NACPRO News

July 11, 2023

Pilot Rock’s Food Court Table is great for smaller spaces

The small footprint of this table gives you placement and arrangement flexibility for all sizes of spaces. The open span frame design creates a clear area under and around the table for easy access and clean up. Comfortably seats 4 adults. The wide end openings allow wheelchairs to approach.

For more information:  
https://www.pilotrock.com/series/picnic-tables/food-court-table/

Gwinnett Soccer Academy and Gwinnett County Adopt Husqvarna Robotic Mowers for Turf Management
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business

GEORGIA - Husqvarna Group, a worldwide leader in robotic mowing, announced Gwinnett Soccer Academy in partnership with Gwinnett County Department of Community Services have become the first entities in Georgia to adopt autonomous mowing on their sports fields. With Husqvarna CEORA, more than 14 fields at two facilities will be autonomously mowed and maintained.  

CEORA, an autonomous mowing solution for commercial applications, is ideal for large areas of turf. With systematic cutting and virtual boundaries, CEORA delivers precision results that are managed virtually via the smartphone app. With CEORA, wear and tear on turf from traditional heavy equipment is reduced, and turf quality is improved. Additionally, the adoption of autonomous mowing solutions enables crews to focus their time on more detailed work.  

Read more:
https://www.parksandrecbusiness.com/articles/gwinnett-soccer-academy-and-gwinnett-county-adopt-husqvarna-robotic-mowers-for-turf-management

Bison's comeback means big boost for a county's ecosystem
Courtesy of NACo

By Meredith Moran

MINNESOTA - Bison are grazing the prairie in Dakota County, Minn. again for the first time in over a century. Bison are what Lewanski refers to as a “keystone species,” meaning if they’re removed from their native ecosystem, the ecosystem ceases to function in the same way.

While Dakota County reintroduced the bison to help manage and restore the prairie, there was also an understanding that people would want to come out and see them, which was important to take into account when determining which park the bison would roam, Lewanski said.

Read more:
https://www.naco.org/articles/bisons-comeback-means-big-boost-countys-ecosystem

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Launches Innovative Hub to Sustain and Grow the Outdoor Workforce
Courtesy of ORR

ORR is thrilled to announce the launch of a new Outdoor Workforce Hub, developed with support from The VF Foundation.  The $862 billion outdoor recreation industry creates 4.5 million jobs across the United States. The definition of an outdoor industry job is simple: A job that helps people experience the outdoors. In practice, this can look a lot of different ways, including jobs in the trades, manufacturing, infrastructure design, land management, social science, entrepreneurship, retail, public policy, technology and so many more. As a result, outdoor industry jobs take place both outdoors and indoors, with millions of talented professionals working in unison to connect people to the natural world.

For more information:  
https://recreationroundtable.org/resources/workforce-hub/

An Open Source Signage Toolbox 
Courtesy of the River Management Society

American Whitewater is proud to announce the release of our new turn-key toolbox for developing river signs. We're all about open-source, river information sharing and this is the motivation and rationale behind our Open-source Signage Toolbox. The first of its kind in the river community, the Toolbox houses a database of templates for safety messaging regarding life jackets, caution messaging, river kiosk information, map content, and river rapid classification info. 

For more information:  
https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Safety/signage

The Amenity Trap: How high-amenity communities can avoid being loved to death
Courtesy of Headwaters Economics

More than ever, people are visiting and moving to places with inspiring natural amenities, but the influx of new residents and tourists can create problems. A new report from Headwaters Economics explores the unique challenges facing amenity communities and solutions underway across the country.

Download here:
https://headwaterseconomics.org/outdoor-recreation/amenity-trap/

Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks
Courtesy of PlayCore

With the constant increase in adult obesity, encouraging regular physical activity is an important consideration for public health. It is time to think about new ways to make physical activity and exercise more accessible, available, affordable, pleasurable, and ultimately, more useful to society. Research is supporting the notion that Outdoor Fitness Parks for adults provide a variety of relevant outcomes to community inhabitants through their increased participation in more moderate to vigorous physical activity.

For more information:  
https://www.playcore.com/outdoor-adult-fitness-request

Exploring California State Parks just got easier — it’s as simple as three words
Courtesy of fox5sandiego.com

By Amber Coakley

CALIFORNIA - Whether it’s picking a meetup location for a hike, choosing a campground from miles away or finding help if you stranded off the beaten path, California State Parks has announced a new tool that’s as simple as three words.

New innovative location technology — known as what3words — will now be used throughout the state parks system. This revolutionary technology pinpoints exact locations through the app, giving users the ability to communicate precisely where they are or intend to be.

The main objective of this tool is to keep parkgoers safe. The technology provides dispatchers with three dictionary words that represent an exact location. This is then used to quickly help lost or stranded visitors find their way. In some instances, it may improve response times in situations where emergency services are needed.

Read more:
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/california-wire/exploring-california-state-parks-just-got-easier-its-as-simple-as-three-words/

This global challenge invites people to document the wild side of their cities
Courtesy of NPR

By Bella Isaacs-Thomas

What if your phone could actually help you connect with the nature all around you? During this year’s international City Nature Challenge, tens of thousands of people across the globe went outside to take photos, document and identify the wild species in their communities.

This year, more than 66,000 participants worldwide contributed to a total of nearly 2 million observations — think plants, animals, fungi and any other living things — between April 28 and May 1, 2023. Observers documented over 57,000 species — including more than 2,570 species that are rare, threatened or endangered, Young said.

Read more:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/this-global-challenge-invites-people-to-document-the-wild-side-of-their-cities

How smart software powers water conservation
Courtesy of the Route 50

By Alexey Istomin

The recent breakthrough agreement between Arizona, California, Nevada and the federal government marks a crucial step in conserving water resources amid the drought-strained Colorado River. The Colorado River watershed is the seventh-largest drainage basin in North America and serves about 40 million people. 

Technology can play a crucial role in promoting water conservation in residential areas. Smart meters and sensors can be installed in households to monitor and analyze water usage patterns around the clock.

Read more
https://www.route-fifty.com/digital-government/2023/07/how-smart-software-powers-water-conservation/388299/

‘Like sitting on the 101 in L.A.’: Yosemite visitors wait in line for hours to enter park
Courtesy of the LA Times

By Cari Spencer

CALIFORNIA - Waterfalls may be flowing freely at Yosemite National Park after record-breaking precipitation, but lines out of the park have often been at a standstill this season — the first summer without a reservation system since before the pandemic.

When first-time visitor Al Malecha headed to Yosemite with her friends for Juneteenth, traffic came to a stop about 80 miles out from Yosemite Valley, she said. At that point, she hopped out of the car, walked around and cracked open a beer.

Read more:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-06-30/yosemite-national-park-crowds-traffic-no-reservations-summer

Specialized summer camps offer hope, community, and freedom for LGBTQ+ youth
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business

By Jefferey Spivey

Traditional camps often orient programs around gender, with identity dictating everything from daily activities to housing. To encourage inclusivity and comfort, LGBTQ+ camps take a different approach.

“We don’t do anything by gender. We don’t even ask gender on the application because it doesn’t matter to us,” Weissbuch says. Instead, campers are bunked by age. Weissbuch shares that LGBTQ+ kids “have to be a little bit more vigilant” in most social settings. The elimination of gender categories gives them the space to simply be children without worrying about how to present themselves.

Read more:
https://www.campbusiness.com/articles/safe-spaces

Webinar: Delivering on the Potential of Federal Infrastructure Investments
Courtesy of the Federal Lands Transportation Institute Training Newsletter

Date: July 13, 2023
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET
Cost: Free 
Organization: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)

Since the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, trail and active transportation advocates have celebrated the opportunity this unprecedented funding creates for trails, walking and biking. All types of places, from small towns to cities and entire regions, are tapping funding in new ways to accelerate local and regional trail priorities.  

For more information: 
https://railstotrails-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_C3UgNj-sTAeeU91rC-ETxw#/registration

Webinar: Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks: Best Practices for Promoting Community Health by Increasing Physical Activity
Courtesy of PlayCore

July 18, 2023
2:00 to 3:25 pm EDT
Registration Code: COMMUNITY
 
This webinar will explore ways that communities can effectively advocate the benefits of outdoor fitness spaces as solutions to providing readily available, affordable, and enjoyable ways to exercise in neighborhood parks and destinations. 

