P&R Now

P&R Now

The opinions of individual P&R Now contributors don't necessarily reflect the editorial position of Parks & Recreation magazine or the National Recreation and Park Association as a whole.

A Parks & People Reflection on NRPA's Congress 2008

I’d heard Majora Carter’s name before – a community leader from the South Bronx who was known for tying environmental and social justice issues together in brilliant ways. It was the sketchiest of profiles, but it was enough to make me very excited about getting to hear her speak, in my hometown, at the 2008 National Recreation & Park Association Congress & Exposition in downtown Baltimore. I rode my bike 20 minutes south from Hampden, locked it to a pole in front of the Convention Center, and found my way to the right room. The halls had been crowded, but the room itself wasn’t very full yet. I grabbed some coffee and grapes and sat near the front. My boss, Jackie Carrera of the Parks & People Foundation, arrived shortly after – she had been invited to introduce Majora.

I recognized Majora the moment I saw her from pictures I’d seen, and from the poise and presence she radiated. Jackie introduced her old friend as one of her heroes, adding that “after this is over, she’ll be one of yours too.”

Majora started by playing to her audience, saying that her work is about helping people see the value of what we do. I heard a murmur of assent behind me when she pointed out that parks budgets are the first to be cut in a crisis. From there she tied the economic to the political, stating that our previous economic boom had been “built on the backs of the powerless” and that we need to give people “choices and options, not handouts and pity.” I felt like I was listening to a particularly gifted politician, but one whose words belied more substance than most political oration.

Abruptly, the presentation changed from political to deeply personal (“this is going to be non-linear,” Majora had warned), as she talked about the center of blight in which she had grown up (in which the “popular perception” was that if you were from the South Bronx “you had to be a pimp, pusher or prostitute”). She showed photographs of her parents, dressed classily and shot in black and white, and of herself as a young girl, playing with a toy phone, then contrasted these images with shots of the rubble on which she and her friends had played, and of her brother, who had returned from the military only to be gunned down at home. Effortlessly, she expanded this complex snapshot out to encompass the socio-political context of the South Bronx after decades of white flight, redlining, arson and callously destructive highways had torn it asunder. Looking at a slide of a highway like a “gash” though a once stable neighborhood, I was reminded forcefully of the Highway to Nowhere in West Baltimore, an abandoned expressway project that also devastated the predominantly black neighborhoods through which it cut, and the ramifications of which are still being felt over thirty years later.

Into the powerful tapestry she had woven for us, Majora began to introduce the environmental context, explaining how the South Bronx had become a “regional sacrifice zone”, absorbing 40% of New York City’s waste into its dumping grounds and suffering from the presence of a wall of sewage and waste treatment plants along its waterfront. She defined Environmental Justice, the idea that no community should endure disproportionate environmental burdens, especially without enjoying environmental benefits like those provided by parks and trees, and connected the issues faced on this front by the South Bronx to those faced by poor white communities in Appalachia which have been plagued by negative health effects stemming from the evisceration of their mountains for coal. She listed illnesses very familiar to her audience of parks professionals, such as asthma and diabetes, then added poverty and prison to the list of diseases exacerbated by poor environmental health. A definitive study from Columbia University, she explained, had linked proximity to fossil fuel emissions to learning difficulties in young minds, putting children living near environmental hazards at a severe disadvantage.

During a pause in the presentation, I reflected on what we’d heard so far. Majora’s way of convincingly linking issues that might otherwise seem tenuously related had in it the interconnected holism of ecology. Her quick jumps from one topic to another, going back to explain herself only afterwards, jolted one into really listening, perhaps forging new pathways in the minds of her listeners in the process.

And then the presentation stopped being background and started in on the real story, the one we had all come to hear – how this woman had fought and won battles for her community’s health. A walk with her dog through an illegal dump had uncovered a secret route to the water. Community cleanups led to small grants led to a three million dollar city appropriation for her neighborhood’s first waterfront park in 60 years, which was dedicated in 2005. For the first time in the presentation, we saw black and white faces together, smiling. We saw Majora’s wedding, held in the park with her dog, Xena, as a flower girl. The slides were so green that it seemed like we’d transitioned from black and white to color for the first time, even though it had actually happened much earlier in the presentation.

“I began to wonder,” Majora commented understatedly, “what else are we missing?” She talked about interconnected greenways (not dissimilar to the One Park concept for Baltimore), about heading off displacement of the poor via planning and empowerment, about green jobs and an amazing program in her neighborhood that linked “environmental remediation and poverty alleviation” by certifying locals to do skilled and in-demand work like tree maintenance, work that had previously been contracted out to companies based elsewhere. She cited a famous study from the University of Illinois on the social benefits of trees and complemented it with a story of a young “social scientist” from her jobs program who had used Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles to improve the safety of one corner in his neighborhood by trimming up some trees to improve visibility, and leaving others low to create comfortable, shaded seating areas for older residents (thus providing “eyes on the street” a phrase coined by Jane Jacobs, “the patron saint of urban planning”). I was tickled and inspired when she showed a slide of a green line painted down the sidewalk to lead people to parks, and I was fascinated as she went into depth about other youth/jobs focused environmental programs that had sprung up in the South Bronx, including green roofing and computer modeling to turn junk into useful items. She also mentioned the importance of green jobs for things like managing stormwater and mitigating the effects of the urban heat island. I wondered which ideas would be more familiar to the majority of the audience – the social or the environmental ones? Parks, of course, embody the meeting point of these two values.

