Parks & Recreation Magazine December 2021

D EC E M B E R 2021 N R PA .O RG

SECRETARY DEB HAALAND HEAD OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MAKES HISTORY

2021 NRPA Annual Conference Wrap-up Studying Play in a Pandemic

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contentsdecember 2021

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

volume 56 | number 12 | parksandrecreation.org

U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland breaks new ground as the first Native American cabinet secretary.

FEATURES

34 DOI Secretary Deb Haaland Breaks New Ground Kristine Stratton

Deb Haaland, head of the U.S. Department of the Interior, shares her insights on racial equity, climate justice and transcending the nationallocal divide to create access to parks and recreation for all.

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40 Recapping the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference Vitisia Paynich and Lindsay Hogeboom

Take a look at the learning and fun that happened both virtually and in person in Nashville, Tennessee, during the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference.

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44 The Value of Play, Playgrounds and Parks During the Pandemic Richard J. Dolesh

A study by the International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association exemplifies the importance of play.

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 december

columns 6

departments 10 We Are Parks and Recreation Pandemic Empowered: Creative Solutions in a COVID-19 World 10 Creative Minds at Home 12 Introducing parkrun 13 Hitting Field Maintenance Out of the Park 14 Best Ways to Preserve Nature While Hiking 16 Announcing the Newly Accredited and Reaccredited CAPRA Agencies 17 Member Benefit: Give the Gift of Certification (at a Discount) 17

Perspectives Bringing Placemaking to Life Through the NRPA Annual Conference Kristine Stratton

8

Editor’s Letter A Year of Optimism and Opportunity Vitisia Paynich

20 Advocacy Renewing the Importance of Parks to Canadians Cathy Jo (CJ) Noble and Michael Cleland

22 Health and Wellness Connecting the Dots to Health Jo Burns, MS, CTRS

24 Equity

18 Research Parks and Recreation Provides Important Out-of-School Time Programming Kevin Roth

Fostering Inclusion Through Words Autumn Saxton-Ross, Ph.D.

26 Conservation

19 Park Pulse

Ensuring Equitable Climate Solutions for Our Parks Ayanna Williams, MSW

Gifting a Love of the Outdoors

28 Law Review

50 Operations Post-Pandemic Trends in Aquatics Sarah Sharits

COVID-19 Emergency Executive Order Leads to Protestor Arrests in Park James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

51 Park Essentials 55 Advertiser Index 56 Park Bench Alaskans Compete in ‘World’s Most Responsible Fishing Tournament’ Christine Cunningham

Page 20

Cover image:

Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of the Interior

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.

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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

Bringing Placemaking to Life Through the NRPA Annual Conference It’s the end of the calendar year and I am reflecting back on 2021 and our work together. This year presented many challenges on top of a very difficult 2020, but also it provided cause for celebration. The fact that we were able to gather, in person and online, for the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference was a source of great joy for me and the NRPA board and staff. And, we were joined in that sentiment by exhibitors and attendees alike in Nashville, Tennessee. I kept hearing attendees say that “it just felt good to be together.” It should come as no surprise, as that is the crux of what we do in parks and recreation — bring people together — placemaking at its best.

Whether we are managing programs for our agencies’ recreation departments, planning and designing the next park improvement projects, or producing the largest annual conference for park and recreation professionals in the world (nrpa.org/Conference), we are in the business of placemaking — strengthening the connections between people and the places we share.

The park and recreation response to coronavirus (COVID-19) inspired some tremendously creative placemaking approaches. We covered many of these ideas in this magazine, on our website, and in both our 2020 virtual and 2021 hybrid conferences. There are still more opportunities for us to build on that creativity and engage all our community members in our shared spaces and programs.

One helpful resource came out around the same time as our NRPA conference. This year, 8 80 Cities, in partnership with AARP, released its Winter Placemaking Guide (tinyurl.com/fah7n7rf). This is the latest resource in its Parks and Public Spaces Collection (tinyurl.com/v9fvzv4e). The collection offers three free guides about developing and managing outdoor places for people of all ages. As 8 80 Cities likes to say, “if everything we do in our public spaces is great for an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old, then it will be great for all people.” In our quest to promote pro6

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grams and places that are truly great for all people, we continue to emphasize the critical importance of equity, inclusion and access (nrpa.org/Equity) and offer ideas, resources and tools that help us deliver on that goal.

Speaking of resources, the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference virtual sessions are still available for viewing until December 31. While there are too many to list here, following are three that reinforce the idea of placemaking: “Parks in Process: Creating Learning Landscapes That Have Educational, Social and Civic Impact.”

This transformative session features Shawn Lani, director of The Studio for Public Spaces at San Francisco’s Exploratorium, and explores the work of combining placemaking and science-based learning with San Francisco Recreation and Parks.

“How to Involve Individuals With Physical Disabilities in Your Recreation Programming” is an informative speed session with practical tips, featuring Dr. Margaret Stran from University of Alabama Adapted Athletics.

“Genius or Insanity? Three Proven Examples of Why It’s Worth the Effort to Build Engaging, Meaningful and Inclusive Cross-Park Programs” is an entertaining session with Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Recreation and Parks Naturalist Liana Vitali and Park Rangers Dave Burman and Victor Jones.

These are just a few examples, so I encourage you to explore all the coffee talks, speed sessions, education sessions and keynote speakers for more ideas on how placemaking and efforts to create inclusive, welcoming and engaging spaces are happening across the country.

As always, thank you for all that you do to advance effective parks and recreation in your communities.

In gratitude,

KRISTINE STR AT TON President and CEO

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board of Directors Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP Eagle Methods Management Consulting Dallas, Texas

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City of Bristol Parks and Recreation Bristol, Connecticut

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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

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City of Bristol Parks and Recreation Bristol, Connecticut

Arnold L. Randall Forest Preserve District of Cook County Chicago, Illinois

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EDITOR’S LET TER

A Year of Optimism and Opportunity Let’s be honest, 2021 didn’t exactly turn out to be the year we hoped it would be. Although we couldn’t officially call it a post-pandemic year, we did see layers of optimism and opportunity throughout the park and recreation field. For one thing, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gave people a new appreciation for nature and parks, especially when folks were urged to shelter in place. I am optimistic that this strong sentiment and affection for parks will continue long after this pandemic ends. What’s more, park and recreation agencies have an opportunity to take the lessons learned from March 2020 to present day and dive deeper into the inequities that revealed themselves throughout our communities and make those much-needed changes.

Earlier this year, we saw a number of changes happening in our federal agencies. In this month’s cover story, “DOI Secretary Deb Haaland Breaks New Ground,” on page 34, NRPA President and CEO Kristine Stratton offers a closer look at the person President Joe Biden handpicked to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior.

This past September, many park and recreation professionals seized the opportunity to get back to some semblance of “normalcy,” when they gathered in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference. What made this year’s event stand apart from previous years, is the fact that it was a hybrid conference — whereby attendees had a choice to travel to “Music City,” or log on to our virtual platform. In the feature article, “Recapping the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference,” on page 40, we share some of the key highlights, including general sessions, education sessions, coffee talks and more.

The pandemic caused community members to take stock of what’s really important to them, especially when it comes to the impact of play on their children. In the feature article, “The Value of Play, Playgrounds and Parks During the Pandemic,” on page 44, Richard J. Dolesh, NRPA’s editor-at-large, takes a closer look at a national study conducted by the International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA), in cooperation with Wakefield Research, which surveyed parents on the benefits of children’s play during COVID-19. “People want to be outside,” says Tom Norquist, senior vice president of innovation and business development at PlayCore and twice president of IPEMA. “The pandemic enabled families to be outdoors together. In doing so, it rekindled how much fun it was to play together. And, families realized once again how great their local parks are.”

Finally, we’d love to hear about some of the lessons you have gleaned from the pandemic these past 12 months. Or, simply share an inspiring story about your park and recreation agency or community. You never know…your story just might be featured in a future issue of Parks & Recreation magazine!

VITISIA “VI” PAYNICH Executive Editor Director, Print and Online Content

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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 AND DIRECTOR OF PRINT AND ONLINE CONTENT Vitisia Paynich vpaynich@nrpa.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND WRITER Lindsay Hogeboom lhogeboom@nrpa.org MANAGER OF ONLINE CONTENT Jennifer Fulcher-Nguyen jnguyen@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Kim Mabon/Creative By Design CreativeByDesign.net SENIOR CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER WESTERN REGION AND ASIA Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org SENIOR CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE Paul Semple 916.880.5225 psemple@nrpa.org DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Melissa Hunter 703.858.2199 mhunter@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

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WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION Pandemic Empowered: Creative Solutions in a COVID-19 World

By Sarah Krug and Michael A. Mulvaney

I

n March 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders brought the world to a surreal halt.

Businesses shut down, transportation was immobilized, and people across the globe sheltered in place. More than a year later, the world is still grappling with the effects of COVID-19, and the park and recreation profession is no different. In fact, during the pandemic, participation in many outdoor recreation-based pursuits has been at an all-time high for many communities. This increased demand — coupled with ever-evolving safety guidelines, protocols, staff and budgetary constraints — has created additional challenges for many agencies.

Known for their resourcefulness and creativity, several park and recreation professionals discovered opportunities within these challenging conditions. These professionals have employed creative problem-solving to not only continue providing quality services, but also develop new and innovative approaches. In many ways, the pandemic accelerated industry innovation as agencies put together creative service-delivery models, including virtual programming, video-based services, “programs in a box,” etc. One could argue that the pandemic empowered recreation professionals to move even further beyond their professional comfort zones and explore new managerial and operational strategies.

Finding commonalities across these new approaches has the potential to help the profession learn how to better navigate future global events, grow and move forward together.

To better understand how the recreation industry has navigated these unique times, 15 professionals were interviewed to learn about their experiences and responses to the glob-

10 Parks & Recreation

al pandemic. The 15 public park and recreation professionals ranged from entry-level positions to CEOs, and from rural to urban communities across the United States. A set of eight structured interview questions were posed to each professional, focusing on their immediate responses to the pandemic, how the global crisis has changed their agency’s operations, and visions for the future. The results of these interviews yielded four major findings:

1. Providing Leadership in Community Risk Management Efforts Whether it is employees, participants, communities or the public, safety has been, and continues to be, the most common focus and concern. Assessing and minimizing risk always has been at the forefront of every park and recreation agency’s mission and overall operations — and the pandemic only intensified this focus. Drawing from this skill set, several professionals shared how their agencies were looked upon as leaders

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in their communities in responding to the unexpected conditions brought upon by the pandemic. For instance, one professional noted that having a thorough risk management background and existing framework helped them quickly develop safety plans, reopening plans and guidelines that were fluid and rapidly evolving as new information about the pandemic’s effects emerged.

Since federal, state and local COVID-19 guidelines change often, many professionals have leaned heavily on local health departments to help them make decisions. Regular communication and collaboration across the local agencies became increasingly important, leading to communitywide safety protocols, such as masking, physical distancing and cleaning of high-traffic/-use areas. The need for staff to safely monitor and maintain these new precautions and protocols — all while continuing to provide essential recreation services to the public — also was stressed by nearly every professional interviewed.

2. Navigating Changes in the Work Environment When news of the pandemic broke, a common initial concern expressed by many of the interviewed professionals was job security. This became a prevalent concern because of the cancellation of non-essential events and the importance of safe

distancing. While safety always has been a top priority, the wide range of updates and changes to safety precautions worried many about how the pandemic could impact agency culture and employee safety.

The transition to working from home was also an adjustment.

One professional stated that if they could’ve changed anything their agency did when the pandemic was first announced, they would have offered more employees the option of working from home and removing everything from their offices that they would need. “We had no idea it would last as long as it did,” they explain.

The recreation profession often advertises diverse and dynamic work environments as an attractive benefit for new recruits. Initially, the pandemic negatively affected many of these opportunities, as working from home became the norm for many professionals. However, as time passed, several professionals shared how their agencies were using this time to review and update their flexible work policies.

For instance, multiple professionals cited how impressed they were with how many positions could effectively work from home and how this has triggered a thorough review of their current flexible work policies as they plan for postpandemic working environments.

3. Providing Resourceful Communication Without the usual face-to-face interactions, communication lines and strategies also have changed with the pandemic. As one professional asks, “Where would we be without the internet?” Platforms such as Microsoft Teams and

Zoom have become the norm for meetings, presentations and even programming.

A common theme from the professionals was the implementation of regular safety briefings and updates. Social media and local websites were the most popular platforms for sharing these updates. Professional networks and listservs, such as NRPA Connect, were identified as great resources to share ideas, safety measures and implementation strategies, as well as engage in problemsolving discussions. Others looked to colleagues in the field to help them deal with difficult COVIDrelated scenarios. Through these platforms, many professionals reflected on the intense professional development they received during this time, as well as a rapid expansion of their professional networks — both of which resulted in the acquisition of new, marketable skill sets while accelerating their career development.

4. Being Prepared Part of being prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic was being comfortable with change. Adaptability and efficiency became critically important for agencies. While adaptability and efficiency are characteristics needed in all professionals, one could argue these traits are synonymous with the “do more with less” mantra that has been pervasive in public parks and recreation for decades. And yet again, the park and recreation profession has been well-trained for successfully navigating these conditions.

For instance, many professionals identified a need to adapt their services to best meet the partic-

ipants’ level of comfort. Participants’ comfort level varied as it related to their desired recreation services. This led many professionals to adapt and offer a variety of service delivery formats, while carrying out the necessary safety procedures. For instance, some offered a combination of virtual and faceto-face programming, allowing participants the option to select a format that most aligned with their level of comfort. Many professionals mentioned how they had previous experience in virtual service delivery platforms, or how they now have adapted and grown these skills, which they can continue to use in the future. Through these experiences, COVID-19 made many agencies operate more efficiently.

Looking Ahead COVID-19 has been devastating, and parks and recreation was not immune to these changes. Despite these challenges, a great deal of innovation and growth occurred while many recreation service areas experienced significant upticks in participation and usage rates.

Throughout these unique times, several new ideas and service delivery models emerged, empowering professionals to maximize the opportunities within these challenging conditions. As one professional notes, “After reflecting on the growth and innovation of recreation professionals during this pandemic, we have an unparalleled power to make passionate, positive changes!”

Sarah Krug is a Graduate Student at Illinois State University School of Kinesiology and Recreation (slkrug@ilstu.edu).

Michael A. Mulvaney is a Professor and Program Director at Illinois State University School of Kinesiology and Recreation (mamulva@ilstu.edu).

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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

Creative Minds at Home

By Verónica Rivera-Negrón

D

uring a summer morning in 2020, I was building a house of cardboard boxes in the “classroom” corner I use to facilitate online programs from home. Across the room sat my laptop where nine little windows showed families building structures of their own.

It felt different from what we normally do in person, and yet, there was a sense of community in creating something in unison. This class was part of Creative Minds, the City of Hyattsville, Maryland’s program for children ages 1 to 3 and their families. It incorporates multilingual songs, hands-on activities and special events. Like many other organizations, we started offering online programming — calling it Creative Minds at Home — when shelter-in-place orders went into effect at the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and continued this offering for more than a year. During this process, the Youth Programs team leveraged the unique tools of online platforms, collaborated with parents, partnered with local artists, and facilitated arts-based, hands-on activities to deliver a meaningful program for the community.

Collaborating With Parents

PHOTO COURTESY OF VERÓNICA RIVERA-NEGRÓN

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSÉ A. CENTENO-MELÉNDEZ

Creative Minds at Home extends

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the classroom into the participants’ residences and works alongside the adults in the family to deliver significant experiences for children. A parent is a child’s first teacher (tinyurl. com/49xvwfbk). They are essential to the success of a program, especially in an online learning space.

Before the kids connect, their guardians read the instruction emails, log in every week and prepare supplies.

Live, they aid the child in following instructions, muting and unmuting microphones, and making the experience as interactive as possible.

Artistic Ingenuity and Community Building One of the first online experiences we offered was in partnership with Teatro La Bolsa. In April 2020, this theater group premiered a four-show series of interactive, bilingual (EnglishSpanish) virtual shows for the entire Top: Bilingual theater group Teatro La Bolsa performs a virtual show.

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family based on Latin American folklore. One show asked participants to use paper and crayons to make a butterfly as they heard the story of The Hungry Monarca Caterpillar. These performances — which engaged an average of 50 families per show — offered opportunities for community building at a time when we had to be physically distant.

Making, Learning and Playing Inspired by La Bolsa’s use of ordinary objects to make the online experience interactive, we started incorporating live tutorials of hands-on activities into our program. As a result, attendance to our online program tripled. By Fall 2020, we curated supply boxes that included a children’s book and art materials. The supply box made it easier for families to engage in the program, but it is not the only way participants could interact. A parent who purchased the box shared that their child “loved having a special box of materials to grab each week.” Families, however, had the option to use materials they already have at home and the book always was projected on screen.

Through Creative Minds at Home, we learned that the park and recreation field is uniquely positioned to offer arts programming that develops our collective imagination and creates community, even while physically apart.

Verónica Rivera-Negrón is Youth Programs Coordinator for City of Hyattsville, Maryland (vnegron@ hyattsville.org).

By Nancy Desmond, CPRP

T

here’s no event quite like parkrun — an international, communitybased 5K that is held each week in countries across the globe.

Always spelled with a small “p,” parkrun is led by volunteers and always free for every participant. Walkers, joggers, runners and volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome to participate. While the 5K is timed, there are no fees, numbers or awards — just fun, exercise and encouragement. These events are safe and inclusive, with many people taking part for the motivational, community and social aspects.

Values of parkrun include building healthy, strong communities; promoting social support; encouraging diversity in age, gender, speed, appearance, ethnicity, and social and economic backgrounds; and fostering stewardship of the land. The mission of parkrun is to make the world a healthier and happier place.

These values fit well with Cleveland (Ohio) Metroparks’ mission and values of health and wellness, equity, and conservation. The park district began hosting one of the 45 weekly parkruns across the United States in October 2019 at its Ohio and Erie Canal Reservation (OECR). The park reservation was selected due to its central location, trail and road network, and lower visitation than other nearby reservations.

The participant experience at parkrun is very simple and straightforward. Registrants enter their information once on the parkrun website and subsequently receive a barcode, which they can use to participate in parkrun anywhere in the world. This has resulted in “parkrun tourism,” as people seek opportunities to participate while traveling. In its first five months, the OECR event at Cleveland Metroparks hosted visitors from seven states, Canada, Russia, Spain, Chi

na, England, Australia and Poland.

Participants can view their own personal parkrun webpage to see all the events they’ve visited, where they’ve volunteered at parkruns, and keep track of their times and statistics.

The key to the success of a local parkrun is the post-event social, where participants and volunteers mingle while results are processed.

A Cleveland Metroparks visitor center located in OECR hosts the social each week, driving attendance and awareness.

The most challenging part for some parkrun events is driving volunteer support on 52 Saturdays per year. Park agencies or similar government institutions can offer an advantage by allowing parkrun to draw on its volunteer base. Cleveland Metroparks volunteers regularly fill the weekly event roster because they enjoy the positivity of the event and enjoy being in the parks. They are encouraged to cheer for everyone and get to know the other walkers, joggers, runners and volunteers over the weeks and months.

If you’re thinking parkrun might be a good fit for your agency, parkrun provides equipment, such as flags, cones, scanners and a laptop for processing results and uploading them to the parkrun website.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLE LANZER/CLEVELAND METROPARKS

Introducing parkrun

The mission of parkrun is to make the world a healthier and happier place.

Perhaps, most importantly, parkrun offices provide ongoing technical and webpage support, insurance, event guidelines and communication with participants. In Cleveland Metroparks’ case, because the event was so mission-compatible with the agency’s, the department decided to assign an employee to help establish and manage the event. Once established, the work was minimal and translated easily to the agency’s volunteer system. Within a couple months, the event was running every Saturday without the need for any employee presence.

The OECR parkrun at Cleveland Metroparks brings a free, healthy, social activity to the community every Saturday morning. The parkrun model is quite different than the standard American 5K model. Participants and volunteers gain a sense of belonging, ownership and pride in their event, and they also can celebrate by visiting other parkruns. Every parkrun event has its own culture. It’s not just a run, it’s a community.

To find out if there’s a parkrun near you, visit parkrun.us.

Nancy Desmond, CPRP, is Special Projects Administrator for Cleveland Metroparks (nd@clevelandmetroparks.com).

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Hitting Field Maintenance Out of the Park

By Hal Phillips

T

he issue with the athletic infrastructure in Hastings, Nebraska, has never been one of quality. Parks Maintenance Superintendent Terry Brown and his full-time staff of 11 do their job so well that, each summer, local American Legion baseball and collegiate summer league schedulers vie with regional tournament directors for access to the city’s baseball and softball facilities. In 2019, Duncan Field, the premier baseball diamond in Hastings, played host to the Mid-South American Legion Regional Championship. That event returned this past summer.

Neither Brown nor his colleagues feel nickel-and-dimed when it comes to funding and staffing. With two local high schools and Hastings College making such dedicated use of these facilities — including the eight-diamond, 60-acre softball property, which includes four soccer fields — the city of Hastings recognizes these as the extraordinary community assets they are.

The problem is keeping the grass alive.

“Starting in March and going to when our baseball season ends in August, there just isn’t enough time to repair the grass. Those fields just get pounded,” Brown explains.

“And once baseball season ends, we go straight into football season, which goes to November, when the growing season is over.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HASTINGS PARKS AND RECREATION

City of Hastings, Nebraska, follows a three-pronged plan for maintaining its parks and athletic fields.

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“Everything we do in terms of turf care has to be done during a four-hour window each morning, which we heavily schedule — every day. But there just isn’t enough time to cover all that acreage. So, we do what we can on the fly.”

Brown is committed to a threepronged plan that park and athletic field superintendents across the country — in all the various climatic zones — will find interesting, both for its simplicity and flexibility.

Prong 1: Cultural Practices The soil in Hastings is, according to Brown, “pretty good.” Even so, those four hours each morning are steadfastly devoted to systematic aerification and top-dressing. The mowing? That’s the easy part, because there is no immediate disruption following that ongoing exercise.

“There’s a master spreadsheet that keeps track of all the aerification work we do,” he says. “When we’ve touched every field on the sheet, we just go back to the beginning and start again. We fertilize on that schedule, too, more or less.

The NPK [nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium] we use at pretty high levels, mainly slow-release nitrogen. This is basic stuff but it’s a must on account of our traffic.”

In all, Brown looks after some 400 acres of property, including 25 parks and a lake. Hastings, a city of 25,000 located in South/Central Nebraska, 40 miles from the Kansas border, doesn’t skimp on staff.

Come summer, it adds 20 to 30 seasonal workers — the bulk of whom

are deployed on the baseball and softball facilities.

“We are heavy into parks in the city of Hastings,” Brown says, “but we don’t aerify there with the same regularity. It’s the sports fields that get pounded and if we don’t aerify, the rootzone will get compacted.”

Prong 2: Water Management The most disruptive thing any athletic field manager does, short of reconstruction or resodding, is irrigation. Brown and the Hastings crew make use of those four morning hours as best they can. They irrigate after hours. But there is not enough time in between all these games and practices to get all those acres of turf the water they need.

“You can only water so much, but the Moisture Manager helps me get through those hot spells, those 100-degree days,” Brown says.

LESCO Moisture Manager’s technology, called Hydretain, is a hygroscopic humectant, the sort of ingredient commonly used to retain moisture in things like toothpaste, gum and cosmetic products.

Applied in liquid form, as part of a spray regimen, the product coats soil particles and plant roots. In doing so, it attracts to those roots moisture already present in the soil profile — moisture in the form of water vapor or humidity that would otherwise be lost to evaporation.

“I used to water the fields every day, but now it’s every other day.

With our scheduling issues, that makes a huge difference.”

Hastings has not experienced any water rationing. Not yet anyway.

But Brown recognizes that this technology allows him to use far less water at his athletic properties

Moisture Manager technology is used to help irrigate the turf in between athletic games and practices.

— something he reckons is relevant to all those park superintendents where water is being rationed or has become inordinately expensive.

Prong 3: Cultivar Choices When Brown arrived in Hastings 26 years ago, all the city-managed fields were ryegrass. Slowly but surely, through diligent overseeding, he has sifted in more durable varieties of bluegrass. Without that long-term effort, Brown doesn’t think his facilities would be able to handle all the wear and tear.

“Seems like I’m always going with the darker blues. I started with Midnight Eclipse, but I switched to Appalachian and Rock Star. I’ve worked a lot of bluegrass in there basically by constantly overseeding — three to four times a year. But…I really like the color, as well. That won’t last without the aerification, or the Moisture Manager, all the best practices we try to follow. But the bluegrass really is nice looking.

And it can take the pounding.”

Duncan Field takes the biggest pounding. It’s also the jewel in the crown, so far as Brown is concerned.

“It’s a legitimate major league baseball diamond, 405 [feet] to center and 380 [feet] down each line. And it’s got a great history unto itself: Yogi Berra played here!

We have a board that lists everyone who ever hit a home run here. The aluminum bats have skewed that just a bit. But still,” Brown says.

“It’s pretty mindboggling that so many tournaments have been held here and continue to be held here — at the softball complex, too.

