natural world in a densely urbanized area. Barbed wire fencing and “keep out” signs were removed to make way for new natural areas built for exploration and play. With a mile of new soft surface trails, meandering streams, community gathering areas, and hand-picked logs and boulders, this invented wilderness created a brand-new, integrated ecology and an ever-changing natural space for people to enjoy daily.

This effort highlights three important trends in parks and recreation: • It serves as a model for “building nature” and creating a new urban wild for people to access. • It exemplifies green infrastructure as a better way to envision underutilized public spaces. • It showcases nature play as an impactful way to introduce kids and families to the natural world.

This project is remarkable in that it resulted in a new natural resource area that did not exist previously.

While parks, for example, are typically manicured and intended for recreation, this effort added wilderness to the city with nature as a primary user. Managed as “open space” lands, fallen trees stay where they lay, plant succession is encouraged, and policies and practices allow local wildlife to thrive. Places that in the past were kept behind locked gates now allow users to skip to school, stroll downtown, sit on a rock, climb on a log, or build a sandcastle — all surrounded by a brandnew and ever-changing “ecoscape.”

A vision made possible by a 450page grant application assembled by Keith Desrosiers of Thorne Nature Experience, the project was awarded $2.8 million in the inaugural Great Outdoors Colorado Inspire grant cycle. In addition to a full year of public outreach and 500,000 programming hours in backyard-to-backcountry education, funds were also earmarked for capital improvements across the city. Most of those dollars were focused on Drainage #4 with matching funds provided by City of Lafayette and project partners.

The built work, designed by Design Concepts, ended up with a $2 million price tag. The project team navigated a gauntlet of reviewers and approvals, vocal neighbors, enthusiastic partners, red tape, budget issues and setbacks. With unwavering support from city leadership, including Project Manager Rob Burdine and Director Monte Stevenson, the effort stayed on track. Eye-on-the-prize nudges from the grant manager, steady and persistent problem solving by the civil engineer, and impeccable construction work by the contractor also ensured the project was completed to success.

This effort was driven by a dire need for access — both to places and experiences. While the new trail links residents to schools and businesses, it also creates an immersive everyday experience abuzz with local wildlife, vibrant flora and dappled tree shade. In a busy and built-up part of town that until now has been isolated from any natural areas, it provides equity and improves quality of life for nearby residents.

Many neighbors in this part of Lafayette have never been to the summits or the riverine valleys of the Rocky Mountains or even the Front Range foothills, less than an hour away. Barriers of time, transportation or finances can be insurmountable, so the project team brought the majesty and wonder of that experience to them.

For decades, Drainage #4 was a concrete trickle pan surrounded by infrequently mowed weeds and restricted by fencing. This utility channel was transformed into the Inspire Trail corridor. Native grasses and shrubs, reeds and rushes now serve as a backdrop for an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, soft surface footpath with pedestrian bridges that cross back and forth over a winding creek. Narrow single-track trails also were added for a sense of adventure and exploration, complete with steppingstones across the creek bed. A chance encounter with a dragonfly or swooping hawk, or the rush of being engulfed in wildflowers are now everyday occurrences for trail users.

The centerpiece of the project, a two-acre nature play zone, was created on the grounds of Alicia Sanchez International Elementary School. The property had been inaccessible, fenced in years ago for a reason that no one seemed to recall. Intended as a gateway to the natural world for young people and their families, the idea was to transform this unused spaced into a magical place that would enchant the kids, and in so doing, enchant their parents.

Local students were engaged ear-

Views of the Rocky Mountains were enhanced to make the connection with this invaluable local resource and promote a “backyard-to-backcountry” theme.

While the new trail links residents to schools and businesses, it also creates an immersive everyday experience abuzz with local wildlife, vibrant flora and dappled tree shade.

ly in the process to find out what “nature play” meant to them. Places to hide and explore, to be in and around water, and objects to climb on, over and under were identified as priorities. By enticing kids to engage with nature as a play experience, our intent was to foster a lifelong appreciation for wild places and their irreplaceable gifts to humanity. The ultimate goal was to create a place that would offer the many welldocumented benefits of simply being in nature, such as improved personal wellness and a sense of stewardship, to neighbors who had never been given the opportunity.