Abruptly, the presentation went from feel-good inspiration to hard reality with a single statistic. We were given a pop-quiz: the U.S. has 5% of the world’s population but 25% of the world’s _____? A few people in the crowd called out guesses – waste, emissions? The answer was “incarcerated.” Majora reminded us of the link between proximity to pollution and learning disabilities, and spoke about the desperate need for businesses that provide jobs which support their communities. We viewed juxtaposed images, one of a woman working in a recycling plant (caption: “gives my mom a job”) and one of hands gripping the bars of a jail cell (caption: “makes me afraid”). Her anger was clear as she spoke about the rates of unemployment and poverty in the South Bronx, and when she joked that perhaps the 2,000 new prison beds being added to her neighborhood were part of PlaNYC’s “affordable housing strategy.” Pollution. Poverty. Policy. Parks. Employment. In Majora’s world the connections couldn’t be clearer, and she laid them forth to us in such a compelling manner as to be completely undeniable. How could more people not be talking about this? How could this matrix of urban problems and opportunities not be on the forefront of every discussion of our nation’s future?

Majora wrapped up by providing some information about her new business endeavor, and by broadening her scope once more with statements like “what America needs is a Green New Deal” and “Environmental Justice is Civil Rights in the 21st century.” She left us with a question that would have sounded noble but vague before her speech, but seemed completely precise and specific in light of it – “Aren’t we tried of seeing tributes to our collective failures when we should be seeing monuments to our possibilities?”

I want to thank NRPA for providing those of us who were lucky enough to be in that room with the opportunity to hear this amazing woman speak. I only wish that everyone at the conference and, even more, everyone in Baltimore City and in every city struggling for its soul, could have heard it too.

-- Abby Cocke, Community Greening Organizer, Parks & People Foundation

Get A Job...

...or an education...or an employee.  Opportunities were everywhere at the first-ever Career Fair at the NRPA Congress.  Whether pursuing a new career or seeking practical training or employment, attendees filled the halls of the Baltimore Convention Center on Thursday afternoon to learn about employment, internships, graduate programs and meet field experts.

Introducing Pyxis

Crowds gathered in the NRPA Marketplace just after 1pm to witness the much-anticipated launch of the new Pyxis Learning Center.  NRPA's President-elect, Jodie Adams explained that the Pyxis Learning Center was created to respond to member feedback about the need for affordable and accessible education for park and recreation professionals, part-time employees, volunteers and advocates.

Pyxis Is Coming!!!

Pyxis launches in the NRPA Marketplace TODAY at 1:15 - STAY TUNED!

Citizen Day Dawns At 2008 Congress

Thursday has been designated as "Citizen Day" at NRPA's 2008 Congress.  Citizen board members, commissioners and advocates from across the country began a full day of educational sessions, networking and more at a Citizen Branch breakfast event.
New Citizen Branch President, Dennis Flanagin, welcomes attendees.
Described by Dennis Flanagin as NRPA's "Top Citizen", Chair Lois Finkelman sets the stage for the Citizen Day Sessions.

Citizen Day speaker, Tracey Crawford, CPRP, CTRS, is Superintendent of Development of the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association of Northbrook, Ill.

The focus of Crawford's session was on the role of citizen leaders in creating inclusive communities.

Crawford began her session by pairing attendees to "size" each other up and make immediate assumptions about their partners recreational likes and dislikes, their ethnic background and other first-impression judgments.  Then she asked participants to remember their very first interaction with a disabled person and to describe that experience.

Crawford's session went on to help attendees gain a better understanding of the American's with Disabilities Act and the important role citizen leaders play in supporting inclusive programming within their local agencies.  Through her straight-talk approach, Crawford set out to clearly define what "inclusion" for people with disabilities IS and what it IS NOT and WHY it is so important.

Exhibit Hall Opens

Displaying products ranging from the practical to the playful, 2008 Congress Exhibitors welcomed crowds of attendees on Wednesday afternoon.

U.S. Paralympic Athletes Challenge Attendees In The NRPA Marketplace

Elite-level Paralympic Athletes shared their stories, demonstrated their remarkable athleticism and even challenged some Congress attendees to test their own abilities in the NRPA Marketplace on Wednesday afternoon.

U.S. Paralympian, Myles Porter who is a blind judo competitor demonstrates how he takes down an opponent.

Greta Neimanas from Chicago, Ill. - a member of the 2008 Paralympic Women's Cycling Team - challenges attendees to match her pace during a demonstration in the NRPA Marketplace on Wednesday afternoon.

U.S. Olympic Medal Winners Shine In The NRPA Marketplace

U.S. Olympians signed autographs and displayed their medals in the NRPA Marketplace on Wednesday afternoon.  Monique Henderson, from San Diego, California is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 4x400m relay from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and again in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.  Floridian, Bershawn Jackson captured the bronze medal in Beijing for 400m hurdles.

Birds of Prey Descend On The NRPA Marketplace

Michael Patterson, Facility Manager for the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission displays a Barred Owl in the NRPA Marketplace to promote Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's Tuesday evening address.  Secretary Kempthorne unveiled a new initiative to forge partnerships with local, regional, urban and county park and recreation agencies in developing new programs and activities designed to get children outdoors and enjoying nature, using our nation's public lands and parks.

Attendees Meet The New CEO

Lois Finkelman (L) introduces Joan Rokus (R) from the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to the new NRPA CEO Barbara Tulipane (Ctr).

Leaders of the Largest Cities Unite at NRPA's Congress!

Urban directors from 19 of the nation's largest cities and counties met to discuss the need to revitalize urban areas including parks and recreation centers. They discussed presenting urban issues to the Outdoor Resources Review Group (ORRG) and expanding the statistics available to tell NRPA's story.

