October 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 22

W E A R E P A R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N

NRPA Parks Build Community
Project Wins National Award

rban Land Institute has announced that Trojan Park in Wellston, Missouri, the 2016 NRPA Parks Build Community project, has been awarded its 2020 Urban Open Space Award. This
honor acknowledges outstanding examples of vibrant public
open spaces that have been instrumental in promoting healthy, sustainable
and equitable outcomes in communities.
NRPA and Great Rivers Greenway
worked in concert with the city of
Wellston to develop Trojan Park back
in 2016. NRPA's Parks Build Community is a national initiative aimed
at demonstrating the transformative

Children play on the newly renovated playground at the grand opening of Trojan Park
during the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference.

value of parks on the health and vitality of communities across America
and has historically included building
or refurbishing a park at the location
of the NRPA Annual Conference,
which, in 2016, was held in St. Louis.
" We are thrilled that such a deserving park is being recognized with
this prestigious national award, " says
Kristine Stratton, NRPA president
and CEO. " This year, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the
Parks Build Community initiative,
and this award is a prime example
of how an investment in a local park
makes a lasting impact on the community it serves. Building a beautiful,
sustainable and culturally relevant
park in a community - and seeing
its transformative effect - illustrates
the importance of healthy gathering
places for everyone. "

n October 20, 2020, Daniel L. Dustin, Ph.D., will be awarded the prestigious Cornelius Armory Pugsley Medal from the
American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration
(AAPRA). The AAPRA Honorable Cornelius Armory Pugsley Medals are the most prestigious awards that recognize outstanding
contributions by an individual to the promotion and development of public
parks and conservation in the United States.
Dustin serves as a professor in the
Department of Health, Kinesiology
and Recreation for the University of
Utah's College of Health. He is a philosopher, teacher, mentor, environmentalist, activist, public intellectual
and scholar in the field of parks and
recreation. He is the author of more
than 22 books, dozens of book chapters and hundreds of presentations
and professional articles. Dustin's

Parks & Recreation

writings and presentations focus on
emerging ideas related to conservation, equity, and health and wellness,
primarily through connections with
the outdoors. He also has taught outdoor courses about the wilderness
and human values and has provided thought-provoking insights into
how careers in the outdoors provide
meaningful contributions to society.
Dustin joins a distinguished list

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PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL KESHLEAR

Daniel L. Dustin, Ph.D., to Receive 2020
Pugsley Award
Daniel L.
Dustin, Ph.D.,
is the 2020
Pugsley Award
Recipient.

of Pugsley Medal winners, including Stephen Mather, the founder
and first director of the National
Park Service; Frederick Law Olmsted, landscape architect; Bruce Babbitt and Stuart Udall, two former
Secretaries of the Interior; Lamar
Alexander, U.S. senator and former
governor of Tennessee; and Richard
J. Dolesh, NRPA's former vice president of strategic initiatives.

October 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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