In the years since being built, the Inspire Trail and Nature Kids Discovery Zone have become wellworn, wildly successful local amenities. Access to outdoor gathering spaces became essential in our new pandemic world early in 2020, only six months after construction. In this time of crisis and uncertainty, the project offered respite and recreation to nearby apartment dwellers and mobile home residents, just outside their front doors.

Green infrastructure, a popular concept these days, is “a set of practices that mimic natural processes to retain and use stormwater” (tiny url.com/6njfnp9h). This notion conflicts with the more traditional approach to civic infrastructure as off limits and reserved for utilitarian function. Green infrastructure acknowledges that a natural environment is ideal to accommodate flooding and storm capacity while it also offers more to people than a sterile, overly engineered utility.

The evolution of Drainage #4 into the Inspire Trail corridor showcases green infrastructure at work. The built project created wildlife habitat, walking trails and stone-skipping spots for people, and enhanced flood capacity for stormy weather. In so doing, it exemplifies the power of places intended to serve both nature and humanity. It highlights the inherent, expansive value of wild spaces. These overlapping values recognized by green infrastructure in design are referred to as ecosystem services.

The idea of ecosystem services drives design that supports utility, hydrology, ecology and recreation — all at once. This very concept is a departure from the longstanding approach to creating our urban places, which has sought to distinguish utility spaces from people spaces. This old approach has proven problematic, as we are now reminded daily with the impacts of climate change front and center in global news cycles. The new approach, driven by greening our infrastructure, allows for the broad range of ecosystem services as solutions not just to our climate crisis, but also a growing need to address mental and physical public health issues.

As a result, strategies of resilient, low-impact design have taken hold that enhance both utility and human quality of life. Naturalized stormwater systems, which allow for smaller and more aesthetic interventions, have become a best practice in many situations. Much of the well-intentioned work of past decades is being reconsidered as an urgency grows to undo heavy-handed engineering, break up the pavement, and design spaces for nature to thrive and for people to enjoy.

Nature play has been met with quite a bit of press in recent years, with good reason. Nature play spaces have been defined as places in which “children of all ages and abilities play and learn by engaging with and manipulat-

ing diverse natural elements, materials, organisms and habitats through sensory, fine motor and gross motor experiences” (tiny url.com/dkbuxtth). The benefits of nature play spaces abound with impacts on health, education, economics, environment and equity.

Studies have demonstrated that nature play: • Improves mental and physical health; decreases stress, anxiety and depression; and improves ability to assess risk in the environment • Creates a connection to the natural world that promotes environmental stewardship, improves focus and attention span, enhances academic performance, and has been shown to reduce bullying and absenteeism • Saves money as nature play elements are affordable to install and easy to replace, such as logs and stumps, or are infinitely durable, such as stone • Boosts investment in local suppliers, quarries and nurseries, as nature play spaces can be built entirely of local materials • Improves water quality, reduces runoff, recharges groundwater, reduces urban heat island effect and reduces carbon footprint • Enhances social justice with access to nature, as less affluent communities typically have less green space nearby

That’s a lot of upside.

With these benefits in mind, the Nature Kids Discovery Zone was designed as fun place to play and a pleasant spot to spend time outside with friends and family. The “Zone” offers various elements to engage new and wellseasoned nature lovers alike. These include: • Three formal play pits with massive log climbers and boulder play features designed with resilient surfacing and adequate critical fall zones • Two shed-style pavilions with rustic detailing, such as corrugated roofs, wood paneling, timber posts and sandstone capped integrated seatwalls • A “treehouse” of tiered platforms beneath mature evergreens for outdoor instruction and shad-

ed gathering year-round • An adventure trail of massive beetle kill pine stumps, fallen logs and boulders that lead to a hilltop summit • A kid-size rustic cabin with an authentic ore trolley to honor local mining history • A visitor-activated creek that runs past sandy banks and over river cobbles as it moves through the site • A viewing platform overlooking an educational wetland fed by the creek for nature programming and school instruction • Steppingstones leading to “habitat islands,” intended to showcase upland ecology and wetland ecology side by side • Tree selections and plant species highlighting various Colorado ecosystems • Stone circles and moveable stumps for informal seating and creative gathering

Spaces intended for play were designed to meet current playground standards but only natural materials were used in their construction.