Extensive comments were heard concerning how urban cities can reach out and embrace diverse communities. Promoting an international presence in NRPA publications and in the future of NRPA was also discussed as a way to help local cities discover projects and activities that work abroad.

Overall, the Urban Directors meeting provided an opportunity for urban directors to share ideas that have worked for their cities and provide advice and support for their colleagues.

RFK, Jr. Wows NRPA Congress Attendees

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. addressed Congress attendees the importance of environmental stewardship and the importance of being proactive NOW for the sake of our future. He shared personal experiences and offered insight into helping foster a better ethic for the environment. Over 4,000 attendees listened intently and it was a great start to the day! Thank you to Landscape Structures, sponsor of the Opening General Session.

Attendees Flock To The Home of the O's

Camden Yards - the home of the Baltimore Orioles MLB Team - was the site of the 2008 Congress Opening Night Welcome Party.  Attendees danced to the music, enjoyed the food, toured the Orioles playing field and "got in on" all the fun of Baltimore.  The Welcome Party was sponsored by Playworld Systems.
   



Secretary of Interior, Dirk Kempthorne and NRPA's Rich Dolesh enjoying the Opening Night festivities. 

Congress Tuesday...5 Things You May Have Missed

If you're here in Baltimore at the NRPA Congress or checking out the highlights online from back home, you'll likely agree there is a lot to see, hear and discover...and the event is just beginning. Just a few highlights and sound bytes from Tuesday, October 14...

• "If kids don't use parks, then they won't value them. If they don't value them, then they won't protect them." (on making parks relevant to the "digital generation" from the session Environmental Stewardship Ethic Forum)

• "For millennials, technology is as natural as air. Their hands are in their pockets and they are text messaging."--Maggie Arnold, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair, Ithaca College and session presenter, "Millennials are Coming! So How Do We Nanny These Extraterrestrials?"
  
  

An owl can spot such prey as a mouse, from one mile high (during the birds of prey visitation at the Convention Center lobby. Pictured: bald eagle)

• "There is real data, research to support the economic impact of parks. People will pay more to live in close proximity to parks. These numbers are real; not articially generated."--John Crompton, Distinguished Professor, Texas A&M University - Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, session "Parks, Recreation and Economic Prosperity"
  
  
• "We are facing a crisis regarding the health of our children. Children are leading such sedentary lives that we are finding such diseases as high-blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes in children...diseases that were typically found primarily in adults."--Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior

Get Outdoors, It's Yours!

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne... Agriculture Secretary Ed Shaefer... Major General Don Riley of the Army Corps of Engineers... plus a host of NRPA leaders made the special afternoon session on connecting children and nature one of the highlights of the first day of the 2008 NRPA Congress.

Of particular interest was this special public service announcement that was shown in public for the first time at the event, which features Secretary Kempthorne and teen sensations The Jonas Brothers encouraging kids to get outdoors.

Leave It Better Baltimore

Nearly 50 Congress attendees set out on a sunny Tuesday morning from the Baltimore Convention Center. Boarding a bus, the crews fanned out into the neighborhoods of Baltimore to put the words of NRPA benefactor, Claude Ahrens, into action to "Leave It Better Than (They) Found It!"

The first stop at Carroll Park saw teams working on projects ranging from tree planting to landscape refurbishment. Meanwhile, more participants moved on to B&O Railroad Park adjacent to the B&O Railroad Museum. Nancy Chamberlain, an outdoor recreation and program planning professor from Northern Virginia Community College shuttered classes for the week and brought her students to participate in the NRPA Congress including a large  contingent turning out for the  service project. On the grounds of the B&O Park, Nancy and her team began by "micro-trashing" the area, removing dangerous debris including broken glass before new WOODCARPET® playground surfacing donated by Zeager Brothers, Inc. could be spread.

Other work at the B&O Park included painting and refurbishing playground equipment and installing new park benches and a dog-waste receptacle donated by Doggie Deposit Bags. Jackie McAvoy, President of the Citizen Branch, lead a crew that helped rehab a train-themed play structure that is the centerpiece of the park.

Linda Kotowski, NRPA President and new NRPA CEO Barbara Tulipane visited the site and remarked about the impressive effort. Tulipane said, "Our members are concerned about the upkeep and safety of all parks - not just the ones in their own community. The hard work being done by our Congress attendees is a testament to their dedication to parks and recreation". "Their efforts embody the spirit of NRPA," added Kotowski.

Nancy Chamberlain relied on her certification as a Certified Playground Safety Inspector to closely examine a slide and climbing structure that is a main feature of the B&O Park. As her team worked to paint and mulch around the structure, Chamberlain noticed that a critical support ring on one of the multi-level decks of the structure had been damaged which resulted in an unstable play surface. The quick-thinking crew immediately recognized that the equipment had been manufactured by one of the many manufacturers in the Congress Expo Hall. In a flurry of cell phone activity, Chamberlain called the corporate office of BCI Burke Co. and was able to reach Brian Johnson who was exhibiting for BCI Burke in Baltimore. Johnson and Chamberlain identified the exact model and part number of the damaged support. Johnson agreed to donate the part that was needed and arranged to have it delivered to the Baltimore City grounds crew supervisor who will install the part later this week.

As crews worked through the morning, 2 year-old "Josiah", a neighborhood boy, arrived at the park to play as he does everyday according to his grandmother. While he was disappointed that the park was closed for repairs, he settled instead for helping spread mulch with the volunteer crew. Josiah's grandmother was relieved to see the new dog waste container which she hopes will relieve her from printing her home-made reminder signs which she posts around the park herself. She was also excited to see the two new benches that were being installed - a welcome change from sitting on the concrete seat-wall that frames the play area while Josiah plays.