We’re a little out of the way…but the community is proud of that history, and we do all we can to keep it going.”

Hal Phillips is Managing Director of Mandarin Media (hphillips@mandarinmedia.net).

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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

Best Ways to Preserve Nature While Hiking

By Cendy Moliere

H

iking has been a popular activity for years, and now that more people than ever are working at home, hiking is getting even more popular as people go for hikes to get out of the house and get exercise and fresh air. There are thousands of miles of local and national hiking trails for hikers to enjoy. However, hikers always should be respectful of nature and make sure they don’t do anything that will hurt the environment when they’re hiking. Some of the best ways for hikers to preserve nature while they hike are as follows:

bly are skittish around humans, so by approaching them, hikers can scare them quite badly. Don’t try to touch them or get close to them.

Don’t try to get them to come closer by offering food, even if it’s grass.

Just leave them alone and they will leave you alone.

Use Designated Hiking Trails

Clean Up After Your Dog

Hiking trails make it easier for people to find their way through an area. They also ease the burden that hikers put on the land. When people don’t follow the trail provided and create their own trails and shortcuts, they cause a lot of damage to the area by ripping up plants, trampling grass, breaking branches off of trees and bushes, and scaring the animals that live there.

Snack Carefully Hikers should always bring some snacks and water with them on a hike. They will need the extra ener-

gy and definitely will need to stay hydrated. However, that doesn’t mean throwing uneaten food on the ground or eating wherever.

Pack snacks carefully in reusable containers and make sure not to snack in an area with lots of animals. Don’t throw uneaten food or scraps on the ground. If the animals in the area eat them, they could get very sick.

Avoid Scaring the Animals It’s also important to avoid scaring the animals that are in the area.

The animals live there, and they may have nests or burrows with young animals inside. They proba-

As hiking grows in popularity, hikers should ensure they always are respecting nature.

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Parks & Recreation

The hiking trail is not a dog park.

If bringing dogs on a trail, hikers need to pick up after them the same way that they would if they took their dog to any other public place. Hikers should bring some waste bags with them and take them out with any other trash when they’re done with the hike.

Dogs also should stay leashed throughout the hike.

Leave Nothing Behind As a general rule, hikers should leave the hiking area with everything that they brought into it, and that includes trash. Food containers, bottles, napkins, dog waste, food scraps and any other trash should never be left behind in the natural world. Throw it out the right way after completing a hike.

This article was provided by www. personalinjury-law.com, an organization dedicated to providing the public with information about personal injury and safety information. Nothing in this article should be construed as legal advice, and it is intended for informational use only.

Cendy Moliere is Outreach Specialist for Personal Injury Help (cm@personalinjurylaw.org).

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Announcing the Newly Accredited and Reaccredited CAPRA Agencies

N

RPA and the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) are proud to announce the accreditation of 10 agencies and the reaccreditation of 27 agencies. CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community. This mark of distinction indicates that an agency has met rigorous standards related to the management and administration of lands, facilities,

resources, programs, safety and services.

Congratulations to the following newly accredited agencies: • Calvert County Parks and Recreation, Maryland • Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, Iowa • Cherokee Recreation and Parks, Georgia • City of Beavercreek Parks, Recreation and Culture, Ohio • City of Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation Department, Florida • High Point Parks and Recreation Department, North Carolina

• Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services, Virginia • Milwaukee Recreation, Wisconsin • Missouri City Parks and Recreation, Texas • Wilson Parks and Recreation Department, North Carolina To view the full list of newly accredited and reaccredited agencies, visit nrpa.org/2021CAPRA Accreditation. For more information about CAPRA and the accreditation process, visit nrpa.org/ CAPRA.

Member Benefit: Give the Gift of Certification (at a Discount)

Y

our staff works hard all year and is dedicated to helping your community. Help them advance their career by becoming a certified professional. With NRPA group certification discount packages, you can provide your employees with the opportunity to earn the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) and/or the Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE) certification at a discounted rate. The CPRP sets the national standard for all park and recreation professionals who want to be at the forefront of their field. Professionals also can continue demonstrating their dedication with the CPRE, setting the standard for managerial, administrative and executive park and recreation professionals.

By taking advantage of the group certification discount packages, you are showing your employees that you value them and your agency’s overall success. Aside from the monetary value your agency will receive, the package discount encourages your team to apply, study and test together for the certification. For example, the NRPA Premier Agency Certification Benefit allows Premier members to purchase group CPRP and CPRE exams and save up to $95 on applications by applying for a group discount. The more candidates your agency has, the larger the reduction in cost. Study materials, such as the CPRP Study Guide, CPRP Practice Exam, and Management of Park and Recreation Agencies text, also are included at a discounted rate.

Group Certification Discount Packages • Premier Agency Package – NRPA’s Premier members can now save up to $95 on applications by applying for a group discount.

• Agency Package – This package allows three or more individuals to apply for a group discount regardless of membership status with NRPA (additional fees may apply).

• University Package – Your university’s faculty, staff and students may apply for group discounts on application fees and study materials through NRPA. For more information and to take advantage of this NRPA Member Benefit, please visit tinyurl.com/ c92ca8z8.

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RESEARCH Parks and Recreation Provides Important Out-of-School Time Programming

By Kevin Roth

E

very day, park and recreation professionals make their communities better places to live, learn, work and play. One of the most ubiquitous park and recreation services is out-of-school time (OST) programs. Four in five park and recreation agencies have OST programs that serve children, ranging from infants to teenagers.

OST programs have a tremendous impact on millions of youth across the nation, providing safe and affordable childcare and needed services.

Not only can these programs lead to positive outcomes for the community, but also they can foster a lifelong love for parks and recreation.

In December, NRPA will release the results from its latest survey on OST programs. Below are some of the report’s key findings:

Top OST Program Benefits Nearly two-thirds of park and recreation leaders highlight how providing childcare for working parents and caregivers is a top benefit of their park and recreation agencies’ OST programs. Similarly, 55 percent of park and recreation professionals say that these programs provide a safe space for children outside of school. Half of survey respondents place a high value on how their programs promote physical activity.

One in five park and recreation professionals indicate their OST programs include educational support and supplemental learning opportunities.

Diverse OST Programming Park and recreation agencies deliver diverse programs that range from 18

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traditional sports and classes to mentoring services. The vast majority of park and recreation agencies offer opportunities that encourage physical activity. Ninety-four percent of park and recreation agencies have OST programs tied to physical activity — in the form of free play and sports sampling — while 83 percent offer organized sports or fitness classes.

OST offerings also may prepare local youth for the future and expose them to a world beyond that which they already know.

Seventy-four percent of agencies offer art, music and/or cultural activities, while 64 percent of park and recreation agencies offer programming focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). Fiftyseven percent of agencies’ OST offerings encourage mindfulness and stress reduction. Slightly more than one-half of agencies introduce local youth to environmental education as a part of their OST programs, while slightly less than half of agencies expose kids to nutrition/gardening education.

Esports has become a component of OST services at three in 10 agencies.

Innovations: A Legacy of the Pandemic At the start of the pandemic, most

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agencies canceled their in-person OST offerings, with an exception of providing first responders with childcare. In response, parks and recreation pivoted to deliver youthoriented programming virtually. As the country slowly reopened, park and recreation professionals adapted in-person OST programs to meet public health recommendations.

Many of these innovations will continue for years to come. For example, 63 percent of park and recreation agencies will maintain some programming previously held indoors at their current outside locations. Virtual OST program offerings will remain a part of many agencies’ portfolios. Further, 45 percent of agencies will continue their partnerships with school districts to provide academic/ continued learning support postpandemic.

The full report explores the challenges facing many of today’s youth, the barriers preventing many agencies from fully delivering their OST programs, and the steps many agencies are taking to ensure their OST programs are equitable, inclusive and serve the needs of their communities’ youth.

OST programs offered through local park and recreation agencies are essential to thriving, equitable communities. It is imperative that all youth and families have access to these critical services.

Kevin Roth is NRPA Vice President of Research, Evaluation and Technology (kroth@nrpa.org).

NRPA PARK PULSE

Gifting a Love of the Outdoors

3 in 4

More than U.S. adults plan to purchase gifts associated with outdoor activities this holiday season.

Nearly half of adults intend to spend $100 or more on these gifts.

Gen Zers and millennials are among those most likely to purchase holiday gifts associated with the outdoors.

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.

ADVOCACY

Parks for All recognizes the importance of being part of the solution to climate change, resilience and environmental justice.

Renewing the Importance of Parks to Canadians

By Cathy Jo (CJ) Noble and Michael Cleland

C

anadians have a longstanding love for their parks and consider them to be among the most important public assets provided by government. The public’s increased appreciation for parks during the pandemic stimulated support for their renewal (refreshing existing parks and creating new ones) and addressing the complexity of managing visitor volumes and user conflicts.

In Canada, the compass for the parks sector continues to be Parks for All — the first joint action plan for national, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous park communities. Parks for All is a model of collaboration within the parks community (tinyurl.com/wbc3wysy).

Utilizing Parks for All as its foundation, the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) is committed to supporting our park system through a number of efforts.

20 Parks & Recreation

Recovering Stronger CPRA-led ReImagine RREC – Renew, Retool, Engage and Contribute is a multi-phase coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery initiative for the park and recreation sector (tinyurl.com/evujj6mb).

This initative was an evidence-based examination of the impacts of COVID-19 that highlights the needs of the sector to build back better.

Reimagining Mandates Canada formally recognizes ade-

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quate housing as a fundamental human right — thus, people living within parks have the right to call them their home. In Canada, we adopt a “person first” approach when addressing encampments in parks.

While encampments in parks have long been a presence in Canada, COVID-19 exacerbated the situation, and some of our urban parks began to provide social services and amenities for unhoused residents, including showers, food, water, heated tents, mental health services, relocation to temporary housing, overdose prevention sites, job search aids, and treatment for individuals suffering from addiction. CPRA’s webinar explores this issue (tinyurl. com/3j6txkf7).

Reconciliation The Indigenous voice is a key pillar of Parks for All. The action plan deliberately recognizes the colonialism presence in Canadian parks and calls for conscious

public action to achieve Truth and Reconciliation with both nature and Indigenous people through interaction in our park systems.

Parks for All outlines detailed steps on how to incorporate the perspective of Indigenous people into the front lines of parks development and how to embed Indigenous history and culture across the park system’s continuum. We are committed to an ongoing journey of education for our staff, board and members (tinyurl. com/29cyzpxc).

Recognizing Systemic Racism Historically and to this day, Canadian park systems have played a role in fostering racial inequality.

Parks for All recognizes this and

considers how parks can be a solution so people of all backgrounds feel welcomed, represented and safe within Canada’s parks. Park staff will continue to be diversified at all levels, and parks will build partnerships with diverse sectors to provide more unique experiences targeted at a broader audience. The park and recreation sector is ultimately letting experts lead rather than taking on the task alone.

CPRA recently created an AntiRacism Task Group that will lead the sector in these efforts, learning from NRPA’s work in this space.

Resilience Parks for All recognizes the importance of being part of the solution as it relates to climate change, re-

silience and environmental justice.

CPRA is launching a Climate Action Task Group to advise on how the sector can continue to play a critical role on this issue.

We hope that sharing some of the Parks for All framework will be helpful as you develop your own solutions to any similar challenges your communities face in the United States.

CPRA is the Canadian national voice for the municipal and community recreation and parks sector. CPRA and NRPA have recently signed a memorandum of understanding to reinvest in a strong relationship based on sharing knowledge, experience and resources.

Cathy Jo (CJ) Noble is CEO of the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (cjnoble@cpra.ca). Michael Cleland is Past President of the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (michael.cleland@heydornthomas.com).

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

To determine what “healthy” means for our communities, we must ask our community members.

Connecting the Dots to Health

By Jo Burns, MS, CTRS

H

ow do you effect the health of your community every day?

As park and recreation professionals, your daily interactions, programs, special events, parks, trails and open spaces improve the health of community members in numerous ways.

We know healthcare in the United States is a conundrum. We a have a plethora of resources and an inability to get them to everyone. We have skyrocketing costs. Our system tends to be insurance driven versus person centered. We are spending billions on treating preventable chronic diseases, and, we tend to be reactive with our health solutions. It’s time to change that, and parks and recreation is primed to be that catalyst.

Start by looking at how you and your organization define health.

Think beyond the World Health Organization’s definition of “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the 22 Parks & Recreation

absence of disease.” Really get down to what it looks like to have health in your life and in your organization.

What are the tangible components that contribute to the seven realms of health (physical, social, emotional, mental, spiritual, environmental and economic)? Do you value activity, healthy food, clean water, green spaces close to home, being welcomed into community centers, feeling a sense of belonging and having a friend to confide in?

