Spring 2022/ Volume 10, Issue 1

About

GP RED is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 2008.

GP RED’s mission is to fill the gaps in Research, Education, and Development for health, recreation, land management, and allied educators and professionals. We help the professionals who help communities thrive by providing innovative management strategies and knowledge.

eNews Staff

Editor: Robby Layton, PhD

Initiatives

Healthy Communities Research Group (HCRG)

Operation Recreation Response (ORR)

REDLine Survey

Research Briefs

GP RED National Think Tank

Active Living Conference

SHIFT Summit & Awards

Emerging Leaders Program

Organizational & Leadership Development Workshops

Safe Routes to Play

USFS Children’s Forest Corridor Project

Whole Measures for Parks & Recreation

Youth Engagement Strategies Workshop

RED Staff:

Donna Kuethe, CPRP, Executive Director

Teresa Penbrooke, PhD, CPRE, HCRG Director

Amanda Walker, MA, Research & Education Manager

Robby Layton, PhD, FASLA, Senior Research Associate

Yara Vielehr, Social Media

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings from New Hampshire – Having just endured several days with sub-zero temperatures and the impact of a nor’easter, with another round of snow and very cold temperatures on the way, I am sometimes asked why I live in New Hampshire. For me it’s the bright sun on fresh snow, skiing or snowshoeing in crisp air, and the winter view from the top of a mountain, all presenting a true winter wonderland. However, bitter cold winters invariably has someone questioning “Global Warming.” The facts and data are indisputable, as according to the World Meteorological Organization, the 7 globally warmest years on record have all occurred since 2015, with 2021 joining that group. The effects of climate change recently hit too close to home as the GreenPlay offices were evacuated when the most recent, devastating wildfires hit our organization’s home base of Louisville, Colorado in December. As such, one of the many priorities of RED is an urgency to move the Operation Recreation Response (ORR) Initiative forward. Parks and Recreation play an important role in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters as well as building community resiliency. The completion of the Disaster Preparedness Guide for Parks and Recreation will hopefully be available within the year.

ORR is only one of the many initiatives to which this dynamic organization is committed. As 2022 moves forward, it is an exciting time to be a part of RED. Updates and information on many, but certainly not all, of the organization’s beneficial work is included in this issue of the newsletter.

In this edition of “New You Can Use” you’ll be introduced to our newest member of the Operating Board, Tiara Chapman, who has jumped into her commitment to RED with great enthusiasm - volunteering for the Think Tank committee and eager to join in other endeavors. Tiara replaced Janet Bartnik. Janet brought much to the organization – first as an Advisory Board member and then as a vital part of our Operating Board. Janet was a driving force with Board members Chris Nunes and Lora Polowczuk in the creation of RED’s Strategic Plan. We are grateful to Janet for her contributions to RED.

Planning is underway for the seventh RED Think Tank to be held in Raleigh, NC in mid-November of 2022. We are planning on this being an in-person event as the Think Tank thrives on networking, connections, sharing of ideas and solutions to challenging issues, and building relationships. This is one of three convenings that RED presents along with the SHIFT Summit and the Active Living Conference. Information about all three is included in the newsletter. We are always in need of volunteers and sponsors for these to be successful. Please contact any of us if you are interested in helping us out.

During the past year the staff and Operating Board have committed themselves to moving this organization forward with the emphasis on creating strategic planning, identifying outcomes, addressing sustainability, and recognizing the need for Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Justice in policy and practice. The Advisory Board has committed to the organization and has taken deeper dives on a wide variety of subjects from presenting a better understanding of RED’s goals, funding, strategies, and challenges to committing to improving RED’s presence on social media, addressing the role that all Board members play in the health of the organization as well as other subjects. Both Boards are invested in the organization and encourage the good works supported by RED.

In addition to the newsletter, please check out the RED website at www.gpred.org, as it provides much useful information on the organization and initiatives as well as providing access to all 25 episodes of GP RED Presents…, and numerous Research Briefs with incredibly useful information.

