NACPRO News

February 4, 2025

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NACPRO Award Nominations close next Monday

Act now to submit your nominations for the 2025 NACPRO aawards program. Nominations are accepted from members working in county, regional, and special districts.

The deadline for award submissions is February 10 at midnight EST.  

For more information:  https://www.nacpro.org/awards

Mr. Clayton Honma, Director
Hawaii County Parks and Recreation
Hilo, Hawaii

Ms. Melissa Samura, Deputy Director
Hawaii County Parks and Recreation
Hilo, Hawaii

Tap into our collective experience. Send your question and some background to the editor and we will include it in the next NACPRO News.

30 Under 30 for 2025
Courtesy of NRPA

Congratulations to our member agencies for honoring the outstanding talent of their young professionals! 

The 30 Under 30 recognition program is a joint effort by the NRPA Young Professional Network and Parks & Recreation magazine, hon­oring 30 of the top young professionals who serve as everyday cham­pions in their communities.

Nick Krueger, Marketing Content Creator
Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, SC

Chandler Nobles, Youth Athletics Supervisor
Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority, GA

Conor Hoyne, Recreation Coordinator II
Cobb County Parks, GA|

Riley DeWitt-Rickards, Park Project Manager
County of San Diego Parks and Recreation, CA

Anna Anders, Program Specialist
Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Service, VA

Learn more:
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2025/index.php#/p/28


Parks in Action: Meeting Community Needs During Times of Crisis
Courtesy of NRPA

By Clement Lau, DPPD, FAICP 

CALIFORNIA - Parks are more than recreational spaces; they are critical infrastructure that supports communities in everyday life and during times of crisis. In Los Angeles County, the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has played a pivotal role in addressing challenges like climate change, public health crises, and natural disasters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, DPR transformed parks into testing and vaccination sites, food distribution centers, and spaces for mental and physical well-being. Programs like Parks After Dark in Motion and Park on the Move ensured that underserved communities had access to recreational opportunities. 

Beyond the pandemic, DPR has been instrumental in disaster relief efforts, particularly in response to California's worsening wildfires. During the Eaton Fire, DPR established Care Camps to support evacuated families, providing children with a safe space to learn and play while parents focused on recovery. 

Read more:
https://www.nrpa.org/blog/parks-in-action-meeting-community-needs-during-times-of-crisis/

This adaptive program makes ‘blind tennis’ available to the visually impaired in Middle Georgia
Courtesy of Yahoo

By Lucinda Warnke

GEORGIA - On a slow Thursday morning, an unusually quiet game of tennis is unfolding inside the gym at the Georgia Academy for the Blind.

It’s a type of adaptive tennis made especially for people who are visually impaired, and Macon-Bibb County and the Georgia Academy for the Blind are helping bring it to Middle Georgia.

Adaptive tennis for people with visual impairments is primarily played through listening and feeling. The balls are covered in sponge and filled with jingle bells so players can hear them moving through the air, and lines on the court are marked with a thick rubber material or tape with rope underneath to allow players to feel where they are on the court with their feet.

Read more:
https://sports.yahoo.com/adaptive-program-makes-blind-tennis-203911052.html


Quality of Life Grants Program
Courtesy of SORP

Is your organization looking for funding to help purchase adaptive equipment like the GRIT Freedom Chair? If so, there is a grant open through the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. 

Through the “Quality of Life Grants Program,” grants are awarded to organizations that address the needs of people living with paralysis caused by spinal cord and other injuries, diseases or birth conditions, including (but not limited to) stroke, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

To-date, they have funded 3,900 organizations and have awarded $46 million dollars! Nonprofits, schools, and parks and recreation departments have used grant programs like this to create/expand adaptive hiking programs, increase access to local parks and trails, and generally support their members to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. 

Application overview:

• January 21, 2025 - Applications opened
• February 28, 2025 - Proposals due
• End of May 2025 - Grants awarded

Learn more:
https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=christopherreeve


Report: Iowa cycling and trails generate $1.4 billion for local economies
Courtesy of SORP

By Shelby Kluver

IOWA — Cycling and trail use in Iowa generate at least $1.4 billion annually for the state's GDP, making it one of Iowa's top 50 industries, according to a new study released by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. The study reveals that approximately 900,000 Iowans use the state’s 2,000 miles of multi-use trails each year. 

Read more:
https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/the-current/biking-bicycling-iowa-economy-gdp-one-point-four-billion-study-coalition/526-8a6286ef-f7aa-49ee-b8e7-32434299e4ea


Public lands are a Nevada way of life. Gutting the Antiquities Act would put them in jeopardy
Courtesy of SORP

By Devon Reese

In Nevada, public lands are a way of life. They are home to the mountains, rivers, deserts and canyons that sustain our souls, nurture our economy, and provide our communities with the resources they need to thrive in the arid Mountain West.

For generations, both parties have worked together to preserve and protect our precious public lands, and to expand access to them while ensuring they remain productive assets to our communities and our economy. 

But our public lands — and the tools that protect them, like presidential authority to designate national monuments under the Antiquities Act — are being threatened by the Trump administration and anti-public lands lawmakers, including Nevada’s U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, who recently introduced legislation that would gut the Antiquities Act and make it harder to protect the unique landscapes we call home.