Think about who should have access to your wonderful definition of health. I bet you thought “everyone.” This is tricky though. Everyone should have access to their

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definition of health — not something pre-defined by you or your organization. This is where we have a great opportunity to connect with our community members about their health — all realms of it. It’s also a place where we can connect to promote health equity in our communities. We must make “efforts to ensure that all people have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives” (tinyurl.com/yude6keu).

Simply stated, whatever “healthy” looks like to your community members, we can’t know until we ask.

Park and recreation folks have more opportunity to ask because we’re on the frontlines of interacting with our community members. While the average person visits their physician approximately four times a year (tinyurl.com/zyvj5925), they visit

parks more than twice per month (tinyurl.com/8cms4n2x).

If we look at spending, the contrast is very apparent. The United States spends an estimated average of $10,000 per person on healthcare annually. In contrast, the average amount spent per person on parks and recreation is $190 per year. By investing in preventative options to improve health from increased physical activity, access to healthy food, access to green spaces, and access to clean water and air through tree canopy development, we can reduce annual healthcare spending. The goal is to turn our current healthcare system on its ear and leverage public health and insurance funding to support partnerships and to provide grants to park and recreation

departments with innovative health promotion programs.

What might those opportunities look like when we connect the dots?

It could look like community health clinics in your recreation centers, or health kiosks measuring blood pressure and blood sugar next to the workout equipment. It could look like offering immunizations, wellbeing checks and nutrition education. It might look like partnering with nursing schools to engage with your older adults or partnering with public health campaigns focused on reducing obesity in kids.

Connecting the dots for health means owning our role in the healthcare continuum as folks provide excellent health promotion and prevention options for our

community members. We must partner with public health organizations, schools, community organizations, mental health organizations, nonprofits, public safety organizations, technology firms and more. It means volunteering to be at the table when the health of our communities is being strategically planned and articulating how parks and recreation is contributing. It also means inviting those other sectors to participate with us.

Park and recreation professionals are a critical dot in the picture of health. By engaging with your community members and partnering with others, we can advance the overall health of our communities.

Jo Burns, MS, CTRS, is Chief Connection and Collaboration Officer for Jo Burns Connects, LLC (jo@joburnsconnects.com).

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EQUITY

Language is often the first place to start when fostering inclusion.

Fostering Inclusion Through Words Explore NRPA’s Equity Language Guide

By Autumn Saxton-Ross, Ph.D.

N

early 10 years ago, NRPA established its Three Pillars: Health and Wellness, Equity, and Conservation.

These pillars were created to speak to the ideals of building strong, healthy and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. A lot has changed over the past 10 years, but NRPA’s dedication to advance this vision has not. NRPA remains committed to the guiding principles of these pillars by investing in and championing the work of park and recreation professionals as an essential force of positive change in each of these key areas and in communities throughout our nation.

Our communities are diverse in every sense of the word. Inequity and racial injustice are problems that have been and are still present in every public system across our country. Addressing differences and challenges and creating welcoming and inclusive spaces for communities aren’t the work of someone else — these tasks reflect your work. Park and recreation 24 Parks & Recreation

professionals are the people who work in the spaces where everyone meets — the pool, the playground, the field or the center. What you do has and always will require hard work, and as your membership organization, it’s NRPA’s responsibility to create tools and provide support for all that you do.

Two weeks ago, we released our Equity Language Guide, a direct

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response to professionals’ request for trusted resources related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

It is based on guidance set forth by leading language guides, as well as resources from multiple organizations, associations and researchers.

It represents our attempt to assist people in the field and beyond who are wrestling with ways not just to increase access, but also to create a welcoming environment and cultivate a sense of belonging.

Words have power. Our word choices and how we communicate set the table for a more welcoming environment. We see the guide as a tool — a resource — because we understand that language is often the first place to start when fostering inclusion. It also would be very

Autumn Saxton-Ross, Ph.D., is NRPA’s Vice President of Education and Chief Equity Officer (asaxtonross@nrpa.org).

find purpose deal with challenges and problems

live dreams

affected by other’s opinions

COMFORT ZONE fee safe and in control

FEAR ZONE find excuses

LEARNING GROWTH ZONE ZONE acquire new skills

lack self-confidence

set new goals

extend the comfort zone realize aspirations

MODEL DEVELOPED BY PSYCHOLOGIST LEV VYGOTSKY

naïve of us to assume that everyone will embrace this resource, or welcome with open arms words or language that seem at odds with longstanding beliefs or their lived experience or understanding. If, while reading this guide, some of the suggestions made you uncomfortable (or downright angry!), I invite you to ask yourself, “Why?” What words or definitions invoke those feelings? What would happen if you opened up to the possibility of other perspectives?

Earlier in the year, we released our Equity Action Plan. This plan connects our commitment to centering equity and our strategic direction of Preparing Professionals for the Future with our values, namely continuous learning. Whether it’s research, conference education sessions, schools, certifications or our Equity in Practice initiatives, you come to us because you, too, are committed to continuous learning.

Over the next 18 months, we will continue with this commitment by creating a space for you to step out of your comfort zone and step into a learning and growth zone by focusing on the skills necessary for four core competencies.

We believe these competencies — self-awareness, direct communication, race equity lens and relationships across differences — are the foundation for individual and organizational change.

We know we don’t have all the answers, but we celebrate progress over perfection. Our guide alone will not put an end to social or racial injustice. However, it is a meaningful step toward a more equitable park and recreation experience.

NRPA’s Equity Action Plan connects our commitment to centering equity and our strategic direction of Preparing Professionals for the Future with our value of continuous learning.

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CONSERVATION

As stewards of the land, park and recreation professionals have the opportunity to ensure equitable climate solutions are incorporated in communities across the country.

Ensuring Equitable Climate Solutions for Our Parks

By Ayanna Williams, MSW

D

espite our best efforts to return to normal during 2021 given the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, communities continue to face dynamic social and environmental landscapes.

Parks are often a place where we can find solutions and solace. The past year found me in parks to relax, retreat, or socialize with family and friends safely.

As stewards of the land, we have the opportunity to ensure equitable climate solutions are incorporated in communities across the country.

26 Parks & Recreation

I joined NRPA in April 2021 as the director of community and environmental resilience.

A tested leader in place-based, environmental-focused nonprofits, I bring more than a decade of experience with Atlanta-based nonprofit Park Pride and, more recently, two years with the Georgia Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.

Throughout my career, I have cultivated a broad perspective and deep understanding of community and resilience while engaging in

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work that depends on diverse local partnerships and the support of national institutions. I am less than one year into my new role, and I am excited to share what I have learned and a way forward that centers resilient, climate-ready parks.

According to National Public Radio, “[an] editorial, which was published in leading journals, such as The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine and The British Medical Journal, says the world can’t wait for the COVID-19 pandemic to pass before addressing climate change.” The article quotes Eric Rubin, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, as stating, “Climate change may be the biggest threat out there to public health and to our ways of life.

aging GI in parks • Case studies and briefing papers that take a deeper dive into some key areas, like community engagement, funding and equity • The Green Infrastructure Evaluation Framework, which helps determine what data points to measure and how to measure them to show the impact of these spaces • The National Green Infrastructure Certificate, which is a professional certificate earned from an online course, focused on designing, implementing and maintaining GI in park settings As we move into 2022, I look to celebrate innovation and communitydriven success, and support climate-ready parks. Our goal is to fully utilize existing resources (blogs, podcasts, magazine articles, grants and professional development opportunities) to center place-based solutions, which are exemplified in resources and programs like Climate.Park.Change. (climateparkchange.net) and BioBlitz campaigns (nrpa.org/ BioBlitz). To center climateready parks as place-based solutions in the face of an ever-changing environment, we must continue to cultivate solutions that are co-creative, complementary, adaptive and transformative. I encourage you to ask questions that focus on how your work advances community and environmental resilience, such as: • Desirability – Are we creating, elevating and sharing the right type of resources to advance climate-ready parks through our planning, professional development and on-the-ground events?

• Feasibility – Can we use these resources to create systems change

PHOTO COURTESY OF AYANNA WILLIAMS, MSW

I think we can’t lose sight of these enormous issues because we’re consumed with one that happens to be a health problem right now.”

“The point of this is not to say the sky is falling,” Rubin says. “It’s to say: There are problems. They’re very severe and there are things we can do and we should be doing them right now. I’d like this to be more of a call to action than an obituary on our planet” (tinyurl. com/4dx7hebm).

In 2020, NRPA published a climate statement. The climate statement is a declaration of our values and our value. As stewards of the land, we have the opportunity to ensure equitable climate solutions are incorporated in communities across the country. It states in part, “Park and recreation professionals plan, manage, program and maintain 11 million acres of public parks and green spaces across the country, and are poised to bring community-driven climate solutions that build a healthy, more resilient and more equitable future for generations to come (tinyurl. com/5ek479s8).”

NRPA has developed a suite of green infrastructure (GI) resources to provide the tools, knowledge and resources to plan, implement, maintain and advocate for greener parks and open spaces. These resources also can help members to understand and value the multiple benefits GI projects can bring to surrounding communities, including improved community health, access to green spaces and nature, and opportunities for education, employment and resiliency.

NRPA’s resources include: • A guide of best practices for planning, constructing and man-

Ayanna Williams, MSW, NRPA’s director of community and environmental resilience.

To center climate-ready parks as place-based solutions in the face of an ever-changing environment, we must continue to cultivate solutions that are co-creative, complementary, adaptive and transformative. at the local level?

• Viability – Do these resources provide information or tools to make climate-ready parks more fundable through current funding structures?

We cannot know what opportunities and challenges 2022 will hold. However, I am confident we can face them together if we see parks as part of the solution. As Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Getting it done is what park professionals do every day.

Ayanna Williams, MSW, is NRPA’s Director of Community and Environmental Resilience (awilliams@nrpa.org).

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L AW R EV I EW

In the case of Butler v. City of New York, Plaintiffs alleged their constitutional rights were violated when they were arrested at a protest in a city park.

COVID-19 Emergency Executive Order Leads to Protestor Arrests in Park

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

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n the case of Butler v. City of New York, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 170311 (S.D. N.Y. 9/8/2021), Plaintiffs Eric Butler and Jacob J. Katzburg brought a federal civil rights lawsuit, alleging their constitutional rights were violated when they were arrested at a protest in a city park. Plaintiffs were protesting the policies New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had implemented in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Plaintiffs were arrested for violating an executive order that banned all “non-essential gatherings.”

Facts of the Case On March 23, 2020, in response to the seriousness, pervasiveness and evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor of New York issued Executive Order 202.10, which, among other things, declared that all nonessential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason were cancelled or postponed. Similarly, 28 Parks & Recreation

on March 25, 2020, the Mayor of New York City issued Emergency Executive Order 103 (EEO 103), which provided: In order to avoid the mass congregation of people in public places and to reduce the opportunity for the spread of COVID-19 any nonessential gathering of individuals of any size for any reason shall be cancelled or postponed.

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The Mayor extended the ban on non-essential gatherings several times. The ban was still in effect on May 9, 2020 when Plaintiffs, both residents of New York, gathered around 1 p.m. with approximately 20 other people in City Hall Park in New York City, to protest the executive orders the Mayor had issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Plaintiffs, the protestors attempted to maintain a distance of six feet between themselves, at all times, and several wore face coverings. Plaintiffs also alleged that, while the group was protesting, there were other park goers nearby, though they were not associated with each other.

At approximately 1:35 p.m., members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) assembled outside the park. After standing outside the park for several minutes, the police formed a line that blocked off one of the entrances to the park. Once inside, the police officers played an audio recording over a loudspeaker, stating: “This is the New York City Police Department. Non-essential gatherings of any kind have been prohibited by the Governor and the Mayor. This gathering is unlawful, and you are ordered to disperse. If you fail to disperse immediately, you are subject to arrest.”

After playing the recording for five minutes, police officers approached Plaintiffs and the other protestors. Plaintiff Katzburg was ordered to leave the park.

Katzburg objected, stating the park was open to the public and that he was exercising his First Amendment right to freedom of assembly. NYPD officers then arrested Katzburg. Police officers continued to escort other protesters out of the park. As Plaintiff Butler walked away from the park, he also was arrested. In total, nine protestors, including Plaintiffs, were arrested. Plaintiffs were released from custody later that day, each with a criminal summons.

The Mayor extended the ban on all non-essential gatherings twice more. On May 24, 2020, the ban was modified to permit nonessential gatherings of 10 or fewer individuals, as long as those individuals adhered to applicable physical distancing and cleaning protocols. The capacity limits were incrementally increased until June 15, 2021, when all capacity

restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted.

Although New York subsequently entered a fourth surge, in large part due to the Delta variant, no capacity restrictions were reinstated.

