April 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 14

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
Parks and Recreation
Celebrates Earth Day 2024
F
or more than 50 years, Earth Day has signified a time for people
to come together to invest in the health of the environment both
locally and globally. As one of the largest groups of land managers
and community service providers, park and recreation professionals
and their agencies are essential to these environmental efforts.
Here are some ways that park and recreation agencies across the country
are engaging their communities in Earth Day and Earth Month activities:
BreeAnna Fletcher, program supervisor,
Mecklenburg County (North
Carolina) Parks and Recreation
" Promoting nature and agriculture
is actually one of our main missions
year-round here at Northern Regional
Recreation Center in Mecklenburg
County! The entire building was designed
with wood paneling, a barn
silo for our water slide, and a large
vegetable garden area with approximately
30 containers or raised beds
to go along with our goals to educate
our community about how to
grow their own food and teach the
community about the benefits of
connecting with nature. Our nature
center educators will be presenting
a special Garden Earth Day Celebration
in partnership with Clark's
Creek Community Garden, which
will
include garden tours, nature
activities, snacks and a butterfly garden.
In addition, all month long we
will be celebrating the spring and
nature with programs, such as a field
trip to the botanical gardens, a night
hike with s'mores and take-home
glowing paper mushrooms, homeschool
naturalist programs, nature
art, tea garden education and our
new beginning birding programs.
Nature and agriculture programming
is a wonderful opportunity [for
people] to learn amazing facts about
the world around us, such as where
their food comes from ... or how
we can make a positive impact on
our environment with small choices,
such as recycling. As our nature center
educator Patricia Tierney says,
'Every day is Earth Day!' "
Troy Houtman, CPRE, director
of park and recreation, City of
Wichita (Kansas)
" Earth Day should be every day!
However, a special day to honor the
Earth is essential to remind folks
how important it is to take care of
our environment. Earth Day is also
vital in sparking a passion and providing
educational opportunities to
learn how to protect the environment
and become more sustainable
in our everyday lives and work activities.
Small efforts can make a difference,
such as planting a few extra
trees or learning more about carbon
sequestration. As park and recreation
professionals, it is imperative
that we take the lead in these efforts
to include making Earth Day an important
day for our future. "
Rebecca Swift, natural resources
coordinator, City of Bloomington
(Indiana) Parks and Recreation
" The [2024 Annual Bike to Earth
Day] event is free and open to the
14 Parks & Recreation | APRIL 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
public, and will feature live music,
food and drinks, local vendors, raffles,
tree giveaways, volunteer recognition,
and more. Local vendors will
represent sustainability initiatives,
environmental groups [and] the
clean energy/transportation sector. I
am most excited about the volunteer
recognition opportunity to acknowledge
the contributions and celebrate
the positive impact our volunteer
network has had on environmental
conservation in our community.
" The Earth Day Planning Committee
has worked on identifying specific
demographics or groups within
the community that have been less
engaged in the past. We've tailored
outreach efforts to address various interests,
concerns and communication
preferences to extend our reach. This
has involved using different communication
channels, such as social media,
local newspapers, seasonal program
guides and building community
partnerships. We've partnered with
local community groups, schools,
businesses and nonprofit organizations
to help promote the event and
establish connections with a larger
audience. We've also developed Earth
Day activities that cater to a diverse
range of ages, demographics and abilities.
Additionally, we ensure that our
Earth Day event is easily accessible
by choosing a central location along
a multiuse trail with public transportation
options nearby. Lastly, we incorporated
a Volunteer Recognition
and EcoHeroes Award Ceremony in
the event schedule to incentivize attendance
and encourage community
involvement. "
To read more about how park and
recreation agencies are celebrating
Earth Day, visit nrpa.org/ParksAnd
RecreationCelebratesEarthDay2024.
http://www.nrpa.org/ParksAndrecreationcelebratesEarthDay2024
April 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2024 – Parks & Recreation