The exhausted crews returned to the Convention Center with a great sense of accomplishment thinking of the smiles the newly refurbished park will bring to the faces of Josiah and his grandmother and the entire community.

 

Open for Business

If it's Tuesday morning, then registration and the all-new NRPA Marketplace are in high gear. After registering, visit the Marketplace to check out the latest NRPA products and services.

NRPA Expo Takes Shape

We're two days away from the opening of the exhibit hall, but construction is moving along very quickly. Very soon, kids of all ages will be climbing on the equipment and discovering all the cool stuff they can buy.

Volunteer State

A sea of people gathered to lend a hand in preparing registration bags and materials for the thousands descending on Baltimore this week. Who says volunteerism isn't fun?

Leaving It Better In Baltimore

As part of a growing movement to share our community's passion for parks and recreation when we visit a city for an NRPA Congress, volunteers will help to renovate a local park in Baltimore on Tuesday, October 14th.

Click here to find out how you can participate in the "Leave It Better in Baltimore" project.

Welcome to the 2008 NRPA Congress & Exposition

The P&R Now Blog, the official blog of Parks & Recreation Magazine, will serve as the official source for news and highlights from this year's Congress.  Stay tuned for interviews, commentary and reports on the events and activities taking place here in Baltimore this week.

A Change in Voice

We at NRPA are about to lose our voice.  Well, not exactly, but close.  You see, Doug Vaira, the gentleman who has transformed the quality of the articles, columns and departments you've been reading in Parks & Recreation magazine over the past year, is leaving in order to pursue his dream of opening a restaurant in his hometown of Charles Town, West Virginia.  I admire his courage, but I admire him even more for his dedication to the cause of parks and recreation.  Doug makes it a personal mission, and will continue to do so, whether he's employed by NRPA or not.

And so, we move forward in search of a new voice for the magazine and, by extension, this blog.  I will begin serving in some capacity to continue the conversation here and also share article information and enhancements to the reader experience.  But I do so knowing that I can't replace Doug.  I can only hope to imitate him.

Best wishes, Doug.  We hope you become the best restaurateur in Charles Town.

John Crosby
Senior Director, Marketing

NRPA

Sounding Off on Budget Woes

Our inaugural “SoundOff” column, which appeared in the August issue, asked park and recreation professionals to identify what cuts they are making in the face of dwindling municipal budgets. Incredibly insightful, your feedback ranged from delaying the opening of aquatic facilities to downsizing summer concert series.

We also went to the professionals at Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Parks and Recreation and asked how they are coping with challenging municipal budgets. Administrator J. Thomas Lovell Jr., CPRP, shares his agency’s concerns--and solutions--below:

“We are currently designing some special promotions and packages for ‘Stay at Home Vacations.’ We will work with local merchants and weave their services (spa treatments, nights at local motels, meals at restaurants, rounds of golf, drinks at coffee shops, and so forth) into our facilities and special events to develop these family weekend packages. The hook here is that what people would spend on travel alone would cover the costs of the package.

We are also opening three new venues this summer, and we have no real data to base any impact our economy will have on these operations except for positive due to the fact that more people will be staying home for vacation and increasing our attendance locally. It may affect our pricing, but our price points have been market-driven in our business plans and we will not know their effectiveness until we open the doors.

Our biggest concerns are more long-term oriented, with sales-tax performance and our ability to pay debt on capital project notes. This could cause us to defer future projects.”

"Nature Deficit Disorder" Gets National Airtime

Richard Louv, author of Last Child In The Woods and the originator of the phrase "Nature Deficit Disorder," was featured in a segment on NBC's The Today Show (Tuesday, July 16th) that addressed the topic.  It's impressive to see the family in the segment that took it upon itself to create a nature adventure club. How can parks and recreation professionals and advocates learn from this?

Climbing-Wall Creative

Gone are the days of rock climbing where participants were either hardcore wall rats or adventure-sorts taking long expeditions into the mountains. Even as toddlers, humans have an innate desire to climb. As the popularity of rock climbingincreases, so too does the ability for the average person to experience this activity in a non-threatening, controlled environment. With the introduction of indoor climbing gyms, walls in recreation centers and health clubs, and portable climbing walls at fairs and community events, youngsters and adult newbies alike are able to test this sport without a ton of equipment, know-how, or travel. As new recreation facilities are built and old ones renovated, climbing walls are being specified as centerpieces. Not only does this feature allow an agency to create new programming options for its customers, it also serves as a focal point to attract new people to purchase memberships. The climbing wall at the Livonia Community Recreation Center in Mich igan “stands 42 feet tall and is one of the focal points of our facility,” says Kevin Flohr, the center’s climbing-wall coordinator. “You can see it from anywhere in the facility.” Indeed, a climbing wall that loomsover the rows of ellipticals and stair climbers and free-weight area looks impressive. Used as an immediate marketing tool for the facility, the climbing wall attracts potential users to the facility—even if they don’t plan on using it.