Surviving a Motion to Dismiss In their lawsuit, Plaintiffs alleged enforcement of the executive order “violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and right to petition the government for redress of grievances.” The City filed a motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ lawsuit.

As noted by the federal district court, to survive the City’s motion to dismiss, the complaint in Plaintiffs’ lawsuit had to “contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” According to the court, within the context of a motion to dismiss: “A claim is facially plausible when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.”

Further, to survive a motion to dismiss, the court found: “The plaintiff must allege sufficient facts to show more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Accordingly, the question before the court on the City’s motion to dismiss was “not whether a plaintiff will ultimately prevail but whether the claimant is entitled to offer evidence to support the claims.”

Public Health Regulation In the motion to dismiss, the City contended the following “deferential framework” established by

Supreme Court precedent should control the court’s constitutional analysis in this particular case: [A] state or local law enacted to protect the public health will survive judicial scrutiny unless it bears no real or substantial relation to the public health, or is, beyond all question, a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by the fundamental law.

In their lawsuit, Plaintiffs alleged enforcement of the executive order “violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and right to petition the government for redress of grievances.”

The federal district court agreed that this precedent should govern consideration of Plaintiffs’ First Amendment claims, providing “a workable framework that balances the delicate considerations at play, i.e., responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and maintaining constitutional liberties.”

Accordingly, to overcome the City’s motion to dismiss, the federal district court would require Plaintiffs to show “EEO 103 bears no real or substantial relationship to the public health, or is a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by fundamental law.” In the opinion of the court, Plaintiffs had failed to do so. As characterized by the court, EEO 103 was based on “the scientific understanding of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads”: [A]t the time that Plaintiffs were arrested, the scientific and medical

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communities believed that preventing in-person gatherings, including outdoor ones, was crucial to any strategy of containment, and courts in this District, including this one, agreed with that assessment, and the declining rates of infection following the enactment of EEO 103 validated that assessment at the time.

The court further noted there was “well established” agreement among courts, as well as much of the public that “COVID-19 is a highly infectious and potentially deadly disease.”

The court further noted there was “well established” agreement among courts, as well as much of the public that “COVID-19 is a highly infectious and potentially deadly disease.” In this particular instance, the court found “stemming the spread of COVID-19 is unquestionably a substantial government interest” and “EEO 103 was enacted to protect the public health.” As characterized by the court, the City had enacted EEO 103 “to slow the spread of a virus that had at that time hospitalized and killed tens of thousands of New Yorkers and infected hundreds of thousands more, in less than three months’ time.”

Constitutional First Amendment Regulation As described by the court, “when a regulation is content neutral,” the following standard of judicial review would be applied to determine the constitutionality of a 30 Parks & Recreation

governmental regulation involving First Amendment activities: [T]he government may implement content-neutral regulations to limit the time, place, or manner of expression, whether oral, written, or symbolized by conduct, even in a public forum [like a public park], so long as the restrictions are reasonable, are narrowly tailored to serve a significant governmental interest, and leave open ample alternative channels for communication of the information.

The court, however, acknowledged “narrowly tailored does not require a regulation to be the least restrictive or least intrusive means.”

Instead, the court would find a regulation to be “narrowly tailored so long as it promotes a substantial government interest that would be achieved less effectively absent the regulation and is not substantially broader than necessary.”

Further, in determining content neutrality, the court would consider “whether the government has adopted a regulation of speech because of agreement or disagreement with the message it conveys.”

In applying the applicable analytical framework to determine the constitutionality of this particular emergency executive order, the federal district court determined “EEO 103 is narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest and leaves open ample alternative challenges for communication”: Given the severity of the public health crisis, the City has taken measures that are reasonable and narrowly tailored in temporarily prohibiting public gatherings.

While a measure restricting all

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public group activity may not likely be found narrowly tailored in ordinary times, these times are extraordinary. The City has demonstrated that the scientific and medical communities believe that preventing in-person gatherings is crucial to any strategy of containment.

Moreover, those conclusions have only been bolstered since as conditions improved in the city and state while other states that imposed less restrictive measures saw an alarming surge in infection rates and deaths, showing that any progress attained may be fragile.

The court further noted: “[T]he declining rates of infection and death among New Yorkers is evidence not that the gathering ban is overly broad, but rather that it is effective.” In so doing, the court rejected Plaintiffs’ allegation that “subsequent loosening of the gathering restrictions constitutes a tacit admission of guilt” by the City. On the contrary, the court found “the subsequent orders, tied to improving infection rates across the city and state, are evidence that EEO 103 was narrowly tailored, as the restriction was temporary.”

Ample Communication Alternatives The federal district court also found Plaintiffs had “ample alternative channels for the communication of their information, given that they were free to express their discontent online, through media, or by protesting individually.”

While acknowledging “a single person protesting in public is not a perfect substitute for public group protests,” the court held “these alternatives were certainly accept-

According to Plaintiffs, the protestors attempted to maintain a distance of six feet between themselves, at all times, and several wore face coverings.

able given their temporary nature.”

Accordingly, the court concluded “EEO 103 was far from a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by fundamental law” under the First Amendment.

Viewpoint Discrimination Further, in the opinion of the court, EEO 103 was content neutral “on its face” because the emergency order made “no reference to particular content.”

Plaintiffs, however, argued the City “failed to enforce it in a content- and viewpoint-neutral manner.” According to Plaintiffs, “the discriminatory enforcement of EEO 103 was based solely on the content of the message of their protest, i.e., that they were critical of the manner in which Defendants responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Moreover, Plaintiffs claimed viewpoint discrimination was clearly evident because the City “did not enforce EEO 103 against other individuals who were at the park, such as those standing around a nearby fountain or walking their dogs, while the protest occurred.”

In response, the City argued Plaintiffs had failed to allege that “the other park goers were engaged in prohibited non-essential gatherings” on the day Plaintiffs were arrested. In so doing, the City emphasized “EEO 103 bars individuals from congregating regardless of the content expressed at their gathering.”

Plaintiffs also asserted “the discriminatory enforcement was

even more blatant given the approach taken by Defendants against significantly larger groups that participated in the various protests in the days following the tragic death of George Floyd.”

In particular, Plaintiffs pointed to “statements by the Mayor in response to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests.” According to Plaintiffs, “the only explanation for the alleged difference in enforcement of EEO 103 against the individuals protesting the murder of George Floyd and the Plaintiffs protesting Defendants’ response to the pandemic is that Defendants favored the former while abhorring the latter.”

In response, the City argued the BLM protests “bore no similarity to Plaintiffs’ gathering” because “the BLM protests involved huge numbers of people.” Accordingly, “from a law enforcement, pub-

lic safety, or public health perspective,” the City maintained the BLM protests “could not be handled in the same manner in which Plaintiffs’ gathering was addressed.”

Selective Enforcement?

As noted by the federal district court, Plaintiffs had acknowledged “EEO 103 is content neutral on its face.” The question before the court was, therefore, whether EEO 103 was selectively applied in a manner which deprived Plaintiffs of their First Amendment rights.

In this particular instance, the court found the other park goers present during Plaintiffs’ arrest were “unassociated” and, therefore, not “gathering together in violation of the ban on non-essential gatherings.” On the contrary, the court noted: “Nothing about EEO 103 prevented people from individ-

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In the opinion of the federal district court, Plaintiffs had failed to establish that the City favored the message of the Black Lives Matter protesters.

ually going to City Hall Park.” As a result, the court concluded “the order could not be enforced against those other park goers.”

Moreover, in the opinion of the federal district court, Plaintiffs had failed to establish that the City favored the message of the BLM protesters. Given “tens of thousands engaged in street demonstrations in New York City on a near daily basis,” the court found the Mayor’s statements in connection with the BLM protests “may reasonably be construed as acquiescing to the inevitability of the protests, rather than actively ‘encouraging’ protests.”

Under such circumstances, the court found “public officials needed to have the flexibility to determine how to enforce the gathering restrictions, and to determine the circumstance under which arrest 32 Parks & Recreation

may or may not be appropriate.”

Since the circumstances surrounding Plaintiffs’ arrest and the BLM protests were “drastically different,” the court rejected Plaintiffs’ claim that the evidence supported “a finding of content discrimination” as applied to Plaintiffs.

Void for Vagueness Doctrine Plaintiffs also had claimed EEO 103 was “void for vagueness, and therefore, violates the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.” As defined by the federal district court, the “void-forvagueness doctrine” requires a penal statute to clearly define a criminal offense as follows: (1) with sufficient definiteness that ordinary people can understand what conduct is prohibited and (2) in a manner that does not

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encourage arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement.

While “a law must provide explicit standards,” the court noted, “it need not achieve meticulous specificity, which would come at the cost of flexibility and reasonable breadth”: The touchstone of the first prong, the notice prong, is whether the statute [or this emergency order], either standing alone or as construed, made it reasonably clear at the relevant time that the defendant’s conduct was criminal, while the arbitrary enforcement prong requires that a statute give minimal guidelines to law enforcement authorities.

Plaintiffs had argued that EEO 103 was void for vagueness because the emergency executive order “does not define the term ‘non-essential gatherings,’ leaving members of the public with no guidance as to what conduct the order proscribes.”

Since EEO 103 provided an exemption for “essential business or entity providing essential services or functions,” Plaintiffs claimed “a reasonable person might think that a protest falls within the definition of ‘essential,’ given the ordinary meaning of the word and the importance of the right to protest and assemble.” Moreover, Plaintiffs argued the lack of any definition for “non-essential gatherings” allowed the City “to engage in a standardless sweep with the instant arrests, while not arresting the other park goers that day or individuals who attended the BLM protests.” The

federal district court found these arguments “unpersuasive”:

By Plaintiffs’ own admission, the very purpose of their gathering was to protest, among other pandemic-related responses, the portion of the emergency executive orders that prohibit “non-essential” gatherings. And as Plaintiffs also allege, prior to arresting Plaintiffs, Defendants played a recording for five minutes that explicitly warned Plaintiffs that they were engaging in a “non-essential gathering,” and that they would be subject to arrest if they failed to disperse.

Within the context of the “void for vagueness doctrine,” the federal district court further determined “EEO 103 satisfies both the notice and arbitrary enforcement prongs”: Regarding the notice prong, as Plaintiffs acknowledge, EEO 103 incorporates the definition of “essential business or entity providing essential services or functions” in Executive Order 202.6 issued by the Governor on March 18, 2020. Contrary to Plaintiffs’ assertion, a person of reasonable intelligence would know that anything not identified as “essential” was “non-essential.”

Accordingly, since protests were not included within the meaning of “essential,” the court held “a reasonable person” would have noticed and “[understood] that the activity was ‘non-essential,’ and therefore, proscribed by EEO 103.” In addition, the federal district court found “these definitions provide law enforcement authorities with the minimal guidelines necessary to satisfy the arbitrary enforcement prong.” As a result, the court held “Plaintiffs’ void-for-vagueness claims fail as a matter of law.”

Conclusion Given the substantial relationship between EEO 103 and governmental efforts to address the significant COVID-19 threat to public health, the federal district court found Plaintiffs had failed to allege sufficient facts that might establish a violation of their First Amendment rights at the time of their arrest during the park protest. As a result, the federal district court ordered “all of Plaintiffs’ claims must be dismissed.”

Because one size doesn’t fit all, NRPA offers many ways to support the field of parks and recreation. Choose the one(s) that best suits your situation: Online Giving is an easy click away.

Monthly Giving enables you to be an anchor for NRPA during these times of volatility.

Tribute Gifts honor someone special or celebrate an important occasion.

Gifts of Appreciated Stock allow you to save on taxes while supporting parks and recreation.

Gifts Through a Donor-Advised Fund are a great way to see the impact of your gift right away.

Gifts from Your IRA may be a great way to avoid taxes on your withdrawal and meet your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).

Please consult with your tax advisor on the giving option(s) that best fits your personal situation.

For more information, visit nrpa.org/Give, email us at development@nrpa.org or call us at 703.858.2190.

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).

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

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

On March 15, 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed Deb Haaland to her cabinet post in the Biden-Harris administration by a vote of 51 to 40 — making her the first Native American cabinet secretary.

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DOI Secretary Deb Haaland

Breaks New Ground The head of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) shares her insights on racial equity, climate justice and transcending the national-local divide to create access to parks and recreation for all

By Kristine Stratton, NRPA President and CEO

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RPA has been part of the backbone of the work that we do at Interior, and I couldn’t be prouder to call this organization a partner,” U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in her virtual remarks during an opening general session at the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference this past September. “Your work to make public lands more accessible to more people no matter their background, their income or where they live is something that I hold dear to my heart.”

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On March 15, 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed Haaland to her cabinet post in the BidenHarris administration by a vote of 51 to 40 — making her the first Native American cabinet secretary.

