County Grassroots Advocacy Hub
Courtesy of NACo
Whether you're preparing for a trip to Capitol Hill, looking to engage your federal officials back home in your community or exploring how you can join in advocating for NACo's policy priorities for the first time — this resource hub is your one-stop resource for making your voice heard in Washington. Use the sections below to find your Members of Congress, access advocacy guides and explore active NACo policy campaigns. Every county has a story to tell. We are here to help you tell it.
Learn more:
https://www.naco.org/page/county-grassroots-advocacy-hub
What I’ve Learned in My 20 Years Leading City Parks Alliance
Courtesy of City Parks Alliance
By Catherine Nagel
Over the past 20 years, as I have led City Parks Alliance, I have been struck by a simple truth: parks hold a city’s DNA. They are markers of a city’s history, politics, culture, and values. You can visit a city’s park system and learn to read these indicators by the condition and accessibility of the green spaces, their funding sources, their management structures, and how local residents use them.
Cities are dynamic places, shaped by ever-changing environmental, economic, and social forces. As city leaders grapple with global disruptions, from social isolation to climate change, they are using parks and recreation in new ways to anchor communities. Creating a city that works for all takes constant tending.
Looking back at my time leading the Alliance, here are the five biggest lessons I’ve learned about the power and potential of urban parks.
Learn more:
https://cityparksalliance.org/what-ive-learned-in-my-20-years-leading-city-parks-alliance/
A Rolling Protest Helped Win Some of the Best Provisions in Congress’ New Infrastructure Bill
Courtesy of Streetsblog USA
By Kea Wilson
Critical policies that could unlock funding for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure across America have cleared the first hurdle in Congress — and the advocates who fought for them are launching a national nonprofit to promote a model that they hope can get the bill across the finish line and achieve similar wins.
Last month, advocates for the bipartisan Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Safety Act celebrated after legislators folded several key provisions of the bill into the House’s latest major transportation law, the BUILD America 250 Act. That bill passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 22, and will now make its way through a months-long legislative gauntlet known as the federal “reauthorization” process.
Learn more:
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2026/06/04/a-rolling-protest-helped-win-some-of-the-best-provisions-in-congress-new-infrastructure-bill
The Power of Partnerships
Courtesy of NRPA
By Clement Lau, DPPD, FAICP
Local parks and recreation agencies are being asked to do more than ever before. Across the country, parks are expected to advance sustainability, public health, climate resilience, biodiversity, youth development, and social connection while continuing to provide safe and welcoming spaces for community, recreation, and respite. At the same time, many park agencies are facing budget cuts, staffing shortages, and aging infrastructure. In this environment, one thing has become increasingly clear: public agencies cannot do this work alone.
Partnerships are playing an increasingly important role in helping park agencies meet growing public expectations and community needs. They may involve nonprofit foundations, community-based organizations, coalition building, or public-private partnerships that advance major initiatives and projects. Effective partnerships expand organizational capacity, strengthen public trust, bring new expertise and funding sources to the table, and enable agencies to respond more effectively to local needs and challenges. Los Angeles offers several examples of what these partnerships look like in practice.
Learn more:
https://www.nrpa.org/blog/the-power-of-partnerships/
Introducing the Outdoor Recreation Professional Competency Framework
Courtesy of SORP
We are thrilled to announce a landmark achievement for the outdoor recreation profession — the launch of the Outdoor Recreation Professional Competency Framework (ORPCF), developed through a collaborative partnership between the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals (SORP) and the U.S. Forest Service.
This framework represents years of dedicated effort and the collective wisdom of hundreds of experienced professionals across the country. It is designed to do something our profession has long needed:
- Provide a shared language, structure, and set of standards that legitimize outdoor recreation as a profession
- Give planners, managers, and practitioners the tools they need to grow throughout their careers.
SORP invites you to explore the framework, share it with your colleagues and networks, and join us for our upcoming FREE four-part webinar series to learn how to put it to work in your career and organization. Visit the SORP Webinars page to RSVP for each webinar.
