Happy early 4th of July from your friends at NRPA! I'm heading back to my ancestral homeland of Minnesota for some rest and relaxation with friends and family centered around time on a lake. We've been going to the same place my entire life — it's nothing fancy but it's a special place. Our time is peppered with loon calls, eagle swoop bys, mosquito swatting, sandcastle building (my drip technique is improving) and kayak rides around the bay. We'll chase kids, grill brats, sit around a fire and, weather permitting, swim and get in a few games of dockball (we made it up, basically volleyball but the ball has to bounce off the dock). This is truly one of my happy places.   So wherever your happy place is, here's hoping that your firework shows are showy, your barbeques are barbequey, your beach is beachy, the sun is sunny and that your beverage of choice is ice cold.   Take Care,    Kevin O'Hara Vice President of Urban and Government Affairs Featured Resilient Parks   We've opened registration for our next Innovation lab, a small gathering and discussion around the role of parks and rec agencies in creating resilient communities. We'll be focusing on how the city of New Orleans is moving the needle in their parks and asking you all to help us understand how resilience initiatives are shaping or reshaping your city and parks. Learn More and Register Park and Recreation Professional Development Survey Closes Today   NRPA, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Mississippi, is conducting a research project to study the current state of park and recreation professional development and to determine opportunities for improvements. To complete this research, we need insight from all types of professionals — no matter your years of experience, the size of your agency or your level of education. We are giving away two $50 Amazon gift cards and 20 $20 Amazon gift cards to 22 randomly selected participants who complete the survey by 11:59 p.m. EDT today. Take the Survey Trending Topics Conservation Nature Therapy Is a Privilege CityLab Science is learning more about the health benefits of going outside—at a time when access to wild spaces is ever-more unequal.   Envisioning Nature-Rich Cities CityLab Author Richard Louv invites us to imagine a future filled with urban parks, greenery, and gardens.   An Ohio City Is Turning an Unused Highway Into a Pop-Up Forest Smithsonian Magazine Akron, Ohio hopes to fight urban inequality by removing a divisive highway. Other cities across America are looking into doing the same. Related article: In Shrinking Akron, a Dead Highway Becomes a Forest Mainland Miami Ponders Returning Neighborhoods to Nature in Order to Survive Rising Seas Miami Herald Municipalities on the mainland are exploring what some communities would look like if they were made to accommodate rising seas rather than simply fight them.   The Dutch Have Solutions to Rising Seas. The World Is Watching. The New York Times In the waterlogged Netherlands, climate change is considered neither a hypothetical nor a drag on the economy. Instead, it's an opportunity.   To Fight Climate Change, Cities Need to Battle Cars CityLab It sounds obvious. But it requires changing the way we build.   'We Can Feel the Warmth in the Walls' CityLab The health dangers of urban heat islands are sneaky and pernicious—and researchers are trying to crack the code. Social Equity Can a Memphis Park Ever Be Inclusive With Jefferson Davis Around? Next City Memphis has enhanced two parks and a public library through its participation in Reimagining the Civic Commons — but one of those parks has a Jefferson Davis statue, and the other was, until recently, named Confederate Park, and critics say the site choices undermine the very goals of the project.   San Diego Hopes Two New Tools Will Curb Homelessness Crisis Next City San Diego's City Council dealt a blow to Mayor Kevin Faulconer after voting 5-4 against bringing a higher hotel tax to a public vote. The move, supported by Faulconer, would have brought in an additional $10 million annually toward reducing the city's deepening homelessness crisis.  Health and Wellness Losing Fat, Gaining Brain Powers, on the Playground The New Yorks Times Magazine A new study of elementary-age children shows that those who were not part of an after-school exercise program tended to pack on a particular type of body fat that can have deleterious impacts on brain health and thinking.   Urban Farms Could Replace Blighted Lots in Cincinnati Next City Vacant homes and abandoned lots could soon make way for urban farmland under a new pilot being considered by the Cincinnati City Council.   Philadelphia City Council Close to Approving Major Program Funded by Soda Tax Money American City & County Nearly one year after passing a soda/sugary drinks tax, the Philadelphia city council has given initial approval for a new infrastructure program called Rebuild, towards which a portion of the tax money will go.   In Other News Supreme Court Sides With Religious Institutions in a Major Church-State Devision The Washington Post The Supreme Court ended its term with a major First Amendment decision, ruling that efforts at separating church and state go too far when they deny religious institutions access to government grants meant for a secular purpose.   In Houston, an Orginial Juneteenth Celebration Site Reborn The New York Times The area is one of the oldest and most culturally significant black neighborhoods in Houston, with a rich legacy of art, music, political activism and education.   Will Drones Lead to a Boom in Landscape Architecture? CityLab And could a golden era for urban design lead to the automation of landscape architects?   Where Are America's Real Arts Capitals? CityLab Big coastal cities might have iconic, profitable, and well-funded scenes. But the economic impact of the cultural sector can be larger in some surprising places.   How to Get the City to Notice Your Damn Pothole CityLab A citizen's guide to wacky schemes, from impromptu hot tubs to "birthday parties." Grants for Green Infrastructure NPS Community Assistance in Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Program – Funding TBD Applications Due: June 30, 2017   FWS National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program – $16 million Applications Due: June 30, 2017   FWS North American Wetlands Conservation Act 2018 U.S. Standard Grants – $50 million Applications Due: July 15, 2017   DHS FY 2017 Cooperating Technical Partners Program – $66 million Applications Due: July 31, 2017   FWS Tribal Wildlife Grants Program – $4 million Applications Due: September 1, 2017   FWS Coastal Program - $14 million Applications Due: September 30, 2017     customerservice@nrpa.org  |  800.626.NRPA (6772)  |  www.nrpa.org © 2017 National Recreation and Park Association, All Rights Reserved

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