November 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 10

EDITOR'S LET TER

Investing in Knowledge
This ongoing pandemic undoubtedly brings to light the inequities that
long existed before the novel coronavirus. It also places greater importance on research and evaluation, which offers a roadmap for park and
recreation agencies - especially as they develop their master plans. Perhaps NRPA's Lauren Redmore sums it up best in the Equity column,
" Mixed-Method Evaluations Paint a Park Equity Portrait, " on page
22 - in which she contends, " Evaluation provides park and recreation
agencies with a powerful set of tools to understand how they serve members of their community, where they fall short, and how they can fill
service gaps that have left some community members behind. " The key,
however, is not to depend solely on one type of evaluation, like customer
surveys, but to rely on a variety of data-gathering methods that provides a
more complete picture that ultimately allows park and recreation leaders
to redistribute resources and services in a fair and equitable manner.
In this month's cover story, " A New Approach to Parks and Recreation System Planning, " on
page 32, author David Barth discusses how today's most pressing issues - such as a global health
crisis, wildfires and urbanization - are influencing the way park and recreation professionals
perceive the field at large and how they now approach system planning. " This broader perspective
encourages park and recreation agencies to transcend their silos - and leverage their resources
- to plan and collaborate with other public and private agencies to meet as many of the community's needs as possible, " Barth writes.
Collaboration and partnerships are pivotal to a park and recreation agency's supplemental revenue, as pointed out in the feature article, " Making the Most of Your Partnerships, " on page 38.
Contributors Nick Pitas, Andrew Mowen and Samantha Powers examine the agency-foundation
relationship and offer ways to effectively leverage the benefits of these alliances. In addition, they
share data from a nationwide survey they conducted, in partnership with NRPA, on agencyfoundation relationships. Survey participants included leaders from park and recreation agencies
and nonprofit foundations. " Overall, about 40 percent of agency leaders report that their agency
benefits from the support of a park-specific foundation, " according to their findings.
The city of Atlanta, Georgia, knows all too well the benefits of forging partnerships, especially
when it comes to finding solutions to its plastic-pollution dilemma, which is the focus of the feature story, " Proctor Creek Turns to Green Innovation, " on page 44. Contributors Aaron Lee Wiener and NRPA's Michele White provide an in-depth look at why Atlanta's Parks and Recreation
Department, Department of Watershed Management and its partners have been testing trash
traps, installed within Atlanta's parks, to improve " water quality and stream habitat by removing
the waste that heavily impacts these urban waterways. " The Proctor Creek case study is a prime
example of how other cities across the United States can integrate trash trap technology into innovative workforces to mitigate pollution in waterways.
We hope that sharing people's stories in this issue and in future issues will assist you with your
own research and planning as you navigate through the rest of the year. After all, " an investment
in knowledge pays the best interest. " - Benjamin Franklin

VITISIA " VI " PAYNICH
Executive Editor
Print and Online Content
8

Parks & Recreation

| N OV E M B E R 2 02 0 | PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G

PRESIDENT AND CEO
Kristine Stratton
VICE PRESIDENT OF
COMMUNICATIONS AND CHIEF
MARKETING OFFICER
Gina Mullins-Cohen
gcohen@nrpa.org
EXECUTIVE EDITOR, PRINT
AND ONLINE CONTENT
Vitisia Paynich
vpaynich@nrpa.org
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Lindsay Hogeboom
lhogeboom@nrpa.org
WEB EDITOR
Jennifer Fulcher-Nguyen
jnguyen@nrpa.org
PUBLICATION DESIGN
Kim Mabon/Creative By
Design
CreativeByDesign.net
SENIOR CORPORATE
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Michelle Dellner
949.248.1057
mdellner@nrpa.org
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Meghan Fredriksen
703.858.2190
mfredriksen@nrpa.org
PHOTOGRAPHY
Dreamstime.com or NRPA
(unless otherwise noted)
MAGAZINE ADVISORY
BOARD MEMBERS
Anthony-Paul Diaz, Chair
Michael Abbaté, FASLA
Neelay Bhatt
Ryan Eaker
Beau Fieldsend
Kathleen Gibi
Paul Gilbert, CPRP
Tim Herd, CPRE
Brian Johnson, CPSI
Denise Johnson-Caldwell
Roslyn Johnson, CPRP
Michele Lemons
Sam Mendelsohn
Maria Nardi
Lisa Paradis, CPRP
Paula Sliefert
Shonnda Smith, CPRP, AFO
Anne-Marie Spencer
Stephen Springs
November 2020 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2020 - Parks & Recreation
