The month of June marks the traditional start of summer and begins the busiest time of the year for active recreation, vacation travel and all manner of outdoor pursuits in parks. And make no mistake — outdoor recreation is critical to America’s economic and physical health.
This month’s issue profiles one of the hardiest forms of outdoor recreation: mountain biking. The popularity of mountain biking in parks is growing by leaps and bounds, and so are the real and potential conflicts between mountain bikers and public land managers. Senior Editor Danielle Taylor digs into where the tires meet the trail in her story about the causes of conflicts and the creative solutions that park managers, trail builders and mountain-biking volunteers have devised to enable this high-energy form of recreation to coexist with other types of park uses in an environmentally responsible manner.
NRPA’s renewed focus on urban parks was the catalyst for an exciting roundtable titled “The Role of Parks in Shaping Successful Cities,” recently hosted by NRPA and the American Planning Association (APA). Planning and parks directors from nine major cities gave team presentations and were joined by invited guests from national urban interest organizations in a day of discussions on three topic areas of focus, introduced by national expert keynote speakers: 1) the role of parks in stimulating economic development and revitalization, 2) the role of parks in planning for health outcomes and 3) the role of parks in providing green infrastructure solutions to stormwater management. Award-winning blogger and author Dena Levitz gives an overview of the presentations, roundtable discussions and key takeaways from the day in her recap. This roundtable served as the kickoff of a larger urban parks campaign to be launched by APA and NRPA. Parks & Recreation Magazine will track the progress of this initiative and provide cutting-edge information to NRPA members.
June also marks a number of national special events promoting outdoor recreation, including Great Outdoors Month, National Trails Day (June 7), the Great American Backyard Campout (June 28) and other events — all leading into July’s Parks and Recreation Month. And remember, during Parks and Recreation Month and all summer long, “Out is In!”
Gina Mullins-Cohen is NRPA's Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing.