November 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 91

Top Ten Recommendations of the Conservation Task Force

1

Take a leadership role in the
community to promote conservation. Park and recreation
agencies have a unique opportunity to
bring governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, community leaders,
and the public together for the cause
of working on community-wide conservation objectives-clean water, wildlife
habitat preservation, reducing energy
use, and improving environmental quality. Park and recreation agencies must
lead the way in promoting conservation
to diverse and underserved audiences.

2

Lead by example in employing best management conservation practices in parks.
Park and recreation agencies should
become the catalyst in the community
for conservation by showing how best
practices can be adopted-not mowing what doesn't need to be mowed,
stopping wasteful energy consumption, and reducing pesticide use, for
example. Show the public how conservation practices can benefit everyone.

3

Protect natural resources in
parks and in the community.
A core mission of public parks
is to protect land and water resources
and to be stewards of natural resources. This means committing personnel
and resources to protect natural and
cultural resources and creating sustainable long-term methods of funding this conservation mission. Parks
and recreation agencies are entrusted with some of the most important
public assets of a community and the
conservation and long-term protection of this public trust is and should
be a core component of every parks
and recreation agency's mission.

4
	

	

Forge partnerships that foster the mission of conservation. The greatest and most

beneficial conservation successes most
often occur as a result of collaboration.
Park and recreation agencies should
partner with nonprofit and community
service organizations, universities and
colleges, school systems, other governmental agencies, and non-traditional partners for conservation outcomes.
Promote health, education, green jobs,
and other goals while working toward
a common mission of conservation.

5

Create sustainable landscapes that demonstrate
principles of conservation.
Use sustainable landscapes to save taxpayer funds, to measurably improve
conservation benefits, and to educate
the public about conservation. For example, agencies can reduce turf grass
and mowing frequency, replace turf
with native plants, manage floodplains
for multiple uses including conservation
and public recreation, enhance wetlands
for water filtration and groundwater
recharge, plant model landscapes of
drought-tolerant native plants adapted to climate and culture, and promote
parks as food sources through edible
landscapes and community gardens.

6

Engage youth in conservation. Get kids and teens outdoors and enjoying their parks.
The experience of nature is inherently rewarding for youth. Set as a goal
connecting kids in the community to
nature and the outdoors. Conservation should be embedded in every aspect of recreation planning. Children
and youth will be fascinated by nature and will develop a lifelong affinity, as well as a conservation ethic, if
they have early opportunities to enjoy nature and recreate outdoors.

7

Involve volunteers in conservation and stewardship.
Create a sense of belonging

and stewardship for parks by creating a personal sense of ownership and value. Enable people to
identify with their parks and natural resources, and to care about
their future. Sustain stewardship by
creating meaningful public participation in implementation of conservation principles and practices.

8

Establish a strategic land
acquisition strategy based
on knowledge and awareness of
significant natural and cultural resources (watershed protection, unique ecological characteristics, and sensitive
natural areas deserving protection).
As the largest owners of public land in
most communities, park and recreation
agencies should lead the way in developing a strategic vision for preserving
open space and conserving important landscapes and natural features.

9

Conserve energy in all ways.
Park and recreation agencies
must lead by example, showing the public how and why they
should adopt practices that they can
see demonstrated in parks and recreation facilities. Park and recreation
agencies should adopt energy conservation measures that make sense
and save public taxpayer funds.

10

Utilize technology to
promote conservation.
Park and recreation
agencies need to embrace technology to promote conservation. This is not
only in applications such as GIS, but
in utilizing social media to engage the
public, especially youth. Technology is
not to be feared as something that detracts from the conservation mission
of parks agencies, but rather it is to be
accepted as a means of sharing knowledge and connecting people to conservation and stewardship.

w ww
ww
. Nw
R .PNAR. P
OA
R .GO/RcGon
/ cson
e rsveartvi a
on
t i on
n o vneomvbeemrb 2
e0
r 1 12 0 1Parks
1
Parks
& Recreation
& Recreation
	
7	

7
November 2011 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2011 - Parks & Recreation
