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PA Recreation and Park Society
   PRPS Weekly News
GOPA Webinar last week to register!

Bring Out the Best in your Winter Outdoor Programs: Implementing Best Practices
November 4th, 2015   1-2:00pm
 
Whether you're new to winter programming or just want to improve your current winter activities, this webinar focuses on best practices that will help to make your events safer and run more smoothly. Best practices, which are always recommended when planning outdoor programming, can be particularly crucial when scheduling an event in the winter since so many factors-from weather conditions to slippery terrain-can add to the challenges of planning and executing a safe program.  Learn from experienced partners about smart planning and creative ideas for winter programs.  Register now for this webinar!

Vote now for the 2016 PA Trail of the Year!
Deadline: November 6, 2015
The Trails Advisory Committee is currently accepting nominations for the 2016 Pennsylvania Trail of the Year. The Trail of the Year will be recognized by:
  • Official news release by the PA Trails Advisory Committee and DCNR
  • Commemorative poster for statewide distribution
  • Digital "badge" for your website
  • Promotion on ExplorePAtrails.com
  • Grant for educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection on the trail

Click here to submit your nomination.

Don't forget to register for the Fall Membership Meeting
      
orange-leaves-tree.jpgDon't miss our upcoming Fall Membership. This year our fall meeting will be held Wednesday, November 18 at PSECU Headquarters in Harrisburg. We will begin with a business meeting followed by the general session with SWELL - Making "Good for You, Good for All" Work for You. Join us after lunch to learn more about financial literacy with PSECU. 

Click here to register! For the flyer, click here.

If you are interested in sponsoring the meeting, please contact Nicole Lynd at nlynd@prps.org.

Seven Springs Service Project  
PRPS 2016 Conference Committee members met with Dick Barron from Seven Springs to beautify the entrance to the Resort. Hostas were cut back and divided. Cinnamon ferns were transplanted from the woods surrounding the resort. Seven Springs has started an initiative to change all planting to native plants of the Laurel Highlands. Committee Members that participated: Nicole Lynd, Mary Beth Birks, Karen Hammond, Mike Gable, Bob Griffith, Heather Jerry and Brian Foster.

Conference News 

Our conference is moving right along...the sessions have been set and we're beginning to assign vendor booths. Here are a few session highlights:
  • Social Media Roundtable
  • Helping Teens Understand the Value of Leadership
  • Developing An Open Space Signage Plan
  • Emerging Leaders: Put the POW! In Powerhouse
  • Designing for All Abilities: Playgrounds Beyond ADA
  • City Parks As Classrooms
Citizens & Friends Day
Citizens and Friends Day on the Mountain is designed to focus on the needs and interests of Park and Recreation Board Committee members and other interested volunteers. This one day event will be held Sunday, March 13. The registration fee is $20 and includes admission to our Exhibit Hall. Click here for more details. 

Conference Registration Fees
For conference registration fees, click here.
 
Vendor Opportunities
Hurry! Reserve your space today! If you are interested in being a vendor, sponsor or advertiser at the 2016 Conference click here for details. 

Trail Advisory Committee looking to fill positions for 2016
Deadline: November 6, 2015
 
DCNR is currently accepting nominations for six new committee members representing the following user groups. Member terms are three calendar years beginning January 1, 2016. Click here for the nomination form.
  • Bicycling
  • Trail Builders
  • Off-Highway Motorcycling
  • Members at Large (2)
  • Hiking
Grant Workshops: Begin next week!
DCNR new logo 
Register today for the 2016 Recreation and Conservation project grant workshops. The workshops will include important information on BRC's new selection criteria/ranking guidelines, grant program eligibility requirements, and how to file competitive applications for the 2016 grant program, which opens January 20,2016.
 
These free in-person presentations are being offered at six locations across Pennsylvania.  Community leaders, municipal officials, consultants, land trusts, volunteer board members, trail managers, and park and recreation professionals are strongly encouraged to attend. 
 
Pre-registration is required for the workshops.

Sample Maintenance Operational Agreements 
We are seeking sample Maintenance and/or Operation Agreements between municipal entities and partners for the maintenance, repair and/or operation of community park and recreation facilities, programs and services. If you have one to share, please send it to Tim Herd, herd@prps.org.

Member News
Landscape Architect Jim Pashek Honored by American Planning Association
      
The American Planning Association Pennsylvania chapter named PRPS Citizen Director James W. "Jim" Pashek, planner, registered landscape architect and CEO of Pashek Associates Ltd. in Pittsburgh, winner of its 2015 award for Planning Leadership by a Professional Planner.

The award recognizes outstanding, significant and sustained contributions to the profession through distinguished practice, and places Jim among "the best and brightest in Pennsylvania Planning" in 2015. Read more

Former Movie Theater to become Wetlands Park in PA
 
McCandless Township, Pa., will return a former movie theater to green space under a deal with the Allegheny Land Trust. The township plans to create a wetlands park, which could improve flood control. KDKA-TV (Pittsburgh) (10/19)
Therapeutic Recreation Institute Call for Proposals
      
The 2016 TRI session proposal form is now available. The proposal submission deadline is January 31, 2016. 

The Therapeutic Recreation Institute will be held on May 31-June 3, 2016 at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, PA. The theme is TRI Voice of YOUR Future.

Philadelphia's Waterfront Peppered with Small, Seasonal Parks
 
The Delaware River Waterfront Corp. has successfully championed a series of smaller, cheaper, seasonal parks along the Philadelphia waterfront. CEO Tom Corcoran says the parks are a way to get people used to coming down to the river - "and then once they do, and the time comes for the public sector to invest more," he says, "you have a built in political support system of people who want to see great things happen on their waterfront." National Public Radio (9/11)

2016 Get Outdoors PA Mini-Grants
Be eligible: Become a Get Outdoors PA Community Partner
 
The second Get Outdoors PA Mini-Grant Program will open in early 2016. Grants of $1,500-$3,000 will fund equipment and training related to outdoor programming.  Some match is required.  Applicants must be Get Outdoors PA Community Partners approved in 2015 or earlier and be a local government entity or 501c-3 non-profit. The program is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. If you're not currently a Community Partner, apply online today!
Upcoming PRPS/PTRS Trainings
 

November 18, PSECU, Harrisburg, PA

Creating a Positive Vision for Leadership - Register Now!
November 19, Masonic Village, Elizabethtown
November 20, Beaumont at Bryn Mawr

December 2-4, Celebration Hall, State College

October 29 - Understanding the Umbrella of Dementia: Practical Planning for Successful Programming, Masonic Village, Sewickley (CANCELLED)
November 6 - Managing Behavior in Recreation Therapy, Longwood at Oakmont, Verona
November 9 - Understanding the Umbrella of Dementia: Practical Planning for Successful Programming, York College-Alumni Hall, York
November 19 - Creating a Positive Vision for Leadership, Masonic Village, Elizabethtown
November 20 - Managing Behavior in Recreation Therapy, PRPS Office, State College
November 20 - Creating a Positive Vision for Leadership, Beaumont at Bryn Mawr, Bryn Mawr

DCNR Calendar of Events DCNR new logo
For a listing of DCNR events click here.
PA Recreation & Park Society, Inc.
2131 Sandy Drive, State College, PA 16801
814-234-4272