Parks & Recreation May 2021

M AY 2021 N R PA .O RG

PICTURE PERFECT LET IMAGES TELL YOUR P&R STORY

Master Plans Come Off the Shelf Miami-Dade County Navigates a Safe Reopening

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contentsmay 2021 volume 56 | number 5 | parksandrecreation.org

Park and recreation professionals can use photography not only to draw attention to their community and agency, but also to elevate the profession overall.

FEATURES

34 Is Your Park Ready for Its Close-Up? Vitisia Paynich

For park and recreation agencies, using imagery can help to market and promote their vast portfolio of parks, sports facilities and recreation programming to community members and beyond.

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Parks & Recreation

40 From Plans to Parks Clement Lau

Learn how the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation plans its projects with equity and implementation in mind.

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46 Miami-Dade County Parks: Achieving a Safe Reopening Maria Nardi

At the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces set out to rapidly develop a coordinated and prioritized set of protocols for how to open parks.

WE COME BACK TO PLAY. Remember the moments that got your heart racing?

Your imagination swirling?

Your body moving?

Our best moments—the moments that define our childhoods—begin in play.

That’s why we always come back to it.

Watch our newest video and find inspiration for your play spaces at playlsi.com/shapedbyplay

©2021 Landscape Structures Inc. All rights reserved.

contents may

columns 6

departments

8

14 Research The 2021 Agency Performance Review Melissa May

17 Park Pulse Get Outside This Spring and Summer With Parks and Recreation

18 Finance for the Field More Public-Private Partnership Models John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

20 Advocacy Demystifying Advocacy in Parks and Recreation Dan McCarthy

22 Health and Wellness Together, Apart Lori N. Marks, Ph.D.

50 Operations Surviving Climate Issues on Sports Fields Paula Sliefert

24 Equity Bicultural Marketing and Closing the Gap Eduardo “Eddie” Campos

51 Products 52 Park Essentials

26 Conservation Revitalizing Parkland in Evanston, Wyoming Lindsay Hogeboom

55 Advertiser Index

28 Law Review

56 Park Bench

Environmental Review of State Park Highway Widening James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

Cover image: Photo courtesy of Sam74100, Dreamstime.com

Parks & Recreation is printed using soy ink on at least 10 percent post-consumer recycled paper and is mailed in a wrap — only when required — that is plant based and certified compostable. If you are interested in helping us go even greener, email us at prmagazine@nrpa.org and ask to opt out of receiving the print magazine. Parks & Recreation is always available to read in an ezine format at ezine.nrpa.org.

Parks & Recreation

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PHOTO COURTESY OF EVANSTON PARKS AND RECREATION DISTRICT

New York State Parks Activates FORCES Jennifer Fulcher

4

Editor’s Letter Images Are a Window Into Your Community Vitisia Paynich

10 We Are Parks and Recreation Special Events in the Time of COVID-19 10 COVID-19 and Parks and Recreation: One Year Later 12 Member Benefit: ADA in 2021 — An Old Topic That Is New Again! 13

Perspectives Making the Case for Parks and Recreation Kristine Stratton

Page 26

Evanston (Wyoming) Parks and Recreation District staff envision Bear Meadows as a space for active recreation that is configurable to a variety of needs based on the demands of the community.

Living Our Mission The world needs more. More Connection. More Movement.

More Community. Play brings people together and helps communities thrive. It is our passion and our mission to bring Play That Moves You to the communities we serve. We’ve been doing it for 100 years and we’re just getting started.

It’s time to Join Our Movement.

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P E R S P E C T I V E S A M E S S A G E F R O M N R P A’ S L E A D E R S

Making the Case for Parks and Recreation The timing of this issue — public relations and marketing — is particularly great this year. On March 11, NRPA issued the report COVID-19 and Parks and Recreation: Response and Recovery and the companion communications toolkit COVID-19 and Parks and Recreation: Making the Case for the Future (nrpa.org/ Coronavirus). This issue provides me a chance to remind our readers of these resources and encourage everyone to use them to promote the essential work of parks and recreation professionals during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For more info on the resources, visit the We Are Parks and Recreation section on page 12.

These resources are important, because it is stories like those reflected in the report, and the many stories you can share, that serve as the foundation of strategic communications. They are a case for support. If there is one thing that is true about marketing and public relations, it’s that you need a strong story — a reason why your audience should care. Marketing and public relations efforts are helpful, certainly, but it is when they are tied to a clear goal — a compelling mission — that they become more than just ads or outreach emails.

They become strategic tools to advance your goals.

I invite all our park and recreation colleagues to think about your two to three most important goals each year.

For most, it includes making a strong case for budget investment to show why your programs, facilities and spaces are critical community infrastructure. Another frequently cited goal is expanding the reach into and engagement with your community through things like increasing participation in health and wellness programs. Another goal often talked about is increasing park and recreation access to vulnerable members of the community. Whatever your goals may be, consider

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how you can incorporate language into your social media outreach, your advertising, and your talking points with community members and leaders that support those goals and help increase awareness.

I know that many of us don’t like to “toot our own horns” and feel uncomfortable asking for help. However, getting the word out on our successes and on our strategic communications goals depends on us telling our stories, celebrating our success and having our allies celebrate them as well. I have seen far too many stories of great programs and efforts happening in parks and recreation spaces; however, far too many of them leave the park and recreation professional and department out completely. Let’s change that — ask the reporter or a community partner to remember to mention the park and recreation team. It’s also important to ask the folks who participate in your programs and who visit your parks to spread the word to others and to share their positive experiences in your programs and spaces.

In fact, asking people to participate in making the case is not just OK, it’s a must. We need our community members, our allies, to build our movement of support for parks and recreation, to help make the case for why parks and recreation is critical community infrastructure, and why well-funded, quality parks and recreation is essential to healthy, strong and resilient communities.

In talking with park and recreation directors across the country, it is clear that making the case for our essential services never ends. Each year and each budget cycle require advocating for investment all over again.

Resources like the COVID-19 report and communications toolkit are designed to support that case making and to help you turn your marketing and public relations into strategic, impactful communications.

KRISTINE STR AT TON President and CEO

2377 Belmont Ridge Rd. | Ashburn, VA 20148 2 703.858.0784 | nrpa.org

NRPA’S MISSION: To advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board of Directors Michael P. Kelly

Park Advocate Emigrant, Montana

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Gurnee Park District Gurnee, Illinois

Past Chair Jack Kardys J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Treasurer Xavier D. Urrutia Alamo Colleges District San Antonio, Texas

Secretary Nonet T. Sykes

Susie Kuruvilla

Joanna Lombard University of Miami School of Architecture; Miller School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences Miami, Florida

Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP

parksandrecreation.org

Eagle Methods Management Consulting Dallas, Texas

@parksrecmag

Joshua Medeiros, Ed.D., CPRP, AFO

Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

City of Bristol Parks & Recreation Bristol, Connecticut

At Large Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP

Ian Proud

Eagle Methods Management Consulting Dallas, Texas

At Large Mike Abbaté, FASLA, LEED AP Abbaté Designs Portland, Oregon

President and CEO Kristine Stratton, Ex Officio National Recreation and Park Association Ashburn, Virginia

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael Abbaté, FASLA, LEED AP Abbaté Designs Portland, Oregon

Kathy Abbott Boston Harbor Now Boston, Massachusetts

Jesús Aguirre, CPRE Seattle Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

Jose Felix Diaz Ballard Partners Miami, Florida

Victor Dover

Bucknell University SBDC Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Nonet T. Sykes Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

(or your favorite podcast app)

Alamo Colleges District San Antonio, Texas

@openspaceradio

Lakita Watson, CPRP Richland County Recreation Commission Columbia, South Carolina

Greg A. Weitzel, M.S., CPRP

Philip Wu, M.D. (Retired) Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region Portland, Oregon

Anne S. Close James H. Evans

Greening Youth Foundation Atlanta, Georgia

Earl T. Groves Gastonia, North Carolina

Richard Gulley

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

Rosemary Hall Evans

Richmond, Virginia

Harry G. Haskell, Jr.

nrpaconnect.org nrpa.org/connect-app

NRPA SOCIAL MEDIA @NationalRecreationandParkAssociation

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

@nrpa_news

Kathryn A. Porter

@nrpa

Mendham, New Jersey

J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Perry J. Segura

Michael P. Kelly

R. Dean Tice

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Round Hill, Virginia

Karen Bates Kress

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

CONNECT

Fort Mill, South Carolina

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

Jack Kardys

NRPA

Lexington, South Carolina

Angelou Ezeilo

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Ashburn, Virginia

nrpa.org/blog

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman

New York, New York

Monica Hobbs Vinluan

Blog

City of Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Las Vegas, Nevada

Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning South Miami, Florida

San Diego Parks and Recreation San Diego, California

openspaceradio.org

Xavier D. Urrutia

National Recreation and Park Association

New Iberia, Louisiana

Eugene A. Young, CPRP

PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | M AY 2 02 1 |

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EDITOR’S LET TER

Images Are a Window Into Your Community How many times have you come across a captivating photo in a newspaper or magazine that instantly triggered an emotion? The photograph, “V-J Day in Times Square,” is among the most iconic images from World War II. On August 14, 1945, photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt shot the black-and-white photograph of a U.S. Navy Sailor kissing and embracing a dental assistant in celebration of V-J Day (Victory Over Japan Day). This candid image is compelling and memorable because it so vividly encapsulates the emotions of an entire nation during an historic event. It also reminds us how powerful a photo can be, especially during the most candid moments. What’s more, park and recreation images, when done successfully, can serve as a window into your community and promote your agency.

This month’s cover story, “Is Your Park Ready for Its Close-Up?” on page 34, offers park and recreation professionals quick troubleshooting tips and best practices for taking impactful images that communicate a compelling park and recreation story to the public within your marketing materials or editorial content. “Photos that capture engagement, emotion and experience of people are the most powerful because that emotion engages the audience,” says Kim Mabon, founder and creative director of Creative By Design.

Over the next couple of years, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will have plenty of opportunities to capture compelling images. In the feature article, “From Plans to Parks,” DPR Park Planner Clement Lau takes an in-depth look at DPR’s implementation of Community Parks and Recreation Plans (CPRP) focused on multiple projects at varying stages of development. “Each CPRP begins with an examination of local demographics, existing parks and recreational facilities, parkland gaps, recreation programs, tree canopy coverage, transportation and connectivity to parks, as well as availability of land for new parks. This baseline information, together with public input, informs a detailed assessment and prioritization of local park needs,” he writes.

Next, in the feature article, “Miami-Dade County Parks: Achieving a Safe Reopening,” on page 46, Maria Nardi, director of Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, reveals how her agency overcame challenges to reopen during the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. “Given the complexity of our park system, Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces set out to rapidly develop a coordinated and prioritized set of protocols for how to open parks, as well as a communications plan to explain the transition to a ‘new normal,’ bringing people together and maintaining guidelines mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Nardi writes.

I highly encourage you to review the 10 tips for achieving the best results with your photos in this month’s cover story. In addition to marketing to local constituents, you might want to consider promoting your park and recreation agency and community to a national audience. After all, your eye-catching images not only could bring attention to your community and agency, but also can help elevate the field as a whole.

VITISIA “VI” PAYNICH Executive Editor Print and Online Content 8

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Kristine Stratton VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR, PRINT AND ONLINE CONTENT Vitisia Paynich vpaynich@nrpa.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lindsay Hogeboom lhogeboom@nrpa.org WEB EDITOR Jennifer Fulcher-Nguyen jnguyen@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Kim Mabon/Creative By Design CreativeByDesign.net SENIOR CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Meghan Fredriksen 703.858.2190 mfredriksen@nrpa.org PHOTOGRAPHY Dreamstime.com or NRPA (unless otherwise noted) MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Anthony-Paul Diaz, Chair Michael Abbaté, FASLA Neelay Bhatt Ryan Eaker Beau Fieldsend Kathleen Gibi Paul Gilbert, CPRP Tim Herd, CPRE Brian Johnson, CPSI Denise Johnson-Caldwell Roslyn Johnson, CPRP Michele Lemons Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Lisa Paradis, CPRP Paula Sliefert Shonnda Smith, CPRP, AFO Ronnetta Spalding Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs

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WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION Special Events in the Time of COVID-19

By Christine DiGioia

W PHOTO COURTESY OF HOWARD COUNTY RECREATION AND PARKS

hen it comes to planning events, organizers have likely considered almost every scenario possible to be prepared for the unknown. There are plans for natural disasters, accidents, extreme weather, terrorist threats and so much more — but a pandemic?

