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Health and Parks: Why It Matters
"Over the last five years, the
YMCA has made a concerted effort to get outside of our four walls and into the
communities where people are living, working, learning and playing," says Katie
Adamson, the YMCA's National Director of Health Programs. "With that in mind,
there could be few better partners for us than the National Park Service."
As the YMCA was
hoping to get its members active outdoors, the National Park Service (NPS) -- galvanized by the
obesity crisis threatening our nation's health -- was seeking community partners
to introduce a new generation of Americans to the parks. Starting with a
collaboration between the YMCA and National Park Service Rivers, Trails
and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program, the relationship has blossomed. Today, the NPS is providing
technical assistance to a half-dozen YMCAs across the country, on projects
ranging from South Carolina's Upper Pee Dee Greenways, Trails and Blueways to Bath Trails in Maine. Overall, healthy recreation has become a
major NPS focus, with over 60 RTCA current projects highlighting community
wellness.
This spring, the YMCA placed "Member News" posters
in every Y across the country, promoting national parks and national trails to their 21 million
members. They distributed a brochure about National Parks Week as part of their
Healthy Kids Day celebration in April, and intensified online connections with
the NPS. (Now, when you search for your local Y, you will also find an icon to
help discover a national park or trail near you.)
Most recently, the YMCA has submitted a partnership proposal to NPS to
launch a multi-city, multi-year collaboration to build "Healthier Youth
and Healthier Communities". The first phase won
endorsements from some of the largest Y's in the country as well as six national park units, including
Boston Harbor Islands, Gateway, Golden Gate, Mississippi
National River, Mount Rainier and
Saguaro.
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Catalysts: Getting Involved
Learn
more about promoting physical activity in parks and communities and
see examples of NPS healthy community partnerships. And for your own health, you can celebrate National Trails Day or National Park Week at an event near you, or take a kid to a Junior Ranger Day event -- all coming up this spring.
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Learning from the Field: San Francisco, California |
Trailhead: YMCA in Richmond, CA |
It started as a coincidence. Robert Sindelar, then Executive
Director of the Richmond District YMCA in California, ran into an NPS staffer at a
community meeting. They quickly realized they could multiply their impact by
working together. "We both share a vision of making sure that parks are
accessible to all people, and not just people who may have traditionally used
them," says Sindelar. "We have outreach throughout the broader community and
the NPS has expertise and knowledge about resources. It's an incredible
synergy."In short order, the Richmond Y created a "neighborhood
trailhead" -- even though it was outside park boundaries -- because people were already
gathering there. They produced materials about the trail for speakers of Chinese and Russian
to reach those sizable communities, put up a giant map, and offered suggestions about routes
people could walk if they had a half-hour or an hour to spare. "We
incorporated fitness and how many calories you'd burn," says Sindelar, "but also
what types of nature you're going to see and historical markers." He adds:
"Partnering with a park is a great way to get people physically active in a
non-threatening way, and then you can continue the relationship and support them
in making healthier choices."
The Richmond District Y has formed a volunteer group -- trained
by NPS staff -- to help maintain trails. Sindelar is now the Executive Director of the
Presidio Community YMCA, also in San
Francisco, where he is continuing his NPS connection, so the "neighborhood trailhead" program may spread to other Ys.
"Some kids have never experienced a hike and
haven't spent a night under the stars," says Chuck Collins, President and CEO
of the YMCA of San Francisco. His aim is to change that. "Working with the
National Park Service, we want kids to understand environmental stewardship, the natural environment, and how to take action based on that
knowledge." Learning from the Field: Asheville, North Carolina Asheville, North Carolina: Walking Expert Mark Fenton (blue vest) leads a Community Assessment
With
its beautiful mountain scenery and thriving arts community, Asheville, North Carolina
is often called one of the best places in the country to live. But there was an obstacle holding the community back from its goal of being the healthiest
community in the state. "People here are eager to get walking, get healthier
physically, and help the environment," says NPS staffer Dawn Godwin. "But it's
harder than we'd like for people to walk or ride a bike in Asheville." The NPS partnered with the YMCA
of Western North Carolina to create Activate Asheville, an umbrella group
working with key stakeholders in the area, including elected officials, the
Chamber of Commerce, local hospitals, media outlets, schools, and more.
The
project launched in November with a three-day summit featuring a community walk,
breakfast with the mayor, and other events drawing over 170 people. The goal,
says Godwin, "is to focus on making Asheville
more walkable and bikeable through policy and infrastructure change." As an
example, the group plans to collaborate with architects and engineers building
two new schools in the county to develop trails where kids can walk to and
around the school, and to design a vehicular pick-up/drop-off area that eases
congestion and encourages walking.
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Let's Work Together
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San Francisco, California: Richmond Neighborhood Trailhead Map
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, 2009. |
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 each story for your publication; for more information, please call (202) 354-6918 or e-mail [email protected]. Images courtesy National Park Service. | |
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