Programming Points

In addition to being a great marketing asset and showpiece, a climbing wall allows an array of money-generating program options. The sky really is the limit regarding what a recreation center staff can do with a climbing program. When developing your climbing programming, consider your users and what they will be expecting. Segment your potential user groups by age: youth, teens, and adults. If the goal is to have all groups use your wall, you’ll want to provide proper programming for members of each category. The variety of programming for your youngest users is abundant. They will require the opportunity to get their feet wet in this activity. Similar to a mommy- (or daddy-) and-me swim class, a family climbing session gives youngsters the support and encouragement they need to feel comfortable climbing for the first time. Many youngsters are apprehensive upon seeing the sheer size of the wall,but their comfort level will increase with their parents’ encouragement. In this family class setting, while the kids are busy climbing the wall, the parents are on the ground learning with the guidance of a climbing-wall instructor: how to tie knots, how to belay (holding the rope, taking up the slack, and lowering the climber back to the ground), and how to keep the family safe withverbal commands.“The nice thing about our family lesson,” says Dawn Walden, wall coordinator at the Centre of Elgin in Illinois, “is that the family can come back at a future date, and, if the parents can show proficiency in belaying and knot-tying, they are checked out to belay for each other and for the kids so they can continue to use and enjoy the climbing wall without having to pay the additional fee to rent a belayer.” The Centre of Elgin offers a six-week, one-hour-long class for kids each Saturday morning. These classes, which are broken down by age, teach kids basic climbing skills. “We started to notice that Wee Rock, our program for 5- and 6-year-olds, tended to always fill, so we’ve played with the schedule a bit,” says Walden, “During some weeks, we might offer two sessions of Wee Rock at two different times, and we’ve experimented with offering them later in the morning when the youngest [kids] aren’t so wound up or half asleep.” Noticing these tendencies and making adjustments to schedules can makelessons run much smoother.

Growing Through Green

In the May issue of P&R, we featured a Q+A with Alice Ewen Walker ("Seeing the City for the Trees," page 67), executive director of the Alliance for Community Trees, a volunteer-driven nonprofit that has planted 7.8 million trees in cities and towns across the country. More than simply planting trees, for ACT it’s about growing stronger communities through citizen involvement and the promotion of healthier urban ecosystems.

In the follow-up below, Monique Torbert, a youth volunteer and leader from Detroit, talks about how a greening experience with ACT radically changed her life--and her perception of the power of green:

Before I was exposed to the wonderful world of trees, I was in a depressing stage in my life. I felt like there was no hope for me to do good or move forward. I didn’t have enough support from the people around me when I needed them most, and I just began to feel so angry inside.

I was at a loss; I didn’t know what I wanted or where I was going. My grades were failing and I became very violent. Really, I felt alone. Growing up close to the North End in the treeless 12th Street neighborhood, I didn’t know that urban forestry would play such a turnaround role in my life.

During the summer of 2002, I was just looking for a way to make some extra money. There weren’t many jobs available to high-school-aged kids. So when I found out that the Greening of Detroit’s Green Corps was hiring, availability was the initial attraction.

Trees weren’t central to how I grew up. And actually, I wasn’t sure if outdoor activities were really my thing. I remember enjoying the TreeKeepers Kids program in elementary school, which was my first exposure to trees. But my family thought the outdoors aspect of the Green Corps would be a positive activity in my community.

"Trees brought us together, like a shared experience."

Long story short, I applied and secured an interview, but was not selected. Although I applied with a “nothing to lose” mindset, the rejection was pretty upsetting. Afterwards, the Greening wrote me a personal note encouraging me to try out again, in 2003. Their support helped me to realize that I hadn’t gotten the job the first time because I kept to myself too much, and didn’t show that I could be a team player. I tried again the next year and have been with the Greening almost five years.

The work we did always started with trees, but it was more than that. It was about people. We were meeting people and talking with them about their experiences, who they were, and what they wanted, and you always found that you had things in common. Trees brought us together, like a shared experience.

It’s funny, too, because now I read studies about how kids in treeless neighborhoods play outdoors less and are more prone to approach life the way I did, and I can see the evidence in my own life. The other thing about Green Corps was that you had to depend on other staff and peers and find a new comfort level. I could have gotten work experience anywhere, but what we were doing mattered to the community and to everyone I worked with, and that was unique.

Before working with trees, I couldn’t have said what had to change because I didn’t know what I wanted. After two years with the Greening, I knew what I wanted and applied to be a team leader to further develop my skills. Being a leader among peers was challenging, but for the first time I felt confident that I could be a leader.

In 2006, I applied to be an AmeriCorps Vista, which continues until August 2008. After that, I hope to continue working with trees.

Through the AmeriCorps program, I’ve earned over $9,000 in education awards for school, which is a tremendous help to me. I’m at Wayne County Community College working on an associate degree, and will transfer to Wayne State University to get my bachelor’s in social work. Next, I plan to transfer to Michigan State to work on a Master’s. If everything goes to plan, I’ll be finished by 2013.

The changes in me came out of nowhere. Suddenly I was a self-starter, a leader, more confident, not getting into trouble anymore, and starting a college degree. I never thought I’d be where I am today and making positive changes in the community.

I hope I encourage inner-city youth like me that no matter how hard life gets, you have to keep taking chances because you never know which opportunity will come. I don’t want to imagine where I’d be if I didn’t work for the Greening of Detroit. I’m truly honored to be a part of an incredible organization and hope to stay.

Working with trees gave me direction and peace when I needed it most.

For more information about organizations like the Greening of Detroit, contact the Alliance for Community Trees, a national federation of 150 community groups dedicated to tree planting, care, and community education. ACT member organizations lead youth development programs in neighborhoods in Detroit, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, Baltimore, and other cities. Together, ACT affiliates have planted 7.8 million trees in cities with help from 450,000 volunteers. Visit www.actrees.org to learn more.

A Tree (Sometimes) Grows in Brooklyn

The May issue of Parks & Recreation offers a first-person look at how New York City is tackling a number of ambitious "greening" efforts by way of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's PlaNYC initiative. One of those undertakings is the planting of 1 million new trees across the city by 2017, as explained by author Adrian Benepe, director of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

Now, you might think that most folks would jump at the opportunity for the city to plant a tree in their front yard. After all, an urban canopy of trees provides air conditioning, increases home values, and naturally filters and cleans the air. But evidently, some New Yorkers haven't taken such a shine to the idea.