Last year, as the world transitioned from the thought process of “we just need to wait this out” to “this is the new normal,” event planners were faced with the task of how to adapt special events.

With only a five-step process, Howard County Recreation and Parks in Maryland was able to modify procedures to successfully develop a new event plan.

While the following example shows the measures Howard County Recreation and Parks took for its Fall Festival, called Truck or Treat in Howard County, these tips can

Howard County Recreation and Parks modifies its special events during the pandemic.

TRUCK OR TREAT Event Activities

What Can Run

What Cannot Run What can be adapted

Trucks

✔

No sitting or climbing/touching

Treats/Giveaways/Prizes

✔

Pre-filled treat bags handed out at the end

Face painting/Tattoos

✖ ✖ ✖ ✖

Inflatables Petting Zoo Games Costumes/Picture-taking Vendors Sponsors 2,000 people Indoor/Outdoor

10 Parks & Recreation

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

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Add more “photo spots” Send giveaways for treat bags Banners/signs only, not on-site 100 kids per hour, longer event Outdoor only

apply toward any major holiday event, including Memorial Day. Truck or Treat is typically a Halloween-themed touch-a-truck experience that features trucks and tractors from the parks department, county highways, police, fire and rescue, park rangers, and even local businesses. Families can trick-ortreat at the trucks; take pictures; and enjoy carnival-type games, inflatable slides, face painting, a hay ride and more. The three-hour event typically hosts more than 2,000 people. If there is inclement weather, the trucks remain outside, and all activities move inside the community center.

During the current climate with physical distancing, mask wearing and limited crowds, a few factors needed to be taken into account.

STEP 1: Look up the current local and state guidelines in your county or area.

For Howard County Maryland, in Stage III of reopening, inside capacity was limited to 50 percent, masks were required in all situations where you cannot physically distance from others and gatherings were limited to 250 people.

STEP 2: How can we adapt to fit the guidelines in the area?

These guidelines immediately caused the cancellation of any indoor options for the event, as well as limited the tickets to no more that 250 at a time. (The event space is approximately 85,000 square feet, and also backs up to a park.)

The event was adapted by ex-

tending the time from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission was limited to one-hour increments. Usually, tickets are sold for $2 per person ages 2 and older, but by changing them to $5 per child, there was an accurate count for the number of prefilled treat bags. Then, adults and babies just needed a free ticket in order to have a precise head count.

(Adult tickets were limited to two per child.) The first group was given from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. to enter, look at the trucks, take pictures and pick up their pre-filled treat bag on the way out. The next group came in from 11:20 a.m. to 12:10 p.m., and so on, with the fourth group ending at 2:30 p.m.

STEP 3:

List all of the activities that are part of the event.

Look at each activity and ask, “Can this be adapted to be physically distant and safe for all involved and how? Or, should this activity be removed from the event?” See the chart on the right for reference.

QUESTIONS TO ASK: Can we keep staff and participants safe?

Yes

Is the event feasible with the current restrictions?

Yes, as long as adaptations are made

Will we be providing the same experience or better?

Different but equal experience

Will the budget at least break even?

Yes

Is it worth it financially and in value to the customer experience?

Yes, without spending a lot we can still provide a fun holiday-themed experience and include the main feature of trucks

Budget and Value.

By answering yes to all five of these questions, a successful event can be planned while adhering to all local, state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

All participants were emailed the participant expectations ahead of time, and all rules were followed.

Howard County Recreation and Parks was able to provide the community with a fun and festive event while maintaining safety, as well as meeting the high expectations that customers have come to know and expect from the department.

Christine DiGioia is Event Coordinator for Howard County Recreation and Parks (cdigioia@howardcountymd.gov).

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STEP 4: What new things can be added that are budget friendly and meet physical distancing guidelines?

• A scavenger hunt — printed and handed out with a pencil • Photo backdrops/frames — children attending want to have fun, see the trucks and get candy and treats. The parents want cute pictures of their children having fun. “Photo frames” or “selfie stations” can be set out using borrowed and collected materials to minimize costs.

STEP 5:

Ask five important questions based on the following: Safety, Feasibility, Experience,

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PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | M AY 2 02 1 |

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W E A R E P A R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N

COVID-19 and Parks and Recreation: One Year Later

By Jennifer Cox

I

n the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a racial justice movement, growing economic pressures, health crises and devastating impacts of climate change, park and recreation professionals are continuing to serve their communities by maintaining essential infrastructure and providing innovative and vital programming. They also stepped into new roles to protect, strengthen and heal their communities.

During the past year, local agencies scaled up childcare programs and learning centers, offered shelter to people without housing, managed food distribution programs, served as testing and vaccine distribution sites and coordinated disaster response — all while maintaining critical infrastructure that promotes physical and mental health and a healthy environment.

COVID-19 continues to highlight what has been true for many years: parks and recreation is vital to ensuring that all people — no matter their race, ethnicity, income, age, location or gender identity — thrive.

To document the essential role of parks and recreation and advocate for necessary and sustained investment, NRPA developed a suite of resources to provide elected officials, park and recreation professionals, and partners with a clear pathway to advance climatereadiness, equity and overall well-being through parks and recreation. Informed by NRPA research, a roundtable with mayors from cities across the country, NRPA’s monthly Urban Leaders Convening, and interviews with park and recreation professionals, the following resources were developed (nrpa.org/Coronavirus): COVID-19 and Parks and Recreation: Response and Recovery showcases the role parks and recreation

NRPA developed a suite of resources to provide park and recreation professionals and others with a clear pathway to advance climate-readiness, equity and overall well-being.

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NRPA envisions a future in which the full power of parks and recreation will be recognized and utilized to create a better life for all people. played and continues to play throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates its impact on local agencies, and highlights policy changes to support investment in parks and recreation.

COVID-19 and Parks and Recreation: Making the Case for the Future is a communications toolkit that provides key messaging, strategies and template graphics to equip park and recreation professionals and advocates with the knowledge and tools to communicate about the essential role parks and recreation has in the well-being of communities.

NRPA continues to advocate for policies and funding that benefit parks and recreation — we garner the support of members of Congress, elected officials and likeminded organizations, and we are equipping park and recreation professionals with the tools to do the same at the local and state level. The communications toolkit showcases data and critical statistics about the national-level park and recreation mission to provide essential services, but the messaging, graphics and stories should be tailored to each community and COVID-19 response. We recognize that many of these roles extend well beyond the response of COVID-19 — this toolkit was designed to showcase that both every day and in crises parks and recreation is essential.

As we look toward a post-COVID-19 future, it is critical that parks and recreation continues its role as a catalyst for equity, climatereadiness and overall well-being, as well as an advocate for increased support of these vital systems. Indeed, NRPA envisions a future in which the full power of parks and recreation will be recognized and utilized to create a better life for all people.

Jenny Cox is NRPA's Conservation Program Manager (jcox@nrpa.org).

Member Benefit: ADA in 2021 — An Old Topic That Is New Again!

R

ecently, a park and recreation director asked, “Why don’t the 2010 Standards include enforceable requirements for trails?” Great question! That does not mean that trails are exempt though. To comply is to meet both the design and program requirements. This short discussion clears up how to view the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and offers readers some simple advice.

The 2010 Standards for Accessible Design are issued pursuant to the ADA regulations. Local governments must adhere to ADA Title II (see it at 28 CFR Part 35) (tinyurl.com/k962vwhp). That regulation says that park and recreation agencies must follow the 2010 Standards. But the Standards are incomplete — they do not address disc golf, dog parks, skate parks, trails, beaches, campsites, picnic areas, viewing areas and constructed elements like a grill at a pavilion.

Think of the standards as a very nice car that you enjoy driving.

The Title II regulation also addresses programs. A program is defined very broadly, and is any opportunity made available by an entity to the general public. Playgrounds are built, and they are also the program of playgrounds. Other “programs” we might see are the programs of sports fields, dog parks or programs requiring registration, such as summer camps or swim lessons. The programs are the fuel for the car — one without the other is useless.

Congress and the Department of Justice realized that final and enforceable standards might be slowed, so it is made clear in the ADA that in the absence of final and enforceable design standards, programs offered by an entity must be accessible.

Some simple advice: check your programs of your website, trails, pools, golf courses, centers, rinks, picnic areas and all other opportunities you offer the public. Make them and keep them accessible.

John N. McGovern leads the Accessibility Practice at The WT Group, LLC. Since 2013, his firm has been the NRPA preferred provider of access consulting for the more than 60,000 members of NRPA. Contact him at jmcgovern@wtgroup. com. For more information, please visit nrpa.org/Accessibility AuditsDiscountProgram.

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RESEARCH The 2021 Agency Performance Review

By Melissa May

D

ata is a vital tool when telling the park and recreation story.

The ability to connect community impact to the needed financial resources is key when addressing stakeholders and elected officials. Those points are made even stronger when you can compare your agency with its peers.

The 2021 NRPA Agency Performance Review (2021 APR) (nrpa.org/APR), our annual review of data and insights for U.S. park and recreation agencies, allows for just that. The report summarizes the key findings from NRPA Park Metrics (nrpa.org/ParkMetrics), our benchmarking tool that assists park and recreation professionals in the effective management and planning of their operating resources and capital facilities.

The 2021 APR represents data

provided through the Park Metrics Agency Performance Survey by nearly 1,000 unique park and recreation agencies across the United States. While the report paints a picture of “the typical” park and recreation agency, you can learn even more by examining the data by population, jurisdiction type, region, agency staffing and budgets thanks to interactive charts and graphs.

Key findings from the 2021 APR include: Park Facilities • Residents per Park – There is typically one park for every 2,227 residents.

• Acres of Parkland per 1,000 Residents – The typical park and recreation agency has 9.9 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents in the jurisdiction.

• Outdoor Park and Recreation Facilities – An overwhelming majority of park and recreation agencies have playgrounds (94.4 percent) and basketball courts (87.4 percent) in their portfolio of assets.

• Miles of Trails – The typical park and recreation agency man-

The infographic from the 2021 Agency Performance Review highlights key data and insights for U.S. park and recreation agencies.

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ages or maintains 12 miles of trails for walking, hiking, running and/or biking.

• Indoor Park and Recreation Facilities – A majority of agencies offer community centers and recreation centers; 2 in 5 agencies offer senior centers.

Programming • Programming Offered by Park and Recreation Agencies – Key programming activities include themed special events, social recreation events, team sports, fitness enhancement classes, and health and wellness education.

• Targeted Programs for Children, Older Adults and People With Disabilities – Eighty-three percent of agencies offer summer camp for their communities’ younger residents.

Responsibilities of Park and Recreation Agencies • Key Responsibilities – Top roles include operating and maintaining parks and indoor facilities, providing recreation programming and services, and conducting jurisdiction-wide special events.

• Other Responsibilities – Operating, maintaining or contracting golf courses or tourism attractions and managing large performance outdoor amphitheaters lead the list of other agency responsibilities.

Staffing • Staffing – The typical park and recreation agency has a payroll of 44.3 full-time equivalent staff (FTEs).

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RESEARCH

• FTEs per 10,000 Residents – The typical park and recreation agency has 8.2 FTEs on staff for each 10,000 residents in the jurisdiction served by the agency.

• Responsibilities – Operations and maintenance, programming, and administration are the main responsibilities of park and recreation workers.

Budget • Annual Operating Expenditures – The typical park and recreation agency has annual operating expenditures of $4,898,633.

• Operating Expenditures per Capita – The typical park and recreation agency has annual operating expenses of $88.30 on a per capita basis.

• Operating Expenditures per Acre – The median level of operating expenditures is $7,556 per acre of park and non-park sites managed by the agency.

• Operating Expenditures per FTE – The typical park and recreation agency spends $99,016 in annual operating expenditures for each employee.

• Distribution of Operating Expenditures – At the typical park and recreation agency, staffing costs account for 54 percent of the operating budget.

• Operating Expenditures Dedicated to Parks or Recreation – The typical park and recreation agency dedicates 44 percent of its operating budget to park management and maintenance and 43 percent to recreation.

Funding • Sources of Operating Expenditures – Park and recreation agencies derive 61 percent of their 16

Parks & Recreation

operating expenditures from general fund tax support.