She also was one of the first Indigenous women to serve in Congress.

During her time in the House of Representatives, she focused on environmental justice and climate change, among many other issues.

NRPA and Parks & Recreation magazine recently connected with Secretary Haaland to learn more about her goals as the head of Department of the Interior; and how DOI can partner with NRPA to transcend the national-local divide to create access to parks and recreation for all.

Parks & Recreation: In your opening statement during your February 2021 confirmation hearing, you acknowledged the historic significance that, if confirmed, you would be the first appointed Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. Now that you’ve been Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary for nearly 10 months, what has this experience meant to you?

Secretary Deb Haaland: When President Joe Biden nominated me to be the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, I felt the profound importance of what that moment meant for Indigenous peoples in our country. I knew then, as I still feel now, that we’re at the beginning of a new era where Indigenous knowledge in our work to combat systemic inequities and craft policies to ensure fairness and a bright future for everyone is valued and prioritized. Representation matters.

When people whose communities 36 Parks & Recreation

have long been underrepresented and oppressed are at the decisionmaking table, we can develop solutions that benefit all of us.

I’m proud to be part of an administration that recognizes and trusts that my life experiences can inform policymaking, in an effort to correct the mistakes of the past and help to create a future our ancestors would be proud of. With humility and gratitude, part of my role at the Department is to be a megaphone for Tribal issues and bring Indigenous representation to the highest levels of government.

Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians have pushed for this kind of representation for hundreds of years.

P&R: How do you see the DOI supporting and strengthening a park and recreation commitment that transcends “national versus local” and instead supports all communities across the country? What role do you view the DOI has in building a movement to support parks and recreation?

Secretary Haaland: We are committed to ensuring everyone has access to the great outdoors, and that every jurisdiction plays a role in providing those opportunities to communities. The ORLP program will play a crucial role in providing funding to urban areas — jurisdictions of at least 50,000 people — with priority given to projects located in economically disadvantaged areas and lacking in outdoor recreation opportunities. It is an example of partners working together across local, state and federal jurisdictions to improve and expand access to outdoor recreation opportunities for all.

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P&R: Reflecting on your roles as chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, vice chair of the House Natural Resources Committee and as a member of Congress, how are you bringing those experiences into your work as Secretary?

Secretary Haaland: During my time in Congress, I learned the value of working together to deliver tangible results for communities. I took the time to build meaningful relationships with both Democratic and Republican members to seek common ground on outdoor recreation, the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis, and military housing protections — all issues that bridge partisan divides. For example, as chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, I worked with my colleagues to shepherd the Great American Outdoors Act, which provided guaranteed, full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), to the House floor for a successful bipartisan vote.

I enjoyed my time in the House of Representatives. I really learned the value of lived experiences that drive people to take leadership positions. It’s why representation matters so much and why I continue to push for equity and inclusion in my current position.

P&R: President Joe Biden pledged to place racial equity at the center of everything his administration does. How are you centering equity in DOI’s work?

Secretary Haaland: I am proud to be part of the team here at Interior that reflects the diversity of America. Equity and inclusion are infused

in all of the work we do, which is, undoubtedly, made stronger and more effective by the diverse backgrounds and lived experiences of our team members. Early on, President Biden’s Executive Order on advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities really set the stage. It clearly established the administration’s policy — that we will pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all.

It’s an incredibly profound call to action because it recognizes the federal government’s role to right the wrongs of the past and is especially crucial when we consider the injustice that marginalized communities encounter in the face of climate change.

At Interior, we are making investments to expand capacity for national park units and programs that preserve and tell the story of historically underrepresented and

marginalized groups, as well as funding to preserve sites that document the struggle for civil rights and equal opportunity for African Americans. There are also targeted investments to strengthen Tribal sovereignty, build capacity, and increase focus on environmental quality and justice needs in Tribal communities. We know that some of the roots of inequity across the country are built into many of the existing policies and processes on the federal level, and we’re committed to a focused effort to address those inequities, so everyone in this country is included in our vision for the future.

P&R: In April 2021, you formed a climate change task force to coordinate efforts, such as enhancing renewable energy development on federal lands and waters. DOI also

During her time in the House of Representatives, Haaland focused on environmental justice and climate change, among many other issues.

specified how science should guide department decisions and issued a directive to officials to maintain vigorous environmental reviews that analyze climate change and engage tribes and underserved communities. Can you elaborate more on how a focus on climate change is showing up in the DOI? Secretary Haaland: From wildfire and drought to wildlife conservation and clean energy development, everything we do at the Department must be viewed through a climate change lens. We know that climate change impacts every community, but not every community has the resources

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to manage its impacts. Many communities can’t just get up and move or rebuild when a climate disaster strikes. In many cases, these are the same communities dealing with a legacy of pollution in their communities.

The Department of the Interior supports the administration’s commitment to tackle the climate crisis and put climate justice at the center of its mission. We have pledged to use the best-available science to take concrete steps to adapt to and mitigate climate change impacts, and [we] are working to ensure the integrity of federal decision making, as well as coordinate appropriate and proactive responses to impacts on public lands and waters, wildlife, cultural resources, and Tribal resources and interests.

We are doing our part to help the [United States] meet our goals to tackle the climate crisis, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, producing carbon-pollution free power, and reaching net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050.

P&R: How does your department plan to support and protect the sovereignty of Tribal Nations? What might that mean in terms of current policies?

Secretary Haaland: The Department believes that we can best serve Indigenous peoples when Tribal governments are empowered to lead their own communities, and when federal officials speak with and listen to Tribal leaders in formulating policies that affect Tribal Nations. This has been incredibly important for us as we engage in nation-to-nation consultation.

We aren’t just here to listen; we are here to implement what we are learning. Through land consolidation and land buy-back programs, Tribes have the opportunity to make decisions about economic development, restore balance to nature, seek environmental justice, and help the whole country address climate change. As the chair of the White House Council on Native American Affairs, I want to ensure that every cabinet agen-

cy coordinates with Tribal Nations as it advances work on key issues, such as climate change; Tribal homelands and treaties; economic development; energy and infrastructure; health; education; public safety and justice; and international Indigenous issues.

P&R: President Biden has stated that he wants to retool and relaunch the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

Given today’s climate change crisis, the racial reckoning, and the needs of our evolving workforce, what could “CCC 2.0” look like?

Secretary Haaland: The President’s Build Back Better Agenda includes historic investments to mobilize the next generation of conservation and resilience workers through the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC). The CCC will put a new, diverse generation of Americans to work conserving our public lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, and advancing environmental justice — all while placing goodpaying union jobs within reach for more Americans. The CCC is an important jobs initiative that draws on America’s strength to work together and build back better to revitalize public lands, infrastructure and communities. It will leverage the skills of young adults, veterans, Tribes, and folks from underserved and marginalized communities to help advance this vision. The idea builds from the 20th century Civilian Conservation Corps, which As chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, Haaland worked with colleagues to shepherd the Great American Outdoors Act to the House floor for a successful bipartisan vote.

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put hundreds of thousands of young people to work on public and private lands, providing them with jobs and training to tackle the crises of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

P&R: The Biden administration under your leadership has taken a proactive approach to supporting urban parks through the reinstatement of the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program and other initiatives to support local parks. Can you share why you view local parks as so important?

Secretary Haaland: The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program is a crucial tool to advancing environmental justice and ensuring equitable access to nature and its benefits. The ORLP program is especially important to helping underserved communities that historically have had inequitable access to the outdoors connect with surrounding wildlife and its habitats. Providing opportunities for outdoor recreation is also vital to the health of communities and individuals. Time outdoors improves overall physical, social and psychological well-being.

Communities need playgrounds, ballfields, parks and trails and the outdoor recreational opportunities that accompany them. They are places of civic pride that bring neighbors together.

P&R: How can local park departments better interact with your department and strengthen the relationship between local parks, the National Park Service and the DOI?

Secretary Haaland: The National Park Service provides a variety of grant and support opportunities that create or enhance close-to-home outdoor recreation experiences for communities. Since its inception in 1965, the LWCF has supported $4 billion worth of projects in every county in the country. Last year, Congress permanently funded the LWCF at $900 million per year with wide bipartisan support. At no cost to taxpayers, the LWCF supports increased public access to and protection for federal public lands and waters — including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and recreation areas — and provides matching grants to state governments for the acquisition and development of public parks and other outdoor recreation sites. We strongly encourage local parks departments to continue working with the Department on issues of access and equity.

P&R: Local parks proved to be an indispensable source of support and resources for their communities during the pandemic. What role do you see for local parks in the post-COVID-19 world?

Secretary Haaland: The pandemic reminded everyone of the importance of close-to-home recreational opportunities. We were all looking for places where we could just get outside and enjoy physical activity, some fresh air, and perhaps, a chance to socialize safely.

We will continue to work with communities to provide financial and technical support to provide nearby safe and accessible places to recreate and experience nature.

P&R: How will the DOI continue to support the needs of park and recreation

Secretary Haaland says providing opportunities for outdoor recreation is vital to the health of communities and individuals.

professionals, so that they can better serve their communities?

Secretary Haaland: We will continue to provide funding and technical assistance to park planners and communities throughout the country. The LWCF will continue to provide money to federal, state and local governments to purchase land, water and wetlands for the benefit of the public. The funds can also enable state and local governments to improve park and other recreation areas in their communities by rehabilitating and upgrading existing parks, creating brand new parks in places that have none, and developing and expanding trail systems that link communities to each other and to additional recreation opportunities.

Kristine Stratton is President and CEO of NRPA.

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Recapping the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference Park and recreation professionals gather in person and virtually

By Vitisia Paynich and Lindsay Hogeboom

O

n September 21-23, NRPA hosted nearly 4,000 attendees in Nashville, Tennessee, and welcomed more than 1,700 attendees — who logged in from their desktops, laptops and other smart devices — to experience the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference. This first-ever hybrid event featured general sessions, education programming, coffee talks and special events, as well as an exhibit hall showcasing the latest products and services from leading companies. Here are some highlights from this year’s conference.

General Sessions Hit the Right Notes

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAUGHT IN THE MOMENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Among the much-anticipated events at this year’s conference were the general sessions. On day one of the conference, NRPA President and CEO Kristine Stratton unveiled NRPA’s new visual and verbal identity — a new brand that reflects our values and where park and recreation professionals and their essential work are recognized

40 Parks & Recreation

by all. She also shared NRPA’s impact statements, which are based on research and data-driven facts and serve as a key resource for NRPA members.

After delivering her remarks, Stratton introduced U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who delivered virtual remarks on the state of our country.

“Today, I want to speak to you about the growing threats that nature faces,

At this year’s conference, education was aplenty with onehour sessions and speed sessions.

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how the Biden-Harris administration is investing in solutions, and how we can work together for the benefit of the generations who will follow us,” she says. “If we take care of our land, water and wildlife, we can create millions of new jobs and generate millions of dollars in economic returns in the years to come.”

Secretary Haaland was followed by a keynote presentation by Jad Abumrad, MacArthur fellow and host of the Peabody Awardwinning radio show, Radiolab.

Abumrad discussed the challenges that people encounter when trying to understand the language around science. As he puts it, “Science is its own language island, but there’s a particular way that people talk in a lab that is unique to that space.”

The day two opening general session kicked off with a keynote presentation by Mitchell Silver, principal and vice president of urban planning at McAdams and former park commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Silver shared his insights about the profession and offered some words of wisdom and encouragement to other park and recreation professionals. “We have to underscore that parks are for people,” says Silver about park and recreation professionals who ask him about park equity. “Diversity, equity and inclusion is not something you

More than 1,700 attendees logged in from their desktops, laptops and other smart devices to experience the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference virtually.

do, it’s who you are.” He adds that these values must be part of your DNA. Wednesday’s general session concluded with a fireside chat with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, co-founder of the nonprofit think tank Urban Ocean Lab, co-founder of the climate initiative The All We Can Save Project, and co-creator of the podcast How to Save a Planet.

Victor Dover, co-founder of Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning and NRPA board member, interviewed Dr. Johnson to learn more about her thoughts on climate change and conservation as it relates to protecting our oceans.

The day three opening general session welcomed Kwame Alexander, poet, educator and author, who recited our community poem, called “Everything Around You.” Alexander constructed the final poem from multiple poems submitted by members of our park and recreation community.

The poem recitation was followed by the keynote panel, “A Fair and Just Future for Youth Sports,” with opening remarks by Kim Turner, director, gender equity initiative at Coaching Corps.

Rachel Banner, NRPA’s director of park access, moderated the discussion that featured panelists Chris Mosier, Team USA athlete and transgender activist; Diahann Billings-Burford, CEO of RISE; and Jose Corona, vice president, programs and partnerships at Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. During this lively discussion, panelists addressed the historic role of sports

in championing racial and social justice as well as inequities and discrimination in youth sports.

