Page 10 - Parks and Recreation

Volunteers sought for National Public Lands Da

If you are looking for something cheap for you and your family to do this weekend, Saturday, Sept. 26 is National Public Lands Day and all national parks and museums are FREE.

Wondering what to do when you get there? National Public Lands Day is also a day when park managers look for volunteers to help out with a variety of projects. What better way to spend a day outdoors than cleaning up or improving a park? It's a worthwhile cause AND it's great exercise.

Last year, NPLD organizers reported that 175,000 Americans turned out to help our parks. They worked at more than 2,000 sites in all 50 states including District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

This is what they accomplished:

- fixed up 1,500 miles of trails

- planted about 100,000 shrubs, trees and other native plants

- pulled up 23,000 pounds of invasive pants

- removed some 500 tons of trash

Now that's a successful volunteer effort. All in one day. Not only that, all this effort reportedly

ParkExpress quickly ships site and outdoor park furnishings in only 1-3 day

"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time." This quote by Leonard Bernstein nails it. For most plans with good intentions, sometimes there is just not enough time. When it comes to park or construction projects, The Park Catalog has a solution.

It's called ParkExpress. Park and recreation professionals who attend the National Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference Sept. 15-17 can learn about the program by visiting us at booth 1832.

ParkExpress is essentially the FedEx of site and outdoor park furnishings. We can ship out nearly 300 park-related or facility-related products in 1-3 days. That's right, 300 different products in just 1-3 days.

Imagine ordering commercial-grade park benches, picnic tables or trash receptacles and they ship out in one day ! Need a charcoal park grill fast? How about we put it on a truck in just two days or less. We can do it.

That

Gil Penalosa and his message about people-centric cities. Source 8 80 Citie

If you look at the speaking schedule for a guy named Gil Penalosa, you'll notice he is everywhere. Why? Because his message about doing something now to change cities in the future is resonating with quite a few people.

In fact, Penalosa will be the keynote speaker at the annual National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) conference in Las Vegas Sept. 15-17.

Essentially what he is saying is really a no-brainer. We ALL know this is going to happen. How we shape the way we manage what is going to happen is another story, another story that Penalosa urges us to act on NOW.

Here's the scenario. The population of people living in cities is going to double from 3.5 billion to more than 7 billion in just 35 years. Do you think it is hard to drive to a city now? As anyone can predict, with all those people flocking to urban areas it is not going to get any better.

More millennials are moving to cities. More people own

Smiling millennial shoots a selfie on a mountain pea

You sense that National Park Service officials might be a little worried. Maybe all state and local park officials should be worried as well.

Judging from several news reports, it appears the NPS is worried about "Millennials." You know, the generation born between 1980 and 2004, the one that came out of the womb with an iPhone attached to the hands.

There are 80 million of them and park officials are concerned this new world digital generation is not going to be interested in old world dirt, trees, rocks and rivers.

It might be paranoia. There doesn't seem to be any hard data indicating millennials are not interested in parks. Sure, right now, parks are actually experiencing record attendance. They had approximately 300 million visitors last year.

But the people who rangers see coming through the gates are not young people, but a lot of gray hairs from the Baby Boomer generation. Once that generation gets old, then will millennials take

Kissing on a park bench has created a crazy tradition at some colleges

An author once wrote that kissing on a park bench "is one of the most fun things to do in a park."

Apparently, there's something to what he says because there are a number of designated "kissing benches" around the world that are famous gathering spots for couples where the smooching often progresses to a marriage proposal.

For some reason, this whole notion of kissing on a park bench is big on college campuses.

At Syracuse University, there's a stone bench donated by the Class of 1912 that somehow developed a reputation as a place where a female student should visit if she wanted to graduate and eventually get married.

Park bench made with concret

Not to be outdone, Florida State University has a kissing bench as well. Legend has it the bench was a place where one of the university administrators would meet his girlfriend for a little "canoodling" in between classes. The couple eventually wed.

