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Outdoor Nation Check out one of our new partners: Outdoor Nation, a
community of young champions of the outdoors.
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Get Involved
Who do you love? Nominate someone doing great things for parks and recreation for a NARRP award. (deadline Feb. 19... right after Valentine's Day)
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Did You Know? LWCF is funded by revenue from offshore oil drilling. Over $3.6 billion since 1965! Read more...
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Conservation + Recreation: February 2010
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Closer to Outdoors Sometimes it's a matter of bringing people to the parks, and sometimes
it's the other way around. Whichever way makes sense, the National Park
Service works with partners to bring Americans of all walks of life
closer to the land. | Hightower Beach, Satellite Beach, FL | Citizens of Satellite Beach decided years ago that they didn't want
their small town to become like their neighbors -- with condos rising
between residents and the ocean. The town invested tax dollars to buy
beachfront property, and joined forces with the federal Land and Water
Conservation Fund (LWCF), Brevard County,
and the state of Florida to add onto the land that forward-thinking
Clarence Eugene Hightower had donated to
the County in 1969. The partnership created the best beachfront
property around: an 18-acre park that's great for surfing or fishing; a
nice calm spot for a walk along the
boardwalk or whale watching; and from March through October, a very
popular
spot to watch loggerhead turtles. The existence of this protected
public beachfront now makes the land and the water accessible to
residents and visitors alike.
Blueberry Park, Bremerton, WA
Blueberry Park is built on the site of a former blueberry
farm that once was home to more than 2,400 blueberry bushes. Renovated
and reopened last August, the park is home to a community garden with elevated planting beds, restored wetlands, a picnic shelter, a
playground, and -- yes -- some historic blueberry bushes. Thanks to LWCF, the
Washington State
Department of Ecology, the Bremerton Parks Department, and the
Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, a primary partner in
this endeavor. This project is a great example of using low impact
development and green
design to create an attractive and useful community space. It's an
amenity that
helps bring the citizens of Bremerton and students of the nearby Armin
Jahr
Elementary School closer to the land. Common factor: the Land & Water Conservation Fund grant program.
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New to the Land
Kids who grow up in a city often don't get a chance to spend
time in the wilderness. Without positive firsthand experiences, the outdoors remains a mysterious and strange place. Our hats are off to the many wise adults who are finding ways to introduce urban kids to the land and reveal some of its mysteries to them. At their best, programs like these can help kids discover
nature for the first time, learn new skills, make new friends, and maybe
even spark a lifetime passion.
Untold Stories
Visit this side project of Ken Burns' America's Best Idea series and
enjoy the video (13:37). It's the story of two groups of
kids -- from Las Vegas and Miami -- who visit nearby national parks for the first time. Watch their faces and hear their words as they discover worlds very different
from those of their everyday lives.
Transformative Experiences
Big City Mountaineers gets urban teens
into the great outdoors: backpacking, hiking, canoeing, and even mountain
biking on trips led by caring adults. BCM partners with youth agencies to identify
teens to participate safely in these challenging trips. In addition to introducing
the kids to the wonders of the outdoors and backcountry, it's a unique way for
the teens develop resilience, self-esteem, and teamwork skills.
Park in Focus
Creating the next generation of public stewards. That's what
the Morris K. Udall Foundation is doing in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the National Park Service. Through photography,
students connect with and explore the land, and they get to share their vision
of the parks they visit through the photographs they take. Check out the video or see the photos to learn more about the program and see these parks through the eyes, and camera lenses, of the
children in the program.
Blogging About It
There is a huge appetite for information about reconnecting
urban Americans to the land. This small sampling of blogs tells a story: Nature in the City- Connecting people and nature where they live Outdoor Afro - Where black people and nature meet Rooted in the Earth- Reclaiming African American
Environmental Heritage Urban Science Adventures- Exploring & Discovering Nature in Urban Areas And an NPR story on Mauricio Escobar, reaching out to bring Latinos into the national parks.
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A Tip of the Hat to...
Tim Hogsett
Abstract ideas like the LWCF only get turned into real parkland -- trees, ballfields, beaches, trails and campsites -- through great partners like Tim Hogsett.
At the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Tim directs the use of LWCF and other funds to drive numerous grant programs for recreation, parks, trails, education,
ecological restoration, and wildlife. Tim's peers have recognized his leadership by electing him President of the National Association of State Outdoor Recreation Liaison Officers
(NASORLO).
Michael Wilson, who manages State and Local
Assistance Programs for the National Park Service, really appreciates the solid working relationship that NPS has with NASORLO and the
TPWD through Tim. "Tim is a leading nationwide advocate for parks and open spaces and the LWCF program. He works hard to help LWCF constituencies get to know one another, communicate openly
and effectively, and better understand each others' needs. Tim fosters a climate in which people are eager to serve
partners and customers and want to dedicate themselves to creating and
preserving public outdoor recreation and park spaces. He is wonderful to work with and we hold him in high
esteem."
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Let's Work Together
Could your project benefit from collaboration with a National Park Service specialist? If you're 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. Call or email your regional representative today.
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Like what you read? Please copy or forward this newsletter. Have a story idea? We're happy to consider story ideas or news items for future publication. Want to use a story for your own publication? We would be pleased to help you. To submit an idea or request information about adapting a story, please contact Alan Turnbull: 202-354-6930 or [email protected]
Conservation + Recreation is written to support and inform our organizational partners, friends of the program, potential partners, and Department of the Interior staff. It's our chance to share activities and successes and those of our partners. For details on specific projects, please contact the staff person involved with each project.
Images courtesy National Park Service
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