• Park and Recreation Revenues per Capita – The typical park and recreation agency generates $19.38 in revenue annually for each resident in the jurisdiction.

• Revenue as a Percentage of Operating Expenditures (Cost Recovery) – The typical park and recreation agency recovers 22.9 percent of its operating expenditures from non-tax revenue.

• Five-Year Capital Budget Spending – Park and recreation agencies will spend a median of $6 million in capital expenditures budgeted over the next five years.

• Targets for Capital Expenditures – On average, 54 percent of the capital budget is designated for renovation, while 32 percent is geared toward new development.

• Value of Deferred Maintenance Projects per Agency – On average, park and recreation agencies have $17.4 million of deferred maintenance projects on their books.

Policies • Park and Recreation Policies – Four in five park and recreation agencies ban the use of tobacco products at most or all of their parks and facilities.

Compare Your Agency With Its Peers The 2021 APR and NRPA Park Metrics are not standards, but vital starting points for a larger discussion.

These resources allow park and recreation professionals to make informed decisions and support a persuasive case for greater agency funding.

A valuable feature of Park Metrics is the ability to identify agencies of similar size, budget, location and/

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or jurisdiction type, which allows for a deeper peer-to-peer connection and exchange of information. For example, the typical agency serving a jurisdiction population of 65,000 has 61.2 FTEs on its payroll. If your agency has 71 FTEs, an outsider may conclude that your agency is overstaffed. By identifying your peer agencies, you are able to counter this charge because you learned in your conversations with peers that your agency delivers a wider breadth of amenities and services than the typical 65,000-resident park and recreation agency.

We look forward to hearing about the ways you and your agency use this data and the peer connections you make. Please share with us how your agency has used data from Park Metrics and the 2021 APR to identify opportunities for improvements and to make the case for greater funding and staffing.

Thank You The NRPA Research team would like to take a moment to acknowledge all those park and recreation professionals who made this report possible. We know this has been a difficult year for everyone, and your commitment to sharing data and advancing the field through your participation in NRPA Park Metrics is incredibly appreciated. Whether your agency represents a community large or small, whether you have contributed for one year or many years, whether you collaborated with co-workers or tackled the survey alone, we thank you for making this possible. If your agency has not recently submitted data to Park Metrics, please consider doing so today.

We are here to help.

Melissa May is NRPA’s Senior Research Manager (mmay@nrpa.org).

NRPA PARK PULSE

Get Outside This Spring and Summer With Parks and Recreation

6 in 7 U.S. adults say that

they are looking forward to outdoor activities this spring and summer. The top outdoor activities by generation are:

GEN Z

Swimming

GEN X

Going to the park

BABY BOOMERS Attending picnics or barbecues

MILLENNIALS

Visiting a beach or lake

Other top activities include hiking, biking and walking on trails. Throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, park and recreation professionals and their agencies have provided people access to safe spaces for recreation.

Each month, through a poll of 1,000 U.S. residents focused on park and recreation issues, NRPA Park Pulse helps tell the park and recreation story. Questions span from the serious to the more lighthearted. The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com).

Visit nrpa.org/ParkPulse for more information.

FINANCE FOR THE FIELD More Public-Private Partnership Models

By John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

T

his column focuses on four additional frameworks to those discussed in the April column (nrpa.org/PartnershipModels) that facilitate collaborative partnerships between park and recreation departments and private-sector partners. They include priming private-sector pumps, using private facilities, restoring an exploited natural resource and expanding existing facilities.

Priming Private-Sector Pumps Developers are sometimes amenable to donating land or infrastructure to a city on the condition that the city develop amenities on it. Their purpose is to enhance the value of lots in their development. This is relatively common in golf developments, where the city constructs a public course (sometimes with at least partial funding from the developer), or in contexts where there is a large amount of floodplain area through which the city can develop a trail system.

This not only assists in adding value to the lots, but also it relieves the developer of an obligation to operate and maintain the facility that invariably is not a profitable enterprise, and it removes the requirement to pay property taxes on it.

Collaborative partnerships can be formed between park and recreation departments and the private sector.

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From the public’s perspective, it saves the cost of land, which would be a substantial cost if it were to independently purchase the land to develop these facilities. It may behoove a city to send out a request for proposal requesting a land donation of (say) 50 acres on which to build a public park or other desired facility to test whether a project offering mutual benefits could be developed.

Use of Private Facilities An inventory of recreation facilities operated by all sectors in a community is likely to reveal opportunities for a public recreation department to expand its offerings without capital investment or building overhead costs.

At many private sites, there will be downtimes that could be leased; at others, private businesses may welcome the opportunity to host public recreation classes as a means of introducing residents to their services.

Most motels have pools that are underutilized in the morning hours and could be used to teach swim classes or water aerobics; school pools could be used during weekends; while aquatic and fitness classes could be offered in apartment complex facilities. Churches, community buildings and libraries could be bases for senior programs. Golf course lounges during off-peak times could be used for fitness classes.

Consider a bowling center where demand was strong in the evenings and weekends, but lagged for much of the remaining time. A recreation department negotiated a lease that enabled programs for its older adults to be based there during slack time periods. This facility could offer an indoor “track” of 10 laps to the mile; meeting rooms for various activities; pool rooms; concession stands for snacks and drinks; and a thriving senior bowling league.

Negotiating with private entities that offer activities, such as gymnastics, horseback riding, fitness programs, ceramics, golf, sailing, tennis, etc., can result in potential benefits to both partners. Typically, in these partnerships, the agency promotes the class or activity and registers participants, while the private partner provides the instructors.

From the private partner’s perspective, the department acts as a broker that matches clients with recreation providers who meet their needs. In essence, the agency is an unpaid agent that is efficiently reaching client groups who are attractive potential prospects to the operator. A typical agency promotes a large number of class offerings, so the promotional costs per class are likely to be much lower than those a single operator would incur to reach a similar number of residents.

There are many who are likely to feel more comfortable participating under the auspices of a recreation agency with which they are familiar, while they may be timid and, perhaps, embarrassed about ventur-

ing into an unfamiliar commercial establishment. This enables them to try out the facility. If it is a positive experience, then they can subsequently enroll as a regular user.

Restoring an Exploited Natural Resource In some communities, it has been possible to finance park and recreation facilities by permitting controlled exploitation of a resource owned by a government entity and using the accruing revenues to develop the site for recreational purposes.

The mining of sand and gravel deposits is a common example. The mining fees pay for the site’s transformation to recreational use, and the mining is done in accordance with the agency’s specifications to ensure a well-designed recreation area when the mining is completed.

More than 60 golf courses have been constructed nationwide on landfills. They have to conform with environmental regulations addressing such issues as settlement, leachate and gas emissions, but improvements in construction technology in recent years have made such facilities feasible.

Closed landfills often are one of the few large open spaces in dense metropolitan areas. In a study of their potential for recreation, Peter Harnik noted, “they may be as small as dozens of acres or as large as 1,000 or more and the land may be free or inexpensive to buy or possibly even come with its own supporting funds for environmental restitution.”

Expansion of Existing Public Facilities In northern states with long winters, outdoor facilities have a limited season. Some communities have

joined with private-sector partners who provide additional investment to convert facilities to accommodate indoor use in the winter months.

The following is a typical example: A city leased an existing fivecourt outdoor tennis complex to a private partner for 10 years, with two successive five-year options to extend the lease. The leasee paid the city 5 percent of gross revenue. The developer constructed an air-supported structure over the courts and built a permanent support building. The partner had exclusive use of the courts for a 32-week winter season and erected and dismantled the structure at the beginning and ending of each season. The city had exclusive use for the 20-week summer season.

The remarkable creativity that characterizes many partnerships is indicative of the changing role of a recreation manager. No longer is this person limited to being an administrator who is given tax funds to deliver services. Rather, the manager’s role has transitioned and expanded to that of a public-sector entrepreneur who is given a relatively small allocation of tax funds and is expected to use them to leverage additional funds from partners to deliver desired programs and facilities.

John L. Crompton, Ph.D., is a University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor and Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University and an elected Councilmember for the City of College Station (jcrompton@tamu.edu).

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ADVOCACY

Demystifying Advocacy in Parks and Recreation

By Dan McCarthy

A

dvocacy can be a scary word for many folks, especially those in the nonprofit sector or governmental agencies. Fear of the unknown or of breaking rules often forces people to disengage from the political process and miss opportunities to engender systematic change. This lack of engagement strips out vital voices and perspectives.

NRPA’s Public Policy and Advocacy team raises awareness of the essential role parks and recreation plays in every community. As the new advocacy manager, I will help our members better connect with their public officials. We are committed to leading and organizing innovative advocacy campaigns that advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people. To achieve this ambitious mission, we need your help.

The Biden Administration and the 117th Congress The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its reverberations made obvious what we’ve all known for a long time: parks and recreation services are an essential feature of every community. Our local parks have become oases in the age of self-isolation, a welcome and necessary respite from Zoom calls and doomscrolling.

As the new Congress and the Biden administration start to address

the critical issues facing our country, parks and recreation can be at the center of our collective recovery. The first two years of any new administration are often the busiest legislatively, and the Biden administration hopes to move swiftly on a number of major priorities: COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus, climate change and green infrastructure, and food assistance and equity.

Park and recreation professionals and supporters have an opportuni-

ty to ensure these major legislative packages reflect and invest in our shared priorities.

What Is Advocacy?

Advocacy is the act or process of supporting a cause or a proposal.

It’s something we all do in our daily lives. How many times have you argued in favor of a particular film on movie night or for a local restaurant when you’re too tired to cook?

If you’ve ever stuck up for yourself at home, at work or anywhere else, then you’ve advocated for yourself and have the skills to advocate for parks and recreation.

Why Advocacy Matters In our current political environment, it can be hard to see the connection between the policy debates that happen in Washington, D.C., and their impacts on your community. However, as former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neill famously declared: all politics is local. What may seem like a remote, disconnected policy can and does have real, tangible impacts on our daily lives.

If you’ve never engaged in advocacy before, it can be nerveracking to contact your representative or senator. It’s easy to forget they are our elected representatives.

Public officials must be uniquely attuned to the opinion and desires of their constituents. After all, they have to go back to their constituents every two or six years and ask for their support again. But if

Advocacy is the act or process of supporting a cause or a proposal, and it is something we all do in our daily lives.

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they never hear from you, then they won’t know what matters to you or your community, nor will they feel any political pressure to take action on your behalf.

Here’s an example of how passionate people united can make a difference: more than 500 NRPA advocates sent thousands of letters, tweets and phone calls to Congress in support of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a federal grant program that champions the protection of federal public lands and waters. Efforts led to this critical environmental protection program becoming law, securing public access and improving recreational opportunities for local communities — a feat 50 years in the making.

How Can I Get Involved?

this committee; I want you to visit my local park].

• I firmly believe that [reason: this legislation would help/harm my community; your committee can do X, Y, Z; our local park is the best in the country].

• How can I stay in touch with your office on these issues?

• Thank you for your time.

Stay up-to-date on the latest developments by signing up for NRPA Action Alerts: visit nrpa.org/Advocacy and click “Take Action.” Want to make an impact immediately? Text “PARKS” to 52886 and join our latest advocacy campaign. Everyone deserves a great park. Let’s work together to make that a reality.

The first step to taking action is getting informed about the issues that matter to you. Find out who your public officials are (tinyurl.com/m387jbe6) and tell them what issues matter to you: send an email, call their office or message them on social media.

Every time a constituent contacts a legislator’s office on an issue, staff members track and record that information. If enough people raise an issue, legislators pay attention.

If you’re not sure what to say, feel free to use this sample script: • Hi, my name is [your name] and I’m a constituent of [elected official]. I live in [town name].

• I’m contacting you today because [reason: you support/oppose this legislation; you’re on

Dan McCarthy is NRPA’s Advocacy Manager (dmccarthy@nrpa.org).

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Together, Apart The benefits of intergenerational programs during COVID-19 and beyond

By Lori N. Marks, Ph.D.

W

hen the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit, intergenerational programs — those that unite younger and older generations in meaningful, purposeful activities — scrambled to maintain social connections between people of all ages while meeting critical needs in their communities.

Kind2Kupuna, a project of Age-Friendly Honolulu in Hawaii, began collecting hopeful messages and pictures from keiki (elementary, middle and high school students) for kupuna (older adults). The messages and drawings have been made into collages and distributed to kupuna in several assisted living

A growing body of research shows that every age group benefits when different generations come together for a common cause.