Learn more:
https://www.recpro.org/core-competencies
The 2026 NRPA Agency Performance Review Is Now Available
Courtesy of NRPA
The 2026 NRPA Agency Performance Review brings you the power of informed decision making through key trends, benchmarks and metrics shaping parks and recreation nationwide. The report offers insights into staffing, budgets, park access, acreage, programming and more. Thank you to all Park Metrics contributing agencies that made this report possible. Your support helps strengthen the entire field.
Learn more:
https://www.nrpa.org/publications-research/research-papers/agency-performance-review/
Trump lifts restrictions on off-road vehicles on public lands
Courtesy of Seattle Times
By Maxine Joselow
President Donald Trump on Friday, May 29th rescinded two decades-old executive orders that restricted off-road vehicles on public lands, in a move that could lift prohibitions on their use in most national parks.
In a fact sheet, the White House called both executive orders “outdated and burdensome,” noting that they were issued before the advent of modern technologies that can help the government detect off-road vehicle tracks in sensitive ecosystems.
Learn more:
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/trump-lifts-restrictions-on-off-road-vehicles-on-public-lands/
A New DC ‘Museum’ Raises Awareness About the Looming Consequences of Extreme Weather
Courtesy of Inside Climate News
By Gabriel Matias Castilho
Called the “Museum of Unnatural Disasters,” the exhibit featured roundtable discussions with climate experts, members of Congress and disaster survivors to talk about the economic pain of extreme weather and what could be done to protect people moving forward.
Kimberly Wills, director of strategic partnerships for the Climate Action Campaign, said the group hopes sharing these experiences can motivate people to demand action from their leaders, as they become more aware of the impacts of extreme weather on their lives.
Learn more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06062026/museum-of-unnatural-disasters-highlights-extreme-weather
How 4 cities are reshaping parks into strategic climate and community infrastructure
Courtesy of SmartCities
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence
Parks are essential green infrastructure, Tim Beatley, founder and executive director of the Biophilic Cities Network, said during a webinar on innovative parks last week. They help cities address climate change by providing shade and cooling. They provide habitat for birds and other biodiversity. And they serve as social infrastructure for residents. Parks and other green spaces are entering into a golden era of design, he said. “There’s so much creative work, so many new ideas about parks out there,” Beatley said. Webinar panelists outlined the benefits urban park projects are bringing to their cities. Here are five takeaways.
Learn more:
https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/how-4-cities-reshaping-parks-strategic-climate-community-infrastructure/821002/
Why Wildfire Experts Are So Worried About This Year’s Fire Season
Courtesy of Inside Climate News
By Peter Aldhous
The severity of drought varies widely across the nation, with the Southeast, the southern part of the Great Plains and the Mountain West among the most affected. As we move into the summer months, the Upper Colorado Basin and the Four Corners region—where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet—will likely experience the most severe wildfire risks.
The federal firefighting effort is in the midst of a major shake-up directed by the Trump administration, and its readiness for an unusually bad year is not at all clear. In June 2025, Trump issued an executive order directing the secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to “consolidate their wildland fire programs.”
Learn more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31052026/experts-warn-of-upcoming-wildfire-season/
Interior Advances Public Access to Recreation Data with New Mapping Milestone
Courtesy of SORP
The MAPLand and MAPWaters Acts direct federal agencies to digitize and publish key recreation access information - such as roads, trails, easements, and waterway access points – in standardized formats. Historically, this information has often been fragmented or difficult to access.
As part of this ongoing work, Interior and partner agencies have begun publishing new datasets, including easement information, with additional recreation access data to follow. These datasets will ultimately be accessible through a centralized mapping platform, with the initial MAPLand Act Viewer expected to launch June 1, 2026, the start of Great Outdoors Month.
Learn more:
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-advances-public-access-recreation-data-new-mapping-milestone
