August 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 25

phasis on addressing climate change,
promoting sustainable development,
and expanding access to outdoor
recreation opportunities for all. The
White House has been vocal about
weatherization investments: $50 billion
has been slated to protect against
droughts, heat, floods and wildfires.
While the IRA's funding of these key
priorities will be essential in ensuring
the success of the BIL's mission
to modernize and repair the nation's
infrastructure, it is also important to
acknowledge its potential impact on
park and recreation agencies.
Impacts on Urban and
Rural Communities
For urban park and recreation agencies,
this program will represent a major
step to expand access to outdoor
recreation opportunities for residents
of densely populated areas. Many urban
areas lack adequate green spaces,
and this can have significant impacts
on public health and quality of life.
For example, many communities that
struggle with extreme heat would experience
the cooling benefits of an increase
in green spaces. By providing
funding to support the development
of new parks and trails and the improvement
of existing green spaces,
this program will help to address this
issue and provide more opportunities
for urban residents to enjoy the
outdoors, as well as provide resilient
weatherization infrastructure.
For rural park and recreation
agencies, the BIL includes provisions
that will support conservation and
environmental stewardship efforts.
One of the key provisions of the
law is the establishment of a new
" Rural
Conservation
Stewardship
Program, " which will provide funding
to rural landowners and farmers
to support the implementation of
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
offers urban park and recreation
agencies opportunities to increase
access to outdoor recreation and rural
agencies support for conservation and
stewardship efforts.
conservation practices on their land.
This program will help to promote
the sustainable management of rural
landscapes and protect important
natural resources, like waterways
and wildlife habitats. Correspondingly,
the BIL includes funding for a
range of programs that will support
the development and maintenance
of recreational infrastructure in rural
areas. This includes funding for the
construction and improvement of
rural trails and the development of
new recreational amenities.
Cory Styron, director of Community
Services at Los Alamos County
in New Mexico, shares his experience
in the park and recreation space, describing
Los Alamos as " not the normal
rural community " due to their
history with the federal government
and the Manhattan Project (tinyurl.
com/yzthsjjj). The local government
jurisdiction was born out of the federal
land used for the Manhattan Project
that was deemed not " mission
critical. " This continues to be the
standard today as the county looks to
acquire land. This relationship with
the federal government has created
a question from a recreational user
perspective of which land is countyowned
versus federally owned, which
informs everything from funding to
infrastructure, maintenance and land
use. In his description, Styron highlights
the nuances of each community
and parameters that parks and
recreation professionals work within.
Overall, the IRA and BIL of 2022
represent a major investment in our
nation's
outdoor
recreation
infrastructure.
By providing funding for
the development of new parks and
trails in urban areas and improving
existing green spaces, the law will
help to expand access to outdoor recreation
opportunities for residents.
The establishment of new conservation
programs will support efforts to
protect and steward rural landscapes,
while making communities more
resilient to extreme climate events.
With these new resources, park and
recreation agencies nationwide will
be better equipped to provide the
high-quality outdoor experiences that
we rely on for physical and mental
well-being, as well as economic and
social development.
Barbara Kapustin is Resilience Program
Manager at NRPA (bkapustin@nrpa.org).
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| Parks & Recreation
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http://www.tinyurl.com/yzthsjjj http://www.tinyurl.com/yzthsjjj
August 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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