Senate GOP Wants to Sell 3 Million Acres of Public Land: ‘Gravest Threat’
Courtesy of SORP
By Andrew McLemore
Two weeks ago, House Republicans removed a controversial budget provision to sell half a million acres of public lands. The outdoor recreation industry, including national organizations and heavyweight brands like Patagonia and The North Face, helped raise a chorus of protest against the unprecedented move to sell off federal land used by hikers, mountain bikers, climbers, and paddlers. Now, Senate Republicans have proposed an even more extreme version of the same idea: Selling off more than 3.3 million acres of federal land in 11 Western states. That’s roughly four times the size of Rhode Island.
Read more:
https://gearjunkie.com/outdoor/senate-gop-wants-to-sell-3-million-acres-of-public-land
Five Takeaways on Technology in Public Spaces
Courtesy of City Parks Alliance
By Ryan Mottau
We have learned much over the past few years about technology in parks, everything from big data, to sensors, to communicating about these technologies to our local communities. But the five points below are the big takeaways for me, which the Alliance also wants to share with its network of parks practitioners. As a caveat, these are not meant to be exhaustive but are a summary of themes that emerged across Greater & Greener.
Read more:
https://cityparksalliance.org/blog/five-takeaways-on-technology-in-public-spaces/
Interactive Map Reveals America's “Shade Deserts”
Courtesy of Planetizen
By Diana Ionescu
A new tool from the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and American Forests maps shade in 101 of the nation’s largest urbanized areas, visualizing how shade provided by trees and buildings shifts throughout the day. The tool is designed to help policymakers understand gaps in their city’s tree canopy and which areas are in the biggest need of additional resources. “The map reveals widespread “shade deserts” — areas lacking adequate shade infrastructure — throughout virtually all major urban regions in the U.S.”
Read more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2025/06/135192-interactive-map-reveals-americas-shade-deserts
Our Public Spaces Are Failing Teen Girls
Courtesy of Next City
By Manish Thakre
In parks and playgrounds around the world, youth run, swing and laugh. Younger children play freely, and teen boys dominate fields and courts. But where are the adolescent girls?
Play is a powerful platform for children and youth to explore their interests, from science and sports to design and civic engagement, shaping their long-term health, hobbies and potential careers. But play areas are typically designed either for children under eight or as football fields for boys. Safety concerns, social norms, over-surveillance and stigma exclude adolescent girls from public spaces. Gender stereotypes confine girls to home roles while boys engage publicly, limiting girls’ physical activity, despite its benefits.
Read more:
https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/our-public-spaces-are-failing-teen-girls
Why We Must Keep Investing in Parks
Courtesy of NRPA
By Clement Lau, DPPD, FAICP
Over the course of my career, I have listened to countless residents share what parks mean to them — a safe place for kids to play, a quiet spot for reflection, a vital community resource during crisis. These conversations remind me that parks are not just amenities — they are essential to our collective well-being.
Unfortunately, when budgets tighten, parks and recreation is often among the first services to face cuts. Too often viewed as “nice-to-haves” rather than essential public infrastructure, parks are deprioritized in favor of services seen as more immediately urgent. But this view is short-sighted. Parks are critical public assets that generate significant cost savings in health care, crime prevention, climate resilience, and community well-being. In fact, during times of financial constraint, continued investment in parks is not only defensible — it is fiscally responsible.
Read more:
https://www.nrpa.org/blog/why-we-must-keep-investing-in-parks/
The Latest in Playground Standards
Courtesy of NRPA
By Kenneth S. Kutska
This latest ASTM revision addresses one of the major trends in large destination playground designs: higher structures. These tall structures are defined as “Fully Enclosed Towers.” They are all over the world. They consist of enclosed 25-to-30- foot-tall structures. The first safety concern from any owner, playground compliance inspector, designer or manufacturer seems to focus on the protective surface costs for any design. Controlling the associated costs for any playground design is paramount. The play equipment fall height and related use zones have a major impact on the final playground budget. Most of the new performance requirements are related to falls from tall structures faces into the design can result in reduced fall heights and lower costs associated with better performance required by taller play equipment. Designers immediately embraced the new ASTM embankment slides performance requirements and saved both valuable space and protective surfacing costs.
