March 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 21

The Baltimore City Department of
Recreation and Parks, working together
with civic organizations, launched a
transformative program that brings
city school kids to the banks of the
Patapsco River's Middle Branch.
- Ernest Burkeen
Patapsco River's Middle Branch for recreational and educational experiences.
Through a partnership initiative of the Baltimore National Heritage Area, National Park Service, Baltimore
City Public Schools and Baltimore City Department of
Recreation and Parks, 140 eighth-grade students participated in the Kids in Kayaks program. One of the unique
aspects of this program involved the introduction of kayaks to the students in our indoor swimming pools, thus
providing a source of comfort for the students prior to the
actual river experience. Additional partners of this program included the Baltimore Zoo and the Star-Spangled
Banner Flag House.
Funding came from the National Park Service through
the Baltimore National Heritage Area, finally to the Department of Recreation and Parks as a grant, in addition to an in-kind contribution by the Department of
Recreation.
Mike Abbaté
A proud moment
for me, and one in
which I cherish my
team's innovative
problem solving,
came in March
2014 when Portland Parks and
Recreation (PPR)
had a chance to
take ownership of
valuable land in a
park-deficient part

of our city. But, we could only do so with the help of
partners and grants. PPR was able to acquire a total
of 85 acres, including an important natural area in the
Columbia Slough watershed, and what is now the Colwood Golf Center.
The land was acquired and is managed through a
partnership with the Portland Bureau of Environmental
Services (BES) and Portland Parks and Recreation. This
exciting undertaking means that 37 acres are now in our
stewardship, protected as a natural area - 32 acres of
which will be restored as forest and wetland areas. Further,
the acquisition of green space took place in a traditionally
underserved area of the city, in northeast Portland's densely populated Cully neighborhood.
This was a desired and successful endeavor. And,
it was a transaction that, given fiscal constraints, was
only possible via our partnership with BES, the Trust
for Public Land, our Portland Public Golf program and
grants. With our lasting thanks, on April 22, 2015, the
East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
(EMSWCD) proudly announced a $1 million grant to
the city to support the natural area acquisition.

PPR was able to acquire a total of
85 acres, including an important
natural area in the Colombia Slough
watershed, and what is now the
Colwood Golf Center.
- Mike Abbaté
The city's cost to acquire the entire Colwood property
was $5 million: $3.5 million in a combination of PPR investment of System Development Charges (SDCs: revenue from construction development in the city) and reimbursement from golf revenue over time, $1 million from
the EMSWCD grant and $500,000 thanks to a partnership
with BES.
- Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

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March 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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