adopt-a-park More towns are implementing Adopt-A-Park programs to keep their parks clean and foster more involvement by local citizen

What's one way to keep your local park clean and help out your community with just a few hours a month's efforts?

What about this idea?  Adopt-a-park.

More and more parks and recreation departments are implementing the benefits of Adopt-A-Park programs.

The concept is a simple one.

1. Allow groups to organize and focus on cleaning or "adopting" one park or a section of a park in town.

2. Provide them with some simple materials - gloves, trash bags, rakes, trash receptacles, etc.

3. Give them some direction, eg, "Please focus on cleaning up this area over here. We've had quite a few birthday parties recently and there is trash strewn all around the picnic tables."

4. Reward the group with a nice sign acknowledging their efforts.

Hundreds of towns across America are promoting this Adopt-A-Park concept.

Participation in Palm Beach County program growing steadily

In Florida, the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department has had a very successful participation rate with their Adopt-A-Park community project.

They are 85 parks in the county and coordinator Sherry Thompson said about 25 parks in the area have been adopted so far.

In her county, the parks department requires that a group commit to at least 12 cleanups per year. There isn't a strict schedule that the cleanups have to be conducted every month. It can vary. As long as they are completed within a calendar year.

Sherry said they have seen a wide variety of groups come through their door to apply for the program. Ages range from 15 to 60. There are some neighborhood groups, and there are businesses that choose to adopt a park.

Whoever participates, it's a very easy program to implement.

"The adopt-a-park program really just requires minimal skills. Anyone can be involved in cleaning up a park," she said.

To keep it simple and to avoid any issues, the groups aren't involved in any intense maintenance activities, such as painting or repair park benches or picnic tables.

But the benefit is certainly a tremendous one to Palm Beach County residents.

"It's a win-win," Sherry explained. "People who adopt a park gain experience in being involved in a park and giving back to the community. This allows the park and rec department staff to attend to other items, which they might not have been able to do without this help from the public."

She estimates the Adopt-A-Park program give the county about 1200 extra man hours that they can use to work on other projects.

"It's really phenomenal," she said.

There is an application fee of $250 for businesses and $100 for groups, she noted. But if the group demonstrates a real commitment and fulfills the 12 days of cleanup that is required over the course of a year, the county will usually reduce or even waive the fee the following year.

adopt-a-park beach The "adopt" a public space movement is growing to include trails, natural areas, roads, streets and other community areas

What other cities are doing to promote Adopt-A-Park

In a random search of other park programs, here are some of the activities that seem common to Adopt A Park programs.

They involve litter removal, leaf raking and pickup, spreading mulch or gravel, removal of invasive plants, planting flowers, check for hazards such as dead animals, illegal dumping of trash, backed up drainage systems, blocked trails, broken sprinklers, etc.

Some cities will also provide tools and materials for painting or the removal of graffiti which is a common problem in public spaces. Vandals never seem to take a vacation.

There are many instances where harmful or offensive words were carved or spray painted onto park benches, picnic tables or lavatory walls.

There is some commitment of time by the towns as well. They do have to provide resources for the groups and make a point to make sure they are accountable and doing what they set out to do. New groups may require supervision and continued assistance. Park rangers do need to get involved. In addition, there are liability issues as well.

But overall, it seems more and more towns are promoting this idea and there seems to be a welcome response from members of most communities to pitch in.

And who says you have to limit the "adoption" idea to just parks. (People have already seen the success of the Adopt-A-Road program from highway signs on interstates and local roads.)

There are also programs for adopt-a-trail, adopt-a-spot, adopt-a-natural area, adopt-a-street and others.

In Utah, the Zion National Park Forever Project even conducted a campaign called
"Adopt-A-Bighorn Sheep"
to help protect the herd of these magnificent animals at the park. More than 4,000 people purchased plush sheep dolls to raise money for the project.

There many additional benefits of adopting a park.

For one, it gives people an opportunity to take an active role in beautifying their surroundings and public spaces.

Another benefit is the power of crowds. A park might appear rough after a long weekend of use or in need of landscaping. Taking on such a project will seem overwhelming for one person to take on. But with a large group of people, a park can be literally restored to its natural beauty in one day.

Speaking of which, this group activity gives local residents a social opportunity to interact with one another and get to know their neighbors. Perhaps they will even make new friends.

The recognition signs are certainly nice and something for the group to be proud of. But, the sign is only part of the picture.

The big picture is not only that sign BUT the welcome, clean, renovated park sitting behind it, a testament that this town has a great group of concerned citizens who care about their public spaces.

Note: The Park and Facilities Catalog is a national supplier of park and commercial site furnishings such as park benches, picnic tables, and trash receptacles is a strong advocate for national, state and local parks.