Parks, Trails Important in Urban Areas
from the Montrose Daily Press
Green space is critical for communities. In the long-term, parks may decrease the cost of health care because people are healthier, and they may contribute to decreased obesity, improve the cardiovascular system and lower osteoporosis cases. In addition to physical well being, green space also promotes mental well being by allowing people to get away from the noise of life and de-stress. More

Celebrate Parks, Recreation in July
from the Reno Gazette-Journal
Since 1985, the National Recreation and Park Association has designated July as National Parks and Recreation Month. Parks and recreation facilities, programs and events provide healthy outlets for fitness, relaxation, learning and social interaction. These experiences offer opportunities for people to come together and experience a sense of community. More

Scoring Big
from the Naples Daily News
In the tourism game, sports marketing is scoring big in Collier County, Fla. More sports events are coming to the area, filling hotel rooms and generating business for restaurants, shops and attractions. The last three years have brought tremendous growth with a greater focus on luring tournaments, races and other competitions to the county. More

Rain, New Technology Help Reduce Parks' Water Use
from the Daily Camera
Heavy rainfall in recent months has allowed cities in Boulder County, Colo., to cut back on the water used to maintain city parks, golf courses and other green spaces. Boulder, Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie and Superior all use computer-automated systems, some that are wirelessly linked to weather stations, to reduce water use as cued by weather patterns. Those systems can even shut off sprinklers when rain starts to fall. More

Anti-smoking Crusader Motivated by Personal Loss
from the Deseret News
At 16, Logan Jones is member of OUTRAGE, the group of Utah County teens working to clear the air and spread the word. "Everyone in the group has a pretty powerful story," Jones said. "They're in it for a reason. They're not just there to have fun. We really go out and do stuff." That "stuff" began when the group of dedicated teens and energetic coordinator Jen Tischler went city-to-city educating councils about why a countywide smoking ban was needed in parks and recreation areas. It's all about protecting kids where they play, Jones said. More

Community Volunteers Make Garden Projects Possible
from the Lancaster Eagle Gazette
Many times we say to ourselves: "I wish I can do more for the hungry in our own community." Thanks to Bill Steinman's vision, that question has been answered with Fairfield County Community Gardens. It is a gift of exercise and elbow grease that is open to all citizens to help grow vegetables for their families as well as to stock the 14 food pantries throughout our county. More

New Jersey County Hopes Deal Makes Golf Profitable
from The Star-Ledger
Union County, N.J.'s golf operations lost more than $650,000 last year, but county officials are optimistic that their deal with a golf management firm will change all that, and help turn a profit in 2010. County officials called the deal another step in its "golf operations turnaround plan," meant to enhance clubhouse services, including food and beverage, and provide "golf programming, community outreach, sales and marketing, merchandising, while improving profits and providing fiscal control." More

Cities Willing to Lose Money to Keep Swimmers in the Pools
from the Winona Daily News
When school is out, the weather is warm and the sun is high, a small-town pool is the place to be. City pools may draw huge crowds but most lose money, even when the economy is not in recession. Nevertheless, most city officials say they’re willing to take deep losses to keep the pools afloat. "I think it's one of those quality of life issues," said Rushford city administrator Windy Block. "I think not to have that would send a huge message to the community that we don’t care about our youths and what they are doing in the summer." More

Grieving Dad Continues to Seek Skateboard Park
from The News-Courier
Jeff Roberts said although it’s been 3 1/2 years since his son, 13-year-old Clinton Kirby Roberts, died when he was struck by a motorcyclist while riding his skateboard on a county road, it’s only been recently, "That I had enough sense to talk about it." Roberts said he wonders why the city does not provide a skateboard park. He believes his son would not have skated on public roads if a park had been available. More

Entering a Ghost Park
from the Concord Monitor
Reopening Clough State Park in New Hampshire, which has been closed for three of the last four seasons, was easy yesterday. The brown wooden gate that bars the main entrance was unlocked, so kayaker Mimi Dion opened it. "When we pulled up, five cars were waiting to get in," said Dion, 62, of Lebanon, N.H.. Dozens of cars followed through the newly opened main gate on the sunny Sunday afternoon. The lack of bathrooms, lifeguards or state officials collecting entry fees did not seem to bother the beachgoers, boaters and berry pickers. But finding someone to regularly maintain the park is harder than opening a gate. More

Game Room Gets Physical in Illinois City
from The Chicago Tribune
The whoops, whistles and digital beeps that remind adults of 1980s-era video arcades are also invitations for their children to play. But instead of kids using joysticks in darkened rooms, the Fox Valley, Ill., Park District's new E-Fit interactive fitness room combines gaming technology and physical activity with an eye toward combating youth obesity. More

Small-town Colorado Recreation Center Sets a Global Standard for Sustainability
from Athletic Business
Carbondale, Colo., has a relatively longstanding commitment to environmental stewardship. It was no surprise, then, that when community leaders embarked on a new recreation center project five years ago, sustainable design principles would be incorporated. What is surprising is that a project that, at its inception, merely aimed to achieve basic LEED certification has become the world's first LEED Platinum-certified recreation center. "Our recreation center is pretty small compared to a lot of the other well-known LEED projects," says Jackel. "But even though it's small, it's a pretty big feather in our caps." More