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Welcome New Members
John Carnifax, Director
James City County Parks & Recreation
Williamsburg, Virginia
Raul Delerme, Director
Howard County Recreation and Parks
Columbia, Maryland
Nicola Morgal, Superintendent of Recreational Childcare and Community Services
Howard County Recreation and Parks
Columbia, Maryland
Anna Hunter, Superintendent of Marketing and Public Information
Howard County Recreation and Parks
Columbia, Maryland
Heather Johannes, Superintendent of Parks
Howard County Recreation and Parks
Columbia, Maryland
Brian Moody, Superintendent of Park Planning
Howard County Recreation and Parks
Columbia, Maryland
Matt Madera, Facility Manager
Howard County Recreation and Parks
Columbia, Maryland
Susan Mong, Superintendent of Culture
Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center
Overland Park, Kansas
Travis Buell, Deputy Director
Johnson County Park & Recreation District
Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Best Practices Forum
History Professionals in Parks Survey
The national task force, History in our Parks, from the American Association for State and Local History is seeking to learn more about the many history professionals who work for parks agencies in the United States.
If you manage or work for a historic site, museum, or heritage center at your park agency, please fill out the attached survey - or forward to the appropriate staff person.
The results will be sent to those respondents who include their email addresses and will help us better understand how history is preserved and interpreted in parks across the nation.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NPZC97K
Got an issue you need advice on? Or a best practice you want to share? Send us the details and we will publish it in the next NACPRO News.
Member News
Congratulations Metroparks Toledo - 2020 Gold Medal Grand Winner
Courtesy of NRPA
The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 National Gold Medal Grand Plaque Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Presented as part of the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience, the sponsor of the National Gold Medal Awards program is Musco Lighting, LLC.
For more information:
https://www.nrpa.org/about-national-recreation-and-park-association/press-room/2020-gold-medal-grand-plaque-awards-for-excellence-in-parks-and-recreation-announced/
Frying Pan bovines hoof it in first-ever NASCOW race
Courtesy of Fairfax County Park Authority
By Brian Trompeter
VIRGINIA - Frying Pan Farm Park is operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority in Northern Virginia. Frying Pan Farm Park partnered with our friends group on a fundraiser to replace revenue lost from having to cancel an event due to COVID-19 restrictions. The fundraiser, called the NASCOW race, was wildly successful. What was planned as a small, local event ended up attracting more than 500 donors from across the nation (plus one from overseas)!
Watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coVrycu4CWk
Read more:
https://www.insidenova.com/news/fairfax/frying-pan-bovines-hoof-it-in-first-ever-nascow-race/article_03f16b74-1844-11eb-8206-1313041bb38b.html
Oakland County Parks millage renewal passes
Courtesy of candgnews.com
By Tiffany Esshaki
MICHIGAN — For the first time in the park system’s nearly 55-year history, the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Department asked residents to vote to increase its operating millage by about 50%.
But voters didn’t flinch, and the proposal to renew the millage for a seventh time and bump up the system’s funding was approved by a sweeping margin in the Nov. 3 general election.
Read more:
https://www.candgnews.com/news/oakland-county-parks-millage-renewal-passes-119154
Will cold stifle rush to the outdoors? Some parks and trail managers don't see it.
Courtesy of the Star Tribune
By Bob Timmons
MINNESOTA - A marker that the rabid fervor for activity in the outdoors is unabated came in the first 24 hours after Three Rivers Parks District opened early registration in mid-October for some of its cross-country skiing programs.
More than 300 people registered for lessons and also club sessions that meet to glide through the season. Ten of the 15 slots for family lessons booked, and a new beginner program for women filled immediately.
As the cloud of the coronavirus pandemic stretches into its eighth month, some state and regional parks and trails managers are bracing for a replay, of sorts, of summer in their territory. Winter weather be damned.
Read more:
https://www.startribune.com/will-cold-stifle-rush-to-the-outdoors-some-parks-and-trail-managers-don-t-see-it/572918061/
Research and Resources
Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2019
Courtesy of the Bureau of Economic Analysis
New statistics for 2018 and 2019; prior years updated.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis released statistics today measuring the outdoor recreation economy for the nation, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. The new U.S. data show that the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.1 percent ($459.8 billion) of current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) for the nation in 2019 (national table 11). At the state level, outdoor recreation value added as a share of state GDP ranged from 5.8 percent in Hawaii to 1.3 percent in Connecticut. The share was 1.1 percent in the District of Columbia.
Read more:
https://www.bea.gov/news/2020/outdoor-recreation-satellite-account-us-and-states-2019
Component Based Level of Service Analysis
Courtesy of GP RED
What makes a park valuable? What is a component score? Why is it important to know how services are distributed across a system? How do inventory and level of service analyses ensure equal access to parks and recreation facilities in communities?