In fact, as urban forester Arthur Simpson tells the New York Times, he's received a particularly unfriendly welcome from some residents. Check it out here.

Running (a Business) in Parks

Melissa Clary, business specialist for the city of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services, posted a thought-provoking questions on the NRPAnet e-mail listserve recently. Clary, who is researching the topic of running a personal business in a city park, says that her agency has an innovative entrepreneur who wants to run her fitness business in its parks.

Clary asks specifically of her fellow NRPAnetters:

Do you allow a private business of any kind to be run in your parks?
If so, how do you license them? Do you charge any other fees, or take a percentage of sales?
Have you ever discussed having private businesses in the parks with your governing body? And, if so, what were the issues, either for or against?

Have some feedback? Shoot Melissa an e-mail, or give her a call at 702.229.4616.

State Parks: Meeting Expectations

Interesting story in Monday's USA Today about state parks battling hotels and conference centers for business from company meetings. Evidently, state parks are offering facilities "from a one-room schoolhouse at Utah's Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park to mansions and full-service lodges like the one at Alabama's Lake Guntersville State Park" to attract meeting-goers.

The main selling points the state park facilities have going for them, the article continues, include affordability, usually breathtaking surroundings, and seclusion from the noise of daily life (read: no cellphones, pagers, and so forth).

Check out the full story online.

Today Show Covers Special Recreation Program

Al Roker, the jovial meterologist/television personality who makes NBC's "Today Show" worth watching, recognized the Eldora Special Recreation Program in Nederland, Colorado, as part of the Today Show Lend a Hand initiative.  Watch the video to learn more.

Online Green: City Parks Foundation

An independent nonprofit, City Parks Foundation offers programming in parks throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Across its nearly 20 years, the organization has created arts, sports, and educational programs in some 700 public parks, helping to not only revitalize parks but also the neighborhoods surrounding them.

David Rivel, the foundation’s executive director, wrote the feature article “Learning, Naturally,” which appeared in the May issue of Parks & Recreation magazine. In Rivel's article for P&R, he writes specifically about his organization’s innovative education programs that offer participants an opportunity to engage with the natural world around them.

These programs--which include Seeds to Trees, Coastal Classroom, and Learning Gardens--are meeting head-on the environmental challenges facing the city, such as air and water pollution, and are helping to prepare thousands of New York City’s youth to become the environmental stewards of tomorrow.

Listen below as Rivel and foundation education director Claudia DeMegret discuss their organization's programming efforts, and the impact they have on city residents.

What's in Store for April?

Wondering what to expect from the April issue of Parks & Recreation magazine? Here's what we're working on:

>> Our "Go Green" series of feature articles, leading up to the NRPA National Summit on Environmental Stewardship (May 4-7 in Portland, Ore.) continues with a story that examines how “green” programs and facilities delivered by public park and recreation agencies are influencing the next wave of environmentally conscious citizens.

>> Park and recreation agencies have an obligation to keep staff and customers safe from overexposure to the sun’s harmful rays. Beat the burn and get the facts surrounding sun safety with our sun protection story.

>> And, finally, April is our "playground focus" issue, and this one won't disappoint. Our special playgrounds section explores everything from playground themes to accessibility and safety.

In addition, you'll find an engaging question-and-answer (FirstPerson) that gets up close and personal with our three environmental summit keynote speakers: author Richard Louv, Conservation Fund CEO Larry Selzer, and Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection chief, Gina McCarthy. We think you'll find it a lively discussion on the importance of reconnecting kids with nature, and American's passionate connection to parks and public lands.

Look for it in your mailbox in early April. And, as always, please drop us an e-mail at edit@nrpa.org if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for our editors.

Investing in the Arts

More and more agencies are coming to realize that an investment in the arts--even a modest one--can pay off in spades, resulting in enhanced community identity, quality of life and economic vitality. It's possible, these agencies have found, to take a small budget and still make a lasting investment in the community.

Christine Fey, arts and culture manager, Reno (Nev.) Parks, Recreation and Community Services, discovered this for herself 10 years ago when her agency invested in Artown, a multi-week arts and cultural event. Her article, "Artown USA," which appears in the March issue of Parks & Recreation magazine, details the transformation of the event.

Artown began in 1996 as a way to showcase Reno's arts organizations and to invite citizens back downtown. In that first year, the three-week event attracted 30,000 people; by 1999, attendance had surpassed 100,000. Across the past decade, the (now) four-week event has succeeded in drawing folks back to Reno's downtown core, spurring on an explosion of new restaurants, retail and housing.

Today, visitors to Artown, held each July, can enjoy 320 events offered by some 80 different organizations. Here, Fey shares her thoughts with listeners on changing people's perceptions about what parks and the arts can do, and how an agency working with a small budget can make a major impact:

Getting to Inclusion

The Playbook column in the March 2008 issue of Parks & Recreation magazine, written by Lonny Zimmerman, manager of the Adaptive Recreation Division for the city of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services, and John McGovern, executive director of the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association in Northbrook, Ill., focused on inclusion training for park and recreation staff. In that article, “Getting to Inclusion,” Zimmerman and McGovern, two well-respected experts on the topic, suggest that before training your staff on the importance of inclusion, you need to first determine where your agency stands on the subject.

Take a listen to a follow-up interview with the authors, then check out the original article in the March magazine. Questions or comments? E-mail us at edit@nrpa.org.

