News And Events

National Park Service Announces Community-Based Projects for Assistance in 2012 We are pleased to announce that National Park Service staff will be helping on over 200 great projects with community-based partners across the country in 2012.

Continuing threat to LWCF parks, trails, and open space funding A bipartisan effort is underway to ensure that Land and Water Conservation Fund funding is preserved in any legislative proposal.The goal is to provide full, permanent, and dedicated funding for LWCF, which has helped thousands of park, trail, and open space projects. A bipartisan "Dear Colleague" letter supporting funding has been signed by 120 House members. Read more and learn how you can support LWCF funding... http://www.americantrails.org/resources/fedfund/LWCF-resources.html

Baseball Tomorrow Grant Opportunity BTFToday @ussoccerfndn opening of its 2012 Annual Grants cycle begins Monday, Oct 17! Will take apps until Fri, Nov 18. http://t.co/8lRdaUDC 13 days ago · reply · retweet · favorite

100% FOR KIDS! It's true. Since all of our administrative costs are absorbed through the production of the PGA TOUR event, 100% of the donations and proceeds goes directly to programs for needy children. Everything we do is driven by the needs of children. http://forekidsfoundation.com/index.php

The Duty Of A Professional Posted on October 3, 2011 Article Author: Randy Gaddo

Louisiana Recreation & Park Association - Grant Opportunity AWARDS Each Challenge Grant will award between $250,000 to $1million for a one- to three-year funding period. Challenge Grant awards must be matched dollar-for-dollar by resources, either cash or in-kind, identified by the applicant. At least one half of the matching support must be a cash match.

QR Affixed Nature Trails Draw More Than the Wildlife Shortly after the refuge admission gate, the first iNature Trail tells visitors how to use the trail and welcomes them with video footage featuring Refuge Manager Paul Tritaik and Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland. Shortly after the refuge admission gate, the first iNature Trail tells visitors how to use the trail and welcomes them with video footage featuring Refuge Manager Paul Tritaik and Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland.

Louisiana Trails - Resources and Library: The American Trails online library has hundreds of articles, studies, and resources on every aspect of trails and greenways.

Maintenance: Grounds Playgrounds: Safety & Maintenance Go Hand-in-Hand By Dawn Klingensmith http://www.recmanagement.com/201109fe04.php

Going Off Trail New Paths in Programming to Connect Children With Nature By Kelli Anderson http://www.recmanagement.com/feature_print.php?fid=201109fe01

CHOOSE OUTDOORS Recreation Cooperatives http://www.chooseoutdoors.org/

2011-12 Statewide Grant Workshops The Recreational Trails Program for Louisiana and the Land & Water Conservation Fund Program will be hosting 5 statewide workshops to prepare applicants for the 2011-12 funding cycle.

Miracle at the Mounds – Part 1 This is the text of a WBRZ story that aired last night. It is the first in a multi-part series about Programs for Special-Needs Kids. http://www.wbrz.com/news/miracle-at-the-mounds-part-1/

Making Waves - New Strides in Aquatic Safety www.recmanagement.com When it comes to aquatic safety, there are more factors to consider than grains of sand on a beach—even if you're not managing a beach. Indoor and outdoor community pools, aquatic centers and lakes boast broad consumer appeal and myriad exercise and entertainment benefits, but keeping these environments safe and healthy requires multifaceted vigilance and organized attention.

PADDLE TRAILS Paddle Trail with Camping Platforms Boost Local Economy in North Carolina

The Scoop on Spraygrounds The first annual Parks & Rec Business Zero-Depth Interactive Aquatics Playground Report. http://www.northstarpubs.com/articles/prb/the-scoop-on-spraygrounds

Yamaha Dealers and Customers “Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nations Trails” The Yamaha OHV Access Initiative is a proactive, grassroots program supported by Yamaha dealers and customers nationwide promoting safe, responsible riding and sustainable, open riding areas. http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/ohv_grants/OHV_Grants_Home_tabs.aspx

Take the National Walking Survey This May, you can help RTC and America Walks learn more about who walks, and why we walk.

Outdoor gyms like playgrounds for adults By Lindsay Jones - The Weekly News You'll have one less excuse not to get in that workout. Dartmouth is getting an outdoor gym that will be free to anyone who wants to use it. "Not everybody can afford to belong to gyms," Dartmouth Centre Coun. Gloria McCluskey said. "This makes it accessible to everyone." http://www.halifaxnewsnet.ca/Sports/2009-02-27/article-983052/Outdoor-gyms-like-playgrounds-for-adults/1

Preserving Parks In this tough economy, budgets for ball fields are being squeezed like every other area of parks and recreation. Because of this stress and an immediate need to make changes, parks departments are devising clever ways to cut costs while sustaining high maintenance standards for the community. http://www.northstarpubs.com/articles/prb/preserving-parks

2011 IMBA/CLIF Bar Trail Preservation Grants IMBA affiliated clubs are invited to apply for cash grants to support trail restoration and preservation projects. In 2011, the International Mountain Bicycling Association and CLIF Bar will award ten $500 cash grants to IMBA affiliated chapters and clubs to fund projects that promote environmental education and inspire conservation in the mountain biking community. The application deadline is April. 1, 2011. http://www.imba.com/resources/grants/2011-imba-clif-bar-grants

Cajun Coast Paddling Trails http://www.cajuncoastpaddle.com/grand-avoille-cove-paddling-trail.html

Every Day Grants Helping our Public Lands by helping their Friends Apply now! Applications are due January 30, 2011

CLEMYJONTRI was designed to blur the line between physically able and physically challenged children The Movin’ and Groovin’ area at CLEMYJONRI Playground in McLean, Va. is all about transportation, designed with themed equipment such as a racetrack, motorcycles, planes and trains. Wheel chairs and bikes can take to the “road” or the colorful drag strip. A board contains fun and serious transportation facts: When was the first flight? How fast can a turtle run? The answer to the second question: very slow. Many of the elements are original designs.

CREATIVE CUSHIONING: Adding More Safety to Play Common Surface Blunders - Playground safety expert Thom Thompson said there are three errors he encounters over and over in the course of his work. He highlighted them here so you can avoid them:

"Bikes Belong" Grant Opportunities Bikes Belong Coalition is the U.S. bicycle industry organization dedicated to putting more people on bicycles more often.

KaBOOM Helps to Build Playgrounds in New Orleans non-profit KaBOOM! launched Operation Playground, and through it channeled more than $9,975,000 into the Gulf and mobilized 31,325 volunteers to build playgrounds in the areas hit hardest by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

LWCF FUND HELPS US ALL LWCF is one of the most successful conservation programs in U.S. history, but most Americans have never heard of it. The program's impact has been immeasurable.

NIKE Reuse-A-Shoe Program As part of Nike's commitment to reducing its environmental impact, the Reuse-A-Shoe program has provided Nike Grind recycled material to nearly 300 sport and playground surfacing projects.

Putting Nature into Play The “industrial playground model,” i.e., playground design based solely on manufactured equipment, is being reconsidered. Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, has inspired a movement advocating outdoor play for children. The design of “naturalized playgrounds” is one avenue. Photos by PlayCore.

Parks and Creating a Quality Community http://cityparksblog.org/ Age-friendly communities have gathering places that are within walking distance of homes, or a short bike ride, drive, or shuttle trip away.

Outdoor Recreation Participation National Outdoor Recreation Participation - 2009 Report by the OUTDOOR FOUNDATION www.outdoorfoundation.org/pdf/ResearchParticipation2009Topline.pdf

New Info for Recreation Resource Planners Planning Principals developed by The National Association of Recreation Resource Planners (NARRP) with input solicited from more than 1000 recreation planning professionals and approved by the Board for 2009

Project List by Parish Available Online For the Louisiana list of L&WCF sites, go to: http://waso-lwcf.ncrc.nps.gov/public/index.cfm