In This Issue...
Best Practices Forum Welcome New Members Member News Research and Resources In the News Training Job Announcements
About NACPRO
The National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials is a non-profit professional organization that advances official policies that promote county and regional park and recreation issues while providing members with opportunities to network, exchange ideas and best practices, and enhance professional development.
Learn more about us at: www.nacpro.org
DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE
The next issue of NACPRO News will be delivered on November 29, 2022.
If you have news or an article to share, please send it to the editor by November 28.
EDITOR Brenda Adams-Weyant (814) 927-8212 [email protected]
NACPRO's Sponsors

Job Announcements
NEW - Recreation Supervisor Town of Lexington Recreation & Community Programs Lexington, Massachusetts $64,566.00 - $73,681.00 Annually Closing date: Open until filled
Planner 3 – Parks/Sr. Level Land Planner Metro Parks and Recreation Nashville, Tennessee $82,575.23 Annually Closing date: Nov 8, 2022
Human Resources Manager Winnetka Park District, Illinois $75,000 - $90,000 Annually Closing date: Nov 11, 2022
Assistant General Manager - Operations East Bay Regional Park District Oakland, California $208,582 - $266,198 Annually Closing date: Nov 14, 2022
Urban Forester (Program Manager) City of San Jose, California $116,691 - $151,701 Annually Closing date: Nov 21, 2022
Chief, Partnerships Office California Department of Parks and Recreation Sacramento, California $9,471 - $13,677 Monthly Closing date: Nov 21, 2022
Park Ranger Supervisor Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Los Gatos, California 112,740 - 137,070 Annually Closing date: Nov 28, 2022
Land Manager - Environmental Specialist III Sarasota County Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Sarasota, Florida $50,523.20 - $67,932.80 Annually Closing date: Open until filled
Park Planning and Development Division Manager Sarasota County Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Sarasota, Florida $80,000 - $92,000 Annually Closing date: Open until filled
Parks Planning Sarasota County Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Sarasota, Florida $60,000 - $75,000 Annually Closing date: Open until filled
Accountant II Shawnee County Parks and Recreation Topeka, Kansas $25.66 Hourly Closing date: Open until filled
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. NACPRO membership is $90/person.
For more information: https://nacpro.mcjobboard.net/jobs
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Best Practices Forum
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.
Welcome New Members
Ms. Jill Boyd Recreation Superintendent Charlotte County Community Services, Florida
Mr. Erik Westberg Assistant Director Broward County Parks and Recreation, Florida
Ms. Mary Noe Administrative Manager Broward County Parks and Recreation, Florida
Mr. Justin Frederick Manager of Operational Resources Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Illinois Mr. George LaCosta Director of Parks Operations Division Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation, Florida
Mr. James Davis Director of Aquatics Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation, Florida
Ms. Tracy Chapman Deputy Director/Public Safety Administrator Forest Preserve District of Will County, Illinois
Ms. Colleen Novander Director of Planning & Land Preservation Forest Preserve District of Will County, Illinois
Mr. Scott Moranda Beaches and Water Access Manager III Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, Florida
Ms. Katy Coss Operations Coordinator Business Professional III Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, Florida
Ms. Kim Heuberger Park Development, Planning and Maintenance Senior Manager Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, Florida
Ms. Shelia Roberson Business Operations Manager III Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, Florida
Ms. Rachel Doellman Chief of Marketing and Brand Strategy Great Parks of Hamilton County, Ohio
Member News
Director Inducted into Outdoor Hall of Fame Courtesy of Lake County Forest Preserves
ILLINOIS - Nan Buckardt, director of education at the Lake County Forest Preserves, was recognized for her leadership in the area of natural resources. The Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF) Board of Directors inducted Buckardt into the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame.
Since 2002, the ICF has recognized Illinoisans for their significant contributions and unparalleled dedication in preserving, promoting, enhancing or supporting natural resources and outdoor recreation opportunities with induction into the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame. The induction is a testament to Buckardt's passion for outdoor recreation and conservation, said Colleen Callahan, chair of the ICF Board of Directors and director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. She added that Buckardt has "inspired a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts in Illinois."
Read more: https://www.lcfpd.org/outdoor-hall-of-fame/
Leon County Parks Hits Triple Crown with Cross Country Course Courtesy of NACo
By Charlie Ban
FLORIDA - Like most successful county development projects, it started with a pair of machetes.
Two track coaches cut their way through a plot of undeveloped forest land in Tallahassee, Fla. that was so thick they couldn’t fit a golf cart through it. On one side, a swamp. On the other side, a landfill. They were surrounded, but they had backup, because Leon County was behind them, ready to turn trash into treasure for cross country runners, coaches and fans.
The county offered the coaches that land they were clearing, and the club and the university contributed $10,000 each for the machinery to help blaze the trail. As the year passed, then-Commissioner Bryan Desloge saw an opportunity, and he and his fellow commissioners invested $250,000 in the project, which would become Apalachee Regional Park.
“This [cross country course] has allowed us to really honor these athletes and give them a facility that was built for cross country and is a cross country course 365 days a year,” stated Amanda Heidecker, Park Director.” It’s not picked up or taken down.”
Read more: https://www.naco.org/articles/leon-county-parks-hits-triple-crown-cross-country-course
Research and Resources
Does Your Staff Resemble the Community You Serve? Courtesy of NRPA
Everyone is talking about how we need diverse workforces to solve challenging problems and bring diverse perspectives to the table. Diversity has been shown to boost creativity, and agencies that embrace diversity are 1.7 times more innovative.
We know what the real problem is: How do we diversify our workforce during the “Great Resignation?" The American Academy of Park and Recreation Administrators’ (AAPRA) Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee has been trying to tackle this very conundrum. Some of us were aware that there are 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), but very few of us knew that similarly there are 330 Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACUs), 411 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and 32 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) as well. This is the answer! How do we tap into the plethora of diversity that these institutions represent? Parks and recreation is a profession that offers jobs ranging from aquatics to zookeeper and everything in between. Has your organization marketed itself to this untapped diverse population? One of the goals of the JEDI Committee is to market our profession to the HBCUs, HACUs and TCUs across the country.
Read more: https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2022/october/does-your-staff-resemble-the-community-you-serve/
Data: The Next Frontier Courtesy of NRPA
NRPA’s new Data and Mapping Resource Library offers a collection of relevant, publicly available databases and visualizations curated for park and recreation professionals and advocates. From the state and county level down to your local neighborhood, these public resources serve as a starting point for exploring data on a variety of topics.
The library is organized by “Categories” and “Topics.” The four categories included are: 1) Social and Demographic Factors, 2) Health and Wellness, 3) Environmental Resiliency and 4) Park Access and Information. Topics are more specific and cover a range of different subject areas ranging from: “Age and Gender” to “Environmental Quality” to “Social and Economic Equity.” Users may further narrow resources by using the "Filter by" functionality on the right-hand side of the library.
For more information: https://www.nrpa.org/blog/data-the-next-frontier/
Tech-Savvy Park Planning Courtesy of NRPA
By Clement Lau, DPPD, FAICP
As a park planner for the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), I have recently worked on numerous projects which have involved the use of the latest tools for community engagement, and data collection and analysis. In this article, I would like to highlight a few tools we used as part of the 2022 Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+) which is a new study that complements and offers new information not previously included in the 2016 Los Angeles Countywide Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment (PNA). Specifically, PNA+ report contains data, analyses, and recommendations in support of expanding land conservation and restoration, transit to parks, and other strategies to meet regional and rural recreation needs, especially in the most vulnerable communities.
Read more: https://www.nrpa.org/blog/tech-savvy-park-planning/
Using Technology to Engage Your Community Courtesy of NRPA
By Mike Terrell
Using technology to engage with residents to get their feedback can be extremely effective and turn a normal city experience into a great one.
Sourcing feedback about facilities and offerings via everyday technology, such as cellphones and quick response (QR) codes, provides an easy and frictionless way for residents and visitors to have a two-way conversation with various city departments and get a response in real time. For example, by simply scanning a QR code outside the community center, inside the restrooms or next to the picnic area, users can alert the managing personnel that attention is needed without the hassle of downloading an app or calling a phone number.
Read more: https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2022/november/using-technology-to-engage-your-community/
A quick guide to adaptation planning for natural resources professionals Courtesy of SORP
This document was created by the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science in collaboration with the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub. The Quick Guide was developed as an entry point to adaptation planning for natural resources professionals. It parallels an adaptation guide developed specifically for Land Trusts in collaboration with the Land Trust Alliance, A Quick Guide to Adaptation Planning for Land Trusts but has a slightly different focal audience. Information from this toolkit was adapted from the USDA Forest Service report Forest Adaptation Resources: Climate Change Tools and Approaches for Land Managers, 2nd edition. This Quick Guide includes an updated "Short Version" of the Adaptation Workbook that was originally described in the Forest Adaptation Resources (Appendix 4).
Download: https://www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/52760
What Is Bike Infrastructure? Courtesy of Planetizen
Bike infrastructure is designed to make cycling accessible, safe, and comfortable and make bicycling a viable mode of transportation. Improving road conditions for people on bikes is often part of a broader strategy, such as Complete Streets, designed to reclaim space from cars and make roads safer for all users, including the most vulnerable.
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Urban Bikeway Design Guide compiles detailed best practices for designing bike infrastructure, but cautions that projects must be tailored to the unique characteristics and needs of each city. The guide offers a section aimed at design for all ages and abilities, which highlights how bicycle facilities can serve a broader range of users. A Dutch design manual emphasizes five key principles for safe bike infrastructure: Cohesion, Directness, Safety, Comfort and Attractiveness. The manual emphasizes the need for a cohesive bike network that lets people reach as many destinations as possible, direct and efficient routes, safety, comfort, and a pleasant and aesthetically pleasing cycling experience. Well-used biking facilities tend to be ones that provide well-maintained pavement and signage, good lighting, physical separation from cars, and trees and green space.
Read more: https://www.planetizen.com/definition/bike-infrastructure
Traffic garden opens in Winterville to teach safety rules Courtesy of Reflector.com
By Ariyanna Smith
NORTH CAROLINA - The town of Winterville held a dedication ceremony over the weekend to celebrate the opening of the first traffic garden in eastern North Carolina at Hillcrest Park.
The bike and pedestrian safety skills project was created in partnership with BikeWalk NC, AARP, Pitt County Parks and Recreation, ECU Health and other community groups. The dedication took place during the 11th annual NC BikeWalk Transportation Summit, a conference at the ECU Heart Institute focused on discussing ways to improve roadway safety.
The traffic garden is an educational resource that features scaled-down roadway elements like crosswalks, bike lanes, railroad crossings and more, officials said, to help everyone learn traffic rules.
Read more: https://www.reflector.com/news/local/traffic-garden-opens-in-winterville-to-teach-safety-rules/article_8cf025b6-1e50-582c-b531-47cfa112b766.html
Getting and Keeping K-12 Girls in Sports and Physical Activity Courtesy of NRPA
“Over a six-month period, a research team from the Departments of Kinesiology at California State East Bay and Saint Mary’s College of California, with support from the Positive Coaching Alliance Gender Equity Initiative, examined best practices and breakthroughs for getting girls into the game and advancing gender equity in youth sports programming. These top 10 evidence-based tips summarize the findings to empower youth sports coaches, families, school staff, community leaders, and all stakeholders to level the playing field for girls and women in sports.”
Read more
Skate Parks Benefit All Courtesy of NRPA
By Heidi Lemmon
When Skate Park Association International was founded in 1996, the profile of the average skater was 12 to 14 years old, male and a street skater. There was only one public skate park at the time that featured obstacles as tall as 18 inches (all others had a lower height restriction), and as a result, kids were riding in the streets, illegally in most cities.
The profile of the average skater today is much different; it includes people ages 2 to 60 and older; males and females; individuals with disabilities; and skateboarders, bicycle motocrossers (BMXers), scooterers, wheelchair users, and inline and roller skaters. How can a city accommodate all these users?
Free public skate parks provide a place for all levels of skaters, from beginner to advanced level. All skaters can make friends and have a sense of community and belonging that transfers to any park they visit, worldwide.
Read more: https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2022/november/skate-parks-benefit-all/
In the News
Urban Forest School brings nature-based education to Detroit’s kids of color Courtesy of Planet Detroit
By Rukiya Colvin
Erin Preston-Johnson Bevel always loved being in nature. So she wanted to find a way to incorporate those benefits into her child’s education.
She looked into Montessori and Waldorf, some of the most common teaching styles that allow for student-directed learning, but found that those options are often inaccessible or unaffordable for those in low-income areas.
So she started researching forest schools. An education concept with roots in Scandinavia and the U.K. as far back as the 19th century, forest schools began to gain a following in the 1990s in response to outcome-based education. But in searching for a local forest school, Erin found local options were predominantly white-led. She hoped to find something that centered around African politics and spirituality.
Read more: https://planetdetroit.org/2022/10/urban-forest-school-brings-nature-based-education-to-detroits-kids-of-color/
The internet is still missing the mark on accessibility Courtesy of Fast Company
By David Flink
Like many Americans, I like to consume news first thing in the morning. After my wife and I prepare breakfast, we open our phones and catch up on the day’s headlines. But while my wife has finished the article and is ready to discuss it, I’m still working on the third paragraph. My wife likes to read with her eyes, but as a person with dyslexia, I like to read with my ears, something that is not always offered as a form of accessibility for written content.
This is my reality—and the reality of those with learning disabilities like dyslexia and ADHD. We live in a society with seemingly limitless technology and options, yet 98% of the world’s top one million websites don’t have a fully accessible experience for those with learning disabilities or visual and hearing impairments.
When major news sites don’t offer simple text-to-speech options for their articles, they make it that much harder for people like me to use their products. They also make it that much easier for the one in five with learning disabilities to find alternatives by using competitors’ products.
Read more: https://www.fastcompany.com/90801854/the-internet-is-still-missing-the-mark-on-accessibility
Outdoor Inclusion Coalition aims to make parks more accessible for all Courtesy of Next Pittsburgh
By Ethan Woodfill
PENNSYLVANIA - People come to Pittsburgh for its three rivers, parks and outdoor recreation — it’s part of what makes Pittsburgh one of the nation’s most livable cities. But the Outdoor Inclusion Coalition wants the region’s recreational amenities to be more accessible, inclusive and useful to all.
Originally from Asheville, North Carolina, Marcus Shoffner grew up camping and spending time on the water. After moving to Pittsburgh, and working for Venture Outdoors, Shoffner saw disparities in park spaces and the ability of people of color to use them.
“From our regional parks like Frick, Schenley, Highland and Riverview to our local parks that are in Black and Brown neighborhoods like McKinley Park to the Hazelwood Greenway — there’s such a disparity between how these parks are being invested in,” Shoffner says.
Read more: https://nextpittsburgh.com/nextpittsburgh-outdoor-guide/outdoor-inclusion-coalition-aims-to-make-parks-more-accessible-for-all/
Chaffee County signs on with Hipcamp private camping reservation site Courtesy of bestraveltale.com
COLORADO - If you’ve found it increasingly difficult to snag camping reservations on Colorado’s public lands because so many people have beaten you to it, there is an alternative with a growing following.
Recently Hipcamp collaborated with Chaffee County, a recreation mecca in the high country of central Colorado, to develop regulations and pass an ordinance allowing camping on private land there.
Campsite reservations in national parks and national forests are made through recreation.gov. Hipcamp.com performs the same service for reservations on private land.
Read more: https://besttraveltale.com/travel/chaffee-county-signs-on-with-hipcamp-private-camping-reservation-site/
Training
Event Management School Courtesy of NRPA
Over time, events have changed from informal affairs to spectacular productions, demanding extensive skills and experience. As a result, the International Festivals & Events Association and NRPA have partnered to create this two-year professional development program geared toward event management staff. Event Management School takes place January 15-20, 2023, at the Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia, in partnership with the National Training Center at Oglebay.
For more information: https://learning.nrpa.org/EMS
Revenue Development and Management School Courtesy of NRPA
Revenue Development and Management School is a comprehensive and unique professional development program focusing on proven revenue management and development techniques. It’s targeted toward agencies that rely wholly or in part on generating revenues, such as organizations associated with state or local parks, recreation, leisure services, military recreation and other nonprofits. Registration is now open for Revenue Development and Management School, which takes place March 12-17, 2023.
For more information: https://learning.nrpa.org/RDMS
Webinar: The African American Heritage Water Trail - Connecting Communities to the Little Calumet River Courtesy of the River Management Society
November 22 | 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. ET
Laura Barghusen, and Lillian Holden of Openlands will discuss the African American Heritage Water Trail, which flows through 180 years of African American History, engaging communities and connecting them to the river by elevating and honoring this history.
For more information: https://www.river-management.org/river-management-roundtables
Upcoming Webinars from American Trails Courtesy of American Trails
November 17: The National Digital Trails Project: Increasing Access and Opportunities
December 1: Wilderness Trails: Special Places, Special Considerations
December 15: U.S. Bicycle Route System: Success Stories from Across the Network
For more information: https://www.americantrails.org/training/webinars
Webinar: Breaking Down the 2021 Outdoor Recreation Economy Release with Federal and State Partners Courtesy of the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals
November 30, 2022 12:00-1:00 PT
Chris Perkins, Senior Director at the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, will unpack the huge resurgence of the outdoor recreation economy in 2021 and key segments to watch moving forward. He will be joined by Katherine Andrews, Arkansas State Director of Outdoor Recreation, and Jenny Kordick, Executive Director at Maine Outdoor Brands, to spotlight increases at the state level and the role of State Offices of Outdoor Recreation and State Outdoor Business Alliances in moving the outdoor recreation economy forward. For more information: https://www.recpro.org/webinars
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