Wendy Graham, program coordinator, with one of the Buddy Benches donated by The Yuba-Sutter Stand for the Silent organization

One group in the Yuba CA area has made it their mission to provide Buddy Benches for schools in the area to promote inclusivity and fight bullying.

And with the support of local businesses and individuals, they are succeeding.

The group is called the Yuba-Sutter Stand for the Silent. This is a chapter of the national Stand for the Silent organization that was started by a group of high school students in Oklahoma City, OK.

The Yuba-Sutter Stand for the Silent program offers education on bullying, resources, and support.

The

A few notes about the Top 20 National Parks compiled by The Park and Facilities Catalog.

There is a new park on the Top 20 list - Indiana Dunes National Park, which also happens to be a newly designated national park. As far as the Top 5 National Parks, Yellowstone bumped Yosemite back one spot for the fifth position. This year for the first time we added the total visitor numbers from the prior year so you can see the change from one year to the next. Unfortunately for Sequoia National Park, it was knocked off the list with the addition of Indian Dunes National Park. If you are interested in reviewing more park visitor data, check out this National Park Service page.

We

A park bench at a pocket park located at The Episcopal School in Dallas. (Photo by staff photographer)

There's a movement going on in urban and suburban areas to bring parks closer to residents, improve unsightly abandoned lots and help people socialize.

They are called "Pocket Parks."

The concept is a simple one and so is the process to build one.

All it takes is some dedicated citizens, assistance from the local parks and recreation department, donors and some elbow grease.

But the rewards can be plentiful.

Pocket parks are small, but benefits are huge

To get people fired up about the idea, let's start with the benefits of pocket parks:

Transforms a vacant lot, perhaps an eyesore, into a beautiful, relaxing place to gather. Improves

Bike lockers for lease at the RTD station in Denver

Bike Lockers are becoming more prevalent as a form of secure bicycle storage.

After all, locking a bicycle in a strong box is certainly one of the more secure ways to protect it.

One cause for this increased interest in bike locks is the cost of bicycles today.

According to Bicycle Universe, here are some estimates for the cost of bicycles today:

Road bikes - from $350 to $700 Mountain bikes - $1000 on average Single-speed bikes - $400 on average Beach cruiser bikes - $200 to $300 Recumbent bikes - $1000 to $2000 (where the rider is in a laid-back position) Children's bike 8 and younger - $140 to $200.

As you can see, bicycles are not cheap.

Here's another cause for concern with bicyclists.

Bicycle thefts are on the

Dog park equipment makes your dog park a fun place to hang out and get exercise. See our promotion below on how to receive a FREE DOGGIE FIRE HYDRANT (pictured above) with the purchase of a Dog Agility Kit

In its annual survey of park professionals conducted by Recreation Management magazine, dog parks continue to rank high for scheduled improvements.

The survey is conducted by the magazine every year and asks park and recreation managers about such topics as budget increases, expected park participation and scheduled projects.

Here's the list of the Top 10 planned projects on average and the percentage of park managers who reported they will be working on these