
Federal Earmarks Process — How to Win Funding for Local Park Initiatives
By Kyle Simpson | Posted on February 3, 2023
Whether you submitted a request for federal funding last year or you’re reading about this opportunity for the first time, here’s all the information you’ll need to successfully submit a project request with your congressional representatives.

The Resilience of New Orleans Leading to Workforce Development
By Stephanie Dreher and Justin Taylor | Posted on February 3, 2023
The City of New Orleans, one of NRPA's Resilient Park Access grantees, is currently updating its master plan in an effort to increase equitable access to resilient parks.

Create More Sustainable Parks Through Pollinator and Native Habitat
By Michele White, CAE, IOM | Posted on January 30, 2023
Our new resource, Parks and Pollinators: Taking Action and Advancing Sustainability, provides tools to help you assess, plan and advance your efforts to support pollinators and biodiversity.

Parks and Recreation Workforce Development Trends and Opportunities — February Bonus Episode
By Cort Jones | Posted on January 26, 2023
The February issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now, and on today’s bonus episode of the podcast, we’ll be diving deeper into one of this month’s feature stories with Tim Herd, CEO of the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society.

The Census: The Briefest of Overviews on This 200+ Year Event
By Melissa May | Posted on January 18, 2023
At a cost of roughly $96 per household (more than $15 billion), why do census results matter? What are they used for? And what does this have to do with parks and recreation?

Honoring National Day of Racial Healing — Episode 127
By Cort Jones | Posted on January 17, 2023
On this episode of Open Space Radio, we talk with Vicky Stott, the senior program officer for racial equity and community engagement at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Autumn Saxton-Ross, NRPA Vice President of Education and Chief Equity Officer, about how racial healing can advance racial equity.

NRPA Celebrates I am a Mentor Day
By Lauren Kiefert, MPH | Posted on January 11, 2023
Mentors can make an indelible impact on a youth’s life. January 11, 2023, is I am a Mentor Day and an important part of National Mentoring Month.

An Inside Look at Revenue Development and Management School — Episode 126
By Cort Jones | Posted on January 10, 2023
On the latest episode of Open Space Radio, we're joined by Bill Tschirhart, Debbie Woodbury and Matt Carusona to discuss the upcoming Revenue Development and Management School, taking place March 12-17,

A Bountiful Year for Farmers Markets in Parks and Recreation
By Liliana Ruiz Fischer | Posted on December 28, 2022
As we begin our second year of the three-year USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program, we are excited to share some incredible impacts made during this first year.

4 Dimensions of Health in Parks and Recreation
By Kevin Roth and Kelby Rose | Posted on December 27, 2022
Get an overview of the four dimensions of health as considered in A Framework for Assessing Equitable Health Outcomes of Parks.

RWJF-NRPA Award for Health Equity Celebrates Seven Years of Success — January Bonus Episode
By Maureen Neumann | Posted on December 22, 2022
Maureen Neumann, NRPA Senior Health Program Manager, shares where some of the previous RWJF-NRPA Award for Health Equity winners are now and what winning the award meant to them.

Ways to Advance Your Youth Mentoring Programs This Winter
By Lauren Kiefert, MPH | Posted on December 20, 2022
During the winter months, it is not always possible to be outside or utilize typical park and recreation assets and programming. Here are some fun and creative ways to continue supporting and engaging youth in your community year-round.

Conservation Reimagined: Los Angeles County’s 30x30 Plan
By Clement Lau, DPPD, FAICP | Posted on December 15, 2022
On December 6, 2022, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the 2022 Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+) Final Report as the county’s 30x30 plan. 30x30 refers to the goal of conserving 30 percent of lands and coastal waters by 2030 to address climate change and protect biodiversity.

5 Steps to Assessing Equitable Health Outcomes of Parks
By Kevin Roth and Kelby Rose | Posted on December 15, 2022
A Framework for Assessing Equitable Health Outcomes walks park practitioners through five steps to arrive at an appraisal of their park system’s equitability and economic value. It also provides tips to translate those findings into action.

Enhancing Resilient Park Access in Toledo, Ohio — Episode 125
By Cort Jones | Posted on December 13, 2022
On the latest episode of Open Space Radio, we chat with Karen Ranney Wolkins, the commissioner of parks and recreation and community enrichment for City of Toledo, Ohio, to discuss how the city is prioritizing community and equity in their plans to build more parks.

Activating Parks, Trails and Greenways for Physical Activity
By Allison Colman and Teresa Morrissey | Posted on December 12, 2022
Parks, trails and greenways play a vital role in keeping people active and healthy. Learn more about the Active Parks! Implementation Guide to explore effective strategies you can implement to increase physical activity in your community.

Is Being a CAPRA Review Team Member Right for Me?
By Sharon Bousquet, CPRE, CPSI | Posted on December 7, 2022
As a CAPRA volunteer since 2013, Sharon Bousquet has been able to travel to all different parts of the country, meet some outstanding professionals in our field, learn hundreds of new ways to accomplish goals, and help other agencies through the CAPRA process.

A Framework for Assessing Equitable Health Outcomes of Parks
By Kevin Roth and Kelby Rose | Posted on December 5, 2022
Most often, the economic value of parks relates to property values, tax revenue, tourism revenue, and local business development. Like these contributions to the local economy, the health benefits of parks also have economic value.