June 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 83

Member Spotlight: Molly Lanphier
By Vitisia Paynich

G

rowing up in Colorado, Molly Lanphier spent many winters outdoors skiing. But, it wasn't until a sixth-grade field trip to Moab,
Utah, that she first experienced the enjoyment of camping and hiking. It was in high school, however, that she gained a better understanding of
parks and trails by volunteering for Volunteers Through Outdoor Colorado.
" That was kind of my first exposure to that world by learning what
it takes to actually build trails and
maintain parks, " notes Lanphier.
She adds that those two informative
experiences in elementary school and
high school made her fall in love with
the outdoors and appreciate what
parks and recreation does for people.
However, Lanphier didn't follow a
straight career path toward parks and
rec. Instead, she pursued the public
health profession, working for several member organizations in Washington, D.C.
In April 2017, Lanphier joined
the Anchorage Park Foundation in
Alaska, as its community outreach
director. Parks & Recreation magazine
recently talked to her to learn how
her background has influenced her
parks and rec career and the biggest
challenges to getting people to think
about their own health.
Parks & Recreation: As someone
formally trained in public health, how
has it informed your approach to
working in parks and recreation?
Molly Lanphier: When I lived in Washington, D.C., I worked for the American Academy of Family Physicians
and then the American Nurses Association for most of the time I lived
there. What I liked about coming to
Alaska and getting this job as community outreach director for the Anchorage Park Foundation is that our

executive director is really forward
thinking in terms of the programs
that we do. These are public health
programs - even though we may
not typically think that they are.
Public health is all about getting
people healthy by whatever means
necessary, so, it wasn't that big of a
leap going from the public health sector to the park and recreation field.
Parks and trails are really good tools
for getting people more active and
helping them to take control of their
health in a very accessible way. Here
in Alaska, we have great trails in our
backyard. And, it's so easy and affordable to just put on some walking
shoes and go on a walk in your local
park and trail. We have a vast system
of trails that's really cool and unique
to Anchorage.
P&R: What are some challenges to
getting people thinking about their
own health?
Lanphier: While many park professionals may not think in terms of
public health, what they're doing is
health-related. Our biggest challenge
in public health and parks and rec is
trying to get people active, whether
it's outside or inside. It's about overcoming the perceived barriers people
think they have.
I believe it's a misconception a lot
of times, to think a certain trail or
park is unsafe due to homeless people or that 'stranger-danger' type of

thing. While there are some incidents
that happen, of course, I think the
perception that parks are unsafe is
misconstrued and often exaggerated.
Through the work we've done with
NRPA, we are targeting people who
may not feel as comfortable on the
trails, aren't as healthy and who tend
to be middle to lower income. They
may have two jobs and a family, and
time is a real barrier for them. We're
still wrestling with that to see how we
can make events and programs family friendly and exciting so people really make the time to participate. So,
I'd say, safety and time are two big
challenges for us.
P&R: What do you see as the
biggest opportunity for park
professionals to improve health
outcomes?
Lanphier: What excites me and what's
an easy sale, so to speak, is that anyone
can go outside and into their parks and
trails for free. Parks and trails are literally the most accessible thing for
anyone. You don't have to pay for
a gym membership. In Anchorage,
we're really lucky to have the outdoors, literally, in our backyard.
Not too many places can claim that
74 percent of their city is within a
10-minute walk to a park. So, I'd
say that our greatest strength is that
we have the assets. The most accessible means to good health is through
your local parks and trails.
- Vitisia Paynich, Freelance Writer
for Parks & Recreation magazine

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