July 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 9

Edito r 's L e t t e r

Obesity on the Run
f 2010 is remembered as the year childhood obesity became an epidemic, then it

should also be remembered as the year when it began to end. Evidence of this is
all around, much of it to be found in this issue of the magazine. Converging with
almost startling speed are a number of programs and initiatives at the local, state, and
federal levels that in one way or another will help to turn the tide against this public
health threat.
A quick snapshot turns up plenty of activity
on the national level: the recently proposed HR
5209 (CHOICES) to fight obesity (page 21); the
White House Interagency Task Force on Childhood Obesity; the National Physical Activity Plan,
which includes the section Parks, Recreation, Fitness and Sports; the Administration's first revision
in more than a century of the country's policies
on land conservation and recreation called America's Great Outdoors; First Lady Michelle Obama's
Let's Move Campaign; the commitment of a Senate
sponsor for a companion bill to the Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act that will complement the House version of URLC; the Centers
for Disease Control's ACHIEVE program (page
52), and a joint-declaration of a Children's Outdoor
Bill of Rights signed by the NRPA, the National Park
Service, and the directors of state parks.
July marks the one-year anniversary of the
Playground at Marvin Gaye Park in Washington, D.C., a long-term undertaking by NRPA and
key partners to document the ongoing benefits
of playgrounds in improving the quality of life in
under-served communities (page 13). Our article on page 34 features various local programs
across the country that offer kids access to sports
other than the big, crowded varsity-style kinds.
And, then, there is our cover story on Jane Goodall and her Roots & Shoots program. The renowned primate researcher has seen enough of

an environmentally ravaged planet to know that
if today's youth cannot be connected to the outdoors, then all will be lost. It's her premise that
once children engage in outdoor experiences of
their liking, they will carry a devotion to nature
their entire lives. Parks, she points out, play a crucial role in connecting kids to the outdoors. What
better solution to childhood obesity than parks
and recreation for prying kids away from TVs and
computers and into the outdoors?
In an era of seemingly unrelenting negative
news, it's important not to overlook all this progress and-more importantly-to keep pushing.
NRPA has been involved in most of these initiatives
and programs. Its staff would be the first to tell you
none of it happens overnight and much, like the
CHOICE and urban parks bills, still has a way to go
until enactment. As this issue goes to press, President Obama and his department heads are soliciting public input in town-hall meetings to craft
the content and approach of the America's Great
Outdoors initiative, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to
shape federal conservation and recreation policy.
It's gratifying to see that parks are not just an idea
whose time has come, but one that has historically
played a key role in improving the quality of life
for all people.
That's a message professionals and citizens
can deliver in July as we celebrate Park & Recreation Month.
✹

Phil Hayward
Editorial Director

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Parks & Recreation

July 2010 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2010 - Parks & Recreation