Sabato Addresses NRPA Legislative Forum

On Wednesday, March 12, Dr. Larry Sabato, founder and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, will address participants at the NRPA National Legislative Forum on Parks and Recreation. We had a chance to ask Sabato a few questions in advance of his appearance, most notably, "Whether it is public parks or education or better roads, what do citizen advocates need to know when attempting to deliver an appeal to elected leaders?"

Sabato responded:

"There is no substitute for knowing your subject; expertise matters enormously when lobbying public officials. Elected leaders meet hundreds of professional lobbyists and citizen activists, and they become very good at separating the wheat from the chaff. Which ones know their subject? How useful is the information being provided?

It is always best to present both or all sides, even when advocating one particular point of view. It increases the lobbyist’s credibility to do that, and familiarizes the elected official with other points of view that may be raised during a debate on any policy issue."

You can follow the entire Q+A by reading the FirstPerson column, "Politically Engaged," in the March 2008 issue of Parks & Recreation magazine. For more on Sabato, check out his Web site, www.larrysabato.com.

Through Parks, a City Beautiful (and Prosperous)

For the past 10 years, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has promoted the downtown core as the “premier location to live, work, shop, dine, play and visit.” Recently, PDP President and CEO Michael Edwards has begun to use public parks, trails, and recreation opportunities as a compelling calling card for bringing visitors, new residents and corporate investment to his town.

No surprise there, really. For years, researchers, park and recreation professionals and citizen advocates have acknowledged the integral role that public parks, open space and trails can play in advancing a town’s economic vitality. And from Chicago’s Millennium Park to Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park to Boston’s Park at Post Office Square, parks have not only contributed to economic development and revitalization, regional tourism and landscape aesthetic, they have also helped to define the unique characteristics and sense of these cities’ most celebrated spaces.

In "Project Urban Recreation" in the March 2008 issue of P&R, Edwards shares his strategies for revitalization through parks and recreation. Using national examples to explore ways in which park and recreation agencies can spur downtown revitalization, Edwards examines how communities have generated billions of dollars in new investment, and how park and recreation opportunities can contribute to economic development in their own cities.

We had an opportunity to ask him a few questions as a follow-up to his article:

Q: How do people benefit as a result of their city having a quality system of public parks and recreation?

A: Parks and open space give definition and a sense of unique place to communities around the world. These places benefit children by providing interesting spaces for exploration, play, learning, recreation and socialization. As people mature, the benefits of the same places change. Adults benefit from parks and open space as a place for escape, contemplation, self-awareness, spirituality, exercise, rejuvenation, wellness and socializing.

These benefits only become more important against a backdrop of a society increasingly techno-centric, a population that is aging and more interested in physical fitness and significant negative health trends in the areas of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

There is a real opportunity for parks and open space to reposition themselves in the near-term as even more essential amenities for healthy communities.

Q: What is your advice to decision-makers who might feel it a bit frivolous to attach great importance—and money—to parks and recreation?

A: It is incumbent upon the park professional to make a compelling case articulating the value of parks and recreation to community-building. There may be a new opportunity available to park professionals with:

• The rise of green building design.
• Increased competition for private investment.
• New outdoor lifestyles.   

Elected officials and city and county managers completely understand how competitive it is to attract new investment—jobs and tax revenue. Communities able to separate themselves by offering a robust and compelling vision of an active, outdoor recreation lifestyle can attract both active adults (who own companies) and younger “knowledge workers,” who put more emphasis on a holistic lifestyle, including a great environment in which to live. The power of the green building movement, a growing outdoor-oriented lifestyle and the need for the mayor’s support to succeed in attracting new investment (companies, talent and jobs) provide a new opportunity . . . but someone has to make the case.

Q: If parks and recreation are so essential, why do they continue to be considered less important than other municipal services such as transportation, education and fire and rescue?

A: The link between parks and recreation is not as apparent to most people as, say, a company locating downtown, the creation of a start-up enterprise from a local university or the need for a new highway on-ramp.

Parks and recreation as amenities may be viewed as less important because they don’t ”get you to work faster,” “increase your job opportunities” or “directly increase your tax base.”

It would be helpful to develop a broader vernacular to describe the direct measurable benefits of parks and open space—in economic terms. To speak the economic-development language, to make the connection between parks and open space to promote high employee retention, to increase competitiveness to attract creative talent, and to increase property values and tax revenue adjacent to accessible rivers and trails.

Coaching With Class

When it comes to coaching and youth sports, Lori Brown knows her stuff. Brown, a youth sports program coordinator at American Sport Education Program, a division of publisher Human Kinetics, is an expert on the topic of youth sports. You can read a brief Q+A with her in the February 2008 issue of P&R magazine (p.66). Her recommendation: Agency professionals should expect a program that puts volunteer coaches and their agencies in a position for success.

When asked what parents should look for when seeking a quality local youth sports organization, she responded:

"Everything starts with a philosophy, mission, and goal, no matter what choices we make in life. Parents should first talk with their young athletes and ask, 'What do I hope to gain out of this program,' or 'Why am I encouraging my child to participate in athletics?' By answering these key questions, parents can then look for a sport program that shares a similar mission and philosophy."

For more extensive information, parents can download the free “SportParent Survival Guide” from the ASEP Web site.

Sajai: Wise Choices for Health and Nutrition

Do you Sajai? If not, take a look at the March 2008 issue of P&R, and get up to speed on the innovative Wise Kids program, an after-school wellness program that teaches children ages 6 to 11 the importance of a healthy, lifelong approach to staying in balance for good health. The program’s multi-faceted approach involves children, families, schools and communities in promoting smart nutrition and activity choices.