For more information:  
https://education.playcore.com/products/live-outdoor-adult-fitness-parks-best-practices-for-promoting-community-health-by-increasing-physical-activity

Webinar: Evolution of Bikeways - How Cities Have Progressed with the Ever-Changing Design Guidance and Research
Courtesy of the Federal Lands Transportation Institute Training Newsletter

Date: July 19, 2023
Time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm ET
Cost: $50 members/$85 non-members
Organization: Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP)

Active transportation corridors play a crucial role in how the public interacts with their communities. Guidelines and standards for bikeways are continually evolving and improving based on research and evaluation of applied techniques. In practice, implemented projects can reveal issues and challenges associated with design, materials selection, or maintenance. By revisiting completed projects, we will investigate achievements as well as issues that can sometimes be overlooked, and we will discuss approaches to mitigate these concerns. 

For more information:
https://apbp.mclms.net/en/package/11188/view

Empowering the Community Through Authentic Engagement 
Courtesy of City Parks Alliance

Thursday, August 10
2:00  - 5:00 p.m. EDT

Capacity is limited. 

Parks serve a wide range of community members of all ages, races, and walks of life. Engaging this diverse community is an important part of what park leaders do. However, engagement can mean different things - from soliciting input on park master plans and projects to involving residents in design and programming to building the community’s capacity to help steward their local parks.

This workshop will explore these various elements of community engagement, as well as strategies for building more authentic relationships and centering community voices. It includes interactive exercises that explore the use of play to engage others, presentations from peers who are doing impactful community engagement work, and breakout sessions with other workshop participants.

For more information:  
https://cityparksalliance.org/event/empowering-the-community-through-authentic-engagement/

Upcoming Webinars from American Trails

July 27, 2023: Outdoors for All
This webinar will delve into the presenter’s ideas for giving access to people of all abilities through various types of barrier removal to additions that can be made to signage, trails, and other features of outdoor spaces.

August 03, 2023: Legacy Trails Grant Program: 2023 Pre-Application Overview

August 10, 2023: Bridging the Gap
Join us for an inspiring session on the vital role of accessibility in parks and trails for people with disabilities.

August 17, 2023: Creative Trails Programming Through Public-Private Partnerships

August 24, 2023: Porous Flexible Pavement, Asphalt, or Porous Asphalt

September 7, 2023: Destination Stewardship: Reimagining the Purpose of Tourism in Outdoor Communities

September 21, 2023: How Trails Support Healthy Aging for All

September 28, 2023: Engaging, Enabling, and Motivating Families and Diverse Trails Users

For more information:  
https://www.americantrails.org/training/webinars

NEW - Parks and Recreation Director
City of Durango, Colorado
$135,000 - $150,000 Annually
Application Deadline: Aug 8, 2023

NEW - Executive Director
Fox Valley Park District
Aurora, Illinois
$175,000 - $195,000 Annually
Application Deadline: Aug 18, 2023

NEW - Executive Director
Palatine Park District
Palatine, Illinois
$160,000 - $210,000 Annually
Application Deadline: Aug 21, 2023

NEW - Recreation Coordinator 2
Cecil County
Elkton, Maryland
$52,136 - $64,129 Annually
Application Deadline: Jul 28, 2023

PROS Park Planner 2
Miami Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, Florida
$58,277 - $102,591 Annually
Application Deadline: Jul 23, 2023

Athletics Division Manager - Twin Lakes Park
Sarasota County Gov
Sarasota, Florida
$85,010 - $95,014 Annually
Application Deadline: Open until filled

Environmental Health and Safety Compliance Specialist
Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation
Los Gatos, California
$127,439 - $154,926 Annually
Application Deadline: July 21, 2023

Park Maintenance Worker
Douglas County
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
$38,502 - $54,570 Annually
Application Deadline: Open until filled

Senior Park Ranger
Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation
Los Gatos, California
$94,527 - $114,395 Annually
Application Deadline: Jul 17, 2023

Director of Parks and Recreation
Louisville Metro Government, Kentucky
Salary: Depends on qualifications
Application Deadline: Open until filled

For more information:
https://nacpro.mcjobboard.net/jobs

Got a vacancy to fill? 
NACPRO will post your vacancy on our website and email a copy to our mailing list of over 1100 parks and recreation professionals for a fee of $100 for NACPRO members and $200 for non-members.

National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials
PO Box 74, Marienville PA 16239
(814) 927-8212
www.NACPRO.org