December 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 12

Letters
We hope the articles you read in Parks & Recreation are thought-provoking and
engaging, and we want to hear your opinions on what you read in these pages. Through
social media posts, website comments, emails to staff or posts on NRPA Connect, let us
know how the magazine's articles apply to your job and your agency. To submit feedback
for this section, email Executive Editor Samantha Bartram at sbartram@nrpa.org.

Fantastic insight into finding a
balance between combat readiness and environmental protection.
As a retired military officer turned
outdoor recreation executive, I can tell
you that understanding each other's
mission is the key to conservation.
Comment from Bryan Martyn regarding NRPA Vice President of Conservation
and Parks Richard J. Dolesh's November
2015 Conservation column, " Thinking
'Outside the Fence' Leads to Innovative
Conservation, " (www.parksandrecreation.
org/2015/November/Thinking-Outside-the-Fence-Leads-to-Innovative-Conservation)
This is a great start to an article... It just seems to be missing
a great deal of information. Let me
start by saying that I love that the
Windy City's leaders recognize that

10 Parks & Recreation

the parks and community centers attached to neighborhoods are the heart
and hub of a city, but this was more of
a highlight reel of recreation in Chicago. Where is the information on how
much money was spent on this fiveyear challenge, where did the money
come from...bonds, private corporations and lemonade stands? How are
they working with neighborhoods?
Were the neighborhoods invited to
participate in the planning of the restorations? Were they reached out to to
see what they wanted and not just told
what the plan was going to be? I really
do love the statement to " draw people
from across the city to play together, "
but how? Yes you have an amazing
destination, but how are the kids and
older patrons getting there? How do
they know and learn about the programs? How much cost
will the families incur...These are the
questions I would
love to see in addition to this article. GO CUBS!
Comment
from Dan
Bagley, Recreation Facilities and
Program
Supervisor III for
the Raleigh,

| D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

North Carolina, Parks, Recreation and
Cultural Services Department, regarding the October 2015 feature article,
" Welcome to Chicagoland, " (www.
parksandrecreation.org/2015/October/
Welcome-to-Chicagoland)
What is it with these idiots
who think they can inflict their
noisy, intrusive and potentially dangerous gadgets on other people? We
were buzzed by a drone while hiking
recently. The drone came to within 3
feet of our heads. Ho ho ho, big
joke. Is there any electronic device
that you can carry in order to bring
down drones that come too close?
Some kind of signal-scrambling instrument?
Comment from Mike Puelston regarding
NRPA Vice President of Conservation and
Parks Richard J. Dolesh's March 2015
feature, " The Drones are Coming, " (www.
parksandrecreation.org/2015/March/
The-Drones-are-Coming)
[Tom Sawyer's Play Island] is a
truly wonderful playground in an
absolutely beautiful county park! Such
a gem! Thank you, Karen Cheney.
Comment from Christina Semeraro regarding Lynn Pinoniemi's August 2015
article, " A Woodland Adventure at Amelia Earhart Park, " (www.parksandrecreation.org/2015/August/A-WoodlandAdventure-at-Amelia-Earhart-Park)

December 2015 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2015 - Parks & Recreation