On this original NRPA podcast (below), we talk to Sajai Foundation staff and professionals from the St. Paul Parks & Recreation Dept., a program pilot agency, about an issue that is top-of-mind for millions of Americans, including many park and recreation professionals: combating childhood obesity and inspiring wise health and nutrition choices for youth.

Growing Tomorrow's Green Leaders

As part of our ongoing "green" series, leading up to the NRPA Summit on Environmental Stewardship, May 4-7 in Portland, Ore., we featured a great story in the February issue of Parks & Recreation that combines the best of youth development and conservation efforts. It's the KidsGrow program, run by Baltimore's Parks & People Foundation.

The full article, of course, is in the magazine. But we were also able to catch up with Jackie Carrera, the foundation's executive director, and Monica Logan, KidsGrow program manager, to ask a few questions about their experiences with getting the program up and running, and what they might suggest to other agencies considering a similar program.

Here's what they had to say:

P&R Now: What were some of the challenges you experienced in getting the KidsGrow program going?

Jackie Carrera: Our challenges early on were finding funding following an initial investment by the U.S. Forest Service. This challenge remains today. 

Secondly, while we originated our program in recreation centers, we eventually had to move to schools. Our hope was to integrate the program into the recreation center programming, but the attendance in our program was low and inconsistent. We found that some children had a hard time getting to the centers after school and others were never a part of the center to begin with, so they were reluctant to join. By being school-based, we met the kids where they were and were able to build a solid program from there.

Monica Logan: Presently being in school settings we have experienced some logistical challenges acquiring space for the program and in hiring school-day teachers. Most school-day teachers are unable to commit to a five-day-a-week program at lower wages then they might through a school-subsidized program.  Once we had staffing and logistics in place, the program has been very successful in engaging and retaining students.

PRN: How difficult was it to get funding?

JC: Initially, the program was funded by the U.S. Forest Service. Beyond the first couple of years, we were able to tap into the foundation community’s targeted funding for programs for middle school children. This funding was supplemented with small environmental project grants and occasionally a bigger government program, but only temporarily.

In recent years, the program has been funded primarily by the after-school community. Education funding requires a high level of alignment with the state curriculum and is harder to come by.  Environmental education funding is sparse. 

ML: Over the years it has become more challenging to find large multi-year grants from funders. As is key to the sustainability of any program, it is important to have a diversified array of support.

KidsGrow has received funding from environmental education, youth development, and academically focused sources. Thankfully, over the past two to three years, the Baltimore city government and the public schools system have given increasing financial support to after-school programs that have proven [achievement in] positive youth development and academic outcomes.

PRN: How have the kids responded to the various programs? Can you provide any specific examples?

ML: Students, parents, and principals consistently give KidsGrow high marks for the diverse hands-on experiences, outreach, and trips that are at the foundation of the program. A student from our 2004-2005 [program] wrote the following:

“I think [KidsGrow] is inspiring and educational because it keeps children out of trouble and teaches them about the environment. Also, it is good for children to learn more after school hours. We have many decisions and categories to choose from when we do different things. [It] is a place where I can go and express myself with no problems. Next, we are learning how to recycle in our community by picking up trash so we don’t have a lot of pollution.”

Below are some student quotes from our 2007 year-end evaluation:

“I learned you should always eat healthy food so you can get stronger.”
“I learned to pick up trash for the community.”
“I learned to plant and ride boats.”
“I liked the teachers and the trips and the cool things we are learning.”

JC: The older children tend to like the advocacy component of the program, while the younger children are excited to learn the facts.

One past group of middle-schoolers, after discovering a polluted quarry in their neighborhood, contacted their city council representatives and spoke out on a local [National Public Radio] talk show. As a result, the company that owned the site paid $50,000 to clean it up. The kids knew they did something to make their neighborhoods safer and cleaner. They all like to be a part of something positive.

PRN: What recommendations might you have for other public park and recreation agencies that would like to begin offering "green" or environmental programming?

ML: I would recommend that groups offer “green” programming that will be relevant to the population they are targeting. In KidsGrow, and all of Parks & People’s environmental outreach, we strive for others to see the link between their actions and the impact on the environment. Once this connection is made, the children and adults are more receptive and even enthusiastic about greening issues. Programming should also be diverse, hands-on, and engaging.

JC: Partner with local environmental groups to maximize each agency’s expertise. Nonprofits have the ability to raise funds and work flexibly to create innovative solutions, while government agencies have the skilled youth development staff and, of course, the kids.

PRN: What impact do you think the program has had on the greater community--aesthetically or otherwise?

ML: Over the last decade, KidsGrow has made a strong and lasting impact on its participants and the greater Baltimore community. This is evidenced by the hundreds of trees planted, gardens created and tended, streams and neighborhoods cleaned, and other outreach activities. Most importantly, KidsGrow has instilled a sense of curiosity in children about their natural surroundings, and the belief that they play an integral part in ensuring that Baltimore is clean and green.

Discover more by visiting the Parks & People Foundation’s Web site.

On-Air Innovation: Radio Jefferson

In the January 2008 issue of Parks & Recreation, we featured an innovative solution to finding funding. When growing demand from neighboring communities and a needs-assessment survey revealed a call for more ballfields and recreation facilities, Ben Dillard, CPRP, director of the Jefferson (Ga.) Parks and Recreation Department, knew it was time to put forth a creative approach for securing additional funding.

His solution? An advertiser-supported radio station, whose profits would be used to fund future construction and programming.

By deploying such a strategy, reasoned Dillard, the agency could operate on its own income and not cost the taxpayers a dime. Listen to his recommendations for other agencies that might be considering similar solutions: