NACPRO News

October 15, 2024

In this issue

Welcome to our Community

Dr. RaHarold Lawson
Park Operations and Maintenance Director
BREC 
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Mr. Richard Durr
Director
Seminole County Parks and Recreation
Sanford, Florida

From our Sponsors

Pilot Rock's Kid-sized Picnic Tables Are Built to Last

All kid-sized Picnic Tables are designed for public areas (schools, childcare centers, playgrounds) - anywhere kids learn and play. Constructed with the same quality as regular sized Pilot Rock picnic tables but scaled to fit children. Available in a variety of length, shape, color, and finish options.

For more information:  
https://www.pilotrock.com/search/?searchkeyword=kids

Member news

Including More Paddlers With an Accessible Kayak Launch
Courtesy of NRPA

By Lori Limpar

ILLINOIS - Bill Bogdan, an outdoor enthusiast, participates in recreational programs offered through Adaptive Adventures and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. He is a disability liaison for the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. He is accustomed to searching for accessible solutions for himself and other people with physical disabilities.

Bogdan recently found himself pleasantly surprised after using the adaptive kayak launch at the Will County Preserve on Lake Chaminwood, Illinois. Bogdan stated, “This was the first time in my life I was able to launch myself independently. Normally, it takes about four to five people to help me in my kayak. I’m a big guy.” Bogdan was so excited about its ease of use that he immediately contacted one of the company’s owners, explaining how liberating it was for him to launch independently on his very first attempt.

Read more:
https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2024/october/including-more-paddlers-with-an-accessible-kayak-launch/

 

News & Resources

New regional partnership to improve Great Lakes water quality
Courtesy of Midland Daily News

In an innovative project propelled by the Great Lakes Protection Fund, water nonprofit Freshwater is teaming up with several land trusts on a regional approach to improving water quality around the Great Lakes. A primary goal is to restore select croplands to perennial vegetation, which reduces runoff and erosion while trapping carbon in the soil.

Initial project efforts are focused on improving water quality in the Maumee, St. Louis and Saginaw River watersheds, tributaries to the most impaired areas of the Great Lakes. Land trust partners include Black Swamp Conservancy, Landmark Conservancy, Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy, Little Forks Conservancy and the Minnesota Land Trust.

Working with local land trusts and watershed modeling experts, the team will identify landowners in key locations and prioritize croplands that would provide the greatest water quality benefits. This science-based approach will be used to carefully select parcels, helping the land trusts build capacity and expertise in the process.

Read more:
https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/new-regional-partnership-improve-great-lakes-19804332.php



National Nature Assessment
Courtesy of SORP

The challenges of climate change and nature loss are interconnected. Yet, the significance of nature in recent patterns of intensifying floods, heat stress, and wildfire is often overlooked. More frequent and extreme floods are the result of climate change and the extensive loss of wetlands that once acted as buffers, reducing some flood impacts. More intense heat waves stem from climate change and the loss of forests’ cooling canopies in cities and around farms. These interacting aspects of global change need to be understood and confronted together.

To better understand the full picture of what is happening with nature, USGCRP is undertaking a National Nature Assessment, which will take stock of U.S. lands, waters, wildlife and the benefits they provide to our economy, health, climate, environmental justice, and national security. The Assessment will also look ahead at how nature might change in the future, and what those changes may mean for our economy and our lives.

Read more:
https://www.globalchange.gov/our-work/national-nature-assessment



EPA Unveils Additional Safer Choice Label for Safer, More Sustainable Cleaning for Outdoor Use
Courtesy of River Management Society

As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to prevent pollution and empower people to find products with ingredients that are safer for public health and the environment, the agency launched an Outdoor Use Safer Choice label. This new label expands on EPA’s existing Safer Choice label and would identify outdoor use products — like pet care products, fire defense products, and car, boat, or grill cleaners — that meet additional EPA criteria to help protect the environment. Currently, more than 50 Safer Choice-certified products meet the additional criteria for outdoor use. EPA expects the Outdoor Use Safer Choice label to be on products as early as next year. Today, people can also find products that are Safer Choice-certified for outdoor use on the Safer Choice product search page by selecting the “Products with outdoor uses” 

For more information:
https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/products



USGS Releases New National Interactive Hazard Map
Courtesy of River Management Society

Landslides are a damaging, disruptive and potentially deadly geologic hazard that occur across the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey has released a new, interactive national landslide susceptibility map, showing where landslides are more or less likely to occur. 

Read more:
https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/new-usgs-map-shows-where-landslides-are-most-likely-occur-us



Made in the Shade
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business +

By Sarah Yant

Shade structures provide inviting outdoor spaces to relax, socialize, and connect with nature. Aside from shielding visitors from the elements, there are larger benefits. People are encouraged to linger, increasing park utilization. The structures naturally become venues for social and educational gatherings and activities, taking visitor engagement to new heights. Strategically placed shade structures with expansive vantage points can facilitate wildlife observation and appreciation, further encouraging environmental involvement.

Working with nature—rather than in opposition to it—should be a guiding principle for all greenspaces. A commitment to green technology and environmentally friendly processes and materials can help keep ecological impacts to a minimum.

Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-september-2024#page24



Why schools are ripping up playgrounds across the U.S
Courtesy of City Parks Alliance

PHILADELPHIA — As a girl growing up here, Natalie McHugh used to play on the vast expanses of asphalt and concrete that coated the city’s schoolyards.

Since then, Southwark’s schoolyard has been transformed, one of more than a dozen in Philadelphia where the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit that helps create public parks, has done things such as plant trees, build rain gardens, and install play equipment and an outdoor classroom. Activists and parents have long worked, school by school, to turn asphalt playgrounds into islands of greenery. But as climate change sends temperatures soaring, the movement to replace heat-absorbing pavement around schools has gained urgency. School districts, cities and states are increasingly taking up the cause, spurred by research showing that asphalt play areas — many of which were installed decades ago — magnify the health risks of extreme heat.

Read more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/09/14/playgrounds-asphalt-schools-cool-shade



The Verdict Is in on Synthetic Fields
Courtesy of NRPA

By Mary Helen Sprecher

In April, the EPA published a multiagency research report on synthetic turf sports fields that use crumb rubber infill. The study found no significant difference in the exposure from certain chemicals found between players who played on synthetic turf fields that use crumb rubber infill and those who played on grass fields.

Read more:
https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2024/october/the-verdict-is-in-on-synthetic-fields/



State park development project in Flint gets $5 million share of federal Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grants
Courtesy of Michigan DNR

MICHIGAN - The DOI awarded Genesee County Parks – a cooperative partner with the DNR Parks and Recreation Division to establish the new state park – $5 million in federal funds to create new upland recreation amenities at Riverbank Park.

As part of a unique cooperative agreement with the State of Michigan, Genesee County Parks will operate and perform ongoing maintenance at the new state park, while overall it will be jointly managed with the DNR to offer visitors an efficient, familiar state park experience.

Read more:
https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2024/10/01/state-park-development-project-in-flint-gets-$5-million-in-grants

 

Future Proof Housing
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business +

By Gina Tabasso

Many people have fond childhood memories of camping with their families and enjoying the outdoors, but the experience of camping has changed dramatically. Gone are the days of simply pitching tents or hauling around a pop-up camper behind the car and using a shared bathhouse while cooking over a campfire. Many parks and campgrounds now offer cabins for more private, overnight stays, as well as for staff housing to avoid costly hotel stays or lengthy commutes.

For parks and campgrounds, flexibility and mobility are paramount, especially in hazard-prone areas. Park model cabins provide not only another option but also a resilient, sustainable, and cost-effective solution.

Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-september-2024#page34



How to Incorporate the new Olympic Lacrosse Format into Park Play
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business +

By Mary Helen Sprecher

Whereas traditional lacrosse has ten team members per side, sixes, as the name implies, is a small-sided version of the game. It also plays out on a field (grass or turf) measuring a standard 70m x 36m for both the men’s and women’s games. 

The six-per-side format, touted by World Lacrosse as a faster and more exciting game to watch, is expected to be more television-friendly and understandable, particularly for those who have not watched lacrosse before. Each quarter of the 45-minute game is only eight minutes long, with a 30-second shot clock. There are no specialist positions, either––just players and goalkeepers.

Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-september-2024#page44



Using Sound to Revive Ecosystems and Enhance Biodiversity
Courtesy of Planetizen

By Clement Lau

As the need to restore ecosystems grows, scientists are exploring innovative methods beyond traditional approaches like tree planting and pollution reduction. A surprising new tool in this effort is sound. Ecologists have discovered that recreating natural soundscapes can help revive degraded environments, as demonstrated in marine ecosystems where playing the sounds of healthy coral reefs and oyster beds has encouraged the recovery of marine life. This concept is now being tested in plant microbiology, with promising results showing that sound can stimulate the growth of beneficial soil microbes.

Read more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2024/10/131996-using-sound-revive-ecosystems-and-enhance-biodiversity



Applications Open for The Tree Equity Catalyst Fund
Courtesy of City Parks Alliance

Over $12 million is available for projects for equitable urban forestry planning, planting and care, coalition building, workforce development, tree nursery development, and more.

The Tree Equity Catalyst Fund is part of American Forests’ larger Catalyst Initiative, which resources frontline, environmental justice, and under-served populations with technical knowledge and funding to help them advocate for, plant, and steward trees where they are most needed. 

Applications open September 30 and close October 25.

For more information:  
https://www.americanforests.org/catalyst-fund/



Grant Opportunities
Courtesy of the National Special Districts Coalition

FY 2025 AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) Program

WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to support community efforts to alleviate poverty and poverty-related problems across the country and assist projects that advance racial equity and invest in underserved communities, particularly those impacted by the long-term recovery from the pandemic.
WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Nonprofit organizations, Native American tribes and tribal organizations, and state and local government agencies
TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? Rather than providing monetary awards, this program will place individual VISTA members with sponsoring organizations
WHEN'S IT DUE? December 6, 2024 (Cycle 1), March 27, 2025 (Cycle 2)

For more information:  
https://www.americorps.gov/funding-opportunity/fy-2025-americorps-vista-request-concept-papers


FY 2025 Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions

WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to help small and mid-sized institutions to improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections. 
WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, accredited public or nonprofit institutions of higher education, state and local governmental agencies, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments
TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $550,000
WHEN'S IT DUE? January 9, 2025 

For more information:  
https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/preservation-assistance-grants-smaller-institutions

Training

Webinar: The Critical Role Accessible Site Amenities Play in Creating Outdoor Environments Where EveryBODY Feels Welcome
Courtesy of PlayCore

November 6, 2024
2:00 - 3:15 pm Eastern
Registration Code: COMMUNITY

Providing a truly inclusive play or park experience requires thoughtful planning and attention to ensure that site furnishings and amenities are more usable by more people, including those with disabilities, to the greatest extent possible.

For more information:  
https://education.playcore.com/accessibility-series

Job openings

NEW – Assistant Superintendent – Recreation Programs & Facilities
Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Salary: Negotiable
Application Deadline: Open until filled

Director of Parks and Recreation
Metro Parks Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
$167,117 - $228,784 Annually
Application Deadline: Oct 31, 2024

Manager of Park Maintenance Services
Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation
San Jose, California
$138,490 - $168,344 Annually
Application Deadline: Oct 15, 2024

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.

How to contribute

The next issue of NACPRO News will be delivered on October 29, 2024.

If you have news or an article to share, please send it to the editor by October 28. 

Editor:
Brenda Adams-Weyant
(814) 927-8212
[email protected]