NACPRO News - January 22, 2019

In this issue

Welcome New Member
Best Practices Forum
News from NRPA
Research and Resources
In the News
Training Opportunities
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 February 5, 2019.

If you have news or an article to share, please send it to the editor by February 4.

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

WELCOME NEW MEMBER

Todd Palmeter, Chief of Planning
Great Parks of Hamilton County, Ohio

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.

NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL RECREATION & PARK ASSOCIATION

Measuring your agency's performance has never been so easy

Complete your 2018 Agency Performance Survey in NRPA Park Metrics -- the most comprehensive source of data benchmarks and insights for park and recreation agencies -- by Jan. 25 for a chance to win one free registration to the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Md. Prior contributors need only roll over their agency data from a previous year and update as necessary. New contributors will be surprised how easy it is to make this survey an annual tradition! Don't miss out on your chance to be included in NRPA's 2019 Agency Performance Review.

For more information:
https://www.nrpa.org/publications-research/ParkMetrics/

RESEARCH AND RESOURCES

International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Trail Accelerator Grants
Courtesy of NRPA

Does your community have the interest and political support to develop mountain bike facilities and trail systems, but lack funding or knowledge to jump-start efforts? IMBA's Trail Accelerator Grant is intended to help fill that gap and support visions for model trails in typically underserved states. Grants range from $5,000 to $30,000 in services for either single-site or community-wide trail plans and must be matched by the recipient. The deadline for applications is January 30.

For more information:
https://www.imba.com/trails-for-all/trail-accelerator-grants

Environmental Justice Small Grant Program
Courtesy of NRPA

The EPA's Environmental Justice Small Grant Program is accepting applications to support community-driven projects that will engage, educate and empower communities to better understand and address local environmental and public health issues. Eligible lead applicants are nonprofit organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations; however, other entities such as quasi-governmental entities and state and local governments and their entities are eligible to be included as partners in an application and receive technical assistance. Grants will be made for up to $30,000.

Applications are due by February 15, 2019.

For more information:
https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/fy2019-ej-small-grant-rfp

Study: Access to urban green spaces favor the rich, educated
Courtesy of upi.com

By Brooks Hays

Research has shown urban green spaces offer a range of human health benefits. They improve air quality, moderate temperatures and boost mental health -- just to name a few.

But a new study suggests the benefits provided by urban green spaces aren't shared equally. That's because access is skewed in the favor of those with greater incomes and higher levels of education.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia surveyed aerial photographs of urban green spaces in 10 major American cities. When they compared the distribution of green space with socioeconomic indicators in urban neighborhoods -- income, education and racial background -- they found residents in wealthier neighborhoods had greater access to green space.

Climate-Smart Cities Philadelphia
Courtesy of the Trust for Public Land

Climate-Smart Cities Philadelphia mapping tool is complete and ready to use. We’ve collected thousands of public data points to create an online mapping tool to help organizations and city agencies account and plan for climate change and other environmental issues as they invest in the future of Philadelphia. The tool is free and available to anyone with an internet connection—check it out!

For more information:
https://web.tplgis.org/philadelphia_csc/

Podcast: People, Parks, and Policy, with RFF's Margaret Walls
Courtesy of Resources for the Future

Host Kristin Hayes talks with RFF Senior Fellow Margaret Walls about her work on the economics of national parks and other public lands, including ways to address ongoing funding needs and overcrowding. They also discuss some of the recent concerns related to national parks and the government shutdown.

Listen here:
https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/people-parks-and-policy-with-rffs-margaret-walls

Physical Activity Guideline for Americans, 2nd Edition
Courtesy of CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking

Health.gov reports the Physical Activity Guideline for Americans, 2nd edition provides evidence-based guidance to help Americans maintain or improve their health through physical activity. This second edition provides science-based guidance to help people ages 3 years and older improve their health through participation in regular physical activity. It reflects the extensive amount of new knowledge gained since the publication of the first edition. This edition of the Guidelines discusses the proven benefits of physical activity and outlines the amounts and types of physical activity recommended for different ages and populations.

Download here:
https://health.gov/paguidelines/second-edition/pdf/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf

The ULI Case for Open Space Report
Courtesy of NRPA

By Reema Singh

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) recently released a report that highlights the business case for real estate professionals to incorporate parks and open spaces into development projects. The Case for Open Space: Why the Real Estate Industry Should Invest in Parks and Open Spaces was created by ULI’s Building Healthy Places Initiative, in collaboration with ULI’s Sustainable Development Product Council members. Members aimed to provide a range of ideas and inspiration for real estate developers as they consider whether to invest in public open spaces.

IN THE NEWS

Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve Is Going Public
Courtesy of Outside Online

CALIFORNIA - Every year, more than a million people visit Muir Woods, one of the most popular attractions in the San Francisco Bay Area and the country, to walk among the giant redwoods and experience a unique slice of forest still containing the ancient trees.

Until last June, few people knew that even taller and older redwoods soared just 2.5 hours north of San Francisco, off the coast of Sonoma County, on land owned by a family who rarely let people in on their secret stash of exceptional trees.

News of the forest came out last summer when the Save the Redwoods League announced it had acquired the land from its owners, the Richardson family, after nearly a decade of trust building and quiet negotiations. Now named the Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, the forest is set to open to the public in 2021. Researchers have discovered that it’s one-third larger than Muir Woods, with trees much taller and older, including the McApin Tree—at 1,640 years old, it’s the oldest-known redwood south of Mendocino County and has a trunk diameter as wide as a two-lane street. That’s compared to the oldest tree (roughly 1,200 years) in Muir Woods.

The Shady Link between Sunscreen and Your Health
Courtesy of Outside Online

By Rowan Jacobsen

These are dark days for supplements. Although they are a $30-plus billion market in the United States alone, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, beta-carotene, glucosamine, chondroitin, and fish oil have now flopped in study after study.

If there was one supplement that seemed sure to survive the rigorous tests, it was vitamin D. People with low levels of vitamin D in their blood have significantly higher rates of virtually every disease and disorder you can think of: cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, heart attack, stroke, depression, cognitive impairment, autoimmune conditions, and more. The vitamin is required for calcium absorption and is thus essential for bone health, but as evidence mounted that lower levels of vitamin D were associated with so many diseases, health experts began suspecting that it was involved in many other biological processes as well.

And they believed that most of us weren’t getting enough of it. This made sense. Vitamin D is a hormone manufactured by the skin with the help of sunlight.

The researchers argue that what made the people with high vitamin D levels so healthy was not the vitamin itself. That was just a marker. Their vitamin D levels were high because they were getting plenty of exposure to the thing that was really responsible for their good health—that big orange ball shining down from above.

Judge rules Alabama Confederate monument law is void; city of Birmingham didn’t break the law
Courtesy of al.com

By Ivana Hrynkiw

A judge has ruled the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act doesn’t have any legal authority and the city of Birmingham doesn’t have to take down its wooden screen placed around a Confederate monument in Linn Park.

The order comes over a year after the state sued the city for violating the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act-- a law to prohibit local governments from moving historical monuments on public property that have been in place for 40 years or more. The act also prohibits renaming buildings and streets with historical names that have been in place at least 40 years.

President issues executive order to promote active forest management, reduce wildfire risks
Courtesy of NACo

By Austin Igleheart, Jonathan Shuffield

On December 21, President Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13855, directing the Secretaries of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to implement policies to improve forest management practices by reducing hazardous fuel loads, mitigating fire risk and ensuring the safety and stability of local communities. The executive order identifies active forest management as a key tool to protect communities from catastrophic wildfires while supporting the success of local economies. The E.O. also recognizes counties as critical partners in managing our federal forest lands.

Call for Nominations: The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association’s Best Restored Beaches Awards

The American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) feels it is critically important to educate residents and tourists about value of restored beaches to develop ongoing support for beach maintenance and restoration.

Beach restoration places sand on the beach to increase its width and height, in combination with building high and wide dunes on the back beach. This increases a shoreline’s resiliency, increases the beach’s ability to mitigate storm damage and flooding from severe storms. Additionally, restoring the beach is one of the best methods to allow the beach to naturally adjust to short-term sea level rise and remain an important part of the nearshore ecosystem.

Submission deadline is April 5, 2019

For more information:
http://asbpa.org/2019/01/09/call-for-nominations-the-american-shore-and-beach-preservation-associations-best-restored-beaches-awards-due-april-5/

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Webinar: What is NOHVCC?

When: January 30, 2019
Times: 6:30 PM Eastern OR 9:30 PM Eastern
Cost: FREE!

This webinar will be useful for those who are unfamiliar with NOHVCC, its projects and its mission. It will also be useful for those more familiar with NOHVCC but who want to expand their knowledge about specific NOHVCC programs or projects.

For more information:
https://www.nohvcc.org/reminder-what-is-nohvcc-webinar-happening-soon/

Webinar: Viewing Low-Stress Networks Through An Equity Lens
Courtesy of the Federal Lands Transportation Institute Training Newsletter

Date: February 20, 2019
Time: 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET
Cost: $50 members/$85 non-members
Organization: Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP)

Our state of practice has improved the tools for assessing the quality of bicycle and pedestrian networks through the lens of comfort and safety, but -- in planning these networks -- are we including all potential users? This webinar will examine inclusive strategies for developing plans and metrics that are meaningful across social and cultural demographics.

For more information:
https://www.apbp.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1161218&group=

Webinar: Now That e-Bikes Are On Trails, What Do We Know?
Courtesy of CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking

Date: February 21, 2019, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET
Presenter(s): Morgan Lommele (PeopleForBikes), Chris Bernhardt (C2 Recreation Consulting) & Mary Ann Bonnell (Jefferson County Open Space, CO)
Host: American Trails
Cost: $19 for members, $39 for nonmembers

Drawing from a recently published online study out of Portland State University, on-the-ground knowledge from Jefferson County, CO, and trail management lessons from Europe, this webinar will provide attendees a range of case studies at the local, state, federal, and international levels to understand and manage e-bikes on a variety of infrastructure.

For more information:
https://www.americantrails.org/training/now-that-e-bikes-are-on-trails-what-do-we-know

Webinar: Trail Towns - Leveraging Trails for Community and Economic Development
Courtesy of CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking

Date: March 21, 2019, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET
Presenter(s): Harry Burkholder (Land Information Access Assn.), Russell Clark (National Park Service), Helen Siewers (Cave Country Trails) & Seth Wheat (State of KY)
Host: American Trails
Details: $19 for members, $39 for nonmembers; closed captioning available

This webinar will take an in depth look at Trail Towns through programs in Kentucky and Michigan. Learn how community partners work to implement economic development, recreation and quality of life planning through Trail Towns. State tourism, regional non-profit organizations, and local communities will discuss the role they have in creating on the ground success.

For more information:
https://www.americantrails.org/training/trail-towns-leveraging-trails-for-community-and-economic-development

JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS

Assistant Park Manager
Ingham County, Michigan
Posted January 18, 2019. Closes March 3, 2019.

Accountant IV
Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois
Posted January 18, 2019. Closes February 15, 2019.

Division Superintendent
Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois
Posted January 18, 2019. Closes February 15, 2019.

Senior Environmental Resources Specialist
Orange County Parks, California
Posted January 18, 2019. Closes February 15, 2019.

Landscape Architect
Forest Preserve District of Will County, Illinois
Posted January 10, 2019. Closes February 1, 2019.

Aquatics and Safety Coordinator
St. Lucie County, Florida
Posted January 7, 2019. Open until filled.

Parks and Recreation Supervisor
Douglas County Forestry Department, Wisconsin
Posted January 4, 2019. Closes January 27, 2019.

Director of Parks and Recreation
Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Posted January 4, 2019. Closes February 3, 2019.

Director of Outdoor Experiences & Education
Cleveland Metroparks, Ohio
Posted December 20, 2018. Open until filled.

Cultural and Community Services Director
City of Oxnard, California
Posted December 17, 2018. Closes January 25, 2019.

January 22, 2019