NACPRO News

December 2, 2025

Ask the membership
From our sponsors
Member news

News & Resources
Training
Job openings
How to contribute

Tap into our collective experience. Send your question and some background to the editor and we will include it in the next NACPRO News.

Recognize, Celebrate, Support, Promote
Courtesy Of Pilot Rock

With custom signage on your outdoor site products you can recognize memorials, donations, service, special occasions, ownership, and achievements. You can also promote your favorite schools and teams,or service organizations.

Read more:
https://www.pilotrock.com/customized-products

National Spotlight Shines on Award-Winning Podcast and Magazine
Courtesy of Lake County Forest Preserves

ILLINOIS - The Lake County Forest Preserves recently earned two national awards for its Words of the Woods podcast and another for Horizons magazine.

Season three of the Words of the Woods podcast received:

• Award of Excellence in Public Service from Chicago's chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
• Honorable Mention in Podcast category—PRNEWS Platinum Awards.

Judges praised season three for its creativity, storytelling and professional production, using a friendly, engaging format to explore how climate change is affecting Lake County and beyond.

The winter 2024 issue of Horizons, the Forest Preserves' quarterly magazine, earned an APEX Award of Excellence in the Newsletters (print) category. APEX is an annual competition recognizing the best communications materials produced by corporate, nonprofit and independent organizations.

Read more:
https://www.lcfpd.org/Award-News/

Peeling Back the Curtain on Big Plastic’s False Solutions
Courtesy of Inside Climate News

By Liza Gross

Judith Enck has spent her entire career working to protect public health and the environment.

Plastic production has increased exponentially, from about 2 million tons a year in 1950 to 450 million tons a year today, with no limit in sight. And because plastics are made from fossil fuels and thousands of toxic chemicals derived from oil and gas, they cause harm throughout their life cycle, from extraction of the fossil fuels they’re made of to their production, use and disposal.

One thing that people might be surprised to learn is that plastic recycling was actually a PR strategy. In the book, you say that’s been part of a strategy to shift responsibility from the producer onto the individual consumer, to obscure the fact that companies are producing huge volumes of materials that can’t be recycled.

Microplastics have been found in virtually every part of the human body that scientists have looked at. We either inhale them or we swallow them, and microplastics have been found in our blood, our kidneys, our lungs, and brains.

Read more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/01122025/judith-enck-big-plastics-book/

ACSM Announces Top Fitness Trends for 2026
Courtesy of Recreation Management

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has published its 20th annual Worldwide Fitness Trends forecast for 2026, with the No. 1 trend being Wearable Technology. The annual report is based on a survey of 2,000 clinicians, researchers and exercise professionals in the fitness industry.

Notable changes to the 20th anniversary report include the addition of practical applications for each of the 20 trends on the list, addressing practice, programming or policy in order to help apply trends in real-world setting. In addition, Adult Recreation and Sport Clubs made its first appearance on the list of top trends, influenced by the popularity of pickleball and a desire for social connection while exercising.

Read more:
https://recmanagement.com/articles/155523/acsm-announces-top-fitness-trends-2026

Scorching Saturdays: The Rising Heat Threat Inside Football Stadiums
Courtesy of Inside Climate News

By Olivia Mcmurrey, Lee Hedgepeth

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.—When Vanderbilt University football fan Douglas Dill set out with his son the morning of Oct. 4 to watch their team play rival University of Alabama, he didn’t expect his game-day experience to include a gurney ride to a medical facility inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Those high temperatures had consequences. Auburn University averaged well over 100 emergency calls per game in 2024, with the majority being heat-related. Halfway through the 2025 season, Alabama was averaging 60 to 65 medical calls per game, with 50 to 75 percent of calls during day games related to heat, according to interviews with medical personnel, though university officials provided lower numbers.

Read more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16112025/southern-college-football-stadiums-excessive-heat-health/

States must modernize stream crossing standards to protect communities from flooding
Courtesy of Headwaters Economics

More than 6 million culverts in the United States channel water from streams and rivers under roads and away from homes, businesses, hospitals, and other critical facilities. However, nearly two-thirds of those culverts were built to standards insufficient for today’s storms. The result is widespread flooding when rainwater backs up behind undersized traditional culverts, overruns roads and highways, washes out bridges, and inundates neighborhoods.

The case of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina highlights the immense vulnerability of our stream crossings: 712 culverts and 674 bridges were damaged, leading to almost 1,500 road closures. The estimated transportation damages alone have exceeded $10 billion. Billions in damages caused by culvert failures have also occurred in Vermont, the Midwest, and Texas.

Read more:
https://headwaterseconomics.org/natural-hazards/flooding/why-stream-crossing-standards-matter/

FHWA Updates Pedestrian and Bicycle Funding Opportunities Table
Courtesy of PBIC Newsletter

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) updated its Pedestrian and Bicycle Funding Opportunities Table, which highlights eligibility for pedestrian and bicycle activities and projects across USDOT surface transportation programs. The table provides notes and program requirements to help project sponsors identify funding administered through the FHWA, Federal Lands, Office of the Secretary, Federal Transit Administration, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Communities can also use the DOT Navigator to learn more about funding requirements.

Read more:
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/funding/funding_opportunities.pdf

City of Boise Strengthens Greenbelt, Downtown Pedestrian and Rider Safety Efforts
Courtesy of PBIC Newsletter

IDAHO – The City of Boise is announcing new efforts to strengthen the safety of residents enjoying the Boise Greenbelt and downtown areas.

