Forest Play Yards Strengthen Kids’ Microbiomes and Immunity
Courtesy of the Guardian
A Finnish study found that replacing daycare yards’ gravel with forest soil, mosses, and plants boosted children’s gut and skin microbiota and strengthened their immune systems.
Children aged 3–5 who played in the naturalized yards daily for a month showed greater microbial diversity and healthier immune markers, including higher anti-inflammatory proteins.
The results support the “biodiversity hypothesis” — that regular contact with nature’s microbes helps prevent allergies and autoimmune diseases.
For local park and recreation districts, the findings highlight how natural play environments can promote both physical and immune health in children.
Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/29/soil-sandpit-children-dirty-biodiversity-finnish-nurseries-research-microbes-bacteria-aoe
Honoring Dr. Jane Goodall’s Legacy Through Parks
Courtesy of NRPA
By Clement Lau
Goodall revolutionized our understanding of chimpanzees and, in doing so, reshaped how we see ourselves. She showed that chimpanzees — once thought to be vastly different from humans — have emotional depth, use tools and form complex social bonds. This discovery blurred the line between “us” and “them,” reminding the world that all living beings are connected.
For those of us who plan, design and advocate for parks and open spaces, this perspective remains powerful. Our work is not only about providing places for recreation but also about protecting and restoring the ecosystems that sustain life. Parks are living laboratories of nature, and every restored wetland, expanded forest canopy or river trail strengthens the web of life that Goodall dedicated her career to understanding.
Read more:
https://www.nrpa.org/blog/honoring-dr.-jane-goodalls-legacy-through-parks/
Using camp facilities for offseason programs and events
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business +
By Jason Schaitz
For most summer camps, the warm season is the main source of revenue and activity. However, a camp’s potential doesn’t need to end in August. With careful planning and strategic marketing, summer-camp facilities can be transformed into active, multi-purpose venues during the offseason, generating revenue year-round and building stronger ties to a local community.
Before launching offseason offerings, conduct a thorough inventory of a camp’s physical and logistical assets. Consider the facilities, meeting rooms, open fields, hiking trails, lakefront, gymnasiums, and other amenities. Once leaders know what’s available and functional year-round, staff members can begin matching those features to viable programs and events.
Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-november-2025?ref=prbplus.com#page52
St. Louis has a Secret Stormwater Weapon Saving 100 Million Gallons from the Mississippi
Courtesy of Planetizen
By Diana Ionescu
MISSOURI - Urban farms and gardens are helping St. Louis absorb and filter stormwater, preventing it from overwhelming the city’s combined stormwater/sewer system and preventing pollution from reaching local rivers and creeks.The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is investing $120 million by 2034 on projects that include subsidies for landowners who use water collection methods on their property. “Projects range from bioretention basins — depressions filled with plants that gather water — to backyard rain barrels that collect precipitation and use it to irrigate native plant or vegetable gardens.”
Read more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2025/10/136205-st-louis-has-secret-stormwater-weapon-saving-100-million-gallons-mississippi
Bats Are Recovering in a Big Way After Decimation by White-Nose Syndrome: Numbers Grow for the 3rd Year
Courtesy of the Good News Network
By Andy Corbley
WISCONSIN - In a positive development for a maligned animal, cave-roosting bat populations in Wisconsin are recovering from a fungal epidemic. Wildlife authorities are reporting that for the third year in a row, the state’s bat populations seem to be rising. Numbers of little brown bats, big brown bats, tricolored bats, and northern long-eared bats are estimated via citizen scientist-led surveys, and each year the base estimates collected through sightings are going up.
Read more:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/bats-are-recovering-in-a-big-way-after-decimation-by-white-nose-syndrome-numbers-grow-for-the-3rd-year/
IMBA Expands Community Designation Program With New IMBA Trail Town Recognition
Courtesy of Recreation Management
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) unveiled its new IMBA Trail Town designation, celebrating communities that truly live and breathe trails. An IMBA Trail Town is more than just a great riding spot, it’s a place where world-class trails are seamlessly woven into the fabric of community life.
