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As 2009 comes to a close, NRPA would like to wish its members and partners a safe and happy holiday season. As we reflect on the past year, we would like to provide the readers of NRPA Weekly, a look at the most accessed articles from the past year. The news brief will resume publication January 5, 2010.
The Natchez Democrat Share     If you take just a cursory glance at Muscle Shoals, Ala., you’ll see a small town of approximately 12,000 people tucked away in the northwest corner of Alabama on the banks of the Tennessee River. But what you see when you take a closer look might surprise you. Muscle Shoals has turned into a youth sports Mecca thanks to an aggressive mayor, city council and parks and recreation department and quality recreation facilities built in the past 12 years. More
Modesto parks crisis: Donated dollars, time keep programs going, grass mowed The Modesto Bee Share
A Modesto-funded league for disabled bowlers almost saw its season cut short because of the city budget crunch, but donors stepped in and saved the program. That's just one example of how private dollars are filling growing holes in the city's parks and recreation budget. More President tackling kids' obesity, public service on White House lawn USA TODAY Share
President Obama is exercising executive privilege to get youngsters off their butts, and to urge all Americans to volunteer for community service. In a TV spot set to run on Thanksgiving Day, viewers will see New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees zinging a pass to an unseen player. More
Parks, green spaces protect your health WebMD Share
Here is more evidence that living near parks, woods, or other green spaces may improve your mental and physical health. Close proximity to green spaces was associated with less depression, anxiety, and other health problems in a newly published study. The relationship was strongest for children and people with low incomes. More Required new pool drain covers in short supply Houston Chronicle Share
Though today is the federal deadline for installing drain covers on public pools and spas, many cities, motels and organizations are still waiting for the needed parts, local pool operators say. More
After school, kids become Champions at PAL center The News Journal via delawareonline.com Share
When 8-year-old Cynthia Gordon gets on the bus after a long day of classes at Eisenberg Elementary School, she does not head home. Instead, the school bus takes her to the Police Athletic League Center in Garfield Park near New Castle for exercise, homework and other activities designed to help promote a healthy lifestyle. "It just hurts a little," the third-grader said of the exercises. But, she added, "If it hurts, it works." More Free inmate labor gains popularity as budgets shrink delmarvanow.com Share
Sifting through mountains of glass, plastics and metals at the Wicomico County recycling center is hard work. So is removing deer carcasses from the roads. Or cleaning the restrooms at county parks. The jobs, and many others that could be called thankless, fall to inmates at the Wicomico County Detention Center. The inmates do the work for free -- a perfect fit for local governments who are looking for ways to stretch their budgets. More
Yellowstone a petri dish for climate change Los Angeles Times Share
Roy Renkin is a biologist by training but a detective by inclination, and something about the willows was nagging him. The shrubs flanking a creek in Yellowstone's Blacktail drainage had never grown so tall and lush. But why? Many of the park's scientists theorized it was related to the successful reintroduction of wolves, which might have pushed elk out of the area, putting an end to the constant nibbling that stunted willows' growth. But this summer, Renkin and a colleague arrived at their own theory: climate change. More Baa, baa, mow it down The Post and Courier Share
Going green extends to more environmentally friendly ways to trim the green, as in lawns. That's why city officials in Turin, Italy, are making new use of an old natural asset: sheep. According to the London Guardian, that switch won't just reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuel. It will reduce the expense to Turin taxpayers, with an expected annual savings of $48,000 from using grass-shearing sheep to keep municipal lawns at a proper level. Despite the dollar's decline, that's a lot of lire, approximately 61.5 million. More
Tax-subsidized recreational facilities drain on city funds Dayton Daily News Share
Golf courses are not the only municipal-owned recreation facilities that are subsidized by taxpayers. Community centers, a city-owned water park and even pools have emerged as drains on government operating dollars. In Moraine, city leaders announced budget shortfalls forced them to close Splash Moraine, a city water park that drew thousands of visitors, but lost $400,000 a year. In Greene County, commissioners did not reopen municipal pools in Fairborn and Xenia this past summer to save the $100,000 the pools typically lose annually. More
Waco Mammoth archeological dig site opens to public News 8 Austin Share
More than 25 years ago, a big discovery in Waco, Texas put some wheels in motion. Just five miles from Baylor University's campus, more than 20 mammoth bones were found by snake hunters. The site is believed to be the largest concentration of prehistoric mammoths to die in the same natural event. Visitors will be able to see the bones exactly how they were discovered. More
Park facility is public art The Miami Herald Share
At Long Key Nature Center in Davie, visitors are discovering a tranquil respite that's actually a new public art endeavor. Created by Lorna Jordan, an artist who specializes in public artworks, the $1,183,000 Island Garden project was funded by the 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond. It is a joint venture of the Broward Cultural Division and the Parks and Recreation Division. The 120-foot by 88-foot project features a structure shaped like a conch shell, with fountains and landscaping to provide a peaceful resting spot in the nature preserve. More Families support local recreation programs despite tough economic times greenbaypressgazette.com Share
Local park and recreation directors say the recession hasn't stopped residents from supporting programs or raising funds for their favorite park initiatives. "People still have their passions and hobbies," Ashwaubenon Park Director Rex Mehlberg said. "They're still going to donate or get involved." Communities have a number of projects in the works. More
Park's neighbors fret about bike trails argusleader.com Share
A Sioux Falls, S.D., group trying to build a new series of single-track biking and nature trails in Leaders Park in northeast Sioux Falls with Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation is finding a potential obstacle in park neighbors leery of the plan. The proposal being considered consists of three connected loop trails running from north to south the length of the park, including a half-mile easy trail, a slightly shorter intermediate trail and a slightly longer expert trail featuring jumps and rocks and logs to climb. More
Safety concerns prompt park rule changes recordnet.com Share
Clearing the way to ban smoking in California’s county-run parks and requiring life vests for children in public waterways are among proposed changes to the rules governing San Joaquin County Parks and Recreation Department. One such change would require children younger than 13 to wear life vests, a move meant to encourage use of the life-saving devices, particularly in the river accessible at the Mokelumne River Day Use Park below the Camanche Dam and the Stillman Magee Park in Clements, county officials said. More |
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