Whether winter means a trek in the snow or relaxing on a warm beach somewhere (or something in between) take time to get outside and enjoy! – Donna

Donna J. Kuethe, CPRP

Executive Director, GP RED

Exciting News – GreenPlay becomes BerryDunn, and BerryDunn Continues GP RED Organizational Support!

As most of you know, the GP in our legal name is there because GreenPlay, LLC was one of our founding organizations and has provided significant sponsorship and support through a Key Alliance Agreement since 2009. As of January 1^st 2022, GreenPlay has merged with BerryDunn (www.BerryDunn.com), creating an even larger group of great minds focused on parks, recreation, libraries, and other types of consulting.

BerryDunn has generously offered to continue support of RED for three years through an organizational sponsorship, along with continued administrative and marketing support.

Thank you, BerryDunn!

RED’s Newest Operating Board Member: Tiara Chapman

Tiara Chapman is RED’s newest Operating Board member. She refers to herself as a nature nerd, committed to the belief that personal connections to nature are crucial to one’s health and wellbeing. Tiara believes that every individual should have access to nature from wherever they are, including their own living room, through the intersection of technology and nature. As an environmental educator, she sees the potential for virtual reality and other technologies to bring nature to people wherever they are, or as she puts it, “bridge the gap between tech and trees.”

T-Chapz, as her friends call her, became interested in RED this past year while attending the SHIFT conference in Grand Junction, Colorado. The frank discussions on nature, health, and equity that she experienced there aligned with her own passions and abilities, and her interactions with the RED faculty and staff who were responsible for the conference led her to find out more about the organization. When she asked how she might become involved in RED, her energy, enthusiasm, and experience convinced the Operating Board members to invite her to consider a position on the board. In her new role, she hopes to build upon her skills in fundraising and development and support RED’s mission of research, education, and development.

Fun Fact: T-Chapz loves fungi! She is interested in all things mycological. (That’s mushrooms, in case you are wondering.)

The year 2022 has greeted us with another surge of COVID-19, this time from the Omicron variant. While data on the rates and severity of Omicron infections is still being tallied, its rapid spread has resulted in labor shortages, supply chain issues, and a host of other problems. Cancellation of services and closures of businesses and institutions due to a lack of staffing are reminiscent of the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, with its lockdowns and social distancing. Whether through mandates or practicality, masking and social distancing ramped back up once again.

Over the past two years, the outdoors has provided escape and relief from the social isolation and physical inactivity that accompany pandemic lockdowns. With the return of winter, finding outdoor places to exercise or socialize in comfort becomes more limited. The Winter Placemaking Guide, a free guide from the nonprofit 8 80 Cities, offers strategies for communities to make the most of their outdoor spaces for COVID and beyond. Among the ideas offered are popup events with firepits, winter scavenger hunts, and considerations for maximizing the functionality of community spaces for outdoor activities. Examples from communities that have adopted strategies and master plans for activating outdoor spaces are provided in the guide and on the website.

New Episodes of GP RED Presents... and Supporting Publications are Now Available

GP RED’s online video series continues to add new segments covering topics of current interest and ongoing concern. In Episode 25 Dr. Teresa Penbrooke, CPRE, provided an overview of Integrating Preventive Health through Parks and Recreation System Planning, along with a new peer-reviewed publication from the Journal of Parks and Recreation Administration on this topic.

In Episode 24: What Are Parks & How Do We Create Them? GP RED Operating Board member Robby Layton, PhD, FASLA, discussed the evolution and future of parks and their historic association with public health. The topic is part of the Parks and Recreation Emerging Professionals Program (PREPP) that Dr. Layton will be teaching in this year. PREPP is a unique program for people who want to move ahead into upper levels of supervision and administration. These students need education in management and planning and are interested in a flexible, yet rigorous, program developed for working professionals. It is intended to serve the staffing needs of the parks and recreation industry as addressed in Episode 23: Exploring the State of Education for the Parks and Recreation Profession and discussed further in GP RED’s Research Brief Series: GP RED Research Brief #14 - Status of Education Needs for Parks, Recreation, and Related Professionals – 2021

In Episode 22: Developing a New Information Agenda for Parks and Open Space Dr. Teresa Horton hosts a discussion at GP RED’s Think Tank on developing the new information agenda for parks and open space in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, greater structural racism, and intersectionality between multiple identities. The discussion focuses on what kinds of research are needed to address these and other contemporary issues.