In this episode, Teresa Penbrooke, PhD, (CEO of GreenPlay & Director of the Healthy Communities Research Group for GP RED) talks with GreenPlay GRASP® Team Leader Dave Peterson and GIS Analyst Caylon Vielehr about inventory and level of service analyses and how they relate to equity in parks and recreation. They discuss how inventory is recorded, understanding level of service, and how/why agencies of all sizes can record inventory.
GP RED provides the information you need in an easy to watch format. Please like, share, and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for regular access to the topics that you care about! Leave comments if you have ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover. For additional resources related to this and other GP RED Presents... videos, visit our website.
Read more:
https://www.gpred.org/gp-red-presents/
One Emergency
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business
By Paul Duffy
In 2016, I received a call from David Hiltz, a local resident and emergency-care specialist with Code One Training Solutions, headquartered in East Hartford, Conn.
He asked me two questions:
“Do you have an AED at all of your recreational facilities?”
I was able to answer that question confidently in the affirmative. Then came the one that stumped me.
“Where do you store them?”
I knew the leagues all had AEDs, but I didn’t know where they were stored when the leagues weren’t present. Reflecting, I assumed they were in the storage closets. But I never considered how someone could get into that locked space to access the AED at other times. Then Hiltz inquired about access to AEDs at the two beach facilities. I knew that, when we were open, we not only had immediate access to an AED, but also trained emergency medical staff. But when the beaches closed at 6 p.m., the AEDs were locked away while thousands of patrons were still on the beach for several more hours.
The conversation I had with Hiltz opened my eyes to the huge gaps in access to emergency equipment and services within the department. We were providing accessibility to resources when we were there, but emergencies don’t follow our hours. As in most communities, we have an amazing team of first responders, but we knew we could do better to help our citizens before the responders arrived.
Read more:
https://www.parksandrecbusiness.com/articles/one-emergency
A New Approach to Parks and Recreation System Planning
Courtesy of NRPA
By David Barth, Ph.D., CPRP, AICP
We need to broaden our perspective of parks and recreation systems, in order to respond to societal shifts and expectations in a meaningful way. Parks and recreation facilities should no longer be regarded as isolated, but rather as elements of a larger, interconnected public realm that also includes streets, museums, libraries, stormwater systems, utility corridors and other civic infrastructure. Alternative dimensions of parks and recreation systems, such as equity and climate change, should be considered from the onset of the planning process. And, each site or corridor within the system should be planned as high-performance public spaces (HPPSs) that generate multiple economic, social and environmental benefits. This broader perspective encourages park and recreation agencies to transcend their silos — and leverage their resources — to plan and collaborate with other public and private agencies to meet as many of the community’s needs as possible. As a result, parks and recreation systems can be repositioned as essential frameworks for achieving community sustainability, resiliency and livability.
Read more:
https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2020/november/a-new-approach-to-parks-and-recreation-system-planning/
In the News
Department Of Interior Announces Free Entry to Interior Lands for Gold Star Families and Veterans
Courtesy of NOHVCC
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On behalf of the Trump Administration and in support of America’s military members and families, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt signed Secretary’s Order 3387 at the Iowa Gold Star Museum in October, announcing that Gold Star Families and U.S. military veterans will be granted free access to national parks, national wildlife refuges and other federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior starting on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) this year and every day onward.
“The Trump Administration is committed to honoring American patriots – the men and women who have served in our armed forces,” said Secretary Bernhardt. “With the utmost respect and gratitude, we are granting veterans and Gold Star Families free access to the iconic and treasured lands they fought to protect starting this Veterans Day and every single day thereafter.”
Read more:
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/trump-administration-grants-gold-star-families-and-military-veterans-free-entrance
As tourism slumps, COVID-19 pandemic boosting Wisconsin's $7.8 billion outdoor economy
Courtesy of Madison.com
By Barry Adams
WISCONSIN - The COVID-19 pandemic brought droves of people to Wisconsin’s outdoors this year. And a study released Wednesday but conducted before the arrival of the coronavirus lays out just how important activities like biking, camping, hiking, golf and scores of other outdoor activities are to the state’s bottom line.
Commissioned by the state Department of Tourism, the first-of-its-kind study by Headwaters Economics, an independent, bipartisan and nonprofit research firm, shows that from 2012 to 2017, the state’s $7.8 billion outdoor recreation and manufacturing economy grew by 12% compared with 7% growth by the state’s overall economy.
The recreation industry also employs 93,000 people and creates $3.9 billion in wages, according to the study’s data. The pandemic has only bolstered those numbers, said Mary Monroe Brown, director of the state tourism’s Office of Outdoor Recreation.
Read more:
https://madison.com/business/pandemic-only-boosted-wisconsins-7-8-billion-outdoor-economy/article_9ff201df-63f0-5793-bf5a-c037fa8c069c.html
Overcrowding: Mt. Mitchell, Gorges, NC State Parks just saying 'no'
Courtesy of the Citizen Times
By Karen Chávez
NORTH CAROLINA - Kevin Bischof has been called things this summer he could never repeat in public, or to his mom. As superintendent of Mount Mitchell State Park, Bischof and his staff have taken a verbal beating from some visitors unhappy about gate closures.
“Every superintendent is handling it differently, but for the most part we are limiting parking to the spaces available rather than accommodating overflow parking on the sides of roads,” said Katie Hall, spokeswoman for N.C. State Parks.
Read more:
https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/10/27/mt-mitchell-gorges-other-nc-state-parks-see-record-increases-but-close-gates-crowding/3676982001/
‘Everything Is Closed Down.’ The Lack of Youth Sports Is a Crisis.
Courtesy of the New York Times
By Kurt Streeter
Far from the glamour of professional and college games that appear in abundance on our screens, sports are barely limping along at the community level where children learn to love games and families come together to sit in stands and form lasting bonds.
Last week, the Aspen Institute released the worrying results of a nationwide survey on how youth sports had been impacted for families coping with the pandemic. The study shows that American children ranging in age from 6 to 18 are playing far less now than before the health crisis. Over all, there has been a nearly 50 percent drop.
Then there are those who have found other things to do. The study showed that nearly 30 percent of youth who were playing sports before the pandemic were not likely to go back without a major intervention. They’ve lost interest.
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/sports/covid-youth-sports-canceled.html
Trump Threatens Great American Outdoors Act
Courtesy of Outside Online
By Wes Siler
The Department of the Interior failed to meet Tuesday’s deadline to submit a list of projects it wants to fund in fiscal year 2021 with money earmarked by the Great American Outdoors Act. Not only does the missed proposal threaten the success of a huge variety of conservation projects, but advocacy groups warn it could be an attempt by the Trump administration to undermine the act’s goals.
A DOI spokesperson told Outside in an email that submitting the proposal was not actually the department’s responsibility, but rather the President’s. “Per the law...Interior did not fail to meet the deadline,” they wrote, pointing to a line in the GAOA which states, “The President shall submit to Congress detailed account, program, and project allocations of the full amount made available under subsection (A) for fiscal year 2021, not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Great American Outdoors Act.”
Read more:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2418549/doi-misses-great-american-outdoors-act-deadline#close
Training
Building Healthier Youth Through Successful Partnerships with Schools
Courtesy of PlayCore
DATE: Wednesday, November 11
TIME: 2:00 - 3:15 p.m. EST
COST: Free
REGISTRATION CODE: COMMUNITY
Schools are considered ideal settings for advancing health and wellness initiatives for youth. Most youth attend schools, most schools have resources for health and wellness, and most schools are located in communities with park and recreation agencies. National frameworks even exist for school health and school physical activity where community engagement is identified as a key component for building healthier generations of youth. The challenge is how. How can park and recreation professionals successfully engage and partner with schools to collectively support health and wellness initiatives for youth?
For more information:
https://events.playcore.com/webinar-building-healthier-youth-register
Webinar Series: Park Equity, Life Expectancy and Power Building
Courtesy of NRPA
Wednesday, November 18 at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST
Thursday, December 10 at 11:30 a.m. PST/2:30 p.m. EST
NRPA invites you to participate in a free webinar series hosted by the Prevention Institute: Park Equity, Life Expectancy and Power Building. NRPA is proud to co-sponsor this series, which explores the population-level benefits that parks can have on life expectancy.
New research about the relationship between parks and life expectancy reveals that increasing park acreage in areas that face park deficits and lack trees could lead to significant population-level increases in life expectancy. It also shows that targeted investments in park infrastructure would significantly benefit the health of Latino and Black community members.
Join us for this two-part webinar series to hear from the University of California, Los Angeles professor who conducted this research and representatives of community-based organizations that will use its results to push for park equity.
Read more:
https://learning.nrpa.org/products/webinar-series-park-equity-life-expectancy-and-power-building
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design Training
Courtesy of the National Institute of Crime Prevention
Participants will learn how the design and use of the environment can control human / criminal behavior and reduce the fear of crime. They will learn crime prevention through natural means. How natural access control and natural surveillance decrease the opportunity for crime. Participants will learn the different aspects of lighting and its effects on human behavior. Participants will work together on a site survey and provide a group presentation of their results using CPTED strategies. They will learn the advantages of having a CPTED ordinance and how to construct and present one to lawmakers.
Online courses available 24/7: https://online.cptedtraining.net/
2020-2021 in-person training schedule: https://www.cptedtraining.net/cpted-training-calendar/
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