In partnership with Lime, speed limits are being reduced for all Lime micromobility devices, effective today. Lime users will be able to ride up to 12 mph on the Boise Greenbelt 24/7 and up to 10 mph in downtown from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Up to now, Lime devices were operating at a maximum speed of 15 mph. Lime and the city worked closely and proactively to execute this change.

In addition, the city will work on strategies to educate privately owned e-scooters and e-bikes users, whose devices can exceed speeds of 30 mph. The Boise Police Department continues conducting bike patrols and has increased education efforts on the Greenbelt to encourage safe and responsible use of e-scooters and e-bikes.

Read more:
https://www.cityofboise.org/news/planning-and-development-services/2025/october/city-of-boise-strengthens-greenbelt-downtown-pedestrian-and-rider-safety-efforts/

We’re Losing Contact With Nature. This New Toolkit Is Designed To Close That Gap for Kids.
Courtesy of Next City

By Cinnamon Janzer

In collaboration with the Children & Nature Network, a nonprofit that works to connect kids to nature, and the National League of Cities, a coalition of cities working to improve life for their constituents, KABOOM! released the Nature Exploration Area (NEA) Toolkit.

Read more:
https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/were-losing-contact-with-nature.-this-new-toolkit-is-designed-to-close-that

Partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Co-Manage Parks. Strengthen Communities. Expand Your Mission.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) invites nonprofit organizations and nonfederal public entities (such as state and county government agencies) to join us in a groundbreaking opportunity to co-manage and enhance recreation areas at our nation’s lakes and rivers.

Through a Challenge Cost-Sharing Cooperative Management Agreement, nonprofits can take an active role in managing USACE recreation sites—keeping parks open, improving visitor services, and ensuring that fee revenue stays right where it belongs: in the community.

Read more:
https://nacpro.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/USACE-co-management-opportunity.pdf

Somebody Should....
A Free Monthly Online ThinkTank from ActivEnviro

December 11, 2025 | 3:30 - 5 pm ET

Supporting Community Caregivers
Led by Healthier Generation & Special Guests

Featured Topic Leader: Daniel Hatcher, Alliance for a Healthier Generation

This gathering will focus on resources from parent/caregiver-focused collaborators, including parks, recreation, schools, after-school programs, and other non-profit and for-profit organizations, providing attendees with tools to better engage with families where they live.

Register:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvdeyrqTwuH9wLuKERuG8oleA_5tZxNmtL#/registration

Visitor Use Management Training
Courtesy of Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals

Golden, Colorado - February 10 - 11, 2026

SORP’s Visitor Use Management trainings bring together recreation planners, land managers, and researchers to build a strong foundation in sustainable recreation planning. Through interactive sessions, participants gain practical tools to navigate complex management challenges across parks, protected areas, and recreation destinations.

The training focuses on real-world application of the Visitor Use Management Framework, using planning steps, decision-making tools, and case-based exercises to help participants translate concepts into action. It’s an invaluable opportunity to strengthen VUM expertise, connect with peers, and support balanced decisions that enhance visitor experiences while protecting natural and cultural resources.

Price is $500 for members; $650 for non-members

Read more:
https://www.recpro.org/professional-development/event-description?CalendarEventKey=40b620db-cd6e-46b7-96b0-019a32a1d07e&Home=%2fevents%2fevents-calendar

On Demand Learning Opportunities from The Harbinger Consultancy
Courtesy of American Trails

If these courses are not on their current schedule, or the dates and times don’t work for you, these courses are available “on-demand” for a $300 registration fee.

15% discount with code "AmericanTrails"

They are meant for you to take at your own pace with support along the way.

Available On-Demand Courses:

• Bicycle Tourism Blueprint: A Community-Led Approach to Attracting Cyclists, Boosting Businesses, and Creating a Bicycle-Friendly Destination
• Creative Placemaking: Creating Communities We Love Through Arts & Culture, Diverse Partners and Community Spaces
• Do-It-Yourself Trail User Research You Can Start Right Away
• Facilitator Training for Collaboration and Consensus
• Geotourism Workshop: Put the Locally Driven Destination Development, Stewardship and Marketing Approach to Work for Your Community
• Navigating Uncertainty: Scenarios Planning for Nonprofits and Community Initiatives
• Outdoor Recreation Roadmap: A Community-Led Approach to Leveraging Your Natural Assets for Economic Success and Local Renewal
• Tell Your Economic Story Without Hiring an Economist: Trails, Parks, Heritage Areas & Conserved Lands

Read more:
https://www.harbingerconsult.com/online-courses

Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation
City of Miami Beach, Florida
$144,910 - $262,175 Annually
Application Deadline: Dec 19, 2025

Executive Director
Hocking Hills Tourism Association
Logan, Ohio
$90,000 - $120,000 Annually
Application Deadline: Nov 14, 2025

Parks Operations Manager
Leon County Parks & Recreation
Tallahassee, Florida
$60,573 - $99,946 Annually
Application Deadline: Open until filled

For more information:
https://nacpro.mcjobboard.net/jobs

Got a vacancy to fill?
NACPRO will post your vacancy on our website and email a copy to our mailing list of over 1200 parks and recreation professionals for a fee of $125 for NACPRO members and $250 for non-members.