To earn the designation, a community must demonstrate a thriving trail culture: well-maintained and accessible trails, equitable opportunities for all riders, sustainable funding to keep the system strong, and a dedicated local organization leading the charge. The result is a destination where trails fuel quality of life, economic vitality, and community pride - making it a great place to live, work, visit, and ride.
Read more:
https://recmanagement.com/articles/155473/imba-expands-community-designation-program-new-imba-trail-town-recognition?oly_enc_id=6800A2486578F5Z
Conducting a Sound Pickleball Siting Strategy
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business +
By Brandon Kunkel and Ryan Chmielewski
While pickleball’s main attractions are its affordability, its broad appeal, and its suitability for various physical abilities, this explosion in popularity has led to an increasing number of noise complaints from nearby residents. The impact of a plastic pickleball on a paddle can register between 70 and 100 decibels from 100 feet away, which is equivalent to a vacuum cleaner or a motorcycle.
In collaboration with an acoustic engineer, the team determined that any court must be located at least 800 feet from a residential home to meet the town’s requested maximum noise level of 30 decibels. It quickly became apparent that virtually none of the proposed properties could accommodate such a significant setback. They considered the use of acoustic sound barriers at various heights and distances. While these barriers can significantly reduce noise in certain scenarios, they do not eliminate it. Additionally, unintended concerns come with the use of sound barriers, such as poor air circulation and poor safety from blocked views into the courts.
Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-november-2025?ref=prbplus.com#page32
ORR Statement on New Senate Stewardship Caucus
Courtesy of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable
ORR applauds the formation of the new Senate Stewardship Caucus co-led by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT). The caucus is a new bipartisan effort dedicated to protecting and expanding access to public lands and waters, recovering wildlife, and restoring habitat. We’re proud to support this bipartisan effort and look forward to working together with business, government, and local communities to ensure the outdoors remains accessible and cared for generations to come.
Read more:
https://recreationroundtable.org/news/outdoor-recreation-roundtable-applauds-new-bipartisan-senate-stewardship-caucus/
Marshall Islands Experience Explosion of Wildlife One Year After Invasive Rats Were Removed
Courtesy of the Good News Network
By Andy Corbley
Two small islets crucial to the resiliency of the local environment in the Marshall Islands Republic are witnessing a major ecological revival. Island Conservation, a global nonprofit organization with a mission to restore islands for nature and people, has successfully eradicated invasive black rats, allowing the native forests and seabird population on Bikar Atoll and Jemo Islet to recover. “After only one year, the transformation is dramatic. A colony of 2,000 Sooty Terns, where there was previously none, was feeding hundreds of chicks,” said Island Conservation Project Manager Paul Jacques.
Read more:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/marshall-islands-experience-explosion-of-wildlife-one-year-after-invasive-rats-were-removed/
Federal Advocacy: Federal Shutdown Resources
Courtesy of the National Special Districts Association
Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, many of you are concerned about planning for your budgets, projects and regulations, and you may not be able to reach anyone for information. To help we’d like to hear from you.
CALL TO ACTION: Impact of the Federal Government Shutdown on the Nation’s Special Districts
We are conducting a brief survey to understand how the current federal government shutdown is affecting special purpose districts across the nation. Your feedback will help us share the real-world impacts with federal policymakers, strengthen our advocacy on behalf of local services, and ensure that the unique needs of special districts are clearly understood in Washington, D.C.
This survey should take 3–5 minutes to complete. Your responses will be kept confidential and reported only in summary form.
Click here to fill out a quick survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1N0tBd1Rg1wxdoUyAPcCl-aTmLvxCHjLwHuufHdgITuY/edit
Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals now accepting award nominations
SORP is accepting nominations for the 2026 Awards Program to be presented at the National Outdoor Recreation Conference in Duluth, Minnesota, May 11-14, 2026. The awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in the field of outdoor recreation planning, management, research, and policy.
The deadline for award submissions is December 15, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific.
Learn more:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q6t79at6trkul5kYPEm-o169pnKMTK-n/view?pli=1