There's a plaque with

Concrete picnic tables are virtually theft-proof and vandal-proo

 

Jimmy Breslin once said, "The number one rule of thieves is that nothing is too small to steal." Still, who would want to steal a used picnic table from a public park? Apparently several people, as you will see.

That's why it just might be smart to add concrete picnic tables to a park or any location where some people have a warped respect for property. They respect the property so much, they want to make it their own.

Speaking of smarts, or a lack thereof, police are on the lookout for one thief in Wexford County, Michigan who allegedly made off with several picnic tables from one park but failed to realize his portrait would soon be all over local TV and in local newspapers.

His photo was distributed to the press after it was picked up by a surveillance camera. Also included in the photo was a nice color shot of his truck…and the license plate number.

"I find it very disgraceful that people have no more consideration

Hiker with bottled wate

Just like the way a pebble thrown into a pond creates a rippling effect, so does talk of the National Park Service's proposed ban on the sale of bottled water.

This decision is creating quite a splash with environmentalists, the bottled water industry, Coca-Cola, Congress and other interested parties.

The issue is a serious one. As you can imagine, with the millions of people who visit our national parks every year, they can generate quite a few empty water bottles.

In its effort to be more green and sustainable, the National Park Service proposed ending the sale of all bottled water at its facilities - in their stores and vending machines. (Note, visitors can still bring in their own bottled water purchased elsewhere).

Many parks have already initiated this ban - some well-known names include The Grand Canyon, Mount  Rushmore, Little Bighorn, Zion National Park and Dinosaur National Monument.

Zion National Park officials reported they felt the ban was successful

A list of park quotes and the beauty of open spaces for the public

This month is Park and Recreation Month, a time to celebrate and appreciate those little patches of green that WE ALL OWN where we can play, take refuge from the noises of the city and just hang out. Here are 15 park quotes we thought you might like.

"When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing - just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blowing the tree limbs, or waves rippling on a pond, a flickering candle or children playing in the park?" - Ralph Marston "You can't tell a kid that it's time to exercise; that's a turn-off…you have to say, "Let's go to the park and have some fun! Then you get them to do some running, play on the swings, practice on the balance beam, and basically get a full workout disguised as play." - Arnold Schwarzenegger "And I remember going to the record studio and there was a park across the street and I'd see all the children playing and I would

 

Study ranks cities according to entertainment, recreational and park facilitie

Remembers the software game Sim City where your score as a mayor was determined by improvements you made to a town, including the number of parks?

Parks are an important benefit in the minds of citizens. They pay a ton of taxes. Those taxes go for routine expenditures such as roads, manhole covers and sewer drains which to be frank, are not very exciting. But those taxes also go for parks, which on the other side of the spectrum, are very desirable and a place of refuge for urban dwellers.

So sure, city officials are judged by their parks. Are the parks well maintained? Do they have an adequate number of outdoor site furnishings such as benches, picnic tables, water fountains and restrooms? Are those recreation areas clean, with plenty of empty park trash cans scattered in key locations throughout the area?

A company called WalletHub attempted to create a way to rank cities in terms of entertainment, recreational

Man on the moon. Astronaut John Young from Apollo 16 salutes the flag

Have you ever looked up at a full moon and wondered, "Gee, that would make a great park?" Seriously.

Because two US members of congress have introduced a bill, H.R. 2617, to do just that - create a park on the moon. It's called the Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act.

They're not asking to make all 2,159 miles of the moon's diameter a national park. Just the six places where we landed.

Sounds like sheer lunacy doesn't it? But there is some solid logic behind the proposed legislation. Sometime in the near future, there is a very high likelihood that a citizen of another country will step foot on Earth's celestial sister.

China already landed a roving research vehicle on the moon. Russia has always been a staunch rival of the US in outer space, as well as a partner with Skylab and other projects. It is conceivable at some point they will also land a Russian cosmonaut on the moon. Japan's been thinking about it as well.