Today, a visitor to the Inspire Trail and Nature Kids Discovery Zone will witness users big and small enjoying the space in ways the designers never envisioned. The project design was only a starting point, as it turns out, for infinite explorations in landscapes both real and imagined. With “nature” as the backdrop, whether native or designed, it appears anything is possible.

To read more about Burdine’s experience as project manager, visit parksand recreation.org.

Carter L. Marshall III is Associate at Design Concepts (carterm@dcla.net).

The Workman UTX is a straightforward, no-nonsense, 4-wheel drive utility vehicle built to stand up to the toughest tests without compromising performance. With standard commercial-grade components, the highest payload in its class, and a proprietary speed control system, it’s designed for the rigors of a long work week, whether maintaining sports fields, hauling tools and gear, or shuffling crews to distant facilities. The Workman UTX has the muscle to blast through snowdrifts while still maintaining the ability to regulate speed and sound in sensitive areas. To raise the standard further, every Workman UTX features an integrated plow mount, power steering, turn signals, brake lights, and a spray-on bed liner.

By Ylda Capriccioso, AICP

Trails provide a multitude of benefits for communities, including recreation, health and wellness opportunities, economic development, transportation, parkland access, environmental protection and sustainability. Despite the benefits, trail projects can pose challenges for agencies. These challenges, which can range from “not in my backyard” (NIMBY), funding or land access to political, environmental or other issues, can seem like perpetual barriers.

Once you understand the barriers to implementing trail projects, you can prioritize them and assess how much control or influence capacity is available, either by you or other actors. Through this process, you can seek out strategies, propose solutions and develop a timetable for success. Much like a to-do list, identifying barriers and understanding their significance will guide the path forward.

Trail implementation is like a to-do list, and seeing what needs to get done and knowing how to scratch the barriers off the list can help to guide the path forward.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF NEW BRAUNFELS

Political actors can include supporters, opponents, elected officials, staff and the public. Who are the local advocates? Which elected officials does this affect? What is the motive for opposition or support? While overcoming the NIMBY mindset can be daunting, collaborating and listening to residents’ concerns go a long way.

Internal agency actors and factors also can act as barriers. Agency staff, from field operations to executive leadership, must have a good understanding of the project vision and expectations to believe in a project and adjust resources to make it possible. Often, institutional barriers, such as inter-departmental strife (e.g., parks versus public works) can lead to a rivalry for resources. Who sets the standard, who maintains resources, and which department receives them? Acknowledging these institutional barriers can lead to improved collaboration and citywide effort to bring multidisciplinary projects forward.

This barrier focuses on what is happening in the community. Are there other factors influencing the public perception? Are there larger external struggles at play? How does this trail impact a neighborhood? Acknowledging that a trail may not be priority for a community is important. Garnering community support is critical to success. Knowing when to support the community’s needs first can aid in future support of the trail project.

How relevant is the project? Does the community want this project?

These barriers are either humancaused or natural. In the natural context, slope and topography can make a trail project challenging. While it would be nice to always have a trail run along the creek or through a bluff, these can be cost prohibitive, unsafe and unmanageable. Other barriers include property ownership.

Funding is always a barrier to implementation, but what is more challenging is the ongoing need for funding, staff and policies to ensure a sustainable project that is a valuable asset and not a burden to a department or community. During the master planning process or preliminary design, assessing ongoing maintenance needs, trail policies and volunteer requirements can provide a neutral forum for discussing how to operationalize needs and concerns.

Identifying barriers takes some effort and patience, but this assessment can help your community, department or group determine where to focus efforts and how to prioritize the challenges within trail projects. During this process, the barriers become major milestones of achievement once conquered. Again, trail implementation is like a to-do list, and seeing what needs to be done and knowing how to scratch the barriers off the list can help to guide the path forward.

Ylda Capriccioso, AICP, is Park Development Manager for City of New Braunfels, Texas (ycapriccioso@nbtexas.org).