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communities, senior centers and kupuna meal provider locations.

As the world went virtual, many other intergenerational programs turned to online platforms. SAGEConnect, a program of SAGE — a national organization that provides advocacy and services for LGBT elders — launched in April 2020 to address growing concerns of social isolation for all ages. The program connects LGBTQ+ older adults across the United States with casual, weekly phone or video calls from a younger volunteer.

Other programs looked for ways to safely connect older and younger people outdoors. As part of its AGE to Age program, the Northland Foundation in northern Minnesota sponsored 11 community gardens in 2020, bringing together nearly 200 young people and older volunteers. While maintaining safe distances, people of all ages worked together to plant and maintain the gardens. The harvested produce benefited the volunteer gardeners and was shared with local assisted living facilities and food banks.

Other examples of how intergenerational professionals adapted programs and activities during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found in Generations United’s new resource on intergenerational pro-

grams and the COVID-19 pandemic (tinyurl.com/5d38ff76).

These programs’ creative attempts at building strong, albeit virtual or physically distant, communities are in line with this year’s theme for Older Americans Month, “Communities of Strength,” and can serve as inspiration for park and recreation professionals who are seeking creative, engaging ways to meet the needs in their own communities.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced all ages to self-isolate, the United States was facing a loneliness epidemic affecting both older and younger generations. The negative impacts of social isolation and loneliness are well documented, and research suggests that remaining socially engaged can improve these outcomes. In fact, a 2018 survey by Generations United and The Eisner Foundation found that 92 percent of Americans believe intergenerational activities can help reduce loneliness across all ages.

Intergenerational programs — like Kind2Kupuna, SAGEConnect and AGE to Age — intentionally unite the generations in ways that enrich participants’ lives. Those programs, according to Generations United’s Making the Case for Intergenerational Programs, also build on the positive resources that younger and older generations have to offer each other and their communities.

A growing body of research shows that every age group benefits when different generations come together for a common cause. For young peo-

ple, intergenerational programs can lead to outcomes, such as improved academic performance, heightened self-esteem and higher rates of civic engagement. Older adults experience benefits, such as decreased social isolation, improved quality of life and greater sense of purpose. The reciprocity of benefits is what makes intergenerational programs a win-win.

At Link Generations in Maryland, where middle and high school students engage with older adults, the young people learn resilience by hearing stories of how people have managed to get through challenges.

Older adults, in turn, feel optimistic about the future when participating in intergenerational programs.

Other models include Hope Meadows and the Yukon-Koyukuk

Elder Assisted Living Facility in Galena, Alaska. The latter is intentionally designed to ensure older residents can stay in their communities near family and friends. This proximity makes it easy for local youth to help elders with housekeeping responsibilities and elders to share their knowledge of tribal culture and tradition.

That transfer of wisdom also happens at Hope Meadows, a model intergenerational neighborhood in central Illinois that provides community support to families adopting children from foster care, most of whom are people of color.

The older retired neighbors serve as mentors and “grandparents” to foster and adoptive families.

Intergenerational practitioners —

including park and recreation professionals — can nurture and reinforce the strengths of all ages by designing programs “that help children help seniors, help seniors meet the needs of families, and help families meet the needs of children and seniors.

The result will be that all benefit, and communities will become stronger.” (tinyurl.com/28wex37c) Generations United is the national organization working to improve the lives of children, youth and older adults through intergenerational programs and practices. For more inspiration and resources to develop intergenerational programs, visit gu.org.

Lori N. Marks, Ph.D., is Executive Director of Link Generations and Adjunct Associate Professor of Gerontology at University of Maryland Global Campus (lori@ linkgenerations.org).

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PHOTO COURTESY OF EDDIE CAMPOS, MOUNTAIN RECREATION

EQUITY

Mountain Recreation in Eagle County, Colorado, engages Latino community members through its first-ever bilingual adult learn to ice skate lessons.

Bicultural Marketing and Closing the Gap

By Eduardo “Eddie” Campos

A

s park and recreation professionals, it is our duty to serve 100 percent of our community, which each day grows increasingly diverse across a myriad of physical, mental, spiritual and self-identified differentiators.

As marketing and communications manager for Mountain Recreation in Eagle County, Colorado, I am responsible for communicating with our diverse community. However, built-up inclusivity in marketing often ends at marketing, and if an organization is not prepared to deliver on that promise when customers come through the door, the organization is left in a worse position. It is not only a matter of disconnect, but also a way of losing the community’s trust.

Equitable marketing is achievable and is proven only if an organization can close the gap in its community’s customer journey: from awareness 24 Parks & Recreation

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through to continued participation.

For the purposes of this article, I will focus on ethnicity, since it is the greatest element of diversity in my community. Our Latino community makes up an estimated 30 to 40 percent of our overall population, and in public schools, ranges from 50 to 90 percent of students.

The following are steps we are taking to close the gap.

Bilingual and Bicultural Marketing It is not enough to repurpose and Google Translate current marketing materials to be used for Latino communities. Tailored marketing

to this demographic is often disregarded and results in a disingenuous approach. Auto translations lead to translation mistakes (even of your own organization’s name!) and contain a message culturally relevant only to the sender. How do we solve this? Mountain Recreation’s goal is to ensure that every word we communicate verbally or in print to the mass community is bilingual. We contract translators who are bicultural and I, being bilingual and bicultural, create or approve all messaging.

Some examples are facility signage, radio content, direct mail, editorial, social media, our registration software (with limitations) and soon, email marketing. And it doesn’t stop there — our staff work with our translator regarding program materials, parent handbooks, membership agreements, staff training manuals

PHOTO COURTESY OF EDDIE CAMPOS, MOUNTAIN RECREATION

Latino community members in Eagle County, Colorado, attend a bilingual adult learn to swim lesson hosted

by Mountain Recreation.

and more. This requires double the work and double the resources — and your community will thank you for it.

Belonging This is where the real work begins. Due to ethnic inequities and divides present in our community and across the nation, many Latino patrons (kids and adults) appear hesitant at the front door, as our staff and participants are predominately white. Part of closing the gap is creating an inclusive space and experience that our Latino community can feel welcomed in.

Through our diversity, equity and inclusion training, named “Forward Together,” consultants will help us re-examine our own diverse perspectives, lived experiences and unconscious biases, and will help us broaden our acceptance of others. This means reassessing our systems, policies and overall customer experiences to achieve a deep understanding of our diverse community, the bicultural dynamics at play, and discover what we didn’t know.

Closing the Gap To fully close the gap, there is one key element that should not be underestimated that will impact every step of the journey: representation. Regardless of the diversity in your unique community, representation will improve your approach, maximize your reach and ensure a positive interaction and impact.

If you hope to serve your diverse community, know you will have more success by mirroring it through your staff.

No, I am not talking about checking the box and having a few tokenized staff members — I am talking about taking an internal look at your agency to see where you can level the playing field and achieve equity and inclusion for all.

What can your organization do if this is not currently a viable option? One of the biggest elements in representation as it relates to our Latino community is language.

So, our administrator, front desk staff, lifeguards and other staff are learning Spanish, taking lessons twice a week and doing their homework to better understand and welcome the members of our community. These staff are bridge builders in the making!

about these individuals’ needs, interests and barriers, and have created an open space where our community is empowered to directly guide the district’s offerings, rather than the district deciding what is needed.

Closing the gap has required great work and sacrifice, and much work still needs to be done, but every day we aim to be better than yesterday.

Eduardo “Eddie” Campos is Marketing and Communications Manager for Mountain Recreation (ECampos@MountainRec.org).

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PHOTO COURTESY OF EVANSTON PARKS AND RECREATION DISTRICT

CONSERVATION

Evanston Parks and Recreation District staff envision Bear Meadows as a space for active recreation that is configurable to a variety of needs based on the demands of the community.

Revitalizing Parkland in Evanston, Wyoming

By Lindsay Hogeboom

F

or nearly 10 years, a six-acre grassy field, known as Bear Meadows, has existed in the heart of downtown Evanston, Wyoming. The field — which sits just to the west of the Bear Ice Ponds, next to the Bear River and shares walking trails with a nearby Bear River State Park — is beloved by the community for its large natural area and convenient location.

However, a handful of environmental challenges currently hinder the ability to use the land to its full potential. Park and recreation professionals at Evanston Parks and Recreation District (EPRD) are working to transform the underutilized space into a year-round outdoor recreational area for their community.

out cross-country ski tracks at Bear Meadows, “but it is difficult with the swinging weather to make a quality track for cross-country skiing,” says Kim Larson, recreation manager for EPRD. “We have all these skis at the rec center to rent out for people to go play outside, but they’re just sitting there because there’s no snow.”

Site Challenges

Land Management Strategies

In December 2020, EPRD staff met with representatives from NRPA and Sasaki, a leading global design firm, to discuss the environmental challenges of the site and potential land management solutions. During the summer season, the biggest site challenge is the ability to effectively irrigate the land due to soil conditions, reduced annual precipitation and extended drought. “The drainage is probably our biggest issue,” says Kev26 Parks & Recreation

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in Munoz, parks maintenance worker for EPRD. “The main thing is that [the field] sits out in the open all day long, constantly in the sun, so it dries out if you don’t get enough water on it. But at other times, you can drown it and it won’t drain either.”

During winter, another environmental challenge has arisen over recent years due to increasingly extreme and consistent weather fluctuations: diminished snowpack.

EPRD staff hope to be able to lay

Despite these environmental challenges, EPRD staff committed to revitalizing the site expressed big ideas for what the area could be, including a space for active recreation that is configurable to a variety of needs based on the demands of the community. “We are trying to keep it improving and actually growing,” says Munoz. “I would hope to see it…able to be used year-round.” To

team at Sasaki includes dual usage of the site for recreation and water detention. “There might even be a solution or two that uses lowimpact design solutions for green infrastructure,” says Lanmuzhi Yang, Sasaki’s associate landscape architect.

“In looking at the edges [of the site], we can capture water and be more strategic about where the drainage is on-site. By using the edges in this way, we can create a beautiful space while increasing ecological functionality.”

A New Tool for Resiliency The case study of Bear Meadows informed a research project that is being conducted by Sasaki, in partnership with NRPA, that identifies design and management solutions to help miti-

gate climate impacts in parks across the Intermountain West region of the United States. This research informed the soon-to-be released web-based toolkit — Climate.Park.Change. — for park and recreation professionals in the Intermountain West region to design and implement climate-ready parks and build community and environmental resiliency. Launching in spring 2021, the toolkit prioritizes strategies that are replicable across varying park and recreation systems to achieve maximum community improvement and promote equitable investment. For more information, visit nrpa.org/Conservation.

PHOTO CREDIT

make this a vision reality, the first challenge to be addressed is the issue of water usage and drainage.

“One thing to think about is [whether] there are ways to capture rainwater for reuse on the site,” suggests Anna Cawrse, Sasaki landscape architect and director of the firm’s Denver office. Additionally, Cawrse asks, “Are there areas within the open-space turf where we could reduce the amount of irrigation needed [by planting], but still keep enough space so that you can do the soccer and baseball fields?” EPRD staff predict they could use approximately a third of the field for planting and still have enough space for the community’s recreation needs.

Another suggestion from the

Lindsay Hogeboom is Associate Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine (lhogeboom@nrpa.org).

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L AW R EV I EW

In the case of Bair v. California Department of Transportation, a number of individuals and environmental groups alleged a proposed highway project through a state park failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

Environmental Review of State Park Highway Widening

By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

I

n the case of Bair v. California Department of Transportation, 982 F.3d 569, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 37604 (9th Cir. 12/2/2020), a number of individuals and environmental groups (hereinafter referred to collectively as “Bair”) alleged a proposed highway project through a state park failed to comply with NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, Pub. L. No. 91-190, 83 Stat. 852 (1970).

The federal district court had determined that defendant California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) had arbitrarily and capriciously relied upon a 2010 Environmental Assessment (2010 EA), as supplemented and revised. Specifically, the district court held the 2010 EA had failed to sufficiently consider certain “significant issues.” Accordingly, the district court enjoined Caltrans from continuing the project until Caltrans “finalized an appro-

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priate environmental impact statement (EIS).” Caltrans appealed the judgment of the district court to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Save the Redwoods Richardson Grove State Park (the Grove) comprises approximately 2,000 acres within the redwood forests of southern Humboldt County, California, and is bisected by United States Highway 101 (tinyurl. com/9n5v7h5f).

Within the Grove, Highway 101 is a two-lane highway “on a nonstandard alignment” with tight curves, narrow travel lanes and roadway shoulders. A number of trees, including old-growth redwood trees, abut the roadway as it meanders through the Grove.

In light of antiquated roadway design, there are restrictions on the types of vehicles that may travel that portion of the highway.

Sixty-five-foot-long “California Legal” trucks are permitted, but industry-standard Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (STAA) trucks generally are not.

STAA trucks are longer than California Legal trucks and can carry larger cargo volumes, although

both classes of trucks are subject to the same weight limitation. Because of their longer length, STAA trucks navigating the highway’s tight curves frequently “off-track” into the opposing traffic lane or onto the roadway shoulder.

In 2007, Caltrans learned that the existing roadway could be strategically widened to render it accessible to STAA trucks, and Caltrans developed the Richardson Grove Operational Improvement Project (the Project) to do just that. The Project involved slightly widening the roadway and straightening some curves in certain locations along a onemile stretch of Highway 101, largely within the Grove. Its purposes were to accommodate STAA truck travel, improve the safety of Highway 101, and improve the movement of goods into Humboldt County.

The speed limit would remain unchanged at 35 miles per hour. Caltrans assumed responsibility for obtaining environmental approval for the Project pursuant to NEPA. Under federal law, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation is authorized to enter into a memorandum of understanding, in which a State assumes “the responsibilities of the Secretary with respect to one or more highway projects within the State under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.” 23 U.S.C. § 327(a)(2) (A), (B)(i).

2010 Original Project Proposal The original 2010 EA included extensive analysis of the Project’s environmental effects and efforts to minimize those effects, developed in consultation with the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks). More than 100

pages of the 2010 EA were devoted to analyzing various environmental impacts, such as the effects on the nearby South Fork Eel River, the Grove and its recreation facilities, economic growth, traffic, water quality, noise, local plant and animal species (particularly oldgrowth redwood trees), and protected or threatened species.

Caltrans ultimately determined that the impacts to the Grove would be minor and would primarily consist of “tree removal resulting from cuts and fills that are necessary to accommodate the highway improvements,” as well as the effect on trees whose structural root zones were within the construction area.

Although some trees would be removed, none of those would be old-growth redwoods. While construction would occur in the structural root zones of fewer than 80 oldgrowth redwoods, plans were made to mitigate its effects, including raising the height of the roadbed where possible to avoid severing tree roots and using a thinner roadbed material to allow greater permeability.

In light of those measures, both the Caltrans arborist (Darin Sullivan) and the arborist hired by Save the Redwoods League (Dennis Yniguez) determined that the Project as proposed in 2010 “would not significantly impact the root health of the old growth trees adjacent to the construction.” Caltrans subsequently issued an EA and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Project in May 2010.

2010 and 2014 Litigation In a 2010 lawsuit, Bair claimed the Caltrans EA/FONSI violated NEPA. The federal district court agreed and granted partial summa-

ry judgment to Bair. In so doing, the district court ordered Caltrans to undertake additional studies, such as preparing new maps of each old-growth redwood tree, its root health zone and the environmental impacts to each tree. Caltrans then revised its analysis accordingly.

After commissioning a tree report from arborist Yniguez, Caltrans issued a 2013 Supplement to the 2010 EA. Caltrans then took public comments, responded to them, and finally issued a NEPA re-validation for the Project in January 2014. Caltrans had found that the 2010 EA and FONSI remained valid. In 2014, Bair again challenged the re-validated Project, but Caltrans withdrew the FONSI in light of an adverse ruling in a parallel proceeding in the state California Court of Appeal.

2017 Proposal Following the original issuance of the EA in 2010, Caltrans had modified the Project to reduce its impact, primarily by narrowing the proposed roadbed (roadway shoulders). The modified Project would now require the removal of 38 trees, none of which are old-growth redwoods. Construction would occur within the structural root zones of 78 old-growth redwood trees, 72 of which are within the Grove.

Caltrans, once again, retained arborist Yniguez to evaluate the effects of the revised Project on the redwoods and to produce two reports summarizing his conclusions.

In general, Yniguez determined that the Project “would not have any substantial detrimental effect on individual old-growth redwoods or the overall health of the stand of redwoods in Richardson Grove.”

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These reports were based on scientific literature regarding redwoods and Yniguez’s three decades of experience as an arborist. Yniguez had made multiple site visits to the Grove (including a helicopter flight to evaluate tree crowns). He also reviewed materials provided by Caltrans, including the EA as well as detailed schematic drawings of all trees with root zones within the Project area. Yniguez assessed each tree individually to determine the likely effect on its health from the root zone disturbances created by the Project, both with and without mitigation measures.

Yniguez concluded that “none of the proposed highway alterations is of sufficient magnitude to threaten the health or stability of any old-growth redwood,” because “disturbances would be confined to a small percentage of the area occupied by roots and would be well within the adaptive capabilities of the trees.” Further, in the absence of proposed mitigation measures, Yniguez found “the limited root disturbance would be inconsequential to the appearance, stability, and continued health of the old-growth redwoods in Richardson Grove.”

Caltrans largely agreed with Yniguez’s analysis, but also considered other evidence, including: scientific literature about the resilience, health and development of redwoods and their root systems generally; the condition of the particular oldgrowth redwood trees in the Project area; and the specific activities and mitigation measures comprising the Project. According to Caltrans, “in no case would root disturbance have a significant detrimental effect on the health or stability of oldgrowth redwoods.” Accordingly, 30 Parks & Recreation

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in May 2017, Caltrans issued revisions to the EA and a new FONSI (tinyurl.com/2krurex6).

2017 Litigation In response, Bair, again, renewed claims similar to those in earlier litigation, alleging various violations of NEPA. The district court once again granted Bair partial summary judgment as to some of the NEPA claims. In the opinion of the district court, Caltrans had not adequately considered the following identified issues in the revised EA/FONSI: (1) whether redwoods would suffocate when more than half of their root zones were covered by pavement; (2) whether construction in a redwood’s structural root zone would cause root disease; (3) whether traffic noise would increase because of the larger size of the STAA trucks or because of increased numbers of trucks; and (4) whether redwoods would suffer more frequent and severe damage as a result of strikes by STAA trucks.

Because of those deficiencies, the district court held the revised EA was inadequate because Caltrans had not taken the requisite NEPA “hard look” at the environmental impacts of the Project. In light of those supposed shortcomings in the revised EA, the district court concluded that substantial questions had been raised as to the effects of the Project, and it ordered Caltrans to prepare an EIS. The district court also enjoined Caltrans from proceeding with the Project until the EIS was finalized.

Caltrans appealed.

NEPA APA Review As cited by the federal appeals court: “Agency decisions that allegedly violate NEPA are reviewed

under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA)” and federal courts “set aside those decisions only if they are arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.” 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(A). Further, the appeals court noted NEPA “requires a federal agency to prepare a detailed statement on the environmental impact of major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment” in an EIS. On the other hand, the appeals court acknowledged that NEPA regulations would alternatively “allow an agency to prepare a more limited document, an Environmental Assessment (EA), if the agency’s proposed action would not clearly require the production of an EIS.” 40 C.F.R. § 1501.4(b)(c).

As described by the court, an EA is “a concise public document that briefly provides sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare an EIS.” 40 C.F.R. § 1508.9(a)-(b). If the agency determines that an EIS is not required, it issues a FONSI, which briefly presents the reasons why the proposed agency action will not have a significant impact on the human environment.

Pursuant to judicial review under the APA, the federal appeals court acknowledged: “the agency’s decision to issue an EA/FONSI in lieu of an EIS can be set aside only upon a showing that it was arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.” In so doing, the court would review an EA/FONSI to determine “whether the agency has taken a hard look at the consequences of its actions, based its

decision on a consideration of the relevant factors, and provided a convincing statement of reasons to explain why a project’s impacts are insignificant.”

While conducting a “searching and careful” judicial review, the federal appeals court acknowledged that such review was “nevertheless, narrowly circumscribed, and we cannot substitute our own judgment for that of the agency.” In particular, the federal appeals court was mindful that federal judges “are not a panel of scientists that instructs the agency how to validate its hypotheses, chooses among scientific studies, or orders the agency to explain every possible scientific uncertainty.”

Applying this appropriate APA standard of judicial review to the revised Caltrans EA/FONSI at issue, the federal appeals court had to determine whether Caltrans had considered the relevant factors and provided a convincing statement of reasons to support its FONSI for the highway widening project. In so doing, the appeals court would consider whether Caltrans’ explanation was reasonable or arbitrary and capricious with regard to the following relevant factors: redwood tree suffocation, root zones construction, traffic noise/volume and collision with trees.

Root Zones Construction Similarly, the federal appeals court found that “Caltrans appropriately considered the extent and effect of the construction activity that would occur in the structural root zones of redwood trees, including construction guidelines in a State Parks handbook.” In the opinion of the court: “The record plainly belies Bair’s contention that Caltrans failed to consider the effects of construction.”

As characterized by the federal appeals court, “the record is replete with Caltrans’ comprehensive analyses of the extent and effects of construction activity in the root zones of individual trees.” Moreover, the court found “the sentence in State Parks’ handbook that recommended that no construction should take place in the structural root zone of a protected tree” did not necessarily apply to “the affected redwoods or influenced State Parks’ opinion of the Project.” Regardless, the federal appeals court acknowledged that Caltrans was not obligated to defer to or adopt the opinion of State Parks regarding the environmental impacts of the Project.

According to the court, “NEPA anticipates that the

Redwood Tree Suffocation In the opinion of the federal appeals court, “Caltrans sufficiently considered the effect of paving over portions of tree root zones.” In particular, the appeals court found arborist Yniguez and Caltrans had “thoroughly assessed the amount of paving that would be placed over the root zone of each tree”: Yniguez specifically relied in part upon Caltrans’ selection of permeable material, the minor and limited areas of new asphalt, and Caltrans’ decision to narrow the proposed roadway shoulders where possible in reaching his conclusion that the Project would not create extreme stress in the redwoods or overwhelm their natural resilience.

As a result, the appeals court held this agency decision was not arbitrary and capricious. On the contrary, the court found Caltrans had “considered the possibility that paving could harm the trees, but simply (and reasonably) concluded that there was sufficient evidence to the contrary.” The federal appeals court, therefore, concluded: “The district court erred in concluding that the EA failed to adequately consider the effects of paving over portions of the root zones of certain trees.”

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The federal appeals court considered whether the district court had erred in determining that the defendant should have analyzed whether the Project could cause trees to suffer more frequent collisions with trucks.

sider the State Parks handbook and the impact of construction in the structural root zones of old-growth redwoods.”

Traffic Noise and Volume administrative record may contain contradictory and conflicting opinions, expert and otherwise, and does not require an agency to follow all recommendations made by commentators, other agencies, or experts.” As a result, “to the extent that the recommendation in State Parks’ handbook is relevant here,” the federal appeals court found “Caltrans could (and did) reasonably refuse to follow it, especially when Caltrans relied upon evidence specifically pertaining to the effects of construction on redwoods, in general, and the redwoods in the Project area, in particular.” The federal appeals court, therefore, concluded the federal district court had also “erred when it decided that Caltrans failed to sufficiently con32 Parks & Recreation

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The federal appeals court then addressed the claim that the EA had inadequately considered the environmental impacts traffic volume and noise associated with widening the highway. The Caltrans EA had concluded that truck traffic would not increase as a result of the Project. In the opinion of the court, Caltrans had “properly relied upon record evidence to do so, including: a survey of regional business owners, traffic studies in nearby areas suggesting little latent demand for the route, and the fact that highway capacity would be unchanged.”

Pursuant to appropriate judicial review under the APA, the appeals court conceded “Caltrans’ conclusion that traffic would not increase is entitled to deference.” Similarly,

in light of the conclusion in the EA that truck traffic would not increase, the court found “Caltrans also reasonably concluded that traffic noise would not appreciably increase.”

In making this determination, the federal appeals court noted “the district court had stated that it believed STAA trucks would be noisier than California Legal trucks because their tractor units are bigger and heavier.”

In making this statement, the federal appeals court found the district court had “cited no evidence for its assumptions about the size and weight of STAA tractor units, or its belief about their noise in comparison to California Legal trucks.”