Then

July is National Park and Recreation month and time to get outdoors

Next month, "Out is In" as July is the 30th Anniversary of Park and Recreation Month. But how often are we "out?" You'd be surprised. The National Park Service conducted a study that has some very interesting findings about how we spend our time outdoors.

The bottom line: as humans, we need to spend more time on a park bench and less time on the couch because with the American lifestyle today - the electronic environment has replaced the natural one.

The National Recreation and Park Association study involved more than 1,000 people from all corners of the country and from different age groups and demographics.

Here are some of their findings:

Time outdoors - daily only about 31% of us spend more than 60 minutes outdoors. Twenty-two percent spend 31-60 minutes outside and 28% spend 11 to 30 minutes. When you take into account the time we use for routine walks to a car, office, or convenience store, folks, that's not a whole

Wulingyuan National Park - considered the best park in Chin

When it comes to national parks, that old adage "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" certainly applies to the US National Park Service.

While many Asian and European countries are much older than the United States, this country is recognized as starting the first established national park in the world. Now there is a plan for China to copy US parks.

China has reportedly teamed up with The Paulson Institute in Chicago to create a similar national park system there and they are looking to emulate the successful American model that provides all of us with a fantastic array of fascinating and protected parks.

"In the United States our national parks are an important source of shared national pride and cultural identity, as well as treasured natural resources for the public to enjoy," Paulson Institute Chairman Henry M. Paulson Jr., said at the signing ceremony.

"We are honored and delighted to be working with China to help

Bear checking outdoor trash cans for foo

There's a coyote hanging out in Boca Raton, Fla. Officials report a black bear roaming just three miles outside of Manhattan. And raccoons, well, they are just about everywhere.

This is why animal proof trash receptacles are more important today than ever. Wildlife habitat is shrinking. Humans are creating more trash. And people wonder why there are so many sightings for bears, coyotes, foxes and raccoons.

The answer is simple. To them trash is food. Trash that is accessible in parks, hotels, restaurants or homes is a ready-made meal.

Wildlife populations shift. They are sometimes displaced by development. Other times by fires or loss of their habitat. By nature, many animals are nomadic. They will keep moving until they find a source of food.

Establishments that are near wide open areas, such as woods or fields, are especially susceptible to these roaming creatures. And now, it seems, an establishment does not need to necessarily border a forest

There's a shortage of commercial charcoal grills at most parks today

It's summer time and time to get out to a park as visitors pick out their favorite picnic tables, lay out the tablecloths and fire up the commercial charcoal grills barbecue time. Well, at least the ones who get there early.

Most public park goers now face a major dilemma that puts a big damper on their weekend plans when it comes to cooking outdoors.

Because today America is encountering a major crisis when it comes to the number of commercial charcoal grills that are available.

What happened? Blame it on TV. Specifically the cooking shows (and even an entire channel devoted to cooking).

What did you expect? Spend an afternoon watching Bobby's Fray's show "Boy Meets Grill," "BBQ Pitmasters" or the "BBQ Crawl" and any red-blooded American with taste buds is going to want to drag out the charcoal and lighter fluid.

Permanent grills at parks get bigger to handle large groups who love to BB

Who is going to want plain old

Park benches have a certain magnetic quality about the

There seems to be a certain charm about a park bench when it comes to bringing folks together. And when checking out park benches for sale, think about the type of bench, but also the people who will be sitting on those planks as well.

Park benches have a magnetic allure that is conducive to one person engaging with another - whether it's in a deep conversation with a friend or an first-time talk with a complete stranger.

This was very evident in a recent project conducted by Neighborhoods Inc., a non-profit organization in Northwest Indiana.

To help foster the interaction of people in their community, the organizers placed a park bench in front of 22 homes in a town of about 30,000 people. They included a sign that read, "Please have a seat."

Their efforts were effective. People now had a reason to stop and chat with the home owner or others in the area.

Neighbors, strollers, joggers, school children, people walking their dogs and