Read more:
https://www.rgj.com/story/opinion/2025/01/29/gutting-antiquities-act-would-put-nevadas-public-lands-in-jeopardy/78019365007/


Bringing back a historic Detroit fountain
Courtesy of PRB+

By Bryan Had

MICHIGAN - The Horace E. Dodge Fountain, located in the heart of Phillip A. Hart Plaza along the Detroit River, has been a significant landmark since its construction in 1978. Designed by architect Isamu Noguchi, the fountain became a symbol of modern water-feature design and engineering. However, after nearly 50 years of service, the fountain fell into disrepair and has not operated for the past decade. In 2023, recognizing the cultural and aesthetic value of the Dodge Fountain, Detroit City Council allocated $5.6 million for the fountain’s restoration. LaJuan Counts, Detroit’s Construction and Demolition Director, expressed the city’s commitment to the project, saying, “The prospect of giving this iconic space a much-needed facelift and restoring the fountain to its former glory fills us with immense pride. This fountain is truly one of a kind, and reviving it is no small feat.”

Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-february-2025?ref=prbplus.com#page28


Going to the Dogs
Courtesy of PRB+

By Mary Helen Sprecher

Statistics from the Trust for Public Land show that, between 2009 and 2020, there was a 40 percent increase in the development of public dog parks. In fact, the parks are more in-demand than swimming pools in many installations. For municipalities that have been asked to build a dog park, it is imperative that officials understand the design considerations.

Like other recreational facilities, dog parks require a mix of good design elements, proper location, correct surfacing, and other amenities to be successful. That mix takes time. Yet dog owners will want to see the park constructed quickly and opened for immediate use because they’re unaware of the decision-making process.

Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-february-2025?ref=prbplus.com#page40


Miami Is Nearing the Finish Line for Its New 10-Mile Park
Courtesy of Governing

By Jared Brey

For the last decade, Miami-Dade County has been working to turn a 10-mile bike path beneath a Metrorail track into a linear park. The project is part of a new generation of linear parks that have been started or revived in American cities during the last few decades. The Underline is partly inspired by the High Line in New York — and partly designed by the same landscape architecture firm that worked on that project, Field Operations. It shares some of the same features, like public-private partnerships and the backing of a “Friends Of” nonprofit group that strives to provide most of the capital and operating budget for the effort. Essentially a multi-use path studded with parks, recreational space, playgrounds, plantings and stormwater infrastructure, the Underline is expected to be complete next year.

Read more:
https://www.governing.com/urban/miami-is-nearing-the-finish-line-for-its-new-10-mile-park

Somebody Should...
Courtesy of ActivEnviro

Thursday, February 13th, 2025, 3:30 - 5:00 pm ET

Topic Leader: Daniel Betts, Director, Cincinnati Recreation Commission

In this dynamic, interactive session participants will explore innovative strategies to connect, convene, and collaborate on ideas to help inspire active living among youth. The discussion will focus on transitioning from tackle to flag football to prioritize safety, developing esports and gaming hubs to attract tech-savvy audiences, and designing impactful teen programs and licensed childcare services. Attendees will rotate through facilitated small-group discussions, sharing challenges, insights, and best practices, and leave with actionable ideas to enhance or research youth engagement. 

Learn more:
https://www.activenviro.org/somebodyshould


Upcoming Webinars from American Trails 

February 20: Trail Bumps: Lessons Learned from Removing 1,000 Bumps

March 6: Navigating NEPA in Trail Development

March 13: Making the Case for Tourism-Oriented Mountain Bike and Adaptive Recreation

March 20: Connecting Recreational Benefits with Transmission Corridors

March 27: Vegetation Design for Trailbuilders: Controlling Erosion and Creating Habitat with Minimal Horticulture Experience and Resources

Learn more:
https://www.americantrails.org/training/webinars


Active Living Conference
Courtesy of ActivEnviro

March 16-20, 2025 - Manhattan. Kansas

Early-bird Registration is extended to February 10th

Join researchers, parks and recreation professionals, educators, planners, and allied leaders at the 2025 Active Living Conference to explore the latest in active living in our communities.

Learn more:
https://www.activenviro.org/activelivingconference

NEW - Director of Events
Great Parks
Cincinnati, Ohio
$93,352 - $105,000 Annually
Application Deadline: Mar 3, 2025

UPDATED - Deputy Director
Genesee County Parks
Flint, Michigan
$84,704 - $106,651 Annually
Application Deadline: Feb 5, 2025

UPDATED -  Manager of Park Maintenance Services
Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation
San Jose, California
$138,490 - $168,344 Annually
Application Deadline: Feb 21, 2025

UPDATED - Manager of Park Ranger Operations
Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation
San Jose, California
$168,490 - $168,344 Annually
Application Deadline: Feb 14, 2025

Director of Parks & Recreation
Pierce County
University Place, Washington
$144,367 - $194,867 Annually
Application Deadline: Feb 10, 2025

Internal Content Coordinator
Great Parks
Cincinnati, Ohio
$26.92 - $33.65 Hourly
Application Deadline: Feb 21, 2025

Computer Systems Specialist
Great Parks
Cincinnati, Ohio
$26.92 - $33.65 Hourly
Application Deadline: Feb 17, 2025

Director of Guest Experiences - Central Region
Great Parks
Cincinnati, Ohio
$83,378 - $104,223 Annually
Application Deadline: Feb 20, 2025

Neighborhood Engagement and Education Manager
Great Parks
Cincinnati, Ohio
$24.48 - $30.60 Hourly
Application Deadline: Feb 9, 2025

Park Ranger
Metroparks Toledo, Ohio
$22.66 - $33.57 Hourly
Application Deadline: Open until filled

Executive Director
Byron Forest Preserve District
Byron, Illinois
$110,000 - $160,000 Annually
Application Deadline: Feb 7, 2025

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

Got a vacancy to fill?
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