PREPP Speaking of PREPP – The inaugural Cohort #1 started in January for this 15-month online accelerated learning program with 14 Emerging Professionals! Cohort #2 will begin in October 2022. Sign up now and tell your staff and colleagues!

2021 SHIFT Summit Recap: Ensuring Access to Nature – For Human Health and the Environment

RED convened the 2021 SHIFT Summit, a national gathering of hundreds of land managers, researchers, practitioners, funders, educators, retailers, and conservationists, along with outdoor recreation, health, military, and nature therapy professionals who share experiences, evidence, and ideas for enhancing the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature. The 2021 SHIFT Summit took place this past October in Grand Junction, Colorado, following a hybrid model that allowed registrants to participate either in person or online. This year’s theme was Ensuring Access to Nature – For Human Health and the Environment, with a focus on advancing equitable access to preventive health through nature and the outdoors. About 150 people participated in the summit, with approximately 60% attending in person. There were 52 presenters, workshops, and other special events.

An important part of the event is the presentation of SHIFT Awards. Summit participants selected the following winners:

First Place: The Claritin Bayer Outsideologist Project
Second Place: Brushwood Center
Third Place: True North Treks

Another unique aspect of SHIFT is the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), led by Dr. Morgan Green. The ELP trains early career leaders to help develop the work at SHIFT internally and in America and build a diverse coalition of advocates who can champion the health benefits of nature and fight for a more sustainable future for the planet. Participants in the 2021 ELP included:

Dani Abboud
MacGregor Beatty
Ximena Diaz Velasco
Alijandrina Martinez
Vanessa Morales
Sheneé Simon
Credell Wells

Major sponsors of the SHIFT Summit included GreenPlay, NatureQuant, and Trust for Public Land. Other support came from the City of Grand Junction, Colorado Parks & Recreation Association, the National Park Service, the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs, and the Colorado State Forest Service. Thank you everyone!

See info on the 2022 SHIFT Summit in Fort Collins, CO on October 17 - 20^th at www.gpred.org/shift.

Planning Underway for the

2022 GP RED Think Tank

The RED Think Tank is conducted every other year, and will take place in November 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since 2008, RED Think Tanks have provided an opportunity to engage with national thought leaders in the fields of parks, recreation, conservation, trails, land management, public health, tourism, alternative transportation, and the related associations and educators that support and serve them.

The planning committee is soliciting volunteers to help with the program, logistics, and other tasks. Anyone with an interest in helping out with this truly unique gathering of great minds is encouraged to contact Donna Kuethe at [email protected].

For the Sake of Mental Health - PHPR Summit 2022

The Colorado Public Health Parks and Recreation Collaborative is hosting the 2022 PHPR Collaborative Summit on Friday, March 11, 2022 from 8:30am - 3:30pm at the Beck Recreation Center in Aurora, CO. This year's theme is: For the Sake of Mental Health ~ How built environment, recreation, parks, and public health are creating hope, change, and optimism in the midst of a pandemic.

The program will include insights and experience on how our colleagues are impacting mental health; collecting quantitative/qualitative data on mental health; launching programs, initiatives, or interventions focusing on mental health; integrating mental health into existing programs; finding unique ways to utilize COVID funding to improve mental health; and any other way you are collaboratively working to impact and improve the mental health of people in your community.

RED’s Dr. Teresa Penbrooke, Director of the Healthy Communities Research Group, will be at an educational session on the integration of Nature for mental health, and both RED and BerryDunn are event sponsors. We encourage you to join us to share what you're working on!

Active Living Conference Now Scheduled for 2023

RED successfully managed the long-running Active Living Conference in 2021 virtually, and we hoped to return to an in-person format for 2022 at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, in consultation with NIH we have postponed the event and look forward to an exciting reunion on March 13 – 16, 2023. If you would like to be involved in planning or participating on the 2023 program committee or being a sponsor or exhibitor, please email Amanda Walker ([email protected]). Visit the conference website for the latest information.

Examining the Role of Partnerships

Do you participate in partnerships? If so, JoBurnsConnects would like to ask you a few questions via a survey on how partnerships make a difference. Do they help or hinder how organizations do business (before, during, and after the pandemic)? Click here to complete the survey.

Our GP RED Family in Action

GP RED Operating and Board Members present and teach for associations and other organizations and have the following upcoming topics scheduled:

Advisory Board member Jo Burns presented Connecting the Dots for Health on March 1^st at the Missouri Parks and Recreation Conference. Jo also presented three sessions at the Northern New England Parks and Recreation Conference in North Conway, NH on January 12, 2022 – including the two being presented at the Ohio Conference as well as Leading with Health in Mind. For details check out https://joburnsconnects.com/calendar.

Executive Director Donna Kuethe presented at the Northern New England Conference: Just Say Yes: Engaging Youth to Improve Recreation and Community Facilities – the session focused on GP RED’s NH YES initiative utilizing Photo Voice and U Mapping to engage youth in their communities. Donna is also presenting two sessions at the Maine State Conference on March 14^th – Leslie Knope was Right and Who Are We?

Chris Nunes:

March 3 - Missouri Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference, Springfield, Missouri

Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes

Economic Impact Data to Demonstrate an Agency's Relevance

March 4 - North Carolina Environmental Education Center Association Annual Conference

Hacking your way to additional revenue

Changing your culture one step at a time

March 11 - City of Roanoke- Parks and Recreation Annual Staff Training, Roanoke, Virginia

Creating and Ensuring a Resilient Parks and Recreation Agency

Developing a Responsive Parks and Recreation Team

Communication Breakdown: It Drives Me Insane

Teresa L. Penbrooke, PhD, CPRE:

March 8 - mPARKs – Traverse City, Michigan

Advances in Planning and Access to Nature

March 11 - Colorado Public Health | Parks & Recreation Collaborative, Denver, Colorado

Integrating Access to Nature for Mental Health in our Communities

March 25^th - Michigan Fitness Foundation Conference (virtual)

Nature + Health Impacts on Fitness

March 29 – Pennsylvanian Parks and Recreation Society Conference, Poconos, Pennsylvania

State of Education Workshop

May 11 & 19 – Illinois Recreation and Parks Association Webinar Series

Emerging Technologies for Integrating Nature and Health into Parks and Recreation

Aug 29 – Sep 1 – Florida Recreation and Parks Association, Orlando

Equitable Engagement and Community Needs Assessment; Proactive Planning for Success; and the State of Education for P&R

Art Thatcher, MPA, CPRP

April 25-29 - Virginia Recreation and Park Society Leadership Training Institute

Operating Board:

Chris Cares, President

Robby Layton, PhD, FASLA, Treasurer

Teresa Penbrooke, PhD, CPRE

Tracy Chapman

Chris Nunes, PhD, CPRE

Lora Polowczuk, MPH

Lisa Wolff, MSL, CPRP

Advisory Board:

Daniel Betts, MBA, MS

Jo Burns, MS, CTRS

Justin Cutler, MPA, CPRE

Maureen Dougherty, PhD

Chris Dropinski, CPRE

Charles A. Flink, FASLA

Leslie Fritz, CPRP

Seve Ghose, CPRE

Sheema Hai, CPRP

John Henderson, JD, CPRP

Eric Legg, PhD, CPRP

Darin Loughrey

Alexi McHugh

Sylvie Rokab, M.A.

Lakita Watson, CPRP

Debbie Woodbury, CPM, CPRP, MPA

Contribute

Please share your own success stories, research and resources.

Send submissions to the Editor at: [email protected]

Please feel free to share this newsletter with colleagues!

Phone: (303) 439-8369 | Email: [email protected]

Visit Us!