Available on iTunes and Google Play openspaceradio.org

Brian Johnson

Lisa Moore

Barbara Heller

Nick Toutoungi

Kara Oughton

Sam Mendelsohn

Robert Quast

Tracy Rosensteel

Chad Kaufman

Paula Sliefert*

Heidi Tegtmeier *Chair

BCI Burke ...........................................................................................5, 51

Bright Idea Shops, LLC....................................................................... 51

Commercial Zone Products .............................................................. 51

DaySmart ...............................................................................................15

DogiPot.................................................................................................. 52

DuMor..................................................................................................... 21

Easi-Set Buildings ............................................................................... 52

Fountain People/Water Odyssey .................................................... 13

GameTime............................................................................................C4

GARED Holdings ................................................................................. 51

Greenfields Outdoor Fitness.......................................................... 2, 3 Gyms for Dogs..................................................................................... 53

Issuu Inc...................................................................................................11

iZone Imaging...................................................................................... 53

Kay Park Recreation........................................................................... 53

Landscape Structures Inc. ...................................................................7

Percussion Play.................................................................................... 53

Pilot Rock/RJ Thomas Mfg. Co. .................................................... 54

Sybertech Waste Reduction Ltd..................................................... 54

Synthetic Surfaces.............................................................................. 54

Shade Systems ................................................................................ C2, 1

Toro Company ................................................................................ 9, 49

(ISSN 0031-2215) is published monthly by the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148, a service organization supported by membership dues and voluntary contributions. Copyright ©2022 by the National Recreation and Park Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of NRPA. Issued to members at the annual subscription price of $30, included in dues. Subscription: $46 a year in the U.S.; $56 elsewhere. Single copy price: $7. Library rate: $58 a year in the U.S.; $68 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

Elizabeth and Tyler Cifu Shuster, avid members of the biking community in Redding, California, are raising their daughter, Story, to see the same value in biking — not only as a fun way to enjoy City of Redding’s Parks and Recreation trail system, but as a great form of transportation, too. “I love biking and I love Redding — and the two go together very well,” says Elizabeth. “I appreciate the combination of urban and natural biking destinations, the fervent bike community, and the miles of dirt and paved trails waiting to be explored and revisited. Biking opens up whole worlds here in Shasta County. Whether your world is transportation, recreation or some combination of the two, there’s a route for you.” The Shusters regularly utilize the trail system to get to work, exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

The Sacramento River Trail is the fiber that runs through the outdoor paradise that is Redding. The trails meander along the lush foliage at the river’s edge, connecting nature enthusiasts to points of interest, like mountain biking trails, Shasta Dam, Keswick Dam and Redding’s incredible local bridges. Locals and visitors alike enjoy reflective moments on the trails amidst the sounds and scenes of nature.

The Diestelhorst Bridge, constructed in 1914, was the first reinforced concrete bridge built across the Sacramento River. The bridge simultaneously serves as a part of Redding’s rich history and a link to its future. The stunning piece of architecture is the namesake for the Diestelhorst to Downtown Trail, a paved connection between the Sacramento River Trail and the businesses at the heart of Downtown Redding. The Diestelhorst to Downtown Trail opened in July 2021 to a warm reception from the community. Amidst a major growth period in Downtown Redding, the trail is a timely inspiration for community members to consider using more active modes of transportation on a regular basis.

Redding is committed to expanding its trail system, so that more families can access eco-friendly, beautiful and safe transportation options — like Tyler, Elizabeth and Story — whether they are enjoying stunning mountainscapes on a weekend or visiting the growing downtown core.

Organizations like Shasta Living Streets, the Redding Trail Alliance, the Redding Parks and Trails Foundation, and The McConnell Foundation, among others, have been at the forefront of the movement to create a more bikeable, more vibrant Redding. The upcoming Bike Depot in Downtown Redding will serve as a meeting space for those who bike, a resource for trails and biking equipment, a safe storage facility, and a place to enjoy a meal.

“Being a bike commuter at heart, I want my daughter to grow up choosing active transportation options,” says Elizabeth. “Getting active and getting outside is fundamental for my family’s health and that of the larger community. I want my daughter to know the beauty of pedaling her way through a crisp morning to get where she needs to be and the joy of hopping on a bike simply to experience the beauty of where she lives.”

– Kimberly Bonéy, Copywriter, City of Redding, California

The historic Diestelhorst Bridge, the railroad trestle, and the iconic Sundial Bridge in the distance cross the Sacramento River, which runs through the heart of Redding, California.

PARKS & RECREATION AUGUST 2022 ◆ PLAY EQUITY: A CENTURY IN THE MAKING ◆ IS HOMELESSNESS A P&R PROBLEM? ◆ NATURE’S BUILDING BLOCKS