Education Sessions Offered Live and Virtually At this year’s conference, education was aplenty with one-hour sessions and speed sessions.

Working Toward Racial Equity “As part of our next century conservation plan, back in 2015 — or even earlier than that — our vision for change, equity and inclusion were key goals for the Forest Preserves [of Cook County, Illinois]…. We recognized that the people of Cook County, the diverse Cook County residents, were not coming to the preserves in the same numbers, and we recognized that was not okay,” says Arnold

Randall, general superintendent of the Forest Preserves of Cook County and NRPA board member, in his education session, titled “Working Toward Racial Equity.”

Randall continued the session by describing a 2018 event involving a hate crime that occurred in a Forest Preserves of Cook County park, which prompted department staff to take their commitment to equity to the next level. “The question we asked was, ‘How can we operationalize [our value that] everyone is welcome in the preserves?’ I can say it and my boss can say it and our leaders can say it, but how do we make sure that it is actually happening at every level in the organization?” says Randall.

He then described the steps agency staff took to “create a long-term

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structure for ongoing change” — including the formation of a Racial, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and formal adoption of a position paper that outlines a strategy to move the agency toward racial equity. “When it comes to equity and inclusion, we know we do not have all the answers — not by a long shot,” says Randall, concluding the session. “And, we also know our work is far from done.”

Supporting Healthy Aging Among LGBTQIA+ Adults Tiff Cunin (they/them), senior program manager for health at NRPA, live streamed this one-hour session, whereby they articulated key constructs and concepts associated with health among LGBTQIA+ adults and explained common barriers to engagement in park and recreation programming for LGBTQIA+ older adults. In addition, Cunin talked about how marginalization serves as a social determinant to health, as well as how parks have the power to create health equity.

To offer more context, Cunin engaged the audience with a Mapping Social Identity activity, in which they asked three questions: What part of your identity do you think people first notice about you?; For what part of your identity do you feel you face oppression most often?; and For what part of your identity do you feel you receive privilege for most often?

“The reason we do this activity is because, sometimes, it’s hard to understand what intersectionality and marginalization mean unless we really reflect on our own lived experiences, our own health out42 Parks & Recreation

comes, [and] our own social outcomes,” Cunin explains.

Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights: A Lever for Action Monica Lopez Magee, senior vice president of cities and community engagement at Children & Nature Network; Daniele Lyman-Torres, commissioner for the City of Rochester, New York; and Jesús Aguirre, superintendent for Seattle Parks and Recreation, presented this important advocacy-focused session. The three thought leaders addressed how the potential for a campaign around Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights can serve as a means for policy action and equitable access to parks and green spaces. They also explained the concepts and purpose behind this initiative and offered audience members advocacy strategies for effectively supporting more equitable access for children and youth to parks.

In City of Rochester, “we built a strategy that started with the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights,” but it needs to be part of a broader strategy, says Lyman-Torres. She points out, however, it’s a linchpin whereby “having this formative document that can be adopted by your whole community [and] formalized keeps us accountable to it.”

Coffee Talks and Recreation Round Tables Back by popular demand, Coffee Talks made their return to the conference. Cort Jones, NRPA’s manager of strategic communications, went one-on-one with field experts.

Among the highlighted topics were “Finding Purpose Through Fox Valley Special Recreation,” “The Park and Recreation Movement

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in Mexico and Beyond” and “Equity at the Center: A Year Later With NRPA’s Autumn SaxtonRoss.” What’s more, attendees also had a chance to participate in live Recreation Round Tables that touched on health and wellness, equity, and conservation.

Celebrating Excellence in Parks and Recreation On Monday, September 20, Jane Adams, executive director of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), presented the 2021 Grand Plaque honors in the 2021 National Gold Medal Awards Program. This annual awards program is administered

by AAPRA in partnership with NRPA and is sponsored by Musco Lighting, LLC. From a pool of 28 finalists, seven agencies earned the coveted Grand Plaque.

The following finalist agencies received the Grand Plaque award: • Class I (population 400,001 and over): Cleveland MetroParks, Cleveland, Ohio • Class II (population 150,001 – 400,000): City of Tampa Parks and Recreation, Tampa, Florida • Class III (population 75,001 – 150,000): Provo Parks and Recreation, Provo, Utah • Class IV (population 30,001 – 75,000): Coppell Parks and Recreation, Coppell, Texas • Class V (population 30,000 or less): Vernon Hills Park District, Vernon Hills, Illinois • Armed Forces Recreation: Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, California • State Parks: Delaware State Parks, Dover, Delaware

On Wednesday, September 22, Neelay Bhatt, vice president and principal of PROS Consulting Inc., emceed the Best of the Best ceremony, recognizing excellence in the park and recreation field. Bhatt was joined by presenters Jen Basham, director of City of Burleson (Texas) Parks and Recreation and chair of the NRPA Awards and Scholarship Committee, and Cory Styron, director of communication service at Los Alamos County, New Mexico, and chair of the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies.

These awards honor individuals and agencies for the innovative and essential services and programs they’ve provided over the past year.

Spotlight Awards • Robert M. Artz Advocate Award – Bruce Rinker, Cleveland Metroparks board of park commissioners, Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland, Ohio • Robert W. Crawford Young Professional Award – Chris Bass, assistant director, City of Douglasville, Douglasville, Georgia • RWJF-NRPA Award for Health Equity – Emilie Harmeyer, ShreveCorps program director, Shreveport Green, Shreveport, Louisiana • National Distinguished Professional Award – Randy Bina, executive director, Bismarck Parks and Recreation District, Bismarck, North Dakota • Theodore and Franklin Roo

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAUGHT IN THE MOMENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Many attendees were elated to step inside a physical exhibit hall this year, as exhibiting companies welcomed park and recreation professionals to their booths.

sevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research – Alan Ewert, professor emeritus, Indiana University Innovation Awards • Innovation in Conservation Award – Ocala Wetland Recharge Park, City of Ocala, Ocala, Florida • Innovation in Health Award – Healthy U: A Series of Conversations, Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation, Port St. Lucie, Florida • Innovation in Park Design Award – Westwood Hills Nature Center Interpretive Center Building Project, City of St. Louis Park Operations and Recreation, Westwood Hills Nature Center, St. Louis Park, Minnesota • Innovation in Social Equity Award – Re-Connecting Cleveland: Pathways to Opportunity TIGER Grant Project, Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland, Ohio • 2021 Best in Innovation Award – Ocala Wetland Recharge Park, City of Ocala, Ocala, Florida

The Exhibit Hall and Other In-Person Events Many attendees were elated to step inside a physical exhibit hall this year, as exhibiting companies and their teams happily welcomed park and recreation professionals to their booths to demonstrate their latest wares and host business meetings.

Of course, after a long day at the conference, many attendees looked forward to NRPA’s hosted evening events throughout Nashville that gave them a chance to reconnect with longtime friends in the field and network with new colleagues.

Virtual attendees also were treated to a virtual 5K as well as live puppy parties thanks to a puppy cam sponsored by DOGIPOT®.

Put simply, this first-ever hybrid event offered something for everyone.

We look forward to seeing you in Phoenix, Arizona, for the 2022 NRPA Annual Conference!

Vitisia Paynich is Executive Editor and Director, Print and Online Content at NRPA (vpaynich@nrpa.org). Lindsay Hogeboom is Associate Editor and Writer of Parks & Recreation magazine (lhogeboom@nrpa.org).

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The Value of

Play, Playgrounds and Parks During the Pandemic A study by the International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association exemplifies the importance of play

By Richard J. Dolesh

O

ne incontrovertible fact about the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been that people across the United States have turned to parks and recreation areas for healthy outdoor physical activity and relief from the worries and pressures of the pandemic on them and their families.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts quickly realized that healthy outdoor activity should not only be permitted, but also is highly recommended for all ages.

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IPEMA

While some agencies initially closed parts of their park systems due to health department mandates at the outset of the pandemic, health experts quickly realized that healthy outdoor activity should not only be permitted, but also is highly recommended for all ages.

Park administrators at the local, state and national level saw unprecedented increases in visitation on trails, in parks and throughout the outdoor spaces of their park and recreation systems. In some cases, the increased visitation overwhelmed their capacity. In Maryland, for example, rangers had to close 14 state parks 292 times in 2020, turning park visitors away because they had reached capacity by early morning or because park resources might be irreparably damaged by overuse. Some national parks, like Glacier in Montana and Rocky Mountain in Colorado, have attracted such overwhelming numbers of visitors that staff have instituted timed visitation hours or required reservations just to enter certain areas of the parks.

While the pandemic has imposed harsh economic and health costs on our nation, one positive net benefit

has been that it has given families more time to spend together outdoors, especially visiting local parks and nearby recreation resources. The 2021 NRPA Engagement With Parks Report shows that 7 in 10 people increased or maintained their use of public parks and trails during the pandemic (nrpa.org/Engagement). A variety of factors during the pandemic enabled people to spend greater time outdoors and visiting parks. Some factors were that parents were spending less time in person at work and more time working remotely; most school districts shifted to online learning for students; and restrictions were imposed on many types of indoor entertainment activities — each of which led to significant increases in park visitation during the pandemic and use of local neighborhood parks and playgrounds.

Survey of Parents During the Pandemic Shows Vital Importance of Play In the summer of 2020, the International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA), in cooperation with Wakefield Research, conducted a national survey of parents on the benefits of

Voice of Play Survey question — To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Playing on the playground helps children to be inclusive of others who may have different abilities and backgrounds than their own.

Response

%

Agree strongly

52%

Agree somewhat

40%

Disagree somewhat

6%

Disagree strongly

2%

QuickFacts

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Agree (net)

92%

Disagree (net)

8%

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children’s play during the pandemic. This was the third in its wellregarded “Voice of Play” surveys (voiceofplay.org) and focused on the importance that parents placed on outdoor play during the pandemic, where and with whom children played, and what the benefits of play were during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tom Norquist, senior vice president of innovation and business development at PlayCore and twice president of IPEMA, says that the formation of IPEMA, a nonprofit association formed by the play equipment industry, was an effort to establish an independent thirdparty organization to verify that play equipment was meeting industry standards for safety, quality and durability. But IPEMA, Norquist says, wanted to be about more than just serving trade and manufacturers’ interests. “We established the Voice of Play initiative to identify the benefits of play to society at large and specifically call out the physical, mental and health benefits of play for children,” Norquist explains. He adds that an important element of the Voice of Play initiative is also to foster inclusiveness in play design and promote equity in play for all.

Early in the pandemic, when public agencies were very concerned about “theater hygiene” — the cleaning of surfaces and fear that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was transmissible through direct contact with hard surfaces — park agencies across the country largely closed play areas and playgrounds to the public. Parental concern was extremely high, and the 2020 IPEMA survey results showed 50 percent of parents did not feel comfortable allowing their children to play on play equipment in public playgrounds. But as epidemiological knowledge of the virus expanded,

restrictions on public use of playgrounds and play equipment were relaxed and use of playgrounds dramatically increased.

One of the enduring questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected children over the past months is what effect it has had on children’s capacity for play. To understand the impacts on play, it is useful to first ask a few questions on the relative importance of public playgrounds in communities, especially in vulnerable communities where often there are few opportunities for children to play safely.

Playgrounds as Social Determinants of Health For years, there has been great interest by academic researchers and health professionals in quantifying the relationship that parks, school playgrounds and other recreation resources in neighborhoods and communities have on influencing the health and well-being of children — and for that matter, the health and well-being of parents and caregivers as well. The influence of public recreation spaces and other aspects of the built environment within communities and early childhood development are often included in the categories of social determinants of health.

Definition of the categories of social determinants of health vary, but they invariably include the conditions of the environments where people are born, live, work, play and age. These social determinants of health include access to quality education, access to quality healthcare, access to healthy food, the social context of where people live, environmental factors, access to transportation, and the impact of the built environment on individuals and communities.

As epidemiological knowledge of the COVID-19 virus expanded, restrictions on public use of playgrounds and play equipment were relaxed and use of playgrounds dramatically increased.

Dr. Michael Suk, systemwide chair of the Geisinger Hospital system’s Musculoskeletal Institute in Pennsylvania and board member of the American Medical Association, says that playgrounds play a critical role as social determinants of health. “Access to parks and playgrounds is extremely important in children’s health and development,” he says.

Further, the existence, location and access to playgrounds, both public and private, have a bearing on the quantity and quality of play that kids can engage in. Answering the question of whether playgrounds are a social determinant of health, Allison Colman, NRPA’s director of health, says, “Absolutely they are. Having access to quality playspaces and playgrounds gives children the health benefits of being physically active, a way to develop motor skills, a place to improve mental health, and they contribute to the overall health outcomes of a community.” It is not just access to built playgrounds and natural environment playspaces, she says, but also the connection to social resources and social capital of the

community. “Playgrounds build social cohesion,” Colman contends.

The Impact of the Pandemic on Children’s Play Has the pandemic affected children’s play? Play experts and park and recreation professionals say it has without question. Norma García, director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, says that once early pandemic stay-at-home orders were relaxed, visitation to their parks and playgrounds increased nearly 300 percent. “We saw that our parks became places for refuge, respite and physical activity. Parents told us that they felt that our parks were the only place they felt safe taking their kids.”

García says that they completely closed their playgrounds early in the pandemic because of a public health order by the county. “We were inundated with calls. When we finally opened them, it was like every neighborhood had their own Disneyland. Play is so vital to the health of children.”

Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of

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IPEMA

Playworks, a nonprofit that works nationally with school systems on developing play, says, “We definitely saw how the pandemic affected children’s play. For many months, kids’ access to play was very limited.

Children were cut off from play with others and the amount of time they could play daily was limited. Not only were they deprived of the physical activity, but they could not get the social benefits of play either.”

Norquist agrees that kids lost out, but he believes that the closure of playgrounds in the early stages of the pandemic made children and parents appreciate being outdoors so much more than they did before.

“People want to be outside,” he says. “The pandemic enabled families to be outdoors together. In doing so, it rekindled how much fun it was to play together. And, families realized once again how great their local parks are.”

Suk agrees that the pandemic has led to a greater appreciation of outdoor play. The pandemic significantly increased social isolation and inactivity for kids, he says.

“Access to playgrounds and nature playspaces has a deeply positive effect on children’s physical and

mental health,” Suk notes.

The Role of Playgrounds in Promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Playgrounds in parks, schoolyards and other public places are trusted public spaces. They are some of the few places that children can meet others unlike them, including children of different races, ethnicities and religious backgrounds, to allow children to engage in unstructured spontaneous play. For kids, playgrounds are equivalent to the “public square” for adults — that is, places where all may freely express themselves.

Many play experts and park and recreation professionals attest to the inclusive nature of play and the need for playgrounds to be inclusive. García says, “When children are playing together, they don’t see race or ethnicity or disability.”

The Voice of Play survey by IPEMA asked two important questions of parents regarding how playgrounds make their kids more tolerant and inclusive. Parents were asked if they agreed with this statement: “Playing on the playground helps children to be inclusive of others who may have different abilities and

Voice of Play Survey question — To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: My child’s spontaneous play with other kids on the playground shapes their view of equality for all, regardless of race and ability levels.

Response

%

Agree strongly

52%

Agree somewhat

40%

Disagree somewhat

6%

Disagree strongly

3%

QuickFacts

48 Parks & Recreation

Agree (net)

92%

Disagree (net)

9%

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backgrounds than their own.” More than 90 percent of parents surveyed agreed strongly or somewhat with the statement see chart on p. 46).

Parents were also asked how much they agreed with this statement: “My child’s spontaneous play with other kids on the playground shapes their view of equality for all, regardless of race and ability levels.” Again, greater than 90 percent agreed strongly or somewhat with the statement (see chart below).

“Play evokes empathy,” Norquist says, quoting Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play. Brown believes play is instrumental in discovering the full potential in everyone. Norquist says that play is the great equalizer and that the inclusive design of playgrounds will help foster a welcoming environment for all kids, as well as build tolerance and acceptance of differences. García agrees: “Play really does transcend differences in race, ethnicity and gender. It creates a means for youth to connect with each other and themselves. It is where children find commonality.”

Colman notes that an important consideration is to identify the gaps where children and communities don’t have access to quality parks and playspaces. In Los Angeles County, García says that her team definitely saw the impacts of a lack of public playgrounds, especially in poorer communities and communities of color where children had few opportunities for play. In April 2021, they instituted a campaign, called Everybody Play, to encourage people to get outside and play in parks. They partnered with the county’s youth employment department to hire youth to work in the program and had 31,000 participants in two months.

For those in urban areas who live

One positive benefit of the pandemic has been that it has given families more time to spend together outdoors, especially visiting local parks and nearby recreation resources.

more than a 10-minute walk from playgrounds or have other access barriers, finding quality spaces for children to play and engage in physical activity is both a community challenge and a matter of equity. Children in vulnerable communities, Colman emphasizes, are most at risk. There needs to be more focus on equitable park access generally, especially for those that have been most burdened by inequities. “Intentionally engaging all community members must be part of the conversation,” Colman says.

Moving Beyond the Pandemic The importance parents place on their children’s health was demonstrated in many ways during the pandemic. This concern is not just the physical health of children, but also their mental health and sense of well-being. Nearly 9 in 10 parents in the IPEMA survey agreed that play is more important than ever.

Even though playgrounds have one of the highest rates of inspection and attention to safety of any park spaces, the increased amount of inspections and new protocols for disinfecting and cleaning play equipment have set a new standard of attention for playgrounds.

Many park professionals see this trend continuing. Norquist agrees that the very high level of concern for safety during the pandemic will result in a net benefit for all because there are so many more eyes on playspaces and making parks and playgrounds cleaner and safer.

“People are much more aware of the conditions and safety of playgrounds now,” he says.

Although climate change is not a cause nor an effect that is directly related to the pandemic, the effects of climate change will have a considerable impact on the design of playgrounds and playspaces in the future. In the West and Southwest, as in many other areas of the country, extreme heat is an increasing factor inhibiting outdoor play. Shade is not only desirable for playgrounds, but also serves an essential need — as children simply will not be able to play in playgrounds during the middle of the day without it.

The City of Phoenix has embarked on a major test of cool pavement surfaces in a variety of locations throughout the city.

Jennifer Vanos, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, is part of a research team studying the effects of the cool pavements. She says thinking that cool pavement surfacing will be an improvement is an incorrect assumption. “Reflected solar radiation when kids are using a playground at midday may actually make conditions worse because the temperature is hotter and the radiation greater since it

is also reflected from the surface.”

She says a better solution is to “renaturalize” playgrounds and playspaces by adding natural elements, such as trees, vegetation and grass, which will reduce ambient temperatures and provide cleaner air.

The environments our children play in are as important as the equipment on which they play.

Shade, clean water, clean air and safe places to play were a legacy left to adults, and they must be a part of the legacy we leave to the next generations. COVID-19 is, at the same time, a test of our capability to weather the challenges of the pandemic and a call to action to learn from the challenge and pass on that knowledge gained to generations that follow ours.

The response to the pandemic by park and recreation agencies in service to the public is well documented and explained in NRPA’s extensive report, COVID-19 and Parks and Recreation: Response and Recovery (nrpa.org/Coronavirus).

Richard Dolesh is NRPA’s retired Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Editor-at-Large for Parks & Recreation magazine (dolesh@gmail.com).

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OPERATIONS Post-Pandemic Trends in Aquatics

By Sarah Sharits

I

f aquatics programs operated during the 2020 and/or 2021 season, they likely were modified to meet the guidelines within the city, county or state and adapted to fit the needs of each specific community.

While challenging, this innovative and community-focused approach to programming is a trend that will continue post-pandemic. Some programs will come and go, but others have, and will continue to, open doors for a unique and diverse future in aquatics. Here are a few trends in aquatics programs that will continue to shape the field:

The changing tides of the pandemic offer aquatics professionals the opportunity to reassess the who, when, where and how of essential programs to ensure they are inclusive.

Outdoor Recreation Pandemic restrictions on indoor and close-contact activities have encouraged people to move outside, and the interest in outdoor recreation is a trend that will continue post-pandemic. Increased popularity in water activities and sports, such as kayaking or standup paddle boarding, opened new avenues for aquatics professionals with access to open bodies of water to innovate their program offerings.

This might include learn-to-swim programs at the lake, unique special 50 Parks & Recreation

events on the water, or even ongoing meetups for various age groups.

is a huge benefit to participants.

Additionally, there is a sense of accountability for the participant who now has an obligation to show up and/or release their reservation.

From an operations perspective, reservation systems provide aquatics professionals with the data to support business decisions, such as facility hours, programming and staff scheduling.

Inclusivity

Hiring and Retention

Aquatics programs, particularly those that focus on drowning prevention and learn-to-swim initiatives, are essential to communities.

Providing these programs always has been a key focus for recreational aquatics, but the changing tides of the pandemic offer aquatics professionals the opportunity to reassess the who, when, where and how of these essential programs.

To be inclusive, programming may need to be restructured to address: • Program cost and the ability to pay • Special needs of participants and/or their families • Flexibility in scheduling, including early morning or evening programs • Physical locations closer to participants, such as schools, private gyms, open bodies of water, etc.

Hiring and retention in aquatics programs has never been more difficult. Seasonal employment has its own challenges, but the added struggles of facility, program and health restrictions have greatly impacted this process. As a result, aquatics professionals are implementing a variety of tactics that likely will remain beyond the pandemic. This includes offering free lifeguard training, partnering with local high schools and colleges on mentor-style programs, providing incentives and bonuses for incoming or returning employees, or increasing the timeline for hiring by promoting future opportunities six to 10 months in advance.

Innovatively-driven and community-focused programs are trends that are leading the aquatics industry post-pandemic. They blossomed as a result of a challenge, but will become the heart and soul of what communities will expect in the future.

Pool Reservations Whether for lap or open swim, many participants have appreciated their community’s pool reservation system. The certainty that they will have the space they requested upon arrival and for a specified time frame

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Sarah Sharits is Strategist for Gilbert (Arizona) Parks and Recreation (sarah.sharits@gilbertaz.gov).

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National Construction Rentals......................................53 Pilot Rock/RJ Thomas Mfg. Co.....................................21 Shade Systems..............................................................C2, 1 Synthetic Surfaces............................................................54 (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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PHOTO COURTESY OF JON TAYLOR/DIVINING POINT

Park Bench

Funds raised by the fishing derby go to the Kenai Community Foundation, which, in turn, uses the funds for management and conservation projects along the riverbanks and riparian zones of the Kenai River.

Alaskans Compete in ‘World’s Most Responsible Fishing Tournament’ From September 14 to 19, Alaskan anglers had an opportunity to fish for salmon and contribute to conservation efforts on the Kenai River during the fifth annual Kenai Silver Salmon Derby (kenaisilversalmonderby.com).

The derby is a community competition with a twist. Named “The World’s Most Responsible Fishing Tournament,” the derby uses rules that reduce selective fishing practices that lead to catch-and-release injuries, which compromise the health of the silver salmon population in the Kenai River.

Instead of selecting winners based on the biggest salmon caught each day, prizes are awarded using a “Magic Weight” that is randomly generated using two wheels of identical size. One wheel — labeled four through 14 — shows the number of pounds. The second wheel, numbered zero through nine, is spun once to signify tenths of a pound, and then spun a second time to signify hundreths of a pound. With any fish over four pounds eligible to win, almost any silver caught in the Kenai River could earn prizes in the derby.

Hosted by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center and the City of Kenai (www.kenai.city), funds raised by the derby go to the Kenai Community Foundation, which, in turn, uses the funds for management and conservation projects along the riverbanks and riparian zones of the Kenai River.

“Fishing has always been a fundamental part of Kenai’s culture and heritage,” says Paul Ostrander, city manager for the City of Kenai. “The derby is a great opportunity for the community to get outdoors in a healthy way while supporting the river and contributing to our city’s conservation efforts.”

As the popularity of the event has grown, so have the prizes. This year’s overall adult, first-place prize was $5,000, with daily adult prizes of $100. The overall youth, first-place prize was $1,000, with daily prizes of $50.

“I am really proud that the City of Kenai and Kenai Chamber [partners] hold this event each year,” adds Ostrander. “It is the ‘World’s Most Responsible Fishing Tournament,’ not only because its format minimizes the impacts to the silver salmon returning to the Kenai River, but [also because] 50 percent of the proceeds go towards habitat projects that will improve future stocks of all salmon species in the river.”

The business community is an integral part of the event and generously contributed to the cause. Sponsors included Three Bears Alaska, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Phillips Scales, Marathon Oil, Tote Maritime, Kenai Coolers, First National Bank of Alaska, Country Foods IGA, Buckets Sports Grill, The Cannery Lodge and more.

– Christine Cunningham, Assistant City Manager, City of Kenai, Alaska 56 Parks & Recreation

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It’s Time for Play!

It’s always the right time for imagination, development, movement and fun. For community, connection and engagement. It’s always the right time to play with Burke.

Isn’t it time to Join Our Movement?

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PARKS & RECREATION DECEMBER 2021 ◆ SECRETARY DEB HAALAND ◆ 2021 NRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE WRAP-UP ◆ STUDYING PLAY IN A PANDEMIC