Kids turn off TVs and iPods, and head out to play
The Town Talk
Alexandria, La., joined thousands of other participants across the United States and six countries in helping fight childhood obesity with events designed to get kids outside. For the last six years, Nickelodeon has worked with organizations, cities and individuals to drag kids away from their TVs, computers and cell phones. The children's television network shut down its channels for three hours and placed pop-up ads on its Web sites to remove any distractions from having fun outside. And the fun came in many forms for kids in Alexandria.More

Create Opportunities for Injured Service Members to Live Physically Active Lives
NRPA
NRPA and United States Paralympics support local communities that enhance and grow their recreation, sport, and physical activity programming for injured military personnel through grants. Public park and recreation agencies are encouraged to apply for grants between $5,000 and $25,000. Deadline to obtain funding through NRPA-US Paralympics Grants has been extended until Sept. 30. More

Take a child outside
News & Record
North Carolina is about to complete a weeklong celebration few of us even know about. Sept. 24-30 is the second annual "Take a Child Outside Week.” It came and is about to end with little fanfare and, admittedly, has not yet established itself as a tradition. Last year's kickoff brought North Carolina to the forefront as a leader in identifying the mental and physical importance of getting children outdoors. The week's message should resonate with parents, grandparents and anyone involved in the lives of children. As Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods," writes, "It's time to create nature and health where we and our families live, work and play."More

A Free-wheeling city
Parade Magazine
Until recently, Columbia, Mo., was, like most American cities, designed almost exclusively for automobile transit, offering up a host of four-lane mini-highways over which motorists could zoom between parking lots. For Darwin Hindman, a retired lawyer, the situation was all wrong. “If we depend too much on cars, then we increase our reliance on foreign oil, childhood obesity goes up, and life just isn’t as much fun,” he says. Across the country, the number of bicyclists has exploded. Between 2003 and 2007, the number of American bike commuters increased 38 percent.More

GPS to help track use of outdoor spaces
The Buffalo News
It's not 11 p.m., but a group of University at Buffalo researchers knows exactly where your children are. Four professors are leading a scientific study to determine the connection between physical activity of teenagers and preteens and living near parks and neighborhood green space. More

Ken Burns gives exhaustive treatment to parks
The Associated Press via MSNBC
It was the nation's best idea, Ken Burns, says: the national parks system. Americans can appreciate the 58 parks for their majesty and for the once-revolutionary concept of setting aside the country's most precious natural resources for all citizens to use, he says. Their histories unfold in the documentarian's latest series, which started Sunday on PBS.More

California state parks to stay open under new plan
CBS13-TV
California's state parks will stay open, at least for this year. Governor Schwarzenegger announced the plan to keep the parks open without spending more money."Working closely with my Departments of Finance and Parks and Recreation, we have successfully found a way to avoid closing parks this year," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "This is fantastic news for all Californians."More

How waterparks are surfing the economic waves
Rec Management Magazine
Despite economic setbacks, waterparks are still "hanging ten," in a manner of speaking. Quenching the teen demographic's thirst for "extreme" attractions, the latest waterpark craze is the surfing simulator, also called a stationary or artificial wave generator, or a "surf machine." Other industry trends include investing heavily in "dry" attractions, amenities and activities to lengthen guests' stay times; creating park-specific brands through theming; and implementing and publicizing conservation efforts.More

Fertile ground: Our gardens feed a growing sense of community
Sacramento Bee
Following a trend seen around the country, hundreds of Sacramentans planted a vegetable garden this summer for the first time. Community gardens sprang up like weeds from Yolo County to the foothills. What did our backyard farmers learn from the crop of 2009? Gardens grow more than vegetables. They also grow friendships.More

New "Tot Trail" fitness area to open in New York park
Penfield Post
The town of Penfield, N.Y., in partnership with the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, has installed a new mini-fitness trail in Veterans' Memorial Park for its youngest residents. The 300-foot "Tot Trail," designed for children ages 2 to 5, is located on the west side of the 85-acre Veteran’s Memorial Park, just south of the playground.More

Sixth-grader spearheads park work
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Noela Ortiz, 11, didn't always like Country Club Park in her neighborhood. She said much of the old equipment in the Corpus Christi, Texas, park was rotted or removed. The sixth-grader saw other city parks around town with newer equipment and asked her dad why the city didn't fix up their park. At her father's suggestion, she wrote a letter to the Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation Department in December, requesting a park makeover. The city then contacted her, requesting that she be part of deciding park equipment colors and layout for renovations that were started in July and completed in August.More

Volunteers help regional parks take shape
Bedford Bulletin
Moneta Park in Bedford County, Va., is taking shape. And much of the success has been because of the efforts of volunteers, organizations and businesses providing funding and labor for the project. Moneta Park is one of four regional parks planned or under construction in Bedford County. One of the driving forces behind the Moneta effort has been that of Wayne Shepherd, who has served as a volunteer site manager for the project. "We wouldn't be anywhere near where we are without him," commented County Parks and Recreation Director Michael Stokes. More