June
Urban Rivers: Changing Perceptions
Welcome to our new monthly newsletter, connecting you with National Park Service programs that offer creative solutions for connecting parks, communities, young people, and nature. We welcome your feedback.
Why It Matters

Again and again, our partners across the country have shown how an essential first step in on the path to greening urban rivers and open space is changing the public's perceptions about these environments.  Rivers and riverfront lands - especially in cities -- are often unknown or unfamiliar places.  Creating public access to rivers and the lands along them is widely recognized as one of the most effective catalysts in contemporary greening campaigns to create parks, trails and greenways and to restore brownfields. This month, we feature strategies for creatively engaging the public perception with river conservation and recreation.
Indian Creek, Caldwell, Idaho: Conservation Success through "Daylighting"
Indian Creek

Of course, an "extreme makeover" can be the ultimage perception-changer.  In April, 2008 a six-block section of Indian Creek, which runs through the historic center of Caldwell, Idaho was "daylighted" and restored after being buried under streets and buildings since the 1930's.  This phenomenal success was showcased with a ribbon-cutting and special community events. In greeting the crowd, Mayor Nancolas said, "Wow! Some people said this was impossible, but in just seven years we went from a vision to a bright, open creek and we're bringing new life to downtown.  We did this by taking each others' hands and working together."
 
Restoration of Indian Creek improves its flood protection capacity by 50%, enhances water quality and fish habitat, and provides a new city park and river trail.  The once deserted downtown is again a magnet for nearby workers, families, and visitors. The City of Caldwell leveraged $9 million for creek restoration which in turn is the catalyst for downtown revitalization. Public and private investment partnerships have committed $30 million to initiate mixed-use redevelopment in the heart of town with civic facilities, housing, businesses, shops, services, and restaurants.
 
The National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) assisted Caldwell and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with creative public outreach, including a community workshop to design demonstration sites for creek restoration and to plan a citywide trail network. The RTCA team included two artists-in-residence, who were critical in engaging youth in the project from the outset through the arts and sciences.  For more information, contact Alexandra Stone.
Concord River Greenway, Lowell, MA:  Remembering the River
Falls
Like many older mill cities, Lowell, Massachusetts began suffering decades ago when industry moved away. The Concord and Merrimack Rivers had been used by industry for generations and had been built up with giant brick mills and flanked by railroad tracks, but by the late 20th Century many residents forgot they even existed.
 
But over the past 20 years, Lowell has worked successfully to revitalize itself. In the process, it has created a model for other former industrial cities across the nation. Jane Calvin, executive director of the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust sees a new greenway along the Concord River, which connects neighborhoods to Lowell National Historical Park, as a vital component of this vision. "In a city with a shortage of open space," says Calvin, "the new greenway will offer recreational opportunities to walkers, bicyclists, or anyone looking for a respite from city life. The Greenway project has fostered two key Conservation Successes - using innovative programming to spur community interest and engaging the public through art.
Learning from the Field: Conservation Success through Innovative Programming
Concord River whitewater rafting
The best way to win public support? "Bring people out to the river and let them experience it." says Calvin. Her group has created varied activities to engage large cross-sections of the public, including an eco-inventory to identify flora and fauna in the area; a historic signage project; oral histories about land use along the river; and fish restoration projects. "People are interested in different things, so we find a way to capture everyone's interest," she says.
   
One of the most notable and media-friendly activities is whitewater rafting: it turns out that the Concord River provides Class III and IV rafting opportunities-gentle enough for beginners, but still thrilling for whitewater veterans (Niagara Falls, as a point of reference, is Class VI). Each spring, Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust hires guides and runs two trips per day; proceeds support efforts to develop the greenway. Recently, Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles came along for a ride. These activities help challenge and reshape the public's image of the river, says Calvin: "You always have to fight the battle of perception, that there's no conservation value. What we're doing is opening up scenic vistas and protecting the river from future industrial development."
 Learning from the Field: Conservation Success Through Art

Art, by its very nature, also can transform perceptions.  Artist Wopo Holup specializes in river-based art projects, including the Battery Seawall and Promenade in New York City, where she designed 37 panels detailing the ecological and human history of the Hudson River from glaciers to the present. She's now working with Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust to create art along the Concord River Greenway. The goal, she says, is "to sharpen and focus the experience of seeing and connecting with the river  and to enhance the experience with a thought, a feeling, or an inspiration."
 
Wopo Holup Battery Seawall Her plans include gateway sculptures to mark the trail entrances, as well as labeled sculptures of birds (such as great blue herons) that live near the river, so people can identify them better. Another inspiration is Henry David Thoreau, who immortalized the rivers 150 years ago with his work, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Holup hopes to use text from Thoreau's work and embed it into cast iron picket fences. "He was complaining about the same things we are," says Holup. "Garbage in the river, too much commerce and not enough nature." A century and a half later, his work speaks to the importance of today's revitalization efforts.
Work with Us: Two NPS Job Opportunities

Want to join our team? We're looking for an Outdoor Recreation Planner for the Division of Conservation and Outdoor Recreation and an Outdoor Recreation Planner for the Land and Water Conservation Fund State Assistance Program. Both positions will be based in Washington, D.C.
 Catalysts


Want to learn more about urban river conservation? Check out the National Park Service's collection of helpful publications. Bolster your case with the NPS' resource guide, Economic Impacts of Protecting Rivers, Trails, and Greenway Corridors. You can also get great information from the River Management Society or Urban Rivers Awareness.

 
Our Washington, DC area readers are invited to join us for a screening of the new PBS documentary, Where Do the Children Play, examining how loss of contact with nature is affecting children's mental and physical development. Tuesday, June 10, 1:30 p.m. at the AAAS auditorium, 1200 New York Avenue NW. Free, but registration is requested [email protected] or call 202-682-9530.
 Let's Work Together


Could your project benefit from 1-2 years' staff time from a National Park Service specialist? If you're working on restoring a river, building a community trail, or making an urban park flourish, we'd love to talk with you about ways we could work together. Please call or email your regional representative today. The next program application deadline is August 1, 2008.

 NPS Conservation and Recreation Program Links

Challenge Cost Share Program | Federal Lands to Parks | Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers | Hydropower Relicensing Program Land and Water Conservation Fund | National Trails System | Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program | Urban Park and Recreation Recovery

The Update informs Department of the Interior staff, organizational partners, and friends about the program successes and activities of the National Park Service Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Programs. For more details, please contact the staff person involved with each project.

This e-newsletter may be copied or redirected.  Our staff would be pleased to assist your editor in adapting any of these stories for your publication; for more information, please call (202) 354-6918 or e-mail [email protected] . Images courtesy Americansabbatical.com, Wopo Holup, and Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust.