April 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 18

Front Page

Briefly Noted

Q The Get to Know Your Wild
Neighbors youth art contest for 2013
has officially begun, and it is an excellent way to engage children and youth
in new ways to connect to nature
and the outdoors through art, photography, writing, video, and music.
If you are looking for a creative program idea, a special-event idea, or just
a new way to engage more kids with
nature and the outdoors, the GTK
website (www.get-to-know.org) offers
a rich array of activities and ideas. All
kids' entries are submitted online and
then posted in online galleries (www.
get-to-know.org/gallery). New from
GTK this year is an Art in the Park
Guide (www.get-to-know.org/blog/
best-practices/2013/4/8/80-art-inthe-park-guide), a toolkit of 27 artbased activities for educators, naturalists, and program leaders to use to
engage youth with nature. Age-appropriate activities include blind contour
drawing, log poems, a nature photography scavenger hunt, claymation,
sound journals, and instructions on
how kids can film their own Get to
Know moment. You can even design
an All Arts Trail, an interactive path
of art activities customized to your
outdoor space.
16

Parks & Recreation

Q In March, PlayCore received the
prestigious Champion of the Community Award from the California
Park and Recreation Society (CPRS)
in recognition for Building Communities through Play, Recreation, and
Service. The CPRS Awards Program
recognizes excellence in agencies and
individuals that embrace the core values of the profession and align with
the mission of parks and recreation:
promoting participation in recreational experiences, strengthening
communities, promoting health and
wellness, fostering human development, increasing cultural unity, protecting environmental resources, and
facilitating community problem-solving. Champion of the Community
recipients are chosen based upon
their significant effort to influence
and improve the quality of California
communities through parks, recreation, and community services within three criteria: volunteer service,
active support, and development.
PlayCore CEO Bob Farnsworth and
Vice Presidents Anne-Marie Spencer
and Tom Norquist were on hand to
receive the award. Said Spencer, " We
are honored and humbled to receive
this award, and to work with so many
communities throughout California
who demonstrate a selfless dedication to providing meaningful recreation opportunities. "
Q Voters in St. Louis, Missouri, recently voted to approve Proposition
P, a 3/16ths of one-cent sales tax
increase designed to fund about $31
million annually in improvements to
the Gateway Arch grounds, the regional Great Rivers Greenway trails
and greenways, and city and county
parks. The measure had to pass in

| A P R I L 2 0 1 3 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

both the county and the city in order
to be implemented, which it did. The
$31 million proposition will annually
provide about $9.4 million in Arch
grounds improvements, $2.5 million for St. Louis City Parks, $9.42
million for Great Rivers Greenways
trails around the region, $6 million
for St. Louis County parks, and $4
million for municipal parks in St.
Louis County. The proposal is expected to create around 530 construction jobs each year over the next three
years and 4,400 new, permanent jobs.
Q On June 18, tens of thousands of
kids and adults at aquatic facilities
around the world will unite for the
fourth year in a row to set a new
Guinness World Record. The global
record attempt for The World's Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) will
take place at 3 p.m. GMT (11 a.m.
ET, 8 a.m. PT). Team WLSL holds
the current Guinness World Record
for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson, which stands at 24,873
participants representing 15 different
countries across five continents. The
event aims to encourage parents to
enroll their children in swimming lessons, as drowning is a leading cause of
death for children, and studies show
formal lessons can reduce the risk of
drowning by 88 percent among children aged 1 to 4. Facilities interested
in serving as an official Host Location for The World's Largest Swimming Lesson 2013 record-breaking
attempt have until May 19 to register
online at www.wlsl.org.
Q A new kind of gang has appeared
in Detroit, but instead of riding in on
Harley-Davidsons, members instead
sit astride riding lawn mowers. The

April 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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