Read more:
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2025/index.php#/p/26
Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act
Courtesy of National Special District Association
On June 10th, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act, legislation that would establish a first-ever, formal definition of “special district” in federal law. The bipartisan bill (S. 2014) – which is cosponsored by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) – also would direct the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidance to federal agencies requiring special districts to be recognized as local governments for purposes of ensuring that districts have access to all appropriate forms of federal financial assistance.
Read more:
https://www.nationalspecialdistricts.org/june-11-2025-senate-introduces-s-2014-companion-bill-to-h-r-2766
NC's Chimney Rock State Park to reopen with limited routes, reservations required
Courtesy of 10News
NORTH CAROLINA - Nine months after Helene devastated parts of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee, state parks are working to open back up, including Chimney Rock State Park. The park will open to the public on Friday, June 27. Thanks to a tremendous effort by numerous volunteers and state crews, park officials are celebrating a huge recovery milestone with a new temporary bridge built by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and fixed roads and trails around the 315-foot granite spire.
Read more:
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/chimney-rock-state-park-nc-reopens/51-deb77582-47c1-4048-898e-e8016e1295fb
Hotter Days Ahead? We’ll Be Ready For That.
Courtesy of Los Angeles County
By Clement Lau, DPPD, FAICP
CALIFORNIA - As climate change accelerates, Los Angeles County is facing more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting heat waves. Average maximum temperatures in the region are expected to rise by up to eight degrees by the end of the century, with disproportionate impacts on low-income neighborhoods that have less tree canopy and more pavement. The County's Chief Sustainability Office is responding with the County Heat Action Plan (CHAP), a comprehensive policy roadmap to help residents, businesses, and ecosystems adapt to extreme heat. The plan emphasizes equity, highlighting the need to protect communities historically left vulnerable due to redlining and underinvestment. The CHAP outlines three primary goals: cooling and protecting outdoor spaces, making buildings more heat-resilient, and strengthening emergency preparedness and communication.
Read more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2025/06/135173-la-county-creating-action-plan-tackle-extreme-heat
How Mushrooms Are Helping Clean Up Toxic Lands
Courtesy of Planetizen
By Clement Lau, DPPD, FAICP
Bioremediation expert Danielle Stevenson is at the forefront of mycoremediation, the use of fungi to break down pollutants and absorb heavy metals from contaminated soil. Her work shows how certain species can transform petrochemicals, pesticides, and heavy metals into harmless compounds or concentrate them for safer removal. This nature-based method offers an affordable, less disruptive alternative to traditional “dig and dump” remediation approaches.
Read more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2025/06/135176-fungi-rescue-how-mushrooms-are-helping-clean-toxic-lands
Submit a Greater & Greener 2026 Speaker Proposal
Courtesy of City Parks Alliance
Share your park story at our upcoming conference! We’ll host conversations on how park professionals like you are using parks and green spaces to tackle complex challenges in cities. The recording for our informational webinar is available to watch on demand.
Submit as soon as possible. We will close the portal once we receive 300 proposals or on August 1 at 8 pm ET, whichever comes first. City Parks Alliance members get priority selection and selected speakers enjoy nearly 25% off of conference registration rates. Join now.
Read more:
https://www.greatergreener.org/submit-a-session-proposal/
Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program
Courtesy of American Trails
Regional, local, and Tribal governments are eligible to apply for this funding program to assist in strengthening their approach to roadway safety through the development of Comprehensive Safety Action Plans and the funding of projects and activities that support these plans. To receive funding for an off-road intervention, such as a bridge or tunnel on a trail to bypass a dangerous road crossing, applicants should document a direct link to improved roadway safety.
The deadline for applications is June 26 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Read more:
https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A?blm_aid=24243
Grant Opportunities
Courtesy of National Special Districts Association
FY 2026 Legal Services for Homeless Veterans and Veterans At-Risk for Homelessness (LSV-H) Grant Program
WHAT DOES IT FUND? The purpose of this program is to provide legal services to eligible veterans who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. Project services must be designed to help increase veterans' housing stability by providing legal services, including eviction defense, that will help homeless veterans avoid homelessness or help them return to permanent housing in the community.
WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Public and nonprofit entities, including local governments, state governments, and federally recognized tribal governments, that have the necessary technical and administrative abilities and resources to execute projects successfully
TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNT? $42 million
WHEN IS IT DUE? July 7, 2025
Read more:
https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/359221