In conducting APA review of agency action, the federal appeals court cautioned: “A district court has no more license to act as ‘a panel of scientists’ than we have.’” Accordingly, the federal appeals court held: “the district court erred when it decided that Caltrans failed to adequately consider how the visitor experience to the Grove would be affected by the presence of STAA trucks, particularly with regard to whether they would be more numerous or generate more noise.”

Collisions With Trees The federal appeals court also considered whether the district court had erred in determining that Caltrans should have analyzed whether the Project could cause trees to suffer more frequent collisions with trucks.

Because STAA trucks are longer and more difficult to maneuver, the federal district court had found the trees could potentially “sustain more damage from collisions because STAA trucks are heavier and their engine compartments more protruding than California Legal trucks.”

Under APA review, the federal appeals court conceded that “it is arbitrary and capricious for an agency to entirely fail to consider an important aspect of the problem.” On the other hand, the court noted: An agency is not required to address in detail every single comment to prove that it considered the relevant factors, much less to anticipate conclusory supposition about speculative and tangential effects that are not supported by evidence in the record.

As to collision frequency, the federal appeals court recognized “the undisputed purpose of the Project is to widen the road in order to provide room for off-tracking STAA trucks.” Accordingly, the appeals court found Caltrans had reasonably concluded the Project would “decrease the incidence of vehicles colliding with trees.” In so doing, the court rejected plaintiff Bair’s assumption that the Project would increase the risk of collisions because “the pavement will be closer to some trees.” Applying appropriate judicial review under the APA, the federal appeals court held: “Caltrans’ conclusions regarding the frequency of collisions were reasonable and entitled to deference, especially because they pertain to an ‘area of agency expertise.’”

Moreover, as to damage severity, the appeals court had “not located any comments or documents in the administrative record which indicate that STAA trucks would cause more damage when they strike trees.”

Accordingly, in the opinion of the appeals court, “the district court’s speculation that trees would suffer more severe damage from collisions because of the weight or shape of STAA trucks is not supported by any evidence in the record.” As a result, the federal appeals court held: “It was reasonable for Caltrans’ EA not to anticipate that unfounded speculation.” The appeals court, therefore, rejected Bair’s argument that a responsibly drafted Caltrans EA would necessarily require Caltrans to “amass evidence demonstrating the comparative damage caused to trees by collisions with STAA trucks and California Legal trucks.”

As a result, the federal appeals court was “satisfied that Caltrans took a hard look at the consequences of the Project, and adequately considered the relevant factors.” While “Bair or the district court may disagree with Caltrans’ conclusions,” the appeals court noted such disagreement “does not constitute a NEPA violation.” On the contrary, in this case, the federal appeals court concluded “the district court erred in finding Caltrans’ EA arbitrary and capricious and in setting aside the 2017 FONSI.”

Conclusion The federal appeals court, therefore, reversed the district court’s judgment “requiring Caltrans to produce an EIS and enjoining it from continuing the Project until it has done so.” The appeals court, however, remanded this case back to the district court for further proceedings to consider Bair’s other claims regarding defects in the Caltrans consideration of the Project, including alleged violations of section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act and section 7 of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. On remand, the federal appeals court expressed the expectation that “the district court will now expeditiously consider and dispose of those remaining claims;” noting: “The parties have engaged in contentious litigation over the (relatively limited) Project for more than ten years.”

James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., is an Attorney and Associate Professor in the School of Sport, Recreation and Tourism Management at George Mason University (jkozlows@gmu.edu).

Link to law review articles archive (1982 to present): mason. gmu.edu/~jkozlows.

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Is Your Park Ready for Its

CLOSE-UP? Promoting your park and recreation agency through quality photography

By Vitisia Paynich

A

sk most professional photographers how they would describe the merits of storytelling through photographs, and their response likely will be: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

But if that image lacks focus in quality and context, its value could be diminished to a single word — uninspiring.

For park and recreation agencies, using imagery can help to market and promote their vast portfolio of parks, sports facilities and recreation programming to community members. What’s more, compelling stories that clearly convey a community’s wants and needs allow agencies to make a case for increased park and recreation funding and future capital investments to stakeholders and elected officials.

“Residents enjoy seeing pictures of people, places or events that are familiar to them. Whether it’s a photo of a park, trail, recreation center or someone they know, it always helps for our residents to make a connection to the services that we provide through an image,” says Cynthia Booth, senior public affairs analyst at Durham Parks and Recreation (DPR) in North Carolina.

What’s Being Conveyed?

Generally, the marketing and communications team at a park 34 Parks & Recreation

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and recreation agency will hire professional photographers to capture images. However, given the sheer number of events and programming an agency might produce on a regular basis, they must be selective about the projects that warrant professional photography, as marketing budgets may be stretched.

“We use a professional photographer for our larger events, as the marketing team is typically busy engaging with participants and cannot capture all components of the event,” notes Booth.

“For our regular programs, activities or events, the marketing team will take pictures or ask the staff who plan the activities to take photos.”

Kim Mabon, founder and creative director of Creative By Design, suggests offering guidance and training to staff beforehand.

“More often than not, when the staff are taking the photos, they

don’t have the end-use in mind,” she says.

Paige Donahoe, a professional photographer and owner of Inspired Marketing & Photography, agrees. A lot of times, people just take pictures as an afterthought, she says. Thus, staff need a clear direction.

Capture candid moments at a park or facility. For example, if you’re taking photos of children in a park using a splash pad during summer, Donahoe says the best photos would be of two or three children running around and enjoying the splash pad. However, with your camera, you want to get a tight shot of a few of them playing and laughing. “Get that shot as tight as you can, but not to the point where the designer can’t crop [the image],” she advises.

Mabon says that when you’re going for those candid shots of people, “make sure that you angle the camera to where you can see at least half of their face, [especially] if they’re doing something.” Photos that capture engagement, emotion and experience of people are the most powerful because that emotion engages the audience, she explains.

Photos also should reflect the

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faces of the people who reside in a community, and not simply highlight a select few. “Photography as it relates to equity should be approached gently. Through our experience in engaging our diverse community, we have seen ourselves or partners rush to capture the moment and overwhelm our diverse participants coming out for the first time,” says Eduardo “Eddie” Campos, marketing and communications manager at Mountain Recreation Metropolitan District in Colorado. “My advice is to take a step back, let your participants enjoy the moment and take photos when appropriate. We want to encourage more to participate through photos of this group, but do so gently,” as you don’t want to make a spectacle nor make anyone uncomfortable.

He adds that equity is critical to his agency’s photography, as he and his team seek to ensure their

diverse community is represented and feels a sense of belonging in their community centers. “Photography plays a huge role in bringing down stigmas and beliefs that our spaces are only for certain groups of people; our spaces are for everyone,” says Campos.

According to Booth, “Durham is one of the most culturally diverse cities in North Carolina. DPR’s mission is to provide opportunities for the entire community to play more by connecting them to wellness, the outdoors and lifelong learning. To do so, we are careful to ensure that we are equitable when selecting images to promote our programs, activities and events.”

Smartphones and Photography Today, most people forego using a traditional camera in favor of a convenient smartphone. When you take a photo with a smart-

phone these days, it’s usually very high quality, especially with these recently released models, according to Mabon. “However, if you’re using a phone that’s five years old, that’s not going to be the case. But if you’ve got a phone that’s been put out in the last year or two, it’s probably got a really good camera on it with some good resolution.”

She adds, “One of the challenges with the smartphones is that people often take the photo with their smartphone, but they’re not exporting it correctly. You have to make sure that you export it to your computer or send it to your email…. If you’re getting it off your iPhone, you need to make sure that it’s set to the original quality and not anything less.” See figure 1. Note: Using Airdrop or when exporting on an Android via email, it will send the original size automatically. But if given a choice, always go for the largest size.

Figure 1.

Exporting a Photo From Your iPhone

Step 3.

Select “Actual Size”

Step 2.

Choose “Mail”

Step 1.

Click “Share”

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Figure 2.

High Resolution vs. Low Resolution

Tips for Taking PicturePerfect Photos Here are 10 tips for achieving the best results: Leverage the light. Donahoe says, “The way to take the best picture is using light. Get as much light in your photo as possible, so your camera has to do less work.”

However, the people being photographed shouldn’t look directly toward the sun, as you don’t want them to be squinting. “Also, if your back is to the sun and you’re taking a picture, chances are your picture is going to come out with nice color,” she says.

Seize the “cloudy” day. “It’s ideal to take photos on a cloudy day versus a really sunny day,” says Mabon. “The lighting will be more even-toned.”

Move to the shade. When outdoors, if possible, shoot photos of people in the shade. However, Mabon says, “if you are using a big tree that gives you enough shade, be careful of little light spots that shine through the leaves. And, you don’t want any of those bright spots on people’s faces.”

Don’t forget the flash. Once you have your subjects positioned in the shade under a tree or overhang, be sure to turn on the flash on your smartphone or camera. “It gets rid of all of the weird shadows that happen on people’s faces,” advises Donahoe.

Avoid unnecessary shadows.

“If you’re indoors or outdoors and you’re using a wall as a background, the person [you’re photographing] needs to stand about two feet away from the wall in order to get a good photo,” Mabon says. Otherwise, you end up with a harsh, black shadow behind the person standing in front of the wall instead of it serving as a backdrop.

1

2 3

4 5

High

6

Low

Consider indoor light options. Mabon says if you’re taking photos inside a recreation facility, find the spot with the best lighting. “If you don’t have it, position a couple of lamps [but] be careful, as the lamps can create harsh shadows,” she says. Ask someone to hold up a white sheet or large piece of white paper a foot away from the light source, which will soften the harsh light. “There are a lot of LED light rings out there, too [with] different color modes that you can purchase for $20,” she says. “Those things really improve lighting, especially for indoor options.”

Get candid. Posed pictures, where everybody is looking at the camera, are fine for staff photos or as team photo keepsakes. But for storytelling, capture those candid shots and catch people in action.

Try portrait mode. For those who opt to take photos via their smartphones, Mabon suggests using the “portrait mode” setting.

“It can greatly improve the image when there is a single person or object you are photographing,” Mabon says.

Think print resolution, not web resolution. An image saved to a website or social media is going to be at a lower resolution

7

8

9

than an image that will be printed in marketing materials or a magazine. If your photo is high enough resolution for print, that image can be used across multiple media platforms — but not vice versa.

Invest in a camera. If a park agency takes a lot of photos in-house, Mabon says it might be worth investing $500 to $600 for a good SLR (single-lens reflex) camera. “You can get a really inexpensive SLR body. Try to spend a little bit more money on the lens versus the body, because the lens is what makes the better photo, and you’ll get some really high-quality images,” she says.

10

Are Model Releases Necessary?

“In a public space, they’re not required,” says Donahoe. However, she advises using them, especially if you’re photographing children, to protect yourself and your agency. She adds that there are free model release mobile apps available that make it convenient for people to fill out on your phone or tablet right on the spot.

“Our organization does have a photo and video release, which is built into each point of registration,” notes Campos. “This allows our organization permission for

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Image Specs for Print Here are some helpful specifications for high-resolution images for printpublishing purposes based on page size. Note that image sizes are based on pixel width (W) by pixel height (H).

Page Size

Image Pixel Dimensions

Cover

2775 pixels (W) x 3300 pixels (H)

Spread (two pages)

5475 pixels (W) x 3300 pixels (H)

Half page

2422 pixels (W) x 1500 pixels (H)

Quarter page

1175 pixels (W) x 1500 pixels (H)

reasonable and proper use of any photo or video taken at any of our facilities and during our programs.

This is key in our goal of being transparent with our community and protects both parties.”

Why Image Resolution Matters When it comes to print publishing, many people seem perplexed by image resolution. After all, if an image looks good on an agency website, why won’t that same photo work in a printed direct-mail piece or magazine article?

“All images that you see on any website are done in 72 dpi [dots per inch],” says Mabon. “Everything that’s done in print is 300 dpi or higher. So, it has more dots per inch than the web resolution, which makes it a quality high enough for printing.” See figure 2 on page 37.

Donahoe says, “The difference with high resolution…especially in a digital format, is the amount of pixels that make up the photograph.”

You can have a low-resolution photo by the way you take it or by how many times a JPEG (a compressed file) has been saved.

“And when you have a compressed file, it loses bits of data over the course of that file and it gets smaller,” she says. “So, if you have a standard compression of 300 dpi to 38 Parks & Recreation

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600 dpi, the more dpi you have, the less there is data loss. The lower the dpi or file size, the more data loss.”

The bottom line is you can’t upsize an original photo that lacks the required pixel dimension without losing quality. “So, if the original is not that pixel dimension, don’t try to make it bigger because you lose quality,” she says. For a list of correct image specifications for print publishing, see the chart above.

Share Your Park and Recreation Story

Clearly, park and recreation agencies should market to their local constituents; however, they also might want to promote themselves to a national audience. Such efforts not only can draw attention to your community and agency, but also might elevate the park and recreation field overall.

In April, for example, NRPA launched its annual Park and Recreation Month cover contest, inviting park and recreation agencies throughout the country to submit their image that best represents this year’s theme, “Our Park and Recreation Story.” The selected photo will earn the agency the sought-after cover of Parks & Recreation magazine’s July issue, along with bragging rights in the industry.

Mabon says that Park and Recreation Month is a huge opportunity for park and recreation professionals, because it gives them added national exposure for activities at their agency and their location.

Mabon has firsthand knowledge about the process, as she serves as the publication’s contracted designer. “You want to make sure you put your best foot forward when you’re taking those photographs,” she advises, while offering tips such as ensuring images are high resolution and that the composition is vertical with enough room for the magazine’s logo to appear at the top as a cover. “It also must be enticing and inviting,” she asserts.

There are plenty of other opportunities to tell your park and recreation story, such as sharing your images with NRPA to use in its marketing collateral, research studies and educational materials.

The organization sources all images and provides photo credit to the department or agency. Parks & Recreation and other trade publications also rely on photo submissions for a variety of field-related subjects, such as playgrounds, youth sports and older adult programming.

Put It Into Focus What’s the best way to tell your park and recreation story? Perhaps Booth sums it up best: “They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that’s so true. Photos also tell a compelling story and allow viewers to see them doing the same activity and having fun. That is an even more compelling reason why we are equitable when using images to market our programs, activities and events.”

Vitisia Paynich is Executive Editor, Print and Online Content at NRPA (vpaynich@ nrpa.org).

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To

Los Angeles County implements equityfocused community parks and recreation plans

By Clement Lau

A

s a student and a practitioner, I have accumulated a collection of books about park planning over the years. One of my favorites is Never Built Los Angeles, by Greg Goldin and Sam Lubell, which explores the “what if ” Los Angeles. Specifically, the book features more than 100 visionary works that could have transformed Los Angeles, including proposed parks, plazas and master plans like the Olmsted Brothers and Harland Bartholomew’s 1930 report, Parks, Playgrounds, and Beaches for the Los Angeles Region, which would have made parkland much more accessible and abundant had it been fulfilled. While inspirational and interesting, Never Built Los Angeles is also a sad reminder that some promising plans and projects never materialized.

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P L A N S T O PA R K S

We plan with equity and implementation in mind, ensuring that our plans prioritize the neediest communities and do not end up just sitting on bookshelves.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION

Park planning is a key function of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) where I work as a park planner. We plan with equity and implementation in mind, ensuring that our plans prioritize the neediest communities and do not end up just sitting on bookshelves.

Examples of such planning documents include the Los Angeles Countywide Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment, Community Parks and Recreation Plans, and the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park Master Plan.

Countywide Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment The Countywide Parks Needs Assessment serves as DPR’s North Star, guiding its planning, resource allocation and decision making.

Completed in 2016, the Parks Needs Assessment was a historic undertaking to engage all of Los Angeles County in a collaborative process to identify and quantify the magnitude of need for parks in cities and unincorporated communities across Los Angeles County and determine the potential cost of meeting that need.

The Parks Needs Assessment established a new way to understand and think about parks by: • Considering them as key infrastructure needed to maintain and improve the quality of life for all residents • Using a series of metrics to determine park needs • Supporting a need-based allocation of funding for parks • Emphasizing both community priorities and deferred maintenance projects The Parks Needs Assessment was equity focused and identified communities with high or very high park need — something that had never been done before.

Knowing where these underserved areas are enables DPR to focus and prioritize resources to specifically address park inequities. The findings of the Parks Needs Assessment were so compelling that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decided to put a parks funding measure, Measure A, on

The 0.5-acre pocket park at Walnut Park will be the first of its kind in the community, which has 16,000 residents and a very high level of park need.

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the ballot in November 2016. Due in large part to the extensive community engagement process for the Parks Needs Assessment and the effective dissemination of public information, Measure A was passed with nearly 75 percent of voters supporting it. Measure A generates about $95 million of revenue annually and has dedicated funding for high- and very highneed areas.

Community Parks and Recreation Plans The first Community Parks and Recreation Plan (CPRP) completed by DPR was for the unincorporated community of FlorenceFirestone. In 2012, DPR applied for a Sustainable Communities Planning grant from the California Strategic Growth Council to prepare additional CPRPs to address the needs of six of the most parkpoor communities in Los Angeles County: East Los Angeles, East Rancho Dominguez, Lennox, Walnut Park, West Athens-Westmont and Willowbrook. Collectively, these communities are home to about 257,000 residents, or about a quarter of the population living in the county’s unincorporated areas.

DPR won that $1 million grant — despite being up against planning and transportation agencies with more experience in competing for such funds — and completed the six CPRPs in 2016. Aiding in the effort were residents, community-based organizations, the board of supervisors and other county departments.

Each CPRP begins with an examination of local demographics, existing parks and recreational facilities, parkland gaps, recreation programs, tree canopy coverage, transportation and connectivity to parks, as well as availability of land

IMAGE COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION; PLACEWORKS

for new parks. This baseline information, together with public input, informs a detailed assessment and prioritization of local park needs.

This, in turn, guides the development of a green-space vision, conceptual designs of potential new park projects, and strategies and implementation actions to address the identified needs — with the overall goal of making the communities more sustainable through a variety of efforts that offer wide-reaching benefits and impacts.

Implementation of the CPRPs is well under way, with a multitude of projects at varying scales and stages of development. Following are a few key examples: Woodcrest Play Park Identified as a priority project in

the West Athens-Westmont CPRP, Woodcrest Play Park opened to the public in late 2019. The innovative project transformed an underused space at Woodcrest Library into a small but vibrant public park, with a book-themed children’s play space, seating with laptop charging stations, outdoor exercise equipment and drought-tolerant plants.

Created through a collaboration between DPR and Los Angeles County Library, Woodcrest Play Park is located in the community of Westmont, which has about 33,000 residents and a very high level of park need, according to the Countywide Parks Needs Assessment. Thanks to this new park, 57 percent of Westmont residents now live within a 10-minute walk of a park. That number was just 35

The Countywide Parks Needs Assessment serves as Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation’s North Star, guiding its planning, resource allocation and decision making.

percent before. It means that an additional 7,000 residents, including 2,000 young people, can access a nearby park.

95th and Normandie Pocket Park The park site was acquired by DPR shortly after it was identified as a priority in the West AthensWestmont CPRP. In 2020, DPR successfully secured nearly $1.3 million in grant funds through California’s Proposition 68 Statewide Park Development Program to develop the park. The 0.16-acre pocket park will include a new play area with shade, therapeutic

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P L A N S T O PA R K S

garden, space for rotating recreational activities, public art, storage shed and landscaping.

Transforming this overgrown and forgotten corner at a busy intersection into a lively and beautiful space for rest, play, socializing and exercise will positively impact the quality of life for Westmont residents. With this pocket park, which is scheduled to be completed in 2023, the percentage of Westmont residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park would increase from 57 percent to 74 per-

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION

Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation recently partnered with the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Target to replace an old, damaged, unused futsal court at Roosevelt Park with a brand new mini-pitch for soccer.

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cent. This means that an additional 5,700 residents, including nearly 1,800 youths, would be able to walk to a nearby park.

Walnut Park Pocket Park Walnut Park Pocket Park is the top priority project identified in the Walnut Park CPRP. DPR acquired the property in 2019 and was awarded $4.3 million in Proposition 68 grant funds in 2020 to develop the park.

The 0.5-acre park, which is planned to be completed in 2023, will be the first park in the community of Walnut Park, which has 16,000 residents and a very high level of park need. The pocket park will include two new playgrounds with shade, exercise equipment, a splash pad, walking paths, an outdoor perfor-

mance stage, public art, a picnic and BBQ area, landscaping, lighting, and a restroom/security building.

The community has long desired a park of its own and is eager to see this come to fruition.

The park is within a half-mile walk for more than 13,000 residents, including 4,000 youths. By providing a new park closer to where people live, the project will help decrease vehicle miles traveled and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Walnut Park has a low level of urban tree canopy (16 percent) compared to the recommended standard of 25 percent. The new park will help address this by installing 38 drought-tolerant native trees throughout the site. The carbon sequestration potential of these trees

92nd Street Linear Park Florence-Firestone is home to about 66,000 residents and has a very high level of park need. The Florence-Firestone CPRP identifies utility corridors as key opportunity sites for new parks. In 2020, DPR received $7.8 million in Proposition 68 grant funds to develop a 5.5-acre park on a portion of the undeveloped utility corridor owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The new park, expected to be completed in 2023, will include new jogging/walking paths, three half-basketball courts, a multipurpose sports field, four playground areas, shade structures, exercise equipment, an outdoor performance stage, public art, a community garden, fencing/gates, and landscaping and lighting throughout the park. The park is within a half-mile walk for more than 17,000 residents, including 5,800 youths.

Roosevelt Park Mini-Pitch for Soccer The Florence-Firestone CPRP also calls for creative partnerships to meet

the recreational needs of residents, especially the youth. To that end, DPR recently partnered with the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Target to replace an old, damaged, unused futsal court at Roosevelt Park with a brand new mini-pitch for soccer. This is a much-desired and needed improvement in a community where soccer is the most popular sport.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION

is estimated to be 81,000 pounds of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the trees. The tree plantings also will provide additional benefits by alleviating the urban heat island effect, provide cooling for the community and capturing particulate contaminants, such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and other volatile organic compounds. In addition, the project will improve stormwater capture, treatment and infiltration. Specifically, the park site will capture and treat a 32-acre drainage area in the community, and dry wells will be installed to cleanse and capture up to an additional 1.4-acre feet, or 456,191 gallons, of water infiltration.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park Master Plan The 126-acre Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park is one of the largest parks in South Los Angeles and is an oasis in a region lacking green spaces. The park is located in the unincorporated community of Willowbrook, which comprises about 36,000 residents and a high level of park need. The redevelopment of the park is being guided by a master plan that was first adopted in 2016 and has since been revised twice.

The first phase of the master plan is being implemented, with the $83 million transformation of a 37-acre area in the lower section of the park completed in February 2021. Improvements include a new community event center, a halfmile lakeside community loop trail with picnic areas, a children’s play area with a splash pad, outdoor classrooms and educational graphics, California-native coastal sage scrub and freshwater marsh wetland habitats, and a wedding lawn.

The park also is helping improve water quality in South Los Angeles. A new pump located beneath the park’s surface diverts stormwater runoff from a 375-acre watershed that feeds into Compton Creek, which is then channeled into the lake at the park’s center.

The new landscaping and wetlands area along the perimeter of the man-made lake provides natu-

Thanks to Woodcrest Play Park, 57 percent of Westmont residents now live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

ral filtration of the water, which is then treated, stored and reused for park irrigation.

Making Plans a Reality Plans that just sit on shelves have no use. As shown in the examples above, DPR is committed to preparing and implementing park plans to produce tangible results, provide multiple benefits, and improve the quality of life for the residents we serve. But this is not easy to do and we cannot do it alone. The successful development of plans and implementation of projects are only possible with visionary leadership, a focus on equity, engaged communities, adequate funding, and effective internal and external coordination and collaboration between DPR and its many partners.

Tune in to the May bonus episode of Open Space Radio to hear Lau talk more about community parks and recreation plans at nrpa.org/May 2021BonusEpisode.

Clement Lau, AICP, DPPD, is a Departmental Facilities Planner with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (clau@parks.laucounty.gov).

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ARMANDO RODRIGUEZ/MIAMI-DADE PARKS

As the COVID-19 positivity rate spiked, so did stress levels, and even Miami-Dade County residents who had never noticed their neighborhood park began to demand access.

