Donated dollars, time keep programs going, grass mowed
Modesto Bee
The demand for private funding to support public spaces in Modesto, Calif., is likely to grow. With the parks budget slashed 18 percent this year, officials say they need more help than ever. Officials with the city Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Department plan to form a nonprofit organization to accept tax-deductible donations for department programs. Some question why taxpayers are being asked to put more of their dollars toward government services. But Parks Director Julie Hannon said private fund raising has become a necessity. More

Tennis in the Parks creates peer advisors
NRPA
Tennis in the Parks, a joint initiative of the United States Tennis Association and the National Recreation and Park Association, has contributed to the resurgence of tennis as a lifelong recreational sport. This unique and dynamic partnership make resources available that will help public Parks and Recreation agencies engage more youth and adults in physically active lifestyles through tennis. An exciting addition to the available resources is the newly created TIP Peer Advisors, a network of experienced public tennis practitioners from every state to mentor parks and recreation agencies.More

Visitors spend more money at Smokies than other parks
Tennessean
A National Park Service study has ranked the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as tops in visitor spending. The study estimates the Smokies' 9 million visitors in 2008 spent more than $800 million on lodging, fuel, food, gifts and amusements in the park's gateway communities, including Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Cherokee, N.C. That's nearly twice as much as the $423 million spent by visitors to Arizona's Grand Canyon, which finished second behind the Smokies in a review of the park service's 391 units. More

Could special wall just for grafitti make a difference?
Times Colonist
A Grade 10 student from Port Alberni Secondary School in Port Alberni, BC, doesn't like seeing graffiti all over town, so he used a classroom assignment to bring about change. Brandon Dubrick, 15, was asked to write a business letter for his English class, so he pitched an idea to Mayor Ken McRae. "My proposal is to make a graffiti wall so [graffiti] can stay on one spot and not be all over town," Dubrick said. It requires that concrete wall be built at the town's skateboard park. More

Senate subcommittee considers a 21st century Civilian Conservation Corps in our national parks
Examiner
Every fan of the national parks can name several projects undertaken in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a working force created by President Franklin Roosevelt to put people back to work during the Great Depression. Last week, the Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Public Lands and Forests heard testimony from the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) in support of legislation to create more service opportunities in national parks and other public lands. More

Unique program ready to sign up volunteers
The Arizona Republic
When Phoenix officials went out to the community to spread the word about the city's budget crisis a few months ago, many residents expressed dismay that some of their favorite programs might be axed. The budget woes led to cuts in several jobs or hours worked, and, in one example, that has meant less time and money to maintain the parks. "As we went through the budget hearings, one thing we heard over and over was the support they have about programs throughout the city," said Sarah Hall, a deputy director of the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department. "Residents talked about how they could step up and help." The city responded, and now the ball is in residents' court. The new My Phoenix - My Park Volunteer Program is waiting for volunteers.More

Fitness classes help disabled stretch, socialize
Miami Herald
For a person with a developmental disability, finding ways to stay fit can be a lonesome venture. Typical fitness classes or sports teams can be difficult to follow or keep up with, and exercising alone can be unmotivating and well, lonely. But a free physical fitness program for developmentally disabled people 16 and older aims to get people moving while giving them a social outlet. The Broward County, Fla., Parks and Recreation Division's Special Populations Section offers the fitness classes nearly year-round, said Rich Newman, special projects coordinator. More

Wii bowling a big hit on the senior circuit
Herald-Review
They may all have gray hair and they all may be past the age of 70, but they routinely post better bowling scores than the average bowler. Rather than taking to regular bowling alleys, they are part of the Seniors on Strike bowling league conducted via a Wii video game system. More

Skatepark stigma: victim of a bum rap
Tribune-Review
Dormont, Pa., council's vote earlier this month against building a skate park highlighted the issues that every municipality faces when confronted with a similar question: crime, litter, graffiti, security, noise and cost. Mary Pitcher's intention was to dedicate the park in memory of her sons, Vincent, 21, and Stephen, 19, avid fans of extreme sports who drowned last year. She would have raised the $600,000 to $800,000 to build the park herself, though it would have been maintained by the borough on public land. Pitcher said she is not giving up, but doesn't know what her next step is. But other area skateparks are greatly successful and fall victim to a negative stigma. More

Governments reach a broader base with social networking
The Roanoke Times
Even as local governments explore the use of online social networks to enhance communications, questions remain concerning the need to retain records of updates and about potential First Amendment issues that may arise. It's all about accessibility, according to Gray Craig, Roanoke County, Va.'s Web content manager. "We're in a changing world, and people are looking for information on their terms," Craig said. "We need to be where our citizens are." For the county, that meant considering new ways to get information out. More

iPhone app can help root out invasive plants
Ventura County Star
In the near future, the most successful tool to combat invasive plants in the Santa Monica Mountains might not be an herbicide or a hoe tearing out roots -- it could be an iPhone. And like Tom Sawyer talking his friends into whitewashing a fence, the National Park Service is hoping a few of its friends will help with the work of getting rid of the many invasive plants in the mountains. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area recently unveiled a new iPhone application that allows visitors to not only identify invasive plants, but help scientists map the plants so they can later be removed. It’s a model that is being emulated at other parks around the country as way to merge technology and the outdoors. More

After-school program entices students to get academic help with skateboarding
The Press-Enterprise
The lure of skateboarding has made some Riverside, Calif., middle school students stay after school to skate -- and get academic help. "Coming here is like a paradise," sixth-grader Jonathan Hernandez said on the blacktop playground of Loma Vista Middle School, where the skate club meets as part of the Prime-Time program. Jonathan said he has to finish his homework before he is allowed to skate. Most recreation leaders and instructors, who teach skating, crafts or other specialties, come from the city Parks and Recreation Department. More