Annual Meeting Feature: learn more about the region NACPRO’s visiting in June
Meet America's Most Effective Mayor: Detroit's Mike Duggan
Courtesy of Governing
By Alan Greenblatt
MICHIGAN - When Duggan took office in 2014, the city was shedding a thousand people a month. It’s still only about a third as populous as it was in its heyday, but the fact that it’s growing at all is something of a miracle.
A dozen years ago, Detroit was America’s most notorious symbol of urban decline. The city was dotted with massive ruins, the decline of the domestic auto industry leaving some of the nation’s largest factories empty and abandoned. Downtown was a ghost town. Around the city, there were 12,000 fires a year. During the Great Recession, the Obama administration stepped in to bail out American car companies, but Detroit’s finances remained so bad that the state installed an emergency manager to run them. Even as Duggan was campaigning for mayor in 2013, Detroit entered into the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. “I was born here, I grew up here and for most of my life, everything has been taken from us,” Duggan says. “The auto plants closed and the jobs moved out.”
The improvements since then represent one of the greatest comeback stories of recent times.
Read more:
https://www.governing.com/magazine/meet-americas-most-effective-mayor-detroits-mike-duggan
Help Shape the Future of Outdoor Recreation: Serve as a Merit Review Panelist for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Courtesy of SORP
The National Park Service Land and Water Conservation Fund is seeking qualified reviewers for its upcoming round of 2025 Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) funding. ORLP's mission is to increase recreation opportunities in urban, low-income areas by funding an array of projects that enhance or acquire outdoor recreation spaces. To-date ORLP has distributed over $190 million in funding to communities across the country.
ORLP relies on external panelists to conduct a rigorous merit review based on pre-established criteria. Panelists come from many professional backgrounds, and commit to reviewing 4-6 applications over six weeks.
Interested in serving as a reviewer or learning more? Email [email protected] and include "ORLP Merit Reviewer Inquiry" in the subject line.
The Ultimate Guide to Operating an Adaptive Hiking Program
Courtesy of SORP
The benefits of staying active, working together and independently on the trail, and simply being outside are bountiful—adaptive hiking programs make them available to all. With the right equipment and strategy, starting an adaptive hiking program or just offering adaptive equipment might be easier than you think! If you are eager to get your adaptive hiking program rolling, Adaptive Hiking 101 is for you.
This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to start and operate an adaptive hiking program. From choosing the right all-terrain mobility equipment to navigating funding, liability, marketing, and program logistics, we've got you covered.
Learn more:
https://www.gogrit.us/adaptive-hiking
Scientists witness unexpected changes in rivers after knocking down dams
Courtesy of River Management Society
Across the northeastern United States, a quiet but powerful transformation is underway.
Rivers that were once blocked by outdated dams are now running freely again, and the results are nothing short of astonishing — long-lost ecosystems are returning, fish are migrating in record numbers, and local residents are reconnecting with revitalized waterways in ways they never imagined.
Learn more:
https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/dam-removal-northeast-ecosystems-restoration/
CDC Releases 5th Edition Of Model Aquatic Health Code
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business +
The CDC has officially released the 5th edition of the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC), providing updated guidance for enhancing safety in aquatic facilities. This comprehensive resource is designed to promote safer and healthier experiences at aquatic venues across the country.
Learn more:
https://www.cdc.gov/model-aquatic-health-code/php/our-work/index.html
Do you have an over-loved river in your Colorado town? Help is on the way.
Courtesy of SORP
By Jerd Smith
If a river running through your town is overused and underloved, it might be in line for a first-of-its kind statewide restoration program, designed to assess and improve a river’s health, its recreational assets and its safety.
In March, Great Outdoors Colorado and the Colorado Water Conservation Board approved a combined $417,000 in seed money to launch the program, according to Emily Olsen, regional vice president of Trout Unlimited. The fish advocacy group is helping lead the initiative, known as Colorado Rivermap, along with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
“This is getting the big thinkers together and using the seed funding to see which reaches of rivers need our attention and how much funding we will need,” Doug Vilsack, Colorado state director for the BLM Vilsack said.
Read more:|
https://coloradosun.com/2025/03/28/colorado-rivers-mapping-restoration-trout-unlimited/
Oregon’s recreation industry wants more legal protection. An injured few are pushing back.
Courtesy of Oregon Live
By Jaime Hale
OREGON - This year’s House Bill 3140 is the third attempt in the last decade to settle the issue of recreation liability, as lawmakers have struggled to reconcile with the court’s decision to invalidate broad liability waivers that would protect recreational businesses from negligence claims.
As written, the bill would remedy the Bagley decision by legally allowing anyone offering outdoor or indoor recreation to require participants to sign waivers releasing organizations from liability for “ordinary negligence,” while still allowing people to sue for situations involving “greater than ordinary negligence.”
Read more:
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2025/03/oregons-recreation-industry-wants-more-legal-protection-an-injured-few-are-pushing-back.html
State lawmaker declines to pursue bill to dismantle Texas Parks and Wildlife Department further
Courtesy of KSAT.com
TEXAS - A state representative announced he is reversing course and will not pursue his own proposed legislation that would have dismantled the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
“House Bill 4938 was filed as a mechanism to shine a light on the TPWD and to bring the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commissioners to the table to discuss proposed regulations on the deer breeding industry in Texas,” state Rep. Curry said in the letter, in part. Curry, who was the sole author of the bill, said he received major pushback after the bill was first filed.
Read more:
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/03/25/state-lawmaker-declines-to-pursue-bill-to-dismantle-texas-parks-and-wildlife-department-further/
Economic Benefits of Mountain Biking
Courtesy of the Trust for Public Land
Mountain biking offers communities an opportunity to leverage their natural resources and tap into the growing outdoor recreation economy. Trust for Public Land, in collaboration with the International Mountain Bicycling Association, researched the economic impacts of mountain biking trails and special events across the United States. The study showcases how natural-surface trails not only boost local economies but also enhance community well-being and resilience.
Key Findings:
- Mountain biking tourists spend an average of $416 per visit, contributing to local businesses like lodging, restaurants, and retail establishments.
- Spending-per-visit varies by trail location and type, but ranged from just over $100 to over $1,000 per visit.
- Mountain biking trails create employment opportunities: across the 13 locations included in the report, the trail networks generated up to 1,626 jobs and $54.1 million in labor income each year.
Read more:
https://www.tpl.org/resource/econmountainbiking
Host the Next Park Study Tour
Courtesy of City Parks Alliance
We seek proposals from cities interested in hosting a Park Study Tour in 2027. Shine a spotlight on your innovative urban park system over two and a half days. In collaboration with you, our local host team, we’ll develop a program that highlights the people, places, and partnerships that make your park system special and explores how parks make a more vibrant, resilient, and equitable city. During the tour, participants from around the country visit local parks, hear from your park leaders and partners, and learn how your unique parks are designed, programmed, funded, and managed.
The deadline for the RFP is May 9 at 8 pm ET.
Learn more:
https://cityparksalliance.org/events/park-study-tours/park-study-tours-rfp/
Managing Director of Tennis Infrastructure and Venue Strategy
United States Tennis Association
Orlando, Florida
$250,000-$300,000 Annually
For more information:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vR0gu7caG0is6oU97d7v4s7kAnip-7za/view