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: s k r a P ty n u o C e

d a D i m Mia

G N I V E I H AC SAFE A NING E P O E R How a South Florida park and recreation agency overcame challenges to reopen at the height of the pandemic

By Maria Nardi

D

uring the early days of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, headlines and local news leads were indicative of the pent-up demand for parks: “MiamiDade residents say reopened parks and open spaces were ‘needed’”; “Cars and people lined up hours before areas, such as parks, marinas and golf courses, in Miami-Dade opened their doors Wednesday during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”

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M I A M I - D A D E C O U N T Y PA R K S

Our community lives an out-ofdoors lifestyle, but in March 2020, as COVID-19 cases began to rise, county residents were ordered to stay home.

Only essential businesses remained open and all parks, beaches and recreational facilities were closed.

Stopping the spread of the virus was paramount. But, with millions of people confined to their homes, the rallying cry for the need for public open spaces was almost immediate. As the COVID-19 positivity rate spiked, so did stress levels, and even people who had never noticed their neighborhood park began to demand access.

The community awoke to the realization that parks are essential to health and well-being, and are significant contributors to everyday life.

As park and recreation departments across the United States rose to meet needs, communities exerted tremendous pressure to reopen parks.

Miami-Dade Launches a Plan in Three Phases

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARMANDO RODRIGUEZ/MIAMI-DADE PARKS

Given the complexity of our park

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system, Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (MDC Parks) set out to rapidly develop a coordinated and prioritized set of protocols for how to open parks, as well as a communications plan to explain the transition to a “new normal,” bringing people together and maintaining guidelines mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Miami-Dade County is a metropolitan region with 2.8 million residents who enjoy year-round outdoor activities on more than 13,000 acres of open space, which includes 270 community and regional parks, marinas, golf courses, Zoo Miami, 17 miles of beaches, nature centers and campgrounds and additional 26,000 acres of natural areas. Additionally, the county’s 34 municipalities own and manage hundreds of park and recreation areas.

MDC Parks quickly established an expert panel through our Parks and Open Spaces Workgroup and convened weekly meetings with the South Florida Park Coalition

(SFPC), a forum of city, county, state and federal park agencies that we had developed a decade ago as part of the Miami-Dade Parks and Open Space Master Plan’s coordinated vision of sustainability. By April 2020, Miami-Dade County’s leadership determined that parks could actively address some of the health impacts of the sequestered community. The Florida sunshine and sea breezes enabled open-air activities, with physical activity programs and access to contemplative spaces for mental health.

Consulting with our Parks Workgroup of physicians and public health professionals, state and local officials, organizers of children’s programs, and representatives from the boating, fishing and golfing industries, we identified activities that could be safely conducted in each of our parks and on what schedule. We focused on marinas and boating activities, as well as reopening beaches and returning golfers to our greens. We established protocols for activities determined to be safe to ensure the continued reduction in COVID-19 cases and prevent any rise in new cases.

We created a three-phased approach. Phase I opened access to individuals and groups from the same household to engage in passive uses that included walking and cycling on one-way paths, while wearing facial coverings and keeping CDC-mandated physical distances. Groups of 10 people or fewer from the same household were permitted to stroll, but shared equipment remained closed.

Phase II established skills and drills protocols for multiple sports.

Phase III gradually advanced to full recreational programming with Youth and staff wear masks and physically distance at EcoAdventures Camp at A.D. Barnes Park.

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requisite public health precautions.

Phase I also included guidelines for each unique type of park condition.

Marina access depended on capacity limitations for boats, limited hours of operations, and strict protocols for ramps and fish cleaning stations. We drew on the recommendations of the nation’s largest golfing associations to establish the rules for our golf facilities, staff and play. Enforcement of safety rules remained a concern due to lack of staffing resources to enforce compliance. The beaches presented a greater challenge for enforcement due to the large scale of the beach operation and large number of expected visitors; and therefore, access to beaches was delayed.

Forging Partnerships Recognizing that even with safety protocols in place, much of the population remained inside, MDC Parks launched “The Playground” video series, partnering with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, NBA’s Miami Heat, MLB’s Miami Marlins and the U.S. Soccer Federation to provide online camps for children and families to enjoy from home. We added EcoAdventures, and the world-renowned Zoo Miami partnered with T-Mobile to keep the Zoocademy open, connecting students with wildlife and conservation online.

Through weekly SFPC meetings, our agency coordinated communication and an ongoing exchange of ideas and best practices. Parks took on a new look with signage and made adjustments to meet the standards of safety regulations. Parks staff and 400 new park ambassadors joined park rangers and county employees from other agencies to enforce safety protocols.

On April 29, 2020, MDC Parks

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIA NARDI/MIAMI-DADE PARKS

Beachgoers at a Miami beach hang out on the sand while properly physically distancing.

and its municipalities were one of the first park systems in the United States to successfully reopen.

After six weeks of living a life mostly confined inside, our parks provided a welcome diversion. After the successful reopening of parks, marinas and golf courses, beaches followed in June with “beach ambassadors” ensuring masks were worn, six feet of distance was maintained and canopies and tents were prohibited. In August, as the public schools reopened virtually, we hosted study halls in our recreation centers, providing a safe place for the children of frontline and essential workers to attend school online, under the supervision of parks’ staff.

As unemployment numbers rose due to COVID-19, so did the number of food-insecure families in our community. Consequently, MDC Parks were tasked with mass food distribution for the county.

Coordinating with the county’s Emergency Operations Center, the Miami-Dade Police Department and state and federal food banks, we held more than 250 food service events serving more than 190,000 families.

Parks also became COVID-19 testing centers, with thousands of patients served at drive-thru testing sites. Recently, we have designated selected parks as vaccination sites.

The Work Continues As most of these protocols remain in place, we have paused to assess

strategies that should extend beyond this pandemic. The design of parks will need to incorporate the lessons learned, from managing the implementation of protocols to the delineation of large open spaces to accommodate safe gathering. Organizationally, online meetings enable more frequent communication. Our SFPC meetings continue on a biweekly basis, reinforcing our interconnections over the abstraction of district and municipality boundaries.

Similarly, we have the “proof-ofconcept” on how parks serve as an essential service and a convening body.

Now that our transportation, public works, health and human services departments have engaged MDC Parks as key partners in meeting community needs, we need to formalize these relationships. We also need to bring our elected officials this evidence of how the county benefits when MDC Parks participates in critical infrastructure planning.

For MDC Parks, the quality of life of our residents is always the priority.

Now, everyone is clear that our shared product is the health and well-being of our community, underscoring the need for more parks and public spaces, with equitable access and funding.

And once we have experienced that clarity, it is incumbent upon us to lead a new path forward.

Maria Nardi is Director of Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, and a member of Parks & Recreation's Editorial Advisory Board.

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OPERATIONS Surviving Climate Issues on Sports Fields Target Field head groundskeeper sheds light on the effects of weather on the field

By Paula Sliefert

T

here are several challenges that sports field managers may face while maintaining safe and enjoyable playing surfaces. Depending on the geographic location of the field, the climate could be one of the key challenges. For example, Target Field, home of MLB’s Minnesota Twins, contends with the challenges of summer heat and winter cold. In addition, the field is also known for its environmentally responsible practices.

Head groundskeeper Larry DiVito sheds some light on how climate impacts Target Field.

“Green” Year-Round Target Field is the first sports franchise in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification for operations and maintenance (tinyurl. com/37bpv7fe). It’s also designated as a Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) Certified Facility for Environmentally Responsible Management (tinyurl.com/48h83n79).

As part of these efforts, the facility has a system that collects and recycles rainwater and irrigation water, so it can be used to wash down the lower deck of the stadium. According to DiVito, this system saves about 15,000 gallons of water per night.

What Happens in the Offseason Makes a Difference “From May 1 to Labor Day, my job’s not that different from other northern Major League [Baseball] cities like Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit or Boston,” DiVito says. “It’s more on the front and backend — how you get the field ready for opening day and how you prepare 50 Parks & Recreation

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it for winter, so it comes out in good condition.”

For DiVito, that starts with planning. From late September to early November, he has a program to lightly feed the grass and apply fungicides to anticipate snow mold pressure leading into winter. Then, his crew applies double topdressing to help insulate the plants and puts lightweight, breathable agricultural blankets on the field as a buffer in the absence of snow cover.

In the spring, their first move is to clear snow. Depending on how deep it is, they may use a field heating system to gradually melt it or clear it with their rotary mower, which is configured as a snow-only unit.

They also can attach a plow to one of their infield groomers. Both machines have a relatively lightweight footprint, which is important on a sand-based natural grass field.

Relying on a Diverse Fleet In addition to rotary mowers and infield groomers, Target Field’s fleet includes reel mowers, several walk-behind greens mowers, turf sprayers and a greens roller. The grounds team also has a turf aerator, a debris sweeper attachment and a topdresser, as well as diesel, gas and electric utility vehicles and a

debris blower (which crew members connect to pipes under the field so they can blow air into the tarps to shed water after a light rain).

Still Busy, But It’s a Bit Different The Target Field grounds crew includes four year-round positions.

Four additional employees join the crew from March through early November.

Although the field’s maintenance requirements haven’t changed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the crew has had to make a few adjustments.

Physical distancing isn’t difficult with much of the outdoor work, but the crew has been divided into groups with separate locker, meal and office areas to maintain a backup if an employee must quarantine.

In a typical year, the crew would have to schedule a number of special events and concerts, but those were suspended in 2020 because of the pandemic. Still, the shortened Major League Baseball season kept DiVito and his crew busy. “Other than April and May, it was a fairly normal year, baseball-wise,” he says. He anticipates the coming season to look a bit different with the possible return of fans to the stadium this spring.

MLB is a registered trademark of Major League Baseball. Team names are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.

Paula Sliefert is Senior Marketing Manager, Sports Fields and Grounds at Toro.

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(ISSN 0031-2215) is published monthly by the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148, a service organization supported by membership dues and voluntary contributions.

Copyright ©2021 by the National Recreation and Park Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of NRPA. Issued to members at the annual subscription price of $30, included in dues. Subscription: $46 a year in the U.S.; $56 elsewhere. Single copy price: $7. Library rate: $58 a year in the U.S.; $68 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

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Park Bench

New York State Parks Activates FORCES

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF PARKS, RECREATION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Volunteer program builds the next generation of park and recreation advocates The New York State (NYS) Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is igniting the next generation’s passion for parks and recreation. In 2008, the agency launched the Friends of Recreation, Conservation and Environmental Stewardship (FORCES) program to get students involved in hands-on, volunteer activities at state parks.

“FORCES became a very logical way to effectively connect our valuable environmental and recreational resources within our NYS Parks to New Yorkers, especially collegiate students seeking additional knowledge, experience and inspiration in their educational and professional pursuits,” says Tom Hughes, natural resource steward biologist and FORCES program founder and creator.

The program, originally designed for college students and recently expanded to offer opportunities for post-graduates and high school students, provides youth with the opportunity to connect to nature through hands-on work while gaining academic credit, research opportunities, experience for résumés or volunteer hours. FORCES offers diverse opportunities to appeal to youth with many different interests, and programs can be tailored based on the needs of the individual. These opportunities include helping improve and maintain park spaces through trail maintenance, facility updates, invasive species management and litter pickups; assisting with research projects by conducting surveys and collecting data; and working with the public by guiding tours, developing educational materials, implementing new recreation programs and conducting online outreach. “Since current students are a key segment of the next generation of park visitors and environmental conservationists, it is vital to engage them now, building strong relationships that will last a lifetime,” says FORCES Program Coordinator Amy Kochem.

Participation can range from single-day volunteer events to ongoing internship programs. Since the program began, more than 2,000 students have participated in FORCES projects across seven NYS parks’ regions, and many have gone on to study or even pursue a career in parks and recreation, environmental sciences, conservation and natural resource management.

“We have several former FORCES Stewards now working within our NYS Parks’ agency in full-time positions,” Hughes says.

“Our goal is to create generational learning pathways for young professionals to educational and professional opportunities in the science fields, and potential employment within our agency and NYS government in the future.”

Through FORCES, NYS Parks not only has a dedicated set of volunteers who have established a connection with parks and recreation, but also has developed relationships with other student-centered organizations throughout the state. “Through FORCES, we creatively forge new community partnerships and pathways to further share responsibility for stewarding NYS’ environmental and recreational resources both within and beyond our parks’ borders,” says Hughes.

For more information about this program, visit tinyurl.com/t467ft4f or contact Kochem at Amy.Kochem@parks.ny.gov.

– Jennifer Fulcher, NRPA Web Editor

FORCES Stewards pull water chestnut from Sterling Pond at Fairhaven Beach State Park.

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