Flying back from Denver after attending the New Partners for Smart Growth conference, I couldn’t help being enthusiastic about the future of parks and recreation and the natural role park agencies have as leaders in creating green and healthy communities. At the conference, active discussions and workshops focused on the challenges faced in planning both urban and rural communities. Speakers focused on efforts aimed at removing industrial pollutants of land and air from underserved communities, as well as strategies to replan communities to eliminate food deserts. Encouragingly, almost all of the speakers in the sessions I attended championed the right all communities have for easy access to green space — to me, this means parks.

Thinking of the challenges many of the speakers brought to light, I realized there is a lot of truth in the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” While individuals, community leaders and planners organize, strategize and make way for improvements, it often takes years to see the outcome of their good efforts. This proves how and why park agencies, core to the community, can make a difference today.

This issue of Parks & Recreation Magazine addresses two urgent considerations key to most communities. They are issues we can address now, and doing so will have great impact toward positive changes. First, NRPA’s president and CEO, Barbara Tulipane, speaks one-on-one with Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell about the critical need for children to discover the wonders and joy of being outdoors and how getting kids involved in sports and physical activities is the first step to a healthier future. Secretary Jewell is a true park champion voicing support for the endeavors of park agencies of all sizes, and in her interview with NRPA, she also discussed the importance of parks to the U.S. economy, pointing to the millions of jobs housed within the park and recreation industry. Next, Rich Dolesh reports on the disappearing monarch butterfly. The important role this beautiful creature has as a key pollinator throughout most of our country will amaze you. Dolesh addresses the active role parks can play in helping to save the monarch and challenges agencies to take part and support this cause.

As always, we welcome your opinions and comments on the content within Parks & Recreation Magazine. If you have a good story, chances are we want to hear it, so call us or send an email. Being actively involved and sharing your voice is one more way to create effective, lasting and positive change.

Gina Mullins-Cohen is NRPA's Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing.