Volunteers Team Up to Restore Illinois Park Trails
from the Journal Gazette
Bicyclist Keith Cox sees a lot of potential for the city’s oft-forgotten Lake View Park to have a nice trail system for bicycling and hiking. He has turned his vision into action in recent months by organizing volunteers to help refurbish and expand the park’s trail system in cooperation with the Charleston, Ill., Parks and Recreation Department. More

Outdoor Initiative Encourages Women to Express Wild Side
from the Virginian–Pilot via redOrbit
Virginia Beach, Va., Parks and Recreation is giving the city's women a chance to walk on their wild sides. The outdoor initiative provides women ages 16 and over the chance to develop or hone their skills in a wide swath of activities; including fly fishing, archery, kayaking, mountain biking and shotgun marksmanship. More

Connecticut Towns Grapple with New Law
from The Advocate
Harwinton, Conn., residents hoping to learn about recycling policies and library hours online are out of luck. The town's Web site, which also includes a listing of municipal services, parks and recreation information and key town phone numbers, is gone. It's been replaced by a simple message that the site is "currently unavailable." It's not an error. Officials in the small Litchfield County town and several other Connecticut communities worry they could face lawsuits if they don't comply with a new state law requiring towns to post agendas and minutes for every board and commission on their municipal Web sites. More

Youth Volunteer Keeps Giving
from The Item
Eddie Steadman, volunteer and part-time employee for the Lee County Parks and Recreation Department in South Carolina, “wore out a truck” in 2000 in recruiting 22 local children ages 8 to 10 to participate in a Lamar Recreation Department youth football program. Today, the Lee County Parks and Recreation Department has a fall football program for about 125 children age 5 to 11. More

Tennessee's 'Wild Side' Receives Stewardship Award
from The Tennessean
Tennessee's Wild Side, a weekly outdoor adventure television program produced by The Renaissance Center with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and The Nature Conservancy, has been recognized with a 2008 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award. The Emmy-winning program, which airs on PBS stations across the state and Kentucky Educational Television, was honored in the Natural Heritage Conservation category in the annual awards presented by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. More

Cheyenne's Graffiti Problem has a New Enemy: Paintball
from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle
The City and county are tapping into fifth-penny funds to build a place where youth can burn their energy in a positive way. Cheyenne, Wyo., is planning to build an outdoor paintball facility. "I really think it's going to be successful," said Todd Feezer, assistant director of Cheyenne Parks and Recreation. "We miss that 14- to 18-year-old group quite a bit." Adding a place to play this game will be a way to reach these youth. More

Video: Volunteers Build Park in One Day
from KTKA-TV
It's been eight years in the making. And finally it's become a reality. Members of Keep America Beautiful and Westar, Kan., employees volunteered their time and landscaping skills to build a park on green space that was once occupied by several rundown houses. The project is a joint effort between Keep America Beautiful and the City. Bill Riphahn with Parks and Recreation says most of the materials were donated or bought through a grant. Much of the dirt came from the College Hill area. More

Dome Roof to be Transferred to Indy Parks
from Inside Indiana Business
Tons of fabric that spanned the roof of the RCA Dome for more than 25 years will now find a new home in the City’s Parks system. On Friday morning, Indy Parks & Recreation will take into its possession dozens of pieces of the RCA Dome roof for use as umbrellas at the city’s pools and spray grounds and shelter covers in parks. More

Wii Leagues on a Roll
from the Visalia Times-Delta
"Bingo!" is being replaced by "Strike!" at senior centers in Tulare, Calif., and Visalia, Calif. More than 50 residents are taking part in a bowling league that makes adults feel like youngsters again. That's because, instead of heavy round balls, the league uses remote controls that feed into a Nintendo Wii video game set. More

Two More Oregon City Parks Go Pesticide-free
from the Portland Tribune
Nobody ever said sustainability came easy. Take parks. Under prodding from Eugene’s Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, Portland, Ore., Parks and Recreation four years ago started a pilot program to make three city parks pesticide-free. This week, parks and recreation added two new neighborhood parks to the list. More

Buddy Soccer Program Gives Everybody a Chance to Play
from the Aiken Standard
What started as just a class project has become something much more meaningful. USC Aiken soccer player Timothy Costanzo and USCA alum Brittni Everhardt have started the Buddy Soccer program for children with special needs. The program is aimed at getting all special needs children, including those in wheelchairs and walkers, involved in team sports. It is also gives the parents a chance to see their children physically active and having fun. More