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Conservation + Recreation: 
November, 2012 
In the News

Milwaukee School Develops Urban Agriculture Program. Kids in Milwaukee are getting excited about urban farming, because it's now an optional curriculum in school. The effort is focused around expanding career fields to include topics such as renewable energy. Jennifer Zahn, of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentine's article provides great information about the program.

 

Rooftop gardening in Mexico. One way to expand your urban garden is to go up, and get on your roof. Mexico City has seen an uptick in rooftop gardening as a result of an innovative program that gave grants to families to build rooftop gardens. Read about how successfully the program has grown.

 

Backyard Chickens in Boston. Folks in Somerville, a Boston suburb have taken to agriculture in a serious way. So much so, that the city has been required to adopt regulations and set up ordinances. Interestingly, the rules allow households to raise up to six chickens as long as the coops are cleaned once a week. See how the city has encouraged urban agriculture. Are you raising chickens at your house? If so, we would love to hear about it.

Findings and Publications

Inspire young people. Check out this new video by the Youth Ambassador Program, designed to inspire young folks to connect with four key National Park Service experiences: African Burial Grounds, Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty, and the New Bedford Whaling and Schooner Ernestina. Using modern music and excellent film technique, this is a really cool short, aimed at inspiring young people.

 

A new report on Kids in the Outdoors. Dr. Ken Cordell is a trusted source for information about trends in outdoor recreation. Check out this new report, published in conjunction with the United States Forest Service.

 
Interesting take on the produce supply chain.
How do we produce large quantities of food at low prices, in a way that priorities farmers, quality food, our health, and the environment? Paul Lightfood tackles this topic in a twelve minute Ted X talk. We hope that you are as inspired as we are.
Upcoming Events

International Trails Symposium. The International Trails Symposium is coming up in April 2013, take a look at the symposium home page. The symposium is for people and organizations who want to be on the leading edge of trail design, management, and marketing. There are opportunities to be a sponsor, present, and other information about logistics and lodging.

 

News and Events. The National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program maintains a list of recent news and events. Do you have one to share? If so, tell us about it on our Facebook page

Tools

Get linked into recreation. Rec Link is an online community designed to unite individuals who are passionate about outdoor recreation. They have a number of tools, including a resource library, best practices, and a network of experts. 

Grants and Job Opportunities

Groundwork USA Grants (Due 12.14.2012). If you are working with a community that could be interested in environmental stewardship, and urban revitalization issues, consider reviewing this grant program. The purpose of this grant is to work towards the establishment of a new Groundwork Trust within the applicant community. Visit Groundwork USA's website for additional details about the program, and how exciting it is to be a part of a local trust.    

Trail of the Month

We love it when you celebrate trails. The upcoming International Trails Symposium will present international trails awards  to outstanding projects or partnerships. These awards  are limited to  trails outside the U.S., so if you have a good nomination, take a look at the application process

A Tip of the Hat to...  

Steve Buchtel

Trails for Illinois 

Homewood, Illinois

 

Trails for Illinois Executive Director Steve Buchtel, is a rising star in Illinois.  Steve is leading his board in a new direction with innovative ideas and branding.  Re-organizing after 10 years as the Illinois Trails Conservancy, Steve and crew are taking on the challenge of not only reaching new members and partners, but building a statewide trails community that will integrate trails and trail experiences into Illinois work, play, and life.

 

Trails for Illinois has started by literally making trails count in Illinois.  During the fall, trail counters and volunteer survey teams worked to find the numbers behind trail use in five areas across the state.  Gathering data shows Illinois leaders and members of its communities the benefits that trails create in terms of economic growth, improved health, and environmental stewardship.

 

Steve believes that measuring and understanding the impact of trails will help decision makers take trails seriously. In order to complete this project Trails for Illinois has partnered with Rails to Trails Conservancy, the University of Illinois, Office of Recreation and Park Resources, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. We tip our hats to Steve for all his hard work  demonstrating how important trails are to  the economy. 

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.
National Park Service Programs That Can Help
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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 except as noted.