December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 40

in PTOP TRENDS
H
arks and Recreation 2025
Predictions for the industry and the field for
2025 and beyond
By Richard J. Dolesh
ere are the much-anticipated predictions
for the top trends in parks and recreation
for 2025.
Climate Change
Extreme Weather Conditions, Everywhere,
All the Time
Whether we call it climate change
or adopt a euphemism to call it
something
else, the rapid pace
of extreme weather events and
long-term stresses from climate
change are forcing park and recreation
agencies to do a much better
job planning and budgeting for
single-event disasters and the longterm
impacts of climate change.
The devastation caused by the
recent back-to-back hurricanes
Helene and Milton in Florida and
other Southern and mid-Atlantic
states has solidified a growing realization
that no areas of the country
are safe from the effects of extreme
weather. Climate catastrophes like
torrential rains, windstorms, wildfires,
drought and extreme prolonged
heat can happen anywhere,
even hundreds of miles from the
events that cause them.
Climate-aggravated
weather
events and long-term climate
change stresses
present a grave
challenge to parks and recreation
while at the same time offering
agencies opportunities to adapt to
changing conditions and to mitigate
climate-change conditions
through strategic planning and proactive
actions.
Kelly Bohrer, sustainability manager
for Five Rivers Metroparks in
Dayton, Ohio, says, " I am seeing
an exponential increase in concern
regarding climate change and
considerations of actions to address
climate change, engage in
climate-change mitigation, and view
parks as essential to climate-change
adaptation and resilience for communities
across the U.S. "
When asked if she sees park and
recreation agencies taking up the
challenge, Bohrer says, " It can't be
just one person's job. It takes time,
focus and budget. If you are not
specifically focusing on a response
to climate change, you may not be
ready to take effective actions. The
good news is that agencies can start
small, and every bit will help in
meaningful ways - seeing better
40 Parks & Recreation | DECEMBER 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
air quality, more trees, direct benefits
of floodplains and wetlands, the
health benefits of forests and green
open spaces, and more. " Bohrer
concludes, " As public entities with
large landholdings, we can provide
leadership to the public and show
how we can adapt and be resilient. "
Health and Well-Being
Addressing the Loneliness Epidemic
Much
digital ink has been spilled on
the topic of the loneliness epidemic
and how it is affecting people of all
ages. Magnified by the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic, the social
isolation and fraying of many of the
social bonds that we took for granted
in our society has blown into a
full-fledged crisis, prompting U.S.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to
commission the Department of
Health and Human Services to issue
an 82-page advisory, titled " Our
Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation "
(tinyurl.com/2wvucasu). Dr.
Murthy states in the introduction,
" Loneliness is far more than just a
http://tinyurl.com/2wvucasu
December 2024 – Parks & Recreation

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