Tag Archives: National Recreation and Park Association

A Child's Right to Nature

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This post was written by Richard J. Dolesh, Vice President for Conservation and Parks for the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).

Parks, Urban Cities, and a Child’s Right to Nature

Just how hardwired are we to nature? Do we have an essential connection to green spaces? Is our health and well-being dependent on a regular dose of nature?
A growing number of researchers and scientists believe we do, and there is increasing empirical evidence of this connection. Studies are showing that access to green spaces and natural landscapes positively affect our moods, enable us to learn and retain knowledge better, and even are responsible for imprinting children with immunological defenses that make them more resistant to diseases and allergies.

While the evidence of the importance of a connection to nature as a vital component of a healthy life is becoming more compelling, so, too, is the belief that children throughout the world should have a right to nature.

The prestigious International Union for Conservation of Nature

(IUCN), one of the oldest and most influential global conservation organizations, just adopted a resolution to that effect at its most recent quadrennial congress in Jeju, Korea. Building on work begun in 2008 by IUCN board member Cheryl Charles, President of the Children and Nature Network, and Richard Louv, author of the internationally known book, “The Last Child in the Woods,” the IUCN unanimously adopted the Declaration on Connecting People with Nature, and passed a motion in support of the child’s right to nature presented by Dr. Annelies Henstra.

So, what does this mean to children in densely populated urban areas with little or no green space and few designated parks in which to play?  It means that government officials, urban planners and community development organizations will need to use their collective will, enlightened leadership and creativity to design and develop these types of spaces.

One excellent example of how the challenge is being met is taking place in Los Angeles, California. Long recognized as a city that is ‘park-poor’ and lacking in green space in its most densely developed areas, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with support of the City Council embarked on an ambitious initiative, his “50 Parks” campaign, an effort to build 50 new parks in some of the most underserved communities in the city.

One of the new parks under construction which will be dedicated soon is in the El Sereno area of East Los Angeles. This area of Los Angeles has the highest percentage in the city of children under the age of 10. Even in this densely populated area, there are no parks within a half mile of the neighborhood, and only one park within a mile of the park site. More than 5,000 kids age 5 or younger live within two miles of the proposed park.  In partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association’s ‘Parks Build Community’ program and with support of the Trust for Public Land and the donation of a full, state of the art playground from Playcore, Inc. and donations from local businesses and philanthropic individuals, and aided by a grant from the First Five Foundation, a state fund for early childhood development projects, a new park has blossomed on a vacant lot. The El Sereno Recreation Area and Children’s Nature Play Garden will open in October 2012 to serve the children and families of this community. It is a great example how parks can build community and bring nature to children in even the densest urban cities.

For more information on the park and children’s nature play garden at El Sereno

and NRPA’s Parks Build Community initiative, go to: http://www.nrpa.org/parksbuildcommunity/ and http://www.nrpa.org/About-NRPA/Initiatives/Parks-Build-Community/El-Sereno-Park-Revitalization/.

For more information on the Children and Nature Network’s Research Summary of Children and Nature Worldwide, go to: http://www.childrenandnature.org/documents/C118/.

This entry reflects the author’s personal judgments and does not represent the views of the United States Government or the Department of State.

 

Guest Blog: Let Them Flood

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By Richard J. Dolesh, Chief of Public Policy for the National Recreation and Policy Association

A pristine lake reflects snow-covered mountains at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

A pristine lake reflects snow-covered mountains at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. (AP Images)

The destructive power of floodwater has been on full display in the U.S. this past year. From the damaging floods along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers this spring, to the coastal flooding and widespread storm damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, tens of millions of Americans have been inconvenienced or worse by flooding this year. The costs of damages will run in the tens of billions of dollars.

The U.S. has spent enormous sums to chop, channelize, and straighten rivers as well as to build vast levee systems to protect developed infrastructure built in floodplains. Yet in spite of these efforts, we continue to face grave threats and substantial destruction of property.

Extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and other climate change conditions are likely to only make conditions worse and federal funding to address these infrastructure issues is likely to decrease significantly.

There is a better way to coexist with our increasingly flood-prone rivers and waterways and that is to just let them flood– but in a designed, calculated way, allowing rivers and inland waterways to fill natural floodplains that have been set aside as public open space and parks. These floodable parks can then serve multiple purposes as a means of retaining and controlling flood waters and also as areas for active public use and conservation.

The United States must re-think longstanding public policies that allow and even encourage inappropriate development in flood-prone areas, and replace such policies with a strategic vision that combines public land-acquisition with restoration of wetlands and natural floodplains and which will allow our rivers and waterways to become assets and contributors to the health of our nation’s infrastructure, not liabilities that are increasingly expensive to maintain.

One proven method of reducing the impacts of flooding on developed infrastructure is the Dutch model of “Room for the River” in which flood prone areas are set aside for crops, conservation, and recreation. When flooding inevitably occurs on these lands, it does not cause the wrenching disruptions and loss of life and property that occurs annually in the U.S. In a country whose land is 60% below sea level, the Netherlands have adopted a sensible long-term vision that strategically allows flooding to occur, but which produces minimal damage to valuable infrastructure or public safety.

More floodplains and flood prone areas should be strategically set aside as public open space, designed to conserve natural resources and programmed for public use with trails, greenways, blueways, and other outdoor recreation resources that conserve wildlife habitat, improve health, and contribute to livable, sustainable communities.

Parks that allow Room for the River can be a key solution to improving our nation’s infrastructure, reducing property damage and loss, and saving billions in taxpayer’s dollars.

Discussion question: What has your experience with flooding been?

This week’s guest blogger is…

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Richard Dolesh, Chief of Public Policy for the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) in Washington, D.C.!

Richard Dolesh, Courtesy Photo, National Recreation and Park Association

Richard Dolesh, Courtesy Photo, National Recreation and Park Association

Richard is responsible for national public policy development and contributes to the national legislative and advocacy program of NRPA.  That means working with elected leaders and national groups on how to save park lands and continue the legacy of having beautiful natural lands for the public.

He worked for 30 years in parks and natural resource management at the local and state level with a special focus on management of wetlands and riverine public lands before coming to NRPA.  He is presently working on several parks initiatives including the NRPA Conservation Task Force and the Parks Build Community project.  He represents NRPA on a number of national coalitions and advisory groups including the Sustainable Sites Initiative, the National Review Group for Safe Routes to School; the Sustainable Urban Forestry Coalition; and the Coalition for Recreational Trails.

Richard is a frequent contributor to NRPA’s Parks and Recreation Magazine, and has written numerous articles on parks and natural resources in publications that include The Washington Post and National Geographic Magazine.  He was recently featured in the New York Times and appeared on World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer discussing the future of the United States’ parks (click on July 4th Bummer: State Parks Closed video on left).

You can read one of his articles on hydraulic fracturing here, which we featured on the Global Conversations: Climate Facebook page. 

Don’t forget: his guest blog will be posted this Friday, September 16th, and will explore the idea of floodable parks like those used in Holland!